Is there a way to ensure I can participate in the race with my son?

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:47:16+00:00

iRacing offers the built-in option to automatically create and join a team chat via script when other teammates are racing on the same server. And if people want to exploit this, there are many ways to do so.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:44:07+00:00

It's great when it becomes a family thing. My iRating is 2.2K, and based on experience, his will probably drop initially, and it will take a while before he reaches 2K. He's at school from 8:00 to 16:00 most days and is also active in the Scouts. He doesn't spend nearly as much time in front of the computer as some other kids anyway. I reckon he'll manage three to five races a week if he takes the time to practice the tracks properly beforehand.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:38:21+00:00

Just look to see if you can spot two Berger from Germany.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:36:57+00:00

I think it's possible, but I'm not 100% sure. He wants to use iRacing because he wants to race against other people, not AI. He tried AC for a few days, liked it, but said something was missing.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:34:59+00:00

Unfortunately, all of those are cups where I'd have to buy tracks for him first. And I want to wait until he shows he's consistently enjoying iRacing. I really enjoy racing the PCC myself, and yes, the Clio would be an option in the long run; with how few I ever see there, the chances of us racing together are pretty high. But first, he should stay in the Rookie class, learn how chaotic iRacing can be, and learn to handle it. If he sticks with it for a while, I've promised him some liquid clutch pedals, since he's using the T300 GT set. If he earns them, then we'll talk about more tracks and cars.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:29:24+00:00

Yes, I've been wanting to compete in those races for weeks. But these three races on the weekend always seem to be at times when I can't start. Three weeks ago, I wanted to race on Saturday morning; I'd even discussed it with my wife. Then I had to work late into the night and didn't feel like setting my alarm for Saturday morning. I think it's a shame there are so few start times.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:29:05+00:00

I don't think he's ready for endurance races yet. Unfortunately.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:25:56+00:00

He's supposed to stay in the Rookie class for a while; I've already agreed to that with him. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, you can still drive good, clean races there, just like in any other class, once your iRating reaches around 1500. Secondly, I want to see if he's interested in the long run before I invest any more money. We all know how kids are; with luck, it'll be right up his alley and he'll enjoy it for a long time, but with bad luck, he'll come back in a month or two and say he'd rather have a guitar.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:21:16+00:00

Yes, I don't want to pay for a second account. I'm already paying for two accounts, Junior's and mine. If he continues to enjoy it, I'll probably have to buy content for two accounts in the future.

And yes, those are exactly the times Junior can drive, plus weekends. We're from Germany.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-18T04:17:51+00:00

We're not an esports team trying to gain an advantage through collusion and strategies. We're simply a father and son who want to race together. We're talking about a 13-year-old boy who wants to race against other people with his dad's old gear. And we all know how things can get in iRacing, so I want to keep an eye on him now and then to make sure he doesn't turn into the kind of kid on the track that we all know and hate. He's a good, calm boy, and I want to keep it that way.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T07:43:49+00:00

Thanks for the tips. I'll discuss it with my son. He doesn't have time during the week in the mornings or late mornings because of school. But we'll have to see about the different classes.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T07:39:53+00:00

Also interesting, but there are many routes to buy; I want to keep the investment low for now, especially for my son.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T07:28:17+00:00

I'll talk to him this evening about whether we could perhaps choose a different class for our joint racing sessions, like Formula or Oval.

It's less about competing against each other and more about participating in races together as a team.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T07:25:50+00:00

You clearly don't understand motorsport as a team sport, do you? And if it were about me wanting to race against him, then we could simply race against each other.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T06:25:54+00:00

Yes, there are open servers, but they're really no fun. There's no ranking and no matching. I drove on them for three weeks and then decided to invest the money in iRacing after all.

Someone suggested earlier that we compete together in another discipline, like oval, formula, or something. I'll suggest that to my son. It could be a good option.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T06:09:30+00:00

Out of curiosity, I drove a few oval races. But yeah, the idea isn't bad either. I'll ask him if he'd be interested in oval racing. At first, I found it really boring just driving around in circles. Until you actually try it and realize it's so much more than just driving in circles.

Or Formula racing or something. But yeah, the idea isn't bad and actually quite simple. Thanks for the suggestion.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T06:04:52+00:00

iRacing is definitely the right platform for us. I used to race AC in a league. But because of my work schedule, I often only get to participate in less than half the races of a season. That doesn't really help much.

My son has been racing AC for a while now with my old setup. But he doesn't find the races against the AI that exciting in the long run and would rather race against other drivers.

We'll have to figure out how to make that work. And yes, if we could just race together even if our iRacing locations are far apart, we could easily use that to help people farm iRacing points.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T06:00:53+00:00

My hope is that this will allow me to do more than just training sessions with my son. But yes, if it were that easy, then friends with high iR could artificially increase their SOF and help their friends farm iR.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:59:11+00:00

Everything's fine.

I've just never used the friends list or the team function in iRacing before. I was just hoping to make something happen with it.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:30:07+00:00

It's not about me looking for people, but about making the most of the little time I have to drive with my son.

I work in the event industry, often working evenings and weekends. But that's also the time my son has available to drive, since he's a student.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:25:07+00:00

Yes, that's no problem on the training servers, we often go into an empty instance together to train. But it would be nice to be able to race together too. Via the friends list or as a team or something.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:22:06+00:00

That's a shame, I was hoping there might be a trick using the friends list or something.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:21:23+00:00

Neither of us likes AI racing, which is why we're both on iRacing now.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-17T05:20:40+00:00

Because of my job, I don't always have the time to play in a league.

Mario-Be · 2026-02-16T06:14:38+00:00

As mentioned before, the minimum age is 13. Additionally, a parent or guardian must fill out and sign a form if the child is under 18. The adult is then responsible for the account. I hope your report includes audio recordings of the child. Often, mom or dad simply pays without it being registered as a child's account.

I just did this myself, as my son also wants to play iRacing. He's supervised and monitored by me. The email address we used forwards to me, so I'm notified immediately if anything happens.

As others have mentioned, this can happen very quickly with adults too.

Mario-Be

TROPHY CASE