Prize tiers on Top Drives PvP events can be set up to require players to play a certain number of races in order to unlock a given prize tier - please see here for more details on the function of this feature.

In short, if when an event finishes you have not completed enough races to unlock and qualify in the prize tier that you ranked in, you will receive the reward for the highest prize tier that you do qualify for. This means that it is possible for you to score enough leaderboard points to rank in one prize tier, but receive the rewards for a lower prize tier.

The information about what prizes are being awarded and how many races are required to unlock any given tier of prizes (if any) is all fully visible on the event screen, to the right of the leaderboard. Padlock icons at the top indicate the prize tiers which you have not yet played enough races to unlock, and the bottom of each column indicates how many races still need to be completed in order to unlock that prize tier.

This feature aims to address certain issues that can arise in PvP without such requirements, and ultimately make Top Drives events a fairer and more positive experience for all. In the past, we have had situations where players have been able to win reasonably high prizes with very little participation in the event, whether this is by joining late, deliberately playing only a very small number of matches, deliberately avoiding leaving ghosts hands for opponents to race against on the event, or other behaviours - and we do not believe that this can always be in line with our intended design for the mode, or the spirit of PvP in general. Although the tactical decisions you make in matchmaking and hand assignment, the cars you choose to race in each match, and the overall strength of your garage are all important factors, we believe that sometimes the amount of effort and participation invested in an event can also be part of what contributes to the best PvP experience. An event with prize tiers that require a certain number of matches to be played challenges players to demonstrate not just the above factors, but also a consistent level of play throughout an event’s duration - and rewards players for their efforts and their commitment.

Some more complex outcomes are possible in certain circumstances:

• If a player in the prize tier above you does not play enough active races to qualify for their tier, then it is possible for the highest ranking player in the tier below to move up into the tier above - if, and only if, they did play enough active races to qualify for that higher tier. This can happen any number of times - so if, for example, half of tier 1 did not play enough matches to qualify for tier 1, but half of tier 2 did, then half of tier 2 would end up receiving the tier 1 prizes
• It is also possible for a player to end up receiving a lower prize than they are expecting, despite both ranking in a given prize tier in terms of leaderboard points and having played enough matches to qualify for that prize tier. This can happen if more players in a tier above you move down into a lower tier than move from that lower tier into an upper tier - for example, if no one who ranked in tier 1 or tier 2 has played enough matches to qualify for tier 1, but some players who ranked in tier 1 did play enough matches to qualify for tier 2, then those players will displace the lowest tier 2 players into tier 3