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Do Hosted Races Affect Irating in Iracing

Answers “do hosted races affect iRating in iRacing?” For iRacing drivers who need quick clarity. Know what counts, what doesn’t, and avoid surprises.

Short answer: most hosted races do not change your iRating or Safety Rating (SR). The only exception is when the host enables “Ranked” for that event. You’re in the right place if you want a fast, reliable way to tell which sessions affect your numbers—and how to pick the right ones.

do hosted races affect irating in iracing? Quick Answer

By default, no—hosted races are unranked and won’t impact iRating (your skill number) or SR (your clean-driving grade). If the session is specifically marked as Ranked, then results will affect both iRating and SR, just like an official series race.

What’s Really Going On

  • iRating is the number iRacing uses to split fields by pace. It only moves in races that are official or marked as Ranked.
  • SR measures how cleanly you drive. It goes up with clean laps and down with incidents—but only in official or Ranked sessions.
  • Hosted and league races are usually “unofficial.” They’re great for practice, testing an iRacing setup, or running with friends, because crashes and results won’t change your ratings.
  • Some hosts (and some leagues) can toggle a session to Ranked. When that’s on, your iRating and SR will change based on your finish and incidents, the same as an official race.

If you don’t see Ranked in the session details, assume it won’t affect your ratings.

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. Check the session details: In the Hosted/League event info, look for a Ranked indicator or wording like “iRating/SR eligible.” If it’s not there, it won’t affect ratings.
  2. Want rating gains? Join official series races or a hosted event that explicitly says Ranked.
  3. Protect your iRating: If you’re learning a track or car, stick to unranked hosted sessions, open practice, or test drive first.
  4. Build SR safely: Use Time Trials (SR only, no iRating) or run clean finishes in official fixed series.
  5. Hosting yourself? In the session settings, leave Ranked off for no-impact practice, or turn it on when you want results to count.
  6. Before gridding: Double-check the session label one more time so you’re not surprised by SR/iRating changes.

Extra Tips / Checklist

  • If it doesn’t clearly say Ranked, it doesn’t affect iRating or SR—simple as that.
  • League events follow the same rule: only change ratings if the organizer enables Ranked.
  • Incidents in unranked hosted sessions still show in results, but they won’t touch SR or iRating.
  • Chasing SR? Aim for clean, incident-free laps; that moves SR faster than raw pace.
  • New car or track? Use unranked hosted practice to dial in your iRacing settings and setup before going official.

FAQs

  • Do incidents in hosted races hurt SR? No, not in unranked hosted sessions. Only official or Ranked sessions affect SR.

  • Do league races affect iRating? Only if the league event is set to Ranked. Most leagues run unranked by default.

  • Can I gain SR without risking iRating? Yes. Time Trials affect SR but not iRating. Clean official finishes also raise SR.

  • How can I tell if a hosted race is Ranked? Open the session details and look for a Ranked label or a note that iRating/SR are enabled. If you don’t see that, it’s unranked.

Short Wrap-Up

Hosted races usually don’t touch your numbers. iRating and SR change only in official or clearly labeled Ranked sessions. Before you join, check the session details—then practice unranked, race ranked when you’re ready, and avoid surprises.