DEFINITION
Competition Time Out (CTO) is a five-minute clock that starts when a driver requests one after a mechanical issue, contact, or off-course incident in a battle. The driver and their crew can repair, swap parts, or change wheels, but the clock does not stop.
If the car is back on the line and able to make a judgeable run before the timer expires, the battle continues normally. If not, the opponent is awarded the round and given a bye or advances to the next stage.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Formula Drift introduced the structured 5-minute CTO to replace what used to be an open-ended judgement call about how long a driver could keep the show waiting. Most modern series — including TOSFED's drift championship — now use the same format.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
When you call CTO, your crew should already have the most likely fixes pre-staged: a spare wheel, a quick-change tyre, fluids, electrical tape, common fasteners. The clock is brutal. Communicate clearly with your crew about what is broken before you stop the car so they're working the second you arrive in the pit.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Don't call CTO unless you really need it — every second counts and once started it cannot be paused.
• Have a 'CTO bag' pre-packed with the parts most likely to break on your car.
• A driver who calls CTO twice in one event is usually pushed to the back of the field in subsequent rounds.
After the contact in the first run he called a CTO and his crew swapped two wheels in three minutes.