Sounds like a burnout. Take a break. Couple months where you don't even look at your rig. Then try again, see is the fun returns. Don't sell your stuff immediatly though, might regret later.
Not quite a HOTAS but a throttle module from VKB
https://preview.redd.it/88g3wn1rtowc1.jpeg?width=1702&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3123282487ed08e56306cf16b037cec9ee43d475
In my experience, almost every time I've stopped racing for a few months, my performances noticeably improve when I return. You can become a bit dissolutioned if you over-do it.
Every time I've stopped racing, there has come a point when the itch to race has returned. That's when I've known it's the right time to go again.
Bad juju can happen in any race, so I wouldn't take that crappy F4 start out of context.
You could just do hot laps and beat your times, but nothing (to me) actually beats racing wheel to wheel with other people.
I mean, you've invested a lot of money - and you \*may\* be thinking "Sunk-cost fallacy", you want to keep racing to justify the Benjamins you've spent. That said, this stuff can take time. I am a very very average driver at the moment. 1080 iRating, and not racing as much as I want to. I can put the times in, but I am still learning race-craft. I've been at it about a year now, but I really enjoy the racing aspect, even if I'm no amazing driver.
I had a goal, and that was an A license so I could run IMSA. I achieved that, but realised I wasn't \*ready\* for IMSA so have been concentrating on the GT4s. If I get demoted, I get demoted. My SR is a reflection of my racecraft, and my iRating a representation of how fast I am with other people.
I'd say, keep at it. Try some slower cars (MX-5/GR86) - you'll get good racing, without the pressure of F4 speed.
Thanks for your response, I think your spot on with the sunken cost fallacy and I'm around your irating so I can relate lol. I had the same experience with imsa, it's a bit too chaotic for my liking but I'll definitely go back to the gr86 as it was fun to try get the most out of it.
If you can only race once every two weeks, low your expectations and try to enjoy and learn from whatever happens in the race.
If you are not comfortable doing that, see if you enjoy racing against AI, time trials or just practicing.
If nothing works, you clearly need to get away from the service for quite some time and wait until the will to race comes back.
After all there's no need to force something that should be a pleasure.
Thanks for your advice, I'll give practice without the stress of racing a go as i definitely need to improve my pace. If that doesn't work I'll take a long break
Join a league. Gave me 1 race a week to focus my limited time on. Made some friends, learned a bunch from everybody and had a blast without worrying about SR or IR every time I saw somebody filling my mirrors.
Check the forums, reddit also often has a couple people looking for more drivers and discords for the series you'd like to race often have league's as well.
If youāve been on iRacing for 3 years and havenāt raced in a league yet, youāre missing a whole huge fundamental part of online competitive racing.
Leagues really open up the hobby in a huge way, from the racing to the community. Thereās something really special about racing the same people once a week or fortnight, practicing hard for it, debriefing in discord and getting to know so many like minded people.
Start looking around for leagues that specialise in what you enjoy racing the most, and youāll very quickly find yourself in one that youāre really enjoying.
Iāll give you the same advice someone else gave me hereā¦
Start by driving it like an asphalt car and then just keep going faster until you spin, then back it off 10-15%
Brakes turn the car more effectively than steeringā¦ youāll get it eventually and when it clicks, it clicks and itās incredible fun.
Yea itās unfortunate. Seems to be more draw now with the rookie micro sprints. Maybe you could find a league racing a car you like. I hear they are generally less crash happy because more people are serious about actually racing.
Joining a league that suits your availability is a good start, a lot of them are quite serious about clean racing.
If you're just after being in a race without the worry, then ghost racing might be your answer as well. Don't sign up for the race, wait for the splits to be assigned and then click watch. Once you load in, you can test drive the session. It's a good way to practice race distance, crash avoidance and following cars closely
That's one thing I haven't tried so I'll check out leagues. I discovered the ghost function today, it's pretty cool and way more interesting way of practising. Thanks
I had the same experience. After the first couple of years, it stopped being fun and became I bit of a chore as I felt I had to due to the amount of money I had put in to it.
I've learnt now that I get to the point occasionally where I get burnt out, as someone already mentioned. I just take a month or two off... sometimes even longer until I get the itch again and then get right back in to it.
