What's the best way to begin the career mode? | TIPS DiRT 4 Guide
Last update: 30 June 2017
You begin the career mode without owning a team; you take part in the initial rallies in rented cars. At first, there are only two cars available in the R2 class. Unless you finish two rallies and advance, you will have to depend on rented machines. The case is very similar in other types of races. Land Rush (races on sandy tracks) is unlocked only after obtaining the R3 license. Subsequent races - Rally Cross and Historic Races - are only unlocked after finishing about 30% and 50% of previous races respectively.
Subsequent licenses can be unlocked in two ways: winning (or finishing high) trophies and by gaining reputation. Rep can be obtained for each finished race, but also in the free mode or in multiplayer. It also allows you to unlock better upgrades for the team (buildings). There are numerous categories of the cars. You will need a car from each category (at least a rented one), to be able to finish all races. You cannot use a rally car on a racetrack. So, if you've got the money, look for interesting offers.
Attention - note that you are awarded with money, experience and sponsor awards for repeating races, even those that you have already won.
In this chapter, we focus on a few practical ideas for the career in rallies, i.e. the first category you can participate in the game. We've paid particular attention to the type of cars you should choose in order to maintain a stable financial standing and be able to compete for the best scores thanks to rare changes of cars and the skill you develop with your favorite rides.
Licenses B & A
We will try to find an optimal career path in this chapter, so that you are able to achieve high profit from each rally. In the first four races, you don't have much choice - there are two cars to chose from: forced induction Ford Focus or a naturally aspirated Opel Adam. Try both of these so that you know what sort of car do you prefer. The Ford is more dynamic and agile, but with practice, you should be able to achieve better results with the Opel.
Only after the second rally you are able to choose your first car. Chose one of the aftermarket R2-class cars - they will still appear after you're promoted to the R3 class, so it's a reasonable purchase. In class A you can use group A cars - they're more powerful and less predictable, and the teams want a bigger share for renting such a car, so for now, give up these.
License R3
After being promoted to the R3 class, you should buy one of the older, F2 cars (Seat Ibiza, Peugeot 306) in the classifieds. When you earn some money, buy a NR4/R4 car (Mitsubishi Evo X or Subaru Impreza WRX Sti NR4), but mind you that they're pretty difficult to handle. Even with a 4-wheel drive they're not very agile. Pretty heavy too. Also note that Mitsubishi has the steering wheel on the right. Owning cars from both these classes, you're able to participate in each of the six R3 races. Two cars from F2 and NR4/R4 classes will be enough to finish the R2 races as well. Instead of buying for example a group A car, you should buy a car from the class you're already familiar with.
The third way - which we recommend - is switching to Land Rush -> crosskart (even just temporarily) as soon as possible. The cars are super cheap (the repairs as well), the races short, and the awards are very tempting - you can quickly get rich here.
R2 License
In this category, you will need a NR4/R4 / F2 car, as well as an "up to 2000cm3" or R5 (optional). Four races are available for these cars. Three of them may be completed in an R5, so you should prioritize buying this one. You will also be able to use it later, after being promoted.
R1 License
The R1 license is the penultimate class of the races. Only two championships are available, but they consist of three separate events each. It's an outstanding test of cars and drivers. The first race requires a NR4/4, "Up to 2000cm3" or R5 car. Chose the one you feel most comfortable with.
The second race will have you drive a group A car. There was no point buying such a car earlier, because you would use it in no more than three races in the R3 tier. Now you can either buy it or just rent it (no further race in this or any other class will require such a car).
RS License
The last trophy consists of five events. You can use only one car: NR4/4, "Up to 2000cm3" or R5. Before the race, make sure your car is well modified and configured in the tuning options, and that you have enough cash for repairs. The tracks in this class appear in their most demanding configurations and are very long - try not to restart very often; even if you crash, you may be better off carrying on. You can notice a considerable leap in the difficulty here - if you're having a hard time finishing the races, you should either practice a bit more, lower the AI difficulty or enable additional systems for the car in the game's options.