In iRacing, everything revolves around one number. It tells you how strong you are compared with everyone else. Here I explain it so that you can make sense of it straight away at your next race.
iRating measures your performance as a driver. The system works much like the Elo rating in chess: the number is meant to predict whether you should beat a particular opponent in a race. Whoever has the higher number is considered the stronger driver.
After every race you swap points with the others. Anyone who finishes ahead of you takes points from you, and anyone who finishes behind you loses points to you. Beat a much stronger driver and you gain a lot. Beat a weaker one and you gain only a little. Crashes and your starting position play no part in it.
The average is around 1,500. The number is used to place you automatically in splits with drivers of similar strength, so that the races stay exciting. At the very top of the world are drivers with over 13,000.
That is a second number. It doesn’t measure how fast you are, but how cleanly you drive. Above all, it decides whether you move up to the next licence class.
The world rankings are a public service from a third party, not from iRacing. They show iRating separately for Sports Car, Formula Car, Oval, Dirt Oval and Dirt Road. The figures change constantly. Sources: BoxThisLap: How iRating works, Trophi.ai: Safety Rating and iRating, SimGaze.
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