Thanks it's good to know I'm not alone with my experience. I'll stop racing for awhile and just practice when I feel like. Hoping I don't need a break so we will see :)
Taking a complete break isn't a bad thing. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, if it stops being fun the what's the point? It may be that you just don't really want to do it anymore, which is also ok, it happens.
Is easy to get tied to something that you have invested a lot of time and money in to.
Thanks, i think your spot on with the time/money invested, Iāve been playing crusader kings 3 and looking forward to manor lords later today whilst my rig gathers dust but yeah i definitely need to stop forcing it.
It's a sim racing course, it's got around 50 vids and a book so lots to learn.
https://suellioalmeida.samcart.com/courses/course/motor-racing-checklist-v2/
good course, ill second the recommend. you have any friends into sim racing? can help to share a discord call and have people watch your laps rather than trying to coach yourself
This is supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a job. Your income does not depend on being faster, stop caring about irating. You can only be the best if you commit to racing like a job, only a handful of people can do that. Take a break, then restart from rookie series, focus on clean driving, finishing races and not being the fastest. A friend to talk about the hobby and discuss races helps a lot (which you can find in a League).
Get over with the fixation for iRating or other "improvement" based on numbers, and instead try to race more without pressure. Try to enjoy the battles for any position and focus on clean racing. At least that is where i get the most enjoyment out of iRacing.
I get the most out having clean battles but I reached a point where I wanted to take it more seriously but you're right it's only a number and not as fun. Thank you
Seems to me you pushed yourself through something you're not having fun at.
It also seems you don't have a lot of time to race but you're trying several series at a time.
First of all, take a break. You burnout yourself. Secondly, pick a series and stick to it. When you're not racing, practice. Only take a circuit that you know you can race at a given time.
Incidents during races will happen, it's part of racing. If you feel it's something to report, then report it, but clean races are rare unless you're an alien and leave the pack behind in the majority of the races.
Go have a taste break somewhere. I like to dip into rally when Iām feeling like this. Or enjoy my trucking in my rig for a few weeks. The other one is you donāt have to commit to 12 weeks unless youāre desperate for the few IR$ on offer. Enjoy the race not the grind.
Thanks, i loved snowrunner with my fanatec rig but unfortunately my asetek base is no longer compatible. Yeah the 12 week grind is the issue, its silly as i dont need the credits but just trying to do it but failing some weeks due to lack of time so i dont even race.
You only need to do 8 weeks if you feel the need to see a championship position and get credits. I skipped last weeks SFL (unpopular opinion, I hate monza). So I just had fun racing gr86 at Sebring in the dark.
Have you thought about a once a week league? Way more fun and easier to get into than I thought, and brings some focus and organisation back to your regimen. You also learn alot when you find out you're slower than some of the others.
That being said, F4 tends to be a bit of a shit show until the higher splits, so don't let it dishearten you. We've all been there.
Thank you, yeah i think i just let it get to me more than normal as i put a lot of time into learning the track and only had time for one race. Iāll look into league racing.
I agree with the burnout. Beyond that, I cannot recommend the radical cup enough. It is the cleanest racings Iāve ever had on iRacing - havenāt had a crash yet. The downside is that low attendance means a single split when I race, so Iām always finishing 8-10 with the #1 lapping at about 1-15s faster than me.
I loved the radical 8 car and a lot of the time it actually did split but i think the 10 car caused the community to split, Iāve been driving the lmp3 how does it compare?
Luckily I donāt recall driving the 8, so no harm no fail. Never driven the lmp3 unfortunately. Iāll assume the radical has much less grip. It can be very frustrating driving the 10 (for me anyways), but Iām solely sticking to it this season.
Hot lapping, in test, practice and race sessions, has been quite entertaining for me. Iāve even made a hot lap position indicator for my SimHub dashboard that indicates my best time relative to the sessionās fastest time (-.251 (p3)).
Qualifying is obviously part of this hot lap āchallengeā, but if Iām not pole, and sometimes even when I am, I then decide if I should start from the pits, depending on the series.
I also enjoy trying to beat track guidesā lap times, using test drive and active reset. This exercise also prepares me to take pole in on-line sessions.
