ARWS Rankings Q&A - How it all works

1. Which races can a team earn points at?
A team can earn points at any ARWS World Championship, Qualifier, Demonstration or Regional race, as advertised on www.arworldseries.com

2. What is the difference between a World Ranking and a Regional Ranking?
WORLD rankings are primarily based on the expedition length Tier 1 international races (World Championships, Qualifiers & Demonstration races), however up to two regional race scores can be included.

REGIONAL rankings are compiled from results of Tier 2 races in the following regions; Europe, South America, North America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia. (Tier 1 race results are NOT included in regional rankings.
If a team competes only in tier 2 races within their region, they will only be eligible for a Regional Ranking. If a team competes only in a Tier 1 race, then they will only be eligible for a World Ranking. If a team competes in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 races, then they will be eligible for both a World and Regional ranking.

3. What are Tier 1 and Tier 2 Races?
Tier 1 races are the expedition length adventure races, including the AR World Championship, Qualifier races and Demonstration races.

Tier 2 races are accessible weekend adventure races held in each Region (Europe, South America, North America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia). They can be one or two day races (from 10-48 hours) and include ARWS Regional Championships.

4. Which teams can earn points at ARWS races, and how many points do they earn?
All Premier Mixed teams (4 person mixed gender) at an ARWS Qualifier, and all teams at Regional races, as per the official race results, are awarded Placing Points (PP). The values are as follows: 1st=1000 points, 2nd=850 points, 3rd=730 points, 4th=630 points, 5th=550 points, 6th=500 points, 7th=450 points, 8th=400 points, 9th=350 points, 10th=300 points … see bottom of page for continued points

1 point is awarded to any team that starts the race and either finishes as Non-Competitive or withdraws.

Note: The Placing Points may be further adjusted depending on the Competition Status of the race in which they were earned. See next question.

5. What is Competition Status?
Competition Status is a method used by the AR World Series to give greater weighting to those events that have a higher level of competition or greater duration. Each international Qualifier race has a Competition Status of one (1), meaning a team winning one Qualifier receives equal points to a team winning another Qualifier. That is, winning a Qualifier is worth 1000 points, and the team receives 1000 x 1 = 1000 points.

The annual AR World Championship has a significantly stronger field and therefore is allocated a Competition Status of two (2.0x). This means a team that wins the AR World Championship, receives twice the points of a team winning a Qualifier. That is, 1000 points for winning, multiplied by 2, equals 2000 points.

Regional Rounds have a competition status of 0.5x (winner receives 500 points) and a Regional Championship 1.0x (winner receives 1000 points, the same as a Qualifier).  Races in the Brazil Series have a competition status of 0.25x.  Demonstration races have a competition status of 0.5x.

Placing Points multiplied by the Competition Status gives a team’s total points.

6. Is there a minimum or maximum number of ARWS races a team must compete in to receive an AR World Ranking?
To receive a World Ranking, a team must compete in a minimum of one Tier 1 ARWS race. For a Regional Ranking, a team must compete in a minimum of one Tier 2 ARWS race.

The maximum number of races that count for a ranking is capped at four (4) over the previous six ranking cycles (2 years). This ensures the best teams are ranked highest, not necessarily those teams who attend the most races.

There is no restriction on when a team may earn their points during the previous 6 ranking cycles. Teams may earn points multiple times in each cycle, or earn no points in a cycle. All that is calculated are the points earned (up to maximum of best four results).

7. How is a team’s total AR Ranking Points calculated?
The total points a team may earn at a race (Race Points) is calculated by the Placing Points (PP) a team receives (as determined by their finishing position), multiplied by the Competition Status of the race.

RP (Race Points) = PP (Placing Points) x CS (Competition Status)

World Ranking Points and Regional Ranking Points are the sum of up to the 4 highest Race Point (RP) scores.

8. When are Ranking points updated?
World and Regional Rankings are updated together, 3 times per year covering results for the periods December/January/February/March, then April/May/June/July, and finally August/September/October/November. (Updates are made in April, August and December.)

Total points are calculated using results from the previous 6 ranking cycles.

Teams maintain their Ranking until the next ranking update. Rankings are NOT updated after every individual race. Therefore, if a team is ranked number 1, they maintain that ranking until the next update in 4 months time.

When the new rankings are calculated points are adjusted upwards for any new results in the added cycle, but also down for any points lost in the cycle which is dropped to maintain the 2 year period. (The rankings cover a rolling two year period and when a new cycle of 4 months is added, the oldest cycle is dropped and those points lost.)

9. What are the rules on the number of team members?
Rankings are awarded to a team entity, not individual team members. For ranking purposes the maximum team roster which can be used is 7 athletes.

If the 7 member limit is exceeded, then only the highest scoring Race Points containing 7 or less members of a team roster are scored.

10. Does my team need to register to receive points?
No, each race that teams can earn points from forwards their official results to the ARWS who then compile the rankings. It is the responsibility of teams to ensure they provide accurate information to the races they are competing in prior to the start of that race.

11. Can my team name be changed?
Yes, if your team wants to change its name (or update sponsor titles), then name changes are permitted, at the discretion of the ARWS. Your team name for the rankings is drawn from the official race results which are submitted to the ARWS. If you use a new team name, for example by adding a sponsor, then a new team will be created and ranked. (New name = new team.)

To change your team name, you should earn Race Points using your new team name, then request that points under the new team name are merged with the existing listing under the old team name. Provided there is good reason and team members are consistent other requests for name changes may also be considered.

It is up to a team to request a name change by contacting media@arworldseries.com. (Otherwise both new and old team names will be ranked separately and the points will not be combined.) Your team name will not be changed on the rankings at any other time, or by any other process.

12. My team has just earned points at an ARWS race, but the website doesn’t show this?
Rankings are NOT updated after every individual race, only at the beginning of a new Ranking Cycle. The official ARWS Rankings are the only source of ranking and these are only updated at the beginning of each Ranking Cycle. No alternate calculations are permitted after individual races and teams are not permitted to advertise any ranking that is not an official ARWS Ranking.

13. What if there is an error in the points my team has been allocated?
Any errors or omissions must be submitted via email to media@arworldseries.com immediately after a ranking update. Any errors or omissions received more than 7 days after a rankings update may be corrected on the next ranking cycle release.

Q14. What is the full table of placing points?