This short story was sent to us anonymously. It doesn’t mention any names—but it doesn’t need to. What it describes is a phenomenon that, unfortunately, has become increasingly common in the iRacing community: smurfing in special events.
For those new to the term, “smurfing” is when an experienced player uses a second account—often with a much lower ranking—to compete against less skilled players. Originally coined in games like StarCraft and League of Legends, the practice has found its way into sim racing.
In iRacing, your iRating determines the level of competition you face. The higher your iRating, the tougher your split. So, when high-iRating drivers enter special events with lower-rated accounts, they artificially place themselves in easier races.
And it’s not rare anymore—it’s systemic.
Why It Matters
Special events are the soul of iRacing. The Daytona 24, the Nürburgring 24, Petit Le Mans, and of course, Sebring—these races are where sim racers come alive. You spend weeks practicing, tweaking setups, refining driver swaps and fuel maps. They’re not just another official race—they’re milestones.
When smurfing infects these races, it kills the spirit of fair competition.
And the damage doesn’t stop at one race. Newer or mid-level drivers lose confidence. Some leave the platform entirely. And let’s not forget: if special events lose their credibility, iRacing loses its crown jewels.
The Gray Area in iRacing’s Rules
So, what does iRacing do about it?
That’s the frustrating part.
The sporting code, as it currently stands, doesn’t explicitly prohibit smurfing in special events. There’s language about unsportsmanlike behavior and manipulating matchmaking, but unless a protest is filed with compelling evidence, many smurfers skate by untouched.
The iRacing community isn’t short on ideas, and forum threads have sparked good suggestions:
- Force drivers to use their highest-rated account for special events
- Implement a per-person rating system, not per account
- Automatically flag sudden iRating drops before major races
- Disqualify proven smurfers post-race
Others suggest a main-account registration system: you declare one account as your competitive identity, and that’s the only one eligible for special events. It wouldn’t stop all smurfing, but it’d make it more risky and far less appealing.
Of course, these changes require investment from iRacing. And with multiple accounts being a revenue stream, some worry that there’s little incentive to act. But the cost of inaction is far greater: erosion of trust, a dwindling competitive base, and eventually, a community that just stops caring.
Final Thoughts
Smurfing in official races is annoying. Smurfing in special events is devastating. These are the moments sim racers live for. For some, it’s the closest they’ll get to real-world endurance racing. The stakes feel real. The emotion is real.
And the heartbreak is real too—especially when you realize you never had a chance.
I’m not here to rant. I’m here to protect what makes iRacing special. When the field is fair, racing is magical. When it’s not, it’s meaningless.
- Remember, you can join iRacing clicking here.
See you on the track!
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I’m not saying people don’t in special events but most people I know 5k+ are on there main and it’s almost the only time unless they are farming. To me the problem is any official race has a very good chance that there is 2 or more Smurfs(2 is a low estimate imo) in it and it makes it hard to get rating as higher skilled drivers are bringing the sof down but are still fast. I personally know several high irating people that will play on their low ir friends account. I talk a lot of crap to them for it but what would a handful of my friends getting banned if I report them for it do. It will change nothing, there are hundreds of others that will continue to do this. It’s so common that my friend trying to get his main ir up was even complaining about it but was playing on his friends 2k account the week before. The fact that they don’t even check location is crazy and tells me they don’t care. I mean my last race had a 1.8k running bottom 47s in prototype fixed at Sebring, you would think oh maybe he plays acc and is new, wrong I see this too much for that to be the case and personally know too many that do this.
Smurfing is bannable in other games, iracing should follow suite.