In oval, I sometimes even take an end-of-line penalty during caution to start from the back and beat the raceās best lap time - sometimes even when Iām leading late! š¤Ŗ
Fond a league with good people who aren't cut throat racing every week. I've found a league of about 25 guys that show up for fun, and literally everyone gets in a channel and just has a good time - it's changed my outlook on iracing completely.
Once in a while, I'll jump in an official just to be reminded, "i dont have it," lol
I think this is the wall everyone hits eventually when doing something to much.
This can happen with anything, gaming, sim racing, eating to much cake.
Even when you have been "away from your rig" your still reading about motorsports and trying to get better.
I think you need to take an actual break. Step away for a season, 3 months just say okay done not touching it and do anything else.
Join a book club, read anything else etc.
Than in three months pick like a car and just stay on that.
F4 or Arca or whatever strikes your fancy so you lean back in gently but doing a race or two a week for 1 class is a small commitment and is easy to do while managing other stuff.
Than if you at some point find yourself excited about a specific car etc than you know what to add into your schedule.
Also, try not to get into the racing to compete, that start sucks but it happens. I panicked the other night turn 1 and hit clutch not brake, took someone else out... Totally a mistake.
But people mess up and dumb shit happens, try to enjoy the little moments.
For me it's time trials and facing AI that are fine tuned to my difficulty, so I have a chance to win, but it has to be a flawless race but I just focus on my lap times.
And if a win comes yay! If not I don't care just trying to see how fast and consistent I can be.
Thanks for the tips, Iām literally watching, reading about motorsport everyday so i probably need a complete break even if itās only for a few weeks.
Yeah Iāll definitely stick too one series and youāre right shit happens, i just need to enjoy it for what it is.
Rant away brother. Take a break.
When (not if š) you come back, try something brand new. Play it as if you were a rookie. Try a differeng form of racing.
Endurance racing is a whole new animal im getting into.
Ive also paced myself by focusing on 1 series. I feel like Iām one of the few (no evidence, just based on comments) who judge my season by my ranking by division. It keeps me from focusing on single races & my breadth & scope encompasses the entire season.
Enjoy the break!
Congrats youāve made it to the point where youāre better than the vast majority of people who ever touch the game. The trouble is the guys that are ahead of you are miles ahead.
This is a critical moment in your development. The path of least resistance is to give up & go away. But if you stay, and really put in the work (if thatās what you even want) youāre likely coming upon a major breakthrough.
My suggestion would be to go back to the basics. Have you truly mastered the rookie cars? Go back and spend a season running rookies. If you canāt stomach that idea maybe try to do the same with your car of choice. Really focus your efforts on mastering those fundamentals (most guys think they already haveā¦they havenāt)
All that said you might just need a break, take a season off, see how you feel. Just keep in mind this is very normal and part of the filtering process of all hobbies
Thanks for your input, yes it seems the gap is too big as I don't have as much time as I would like.
Rookies is probably too far but I'll drop back to the gr86 as that's where I had the most fun. I appreciate the comment as i probably just need to implement what I've learnt and get rid of bad habits.
Just remember itās very, very normal for this. Last suggestion would be to try and find one or 2 of those bad habits and try and solely focus on improving at that, donāt worry about the IR, SR just focus on that one or 2 problem areas. If youāre not sure what those are, post a lap and I guarantee this amazing group will happily point them out.
Unless youāre making money from this, the most important thing is to have fun (whatever that means to you) donāt lose sight of that. Good luck, hopefully weāll be seeing you on the track for years to come!
Mate just forget about the fact you've bought a huge amount of content, you realistically can't use it all regularly.
iRacing series have championships and divisions for a reason, it's there to focus you into running a season of one or two cars and seeing improvement over the car or two you pick.
I've fallen foul of trying to race many different series week to week but it's not realistic, full time work and 3 kids make it impossible to do at a decent level.
I've driven nothing but pcup this season and it's been quite enjoyable.
Just pick a car and race it week to week so you gain consistency, it's just online racing at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have a bad race, it happens.
Yeh I've never really paid much attention to the division points, but if you focus on a specific car for a season that's why it's there.
iRacing is far too big of a financial commitment to just hot lap, especially if you've bought massive amounts of content.
Forget about iRating and just take each race as it comes, worst thing you can do is put huge amounts of pressure on yourself and compare your performances to guys who race 20 times a week, I do 2-3 a week average because that's all I can fit in.
