Welcome to iRacing 101, where each week we’ll go through some of the many features that make iRacing the World’s Premier Motorsport Simulation. From highlighting our features to some of the top series and forms of racing you’ll encounter when you get behind the wheel.
This week’s topic: How does iRacing award points and championships in Ranked series?
In Ranked iRacing series, every finisher receives points towards a season-long championship. These championships begin for Season 1 in December, Season 2 in March, Season 3 in June, and Season 4 in September. At the end of the season, your best eight weeks will be counted towards the championship, and the driver who scores the most points is the champion!
The formula for how many points are awarded in each race is determined by both the Strength of Field (SOF) and the field size. SOF is calculated by averaging the iRatings of all drivers in the field; the higher the SOF, the more points are on the line for the whole field. The more drivers in the field, the smaller the gaps are between positions; for example, in two races with the same SOF, a second place finisher in a 20-car field would receive more points than a second place finisher in an eight-car field.
Along with the overall standings, each Ranked series awards championships to 10 distinct Competition Divisions. These Divisions are also determined by iRating. For Ranked Rookie series, Rookie license holders are placed within their own 11th division. Each race may feature drivers from any Competition Division.
How will my points be affected if I run multiple races in a week, or drop out of a race?
While the championship table and your stats will reflect all of your race results, only the top 25% of your performances (rounded up), based on points scored, will count towards your points each week. For example, if you run 1-4 races in any given series in a single week, your best score will count for the week; if you run 5-8, your best two scores will be averaged together; if you run 9-12, your best three scores will be averaged together, and so on. So don’t be afraid to run as many races as you’d like—your best results are the ones that will count!
If you either forfeit an active race or lose your connection and cannot rejoin, you will receive 0 points for that race. However, because of the many opportunities you’ll have to run another race, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll see that 0 reflected in either your weekly or season-long score.
How are points awarded in Ranked Week 13 series?
Week 13 (sometimes 14) is a special buffer week between our four Seasons that features its own unique slate of series. For the Ranked series that run on Week 13, point scoring is handled the same way, with the difference that tracks change every day instead of every week, and your lowest-scoring days dropped.
How are points awarded in Time Trials?
Each Ranked series also has a Time Trial championship that drivers can compete for in solo sessions. Unlike Ranked racing, Time Trial points for each week are scored on a linear system that goes from 100 down to 0. The fastest driver for any given week receives 100 Time Trial points. If only two drivers were to compete, the second place driver would score 50 points; if three compete, second would score 66 and third would score 33, and so on. Once again, only a driver’s top eight weeks will be counted towards the Time Trial championship.