Document GP-DOC-12: Racing

Ratings, Grades & Creature Classes

Genopool scores two things that are never confused: the pilot and the mount. The account carries a piloting license (a Glicko-2 rating rendered as corporate grades C1-C6); the creature carries a homologation class (I-V, its present competitive state). Where an entry actually races is the minimum of the two.

active division = min( account grade , creature class )

A Grand Prix horse ridden by a novice does not race the Grand Prix. Nobody finds that scandalous in equestrian sport; it is the same rule here, and it is what closes pay-to-rank in both directions: a purchased elite specimen opens nothing to a low-grade account, and a high-grade account cannot drag an unproven creature into a top tier.

The piloting license (account): Glicko-2

The license measures the demonstrated strength of the handler-plus-stable pairing. It is raced, never bought, never transferable, and never derived from any NFT held.

Parameter	Value
Algorithm	Glicko-2
Initial rating `r₀`	1500
Initial deviation `RD₀`	350
Initial volatility `σ₀`	0.06
System constant `τ`	0.5
Floor / ceiling	800 / none
Race treatment	5-racer race = 4 duels, each weighted 0.25
Rating period	1 race (immediate update)
Typical swing at RD 60	±8 to ±15 points per race

Placement. Eight mandatory races in the free tier (T0) before any paid entry. The account displays UNDER EVALUATION while RD > 150. No money moves during calibration.

Paid-entry gate. Any paid registration requires RD ≤ 120. Otherwise: free recalibration races first.

Decay. The rating itself never decays; inactivity inflates the deviation instead (native Glicko behavior):

RD(t) = min(350, √(RD² + 666·d))     // d = days inactive

Seasons (8 weeks). At reset, ratings are pulled 25 % toward center and uncertainty is partially restored:

r' = 0.75·r + 375        RD → 200

Season trophies are archived; the grade is never hard-reset.

Grades C1-C6

The public display is a clearance level, not a raw number. Thresholds require RD ≤ 120, with a 50-point hysteresis on demotion (C4 is only lost below 1650), so the badge is stable while matchmaking always uses the exact rating.

Grade	Designation	MMR threshold	Min. rated races	Target population
C1	TRAINEE	default (placement done)	-	35 %
C2	FIELD TECHNICIAN	≥ 1400	≥ 15	30 %
C3	CERTIFIED HANDLER	≥ 1550	≥ 60	20 %
C4	SENIOR SPECIALIST	≥ 1700	≥ 150	10 %
C5	DIVISION DIRECTOR	≥ 1850	≥ 300	4 %
C6	BOARD MEMBER	≥ 2050 or top 100 of the season	-	~1 %

Grades are raced, never purchased, and never inherited from a specimen: buying, holding, or selling any creature, whatever its record, has zero effect on the grade.

The creature class (I-V): present state

Each creature carries a homologation class, the "creature gate" of registration:

Entry: every creature is homologated into class I via free official races, so there is never a "must have already raced the tier" paradox.
Promotion: performance in the class below, v0: 3 podiums or top 40 % over 10 races in class.
Soft relegation: sustained underperformance can drop a creature one class, never below class I, and relegation never opens beginner-protected zones.
At resale: the class travels with the creature, but the min() rule means it unlocks nothing for a buyer whose grade does not follow.

Race Record: prestige, never a key

Distinct from the class: the Race Record is the creature's certified on-chain record of best times, podiums, tiers raced, each entry signed with the pilot's grade at the moment of the run. It travels with the NFT at resale and drives market value. It opens no bracket, ever. A specimen with a glorious record and a lapsed class is a retired Grand Prix horse: expensive, desirable, and due for requalification on the track. Its simulated potential is a separate, third object: see IGC.

Anti-sandbagging

Losing on purpose to deflate a rating and farm weaker pools is structurally unprofitable:

High-water mark: paid-entry eligibility uses effective MMR = max(MMR, high-water - 150). Tanking does not reopen lower divisions.
Forced promotion: over 20 rated races in a tier, win rate > 55 % and ΔMMR > +150 locks the tier upward for the season.
Public record: the on-chain Race Record and certified replays make a "beginner" with a flagship record visible in one scan.

The mount-advantage dial

How much should an elite genome help? The locked target: a superior specimen wins ~55-60 % of races against a peer at equal piloting skill, never 90 %. The pilot remains the dominant factor; the mount is a real but bounded edge. This dial is a balancing parameter measured continuously by the harness, not a principle left to drift.

Bracket structure, gates and caps: Official Brackets & Matchmaking.