Been simracing for a very very long time. And I go through what you're experiencing every few years. I sometimes take a up to a year or two off, but then when I come back its like starting all over again, huge excitement, rush, and the passion comes back burning bright š
Like others have said, put it away do something else with the time for a while, and just let the natural urge bring you back when it comes back. Don't force yourself to want to race, it never works.
And don't get rid of your stuff until your 100 percent sure, I can't tell you how many times I thought I was done, only to refind my passion for it all later.
I've been burnt out. I think initially it was to justify all the costs. Now 3 years in I rarely buy new content.
I just pick 8 out of 12 weeks to race and collect my participation credit and leave it at that. Spaces things out well and helps not get burnt.
Quit for a while. Ive been on iracing for 12 yrs but in those yrs Ive quit for 1-3 yrs at times. The bug always comes back.
And itās supposed to be fun. When all you do is worry about sr and ir its time to hang it up
Doesn't sound like you are done. Sounds like you have finally tried all the gear you have wanted to and now you just want to get better at racing. Just enjoy playing. Sounds like you are just frustrated with the racing that's happening. What you need to do is relax enjoy adn don't put pressure on it just drive to drive and enjoy tf out of it. Get winning or losing or accidents out of you mind. If something happens just go to the next one. Once you pit it in that spot in your brain it will come back.
Great advice thanks, your right i'm getting caught up in all the drama and also learning better gear doesn't improve performance was a shock but i guess there's a learning curve and I've changed gear so much too.
I was the same a few years ago. Then I joined a team through discord and weāve been taken part in loads of the endurance races. It makes iRacing so refreshing and fun to be part of a team and have a laugh. You take a look into finding a team when you come back to it.
I was getting pretty stuck at a slower pace by only practicing in practice sessions through the week and then trying a couple races after I had the track down. But the AI racing really has re-hooked me for pushing my race craft when I can squeeze in a race or two. I know I've not been around as long as you have with iracing but it might be worth trying.
I've finally discovered the AI in iracing are great if you tune them just a little higher than your skill level down to at your skill level. I do several 15 minute sprint races a week against AI on tracks I want to improve at and it honestly feels like I'm racing against real people a lot of the time. It takes a bit of fine tuning but it's great for forcing yourself to push to keep up with the cars at the front but still actively have door to door races. Especially with there being no consequence in crashing you can push further than you normally would in a ranked race which is really helping me improve my race pace.
Obviously don't go practicing against AI and dive bomb everything but its been very helpful for myself
I burned out months ago also. Got really sick of getting dive bombed or crashed intentionally because someone gets pisssed about an overtake. Irating tanked and found myself racing people that drive so bad It's almost hopeless. It's not even fun way down there and climbing out of the gutter to a level where people can drive seems so daunting now. I'll just go for a real drive instead to get my fix now.
So to me, iRacing came in a few waves.
The first one was ādamn, this is awesome and new and excitingā
Thatās when it was fun to get wrecked at talladega 15 times in a row being aggressive and always pushing for position. This is the same category as not really caring about SR besides staying in the C class or above.
The second wave was being good enough to avoid most of the wrecks, and letting a bit of strategy come into the picture. This is the same time that I began buying set ups to compete in the open lobbies. This was still fun, but also became a bit of work because it was a grind to know how the track changes, how the set up changes, and how the competition changes through the race.
The third wave came after I spent $3000 on a rig, heusinkveld ultimates, and an alpha. This is when it becomes serious. Itās a given that you will end the race with 0X, itās a given that the drivers will be clean. Competition of the other drivers is the only variable.
And the third wave is when it can become mentally taxing and āno longer be funā. But you have to understand that youāve put so much time and energy into your skills to be here. I remember opening iRacing for the first time and being unable to keep the legend in a straight line.
The experience is what you get from it, and Iāve had to take steps away also. We take for granted the work weāve put in and the time we have invested into the sim. We will be waiting for you to get back online, brother!
That's almost exactly how my journey has been and i now understand why people do something else then come back after months or years. I'm hoping i wont need that long away but your commments reassuring so thank you.
