iRacing after 2+ years

[canes21]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

As someone who still races rookie as my iracing career is very young, be very very alert and don't trust everyone to be able to go even 2 wide. At this level the racing can still be good, but anticipate wrecks. You'll eventually be able to really feel when they're about to happen or are more likely too. Also, rookie is there to teach you things. Don't try and win every race. Finishing is more important than winning at this level due to the lack of skill being it is rookie.

I'm in the top splits now, so the racing is much better and I try for wins more often now, but my main goal is still getting the D4.0, so finishing is still my top priority. Make sure you practice and really know the car and track before entering into a race. You may not be the fastrst, but if you can make it through a race alive, then you'll be out of rookie quickly. Once I started going for completions and not wins while still a rookie license, I was out in just a few races.

If you make it to the top splits where winning can become a real focus, qualify. These cars are so slow in rookie oval that your position on the starting grid is huge. Especially on Charlotte where the gas is down at all times.

[superjames1992]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Just tried my first LM race. It was Lanier. I finished 13 of 15 or 16, but I did finish the race which I was happy about. I think I was over driving the corners too much. I need a lot more practice than the 5 laps I did before the race. I'll download the setup from the forums and give it a go another night. Hopefully I can get a lot faster. I was still about a half second or a little more off pace from the top 5 which I think I can learn to get near that range.

Any tips from you guys?

Ah, Lanier, the endless corners... It's basically a circle track!

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Ah, Lanier, the endless corners... It's basically a circle track!

Oxford Plains is the worst about being in a circle. I don't think that track has a single straight point on it. I can remember almost feeling dizzy after running 50 laps in the LM at that place. Yuck.

BTW, James, thanks for all the information the last few days. Much easier to ask here than it is to dig through the iRacing forums. We'll have to hop on a server some night and run some laps.

EDIT: Looks like it was 65 laps at Oxford Plains. Who thought that was a good idea I don't know.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Full fuel run at Indy with the cup car fixed set. Spent about half my time dodging cars flying through the air and sliding to the inside. Not very quick, but you've gotta start somewhere.

Spoiler

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Hopefully going to get some clean practice/time trials in at New Hampshire in the truck tonight. My safety rating has been sliding since going up to C (3.20's now) so I'd like to get it back on track and maybe have a shot at B here in a few weeks.


So much for that plan... the truck is so much harder to drive here than the K&N car. I lose it every other lap out of 2/4. I scrub so much time off though waiting longer to accelerate so it doesn't go around on me. I get in a lap in the low 32's, then wreck it next lap, rinse, repeat.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Just attempted my first iRacing race in almost 4 years and it lasted all of about 150 seconds as someone in front of me spun in turn 4 (on lap 2)and I had no place to go. I got the good old "Your car is too damaged, we have to fix it" and decided not to continue at that point.

Wish there had been more drivers tonight. There were 37 across two splits last night, but only 15 tonight. Ahh well, at least I can get to sleep a little earlier.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

So much for that plan... the truck is so much harder to drive here than the K&N car. I lose it every other lap out of 2/4. I scrub so much time off though waiting longer to accelerate so it doesn't go around on me. I get in a lap in the low 32's, then wreck it next lap, rinse, repeat.

When you say "lose it" are you spinning to the inside? It's possible you need to unwind the wheel a little earlier so you can get the truck pointed down the straight.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Triple post time!

I need to stay out of the iRacing hardware forum, that place could be deadly to my bank account. So many wheels, pedals, racing rigs and various other goodies I'd love to have.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

When you say "lose it" are you spinning to the inside? It's possible you need to unwind the wheel a little earlier so you can get the truck pointed down the straight.

It's a fine line between spinning to the inside or I wait longer to straighten and then I brush the wall. I saved the replay of a race last night and I'll pull up some laps in iSpeed and see if I'm over/understeering relative to others and maybe that'll help a bit.

[superjames1992]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I always find it helpful to try to diamond the corners at New Hampshire, so the wheel is basically pointed straight coming out of the corner. I'm assuming the setup is probably tight mid-corner, so you're cranking the wheel a lot, then getting a snappy loose condition on corner exit as a result of that. Or at least that's something that I run into if I'm not careful with a lot of the default setups.

I haven't been on iRacing since last Thursday, so I'm not sure, though. I might be able to race Thursday night, so maybe I'll investigate that then. I'm going to be out of town this weekend, so if I don't get to race Thursday I probably won't be racing this week.

It seems like we've got a decent amount of drivers on OS now, so we should all try to meet up in a hosted session sometime.

[canes21]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I like that idea. Might be able to learn a thing or two.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

james, I think you described it pretty well. I'll give it another try here in a while and see if I can't keep it clean.

I'd be up for the session as well, depending on the car and track. Would be good to see various experience levels and get an idea of how to make improvements on the track.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I'd be up for the session as well, depending on the car and track. Would be good to see various experience levels and get an idea of how to make improvements on the track.

Best way to go in my experience is something relatively slow on a small track. Say the Late Model at Lanier or South Boston.

[jct32]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

That sounds good to me. I'm liking the recent activity in this thread.

[canes21]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

So in the last few nights I've tried Late Model, National, and modified SK. I didn't do well in the LM but did finish. SK saw me in 1st before I got pit maneuvered(I protested, it's pretty blatant), and National saw me doing well, top 5 until I spun and finished 6th still. National wasn't populated, yet was my best and most fun. It actually had some straights.

Unfortunately my irating was so high from rookie I was doing top splits in most of these when I had no experience and barely any practice. It's come down a lot, so I should start racing in lower splits while learning. I'm having a blast and have learned I don't like tracks like Lanier, Oxford, etc. Bristol is as short as I want to get when I start raving high classes. I just don't like circles, I like having a little straight at least. Still though, I've never had a game require so much practice and learning, yet I love it being this way. It's not a game, it's a simulator hobby.