This Q&A is now read-only
Official Q&A: VEX V5 Robotics Competition 2025-2026: Push Back
3031: regarding DQ due to cross line in 15s auton
<SG7> In a local tournament final, one of the robots on our alliance unexpectedly ran straight into the opponent’s side during the 15s autonomous. This disrupted the ball placement on the opponent’s side and blocked the opponent robot’s autonomous route, but it did not cause any damage to the opponent’s robot.
Our alliance explained to the referee that this behavior was caused by a loose odometry connection. However, the referee stated that they could not rule out whether the action was unintentional or intentional. This situation occurred only once during the entire tournament—specifically in the finals—and even the referee mentioned that they had never seen a similar incident before. As a result, we got ultimately disqualified in a final.
We would like to understand whether there is a clear rule or guideline that applies to this type of situation.
As described in our response in Q&A 2924, if a Robot crosses the Autonomous Line and directly contacts a Robot or Block on the opponent's side of the Field, and that Robot/Block wasn't engaged with the Autonomous Line, the Team has committed a Violation (Major if the Head Referee decides it was intentional). As described in clause E of <<SG7>, the opponent will receive the Autonomous Bonus and an Autonomous Win Point unless they've also violated rules during auton.
The Head Referee must make a judgment call as to whether the Violation was intentional or egregious. As stated in the red box following rule <T1>, "when a rule specifies “Head Referee’s discretion” (or similar), then the “right” call is the one made by a Head Referee in the moment."