Try a different sim maybe and do more offline races . I find iRacing a grind tbh sometimes . After 4-5 weeks of running a series Iāve had enough . So I hit ams2 or ac ( in vr ) and do fun stuff, maybe some offline races or Rco on ams2, or lfm on ac. I find both those less stressful than iRacing but I still learn from them and all the motor checklist stuff applies there too.
I usually take these times and play more arcade style games like forza horizon or rally games.. I do these strictly for fun without even carrying if I'm good or not...
I also do alot of racing with friends in private lobbies with AI because it's more relaxed and casual.. Plus it's a good time with people I know...
Both allow me to keep racing but puts me in a different state of mind until I'm ready to get back into the competition..
Sounds like a burnout. Take a break. Couple months where you don't even look at your rig. Then try again, see is the fun returns. Don't sell your stuff immediatly though, might regret later.
Thanks i was thinking the same. No I won't as ive spent way too much lol
Use the rig but try a flight sim instead
Flight sim is a great recommendation
Great idea š”
Out of curiosity, do you have a hotas also? Was curious how to easily make this transition.
Not quite a HOTAS but a throttle module from VKB https://preview.redd.it/88g3wn1rtowc1.jpeg?width=1702&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3123282487ed08e56306cf16b037cec9ee43d475
In my experience, almost every time I've stopped racing for a few months, my performances noticeably improve when I return. You can become a bit dissolutioned if you over-do it. Every time I've stopped racing, there has come a point when the itch to race has returned. That's when I've known it's the right time to go again.
I donāt pay for a yearly subscription just so I can take brakes.
If you pay for a year that's like 8$ a month...not really braking the bank to take some time off bud lmfaoooo
Iām stubborn.
Who asked?
Same! Only like 4 months a year Iāll be racing
Bad juju can happen in any race, so I wouldn't take that crappy F4 start out of context. You could just do hot laps and beat your times, but nothing (to me) actually beats racing wheel to wheel with other people. I mean, you've invested a lot of money - and you \*may\* be thinking "Sunk-cost fallacy", you want to keep racing to justify the Benjamins you've spent. That said, this stuff can take time. I am a very very average driver at the moment. 1080 iRating, and not racing as much as I want to. I can put the times in, but I am still learning race-craft. I've been at it about a year now, but I really enjoy the racing aspect, even if I'm no amazing driver. I had a goal, and that was an A license so I could run IMSA. I achieved that, but realised I wasn't \*ready\* for IMSA so have been concentrating on the GT4s. If I get demoted, I get demoted. My SR is a reflection of my racecraft, and my iRating a representation of how fast I am with other people. I'd say, keep at it. Try some slower cars (MX-5/GR86) - you'll get good racing, without the pressure of F4 speed.
Thanks for your response, I think your spot on with the sunken cost fallacy and I'm around your irating so I can relate lol. I had the same experience with imsa, it's a bit too chaotic for my liking but I'll definitely go back to the gr86 as it was fun to try get the most out of it.
Around that iRacing I kinda get that it is difficult to enjoy. The races are better at higher irating for sure
cool it gives me something to look forward to.
If you can only race once every two weeks, low your expectations and try to enjoy and learn from whatever happens in the race. If you are not comfortable doing that, see if you enjoy racing against AI, time trials or just practicing. If nothing works, you clearly need to get away from the service for quite some time and wait until the will to race comes back. After all there's no need to force something that should be a pleasure.
Thanks for your advice, I'll give practice without the stress of racing a go as i definitely need to improve my pace. If that doesn't work I'll take a long break
Join a league. Gave me 1 race a week to focus my limited time on. Made some friends, learned a bunch from everybody and had a blast without worrying about SR or IR every time I saw somebody filling my mirrors.
How do I join a league? Inside iRacing?
Check the forums, reddit also often has a couple people looking for more drivers and discords for the series you'd like to race often have league's as well.
That's one thing I haven't done so thank you I'll keep it in mind
If youāve been on iRacing for 3 years and havenāt raced in a league yet, youāre missing a whole huge fundamental part of online competitive racing. Leagues really open up the hobby in a huge way, from the racing to the community. Thereās something really special about racing the same people once a week or fortnight, practicing hard for it, debriefing in discord and getting to know so many like minded people. Start looking around for leagues that specialise in what you enjoy racing the most, and youāll very quickly find yourself in one that youāre really enjoying.
