iRacing 101: Graduating from Rookie Class

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 do I get out of the Rookie license class?

We get it—racing in the Rookie levels can be tough at times! No matter your experience level with sim racing as a whole, you’ll be competing in fields with a number of new drivers, many of whom are just learning. The further you advance through iRacing’s license levels, from Rookie through D, C, B, and A, the more skilled drivers you’ll race with, so most drivers are eager to advance out of Rookie as quickly as possible.

Getting out of Rookie requires you to pay attention to two things: your MPR, and your Safety Rating. Once you satisfy your requirements for both of these, you’ll be out of the Rookie license class in that type of racing, and able to run in a wide range of additional series. You cannot be demoted back to a Rookie license after you graduate from it, although you are still allowed to run in Rookie races.

What is MPR, and how does it affect my progression?

MPR stands for “Minimum Participation Requirement.” For you to advance out of the Rookie class in any of our licenses, you’ll need to meet MPR in eligible Rookie series. Each of these series feature Fixed setups, meaning your car will be identical to everyone else’s. They are:

• Oval: Legends Cup, Street Stock
• Sports Car: Global Mazda MX-5 Cup
• Formula Car: Formula 1600, Formula Vee
• Dirt Oval: DIRTcar Street Stock, Micro Winged Sprint
• Dirt Road: Beetle Lite, Pro 2 Lite

Your MPR across these series is completing at least two races or four Time Trials. For the license types with multiple series, you are allowed to mix and match between them. To check on your MPR progress, you can click on any of your licenses on the right side of the iRacing UI.

Carburetor Cup, Pickup Cup, and Dallara Dash do not count towards your MPR. These are special Unranked series that do not apply to your iRating or Safety Rating. For more information on Ranked versus Unranked racing, click here.

How high does my Safety Rating need to be to advance?

With your MPR satisfied, your promotion out of Rookie will depend on your ability to race cleanly. As a new iRacer, your Safety Rating starts at 2.5. By putting together clean races with as few incidents as possible, your Safety Rating will improve. Once your Safety Rating reaches 3.0 and your MPR has been met, you will be immediately promoted to a D class license (known as a Fast Track Promotion) in whichever form of racing you’ve chosen. Your D class license will allow you to compete in a much wider set of series, featuring cars like the FIA Formula 4, GT4 class, ARCA Menards Series and zMAX CARS Tour, DIRTcar 358 Modified, and Pro 4 off-road truck.

However, keep in mind that Rookie is the only license class where you can earn a Fast Track promotion to D class with a 3.0 Safety Rating. To get from D up to C, or any other subsequent promotion up to A, you’ll need an SR of 4.0 or higher for a Fast Track promotion. Any other promotions will take place at the end of your current season.

Interested in learning more about iRacing? Click here for the full iRacing 101 archives!

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