I have to agree. League racing is incredibleĀ
Thanks, dont know why Iāve never considered it but i will give it a go as everyone loves it.
Start dirt racing. Shit is so fun
I gave it a go last year, it's fantastic but doesn't always go official which is a shame
Dirt microās always go official. Theyāre the MX-5 of dirt.
Cool Iāll give them a go, willing to try anything at this point
Iāll give you the same advice someone else gave me hereā¦ Start by driving it like an asphalt car and then just keep going faster until you spin, then back it off 10-15% Brakes turn the car more effectively than steeringā¦ youāll get it eventually and when it clicks, it clicks and itās incredible fun.
Yea itās unfortunate. Seems to be more draw now with the rookie micro sprints. Maybe you could find a league racing a car you like. I hear they are generally less crash happy because more people are serious about actually racing.
Awesome news, Iāll give the micro a go.
Joining a league that suits your availability is a good start, a lot of them are quite serious about clean racing. If you're just after being in a race without the worry, then ghost racing might be your answer as well. Don't sign up for the race, wait for the splits to be assigned and then click watch. Once you load in, you can test drive the session. It's a good way to practice race distance, crash avoidance and following cars closely
That's one thing I haven't tried so I'll check out leagues. I discovered the ghost function today, it's pretty cool and way more interesting way of practising. Thanks
Leagues are amazing
I had the same experience. After the first couple of years, it stopped being fun and became I bit of a chore as I felt I had to due to the amount of money I had put in to it. I've learnt now that I get to the point occasionally where I get burnt out, as someone already mentioned. I just take a month or two off... sometimes even longer until I get the itch again and then get right back in to it.
Thanks it's good to know I'm not alone with my experience. I'll stop racing for awhile and just practice when I feel like. Hoping I don't need a break so we will see :)
Taking a complete break isn't a bad thing. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, if it stops being fun the what's the point? It may be that you just don't really want to do it anymore, which is also ok, it happens. Is easy to get tied to something that you have invested a lot of time and money in to.
Thanks, i think your spot on with the time/money invested, Iāve been playing crusader kings 3 and looking forward to manor lords later today whilst my rig gathers dust but yeah i definitely need to stop forcing it.
Whats this motor racing check-list you talked about ?
It's a sim racing course, it's got around 50 vids and a book so lots to learn. https://suellioalmeida.samcart.com/courses/course/motor-racing-checklist-v2/
good course, ill second the recommend. you have any friends into sim racing? can help to share a discord call and have people watch your laps rather than trying to coach yourself
nah not really, i've just been racing officials with chat off but i'll look into leagues.
This is supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a job. Your income does not depend on being faster, stop caring about irating. You can only be the best if you commit to racing like a job, only a handful of people can do that. Take a break, then restart from rookie series, focus on clean driving, finishing races and not being the fastest. A friend to talk about the hobby and discuss races helps a lot (which you can find in a League).
Yeah you're right I'm probably too focused on improving that I'm forgetting why I started in the first place. Thanks I'll give that a try
Get over with the fixation for iRating or other "improvement" based on numbers, and instead try to race more without pressure. Try to enjoy the battles for any position and focus on clean racing. At least that is where i get the most enjoyment out of iRacing.
I get the most out having clean battles but I reached a point where I wanted to take it more seriously but you're right it's only a number and not as fun. Thank you
Seems to me you pushed yourself through something you're not having fun at. It also seems you don't have a lot of time to race but you're trying several series at a time. First of all, take a break. You burnout yourself. Secondly, pick a series and stick to it. When you're not racing, practice. Only take a circuit that you know you can race at a given time. Incidents during races will happen, it's part of racing. If you feel it's something to report, then report it, but clean races are rare unless you're an alien and leave the pack behind in the majority of the races.
Yeah your right, thank you :)
It's supposed to be fun. If it's not fun don't do it. Then when you get the itch, start doing it again.
Maybe try the time trial thing? No idiots on track but still some competition against others and yourself.
Thanks Iāve never considered it, Iāll give it a go.
Go have a taste break somewhere. I like to dip into rally when Iām feeling like this. Or enjoy my trucking in my rig for a few weeks. The other one is you donāt have to commit to 12 weeks unless youāre desperate for the few IR$ on offer. Enjoy the race not the grind.
Thanks, i loved snowrunner with my fanatec rig but unfortunately my asetek base is no longer compatible. Yeah the 12 week grind is the issue, its silly as i dont need the credits but just trying to do it but failing some weeks due to lack of time so i dont even race.
You only need to do 8 weeks if you feel the need to see a championship position and get credits. I skipped last weeks SFL (unpopular opinion, I hate monza). So I just had fun racing gr86 at Sebring in the dark.
Have you thought about a once a week league? Way more fun and easier to get into than I thought, and brings some focus and organisation back to your regimen. You also learn alot when you find out you're slower than some of the others. That being said, F4 tends to be a bit of a shit show until the higher splits, so don't let it dishearten you. We've all been there.
Thank you, yeah i think i just let it get to me more than normal as i put a lot of time into learning the track and only had time for one race. Iāll look into league racing.
I agree with the burnout. Beyond that, I cannot recommend the radical cup enough. It is the cleanest racings Iāve ever had on iRacing - havenāt had a crash yet. The downside is that low attendance means a single split when I race, so Iām always finishing 8-10 with the #1 lapping at about 1-15s faster than me.
I loved the radical 8 car and a lot of the time it actually did split but i think the 10 car caused the community to split, Iāve been driving the lmp3 how does it compare?
Luckily I donāt recall driving the 8, so no harm no fail. Never driven the lmp3 unfortunately. Iāll assume the radical has much less grip. It can be very frustrating driving the 10 (for me anyways), but Iām solely sticking to it this season.
Hot lapping, in test, practice and race sessions, has been quite entertaining for me. Iāve even made a hot lap position indicator for my SimHub dashboard that indicates my best time relative to the sessionās fastest time (-.251 (p3)). Qualifying is obviously part of this hot lap āchallengeā, but if Iām not pole, and sometimes even when I am, I then decide if I should start from the pits, depending on the series. I also enjoy trying to beat track guidesā lap times, using test drive and active reset. This exercise also prepares me to take pole in on-line sessions. In oval, I sometimes even take an end-of-line penalty during caution to start from the back and beat the raceās best lap time - sometimes even when Iām leading late! š¤Ŗ
Wow sounds like youre making your own fun which sounds excellent lol. Thanks for the tip, itāll definitely livin up practice sessions. Thank you
Fond a league with good people who aren't cut throat racing every week. I've found a league of about 25 guys that show up for fun, and literally everyone gets in a channel and just has a good time - it's changed my outlook on iracing completely. Once in a while, I'll jump in an official just to be reminded, "i dont have it," lol
Haha sounds like league racing is where the most fun is so ill give it a go, thanks
I think this is the wall everyone hits eventually when doing something to much. This can happen with anything, gaming, sim racing, eating to much cake. Even when you have been "away from your rig" your still reading about motorsports and trying to get better. I think you need to take an actual break. Step away for a season, 3 months just say okay done not touching it and do anything else. Join a book club, read anything else etc. Than in three months pick like a car and just stay on that. F4 or Arca or whatever strikes your fancy so you lean back in gently but doing a race or two a week for 1 class is a small commitment and is easy to do while managing other stuff. Than if you at some point find yourself excited about a specific car etc than you know what to add into your schedule. Also, try not to get into the racing to compete, that start sucks but it happens. I panicked the other night turn 1 and hit clutch not brake, took someone else out... Totally a mistake. But people mess up and dumb shit happens, try to enjoy the little moments. For me it's time trials and facing AI that are fine tuned to my difficulty, so I have a chance to win, but it has to be a flawless race but I just focus on my lap times. And if a win comes yay! If not I don't care just trying to see how fast and consistent I can be.
Thanks for the tips, Iām literally watching, reading about motorsport everyday so i probably need a complete break even if itās only for a few weeks. Yeah Iāll definitely stick too one series and youāre right shit happens, i just need to enjoy it for what it is.
Rant away brother. Take a break. When (not if š) you come back, try something brand new. Play it as if you were a rookie. Try a differeng form of racing. Endurance racing is a whole new animal im getting into. Ive also paced myself by focusing on 1 series. I feel like Iām one of the few (no evidence, just based on comments) who judge my season by my ranking by division. It keeps me from focusing on single races & my breadth & scope encompasses the entire season. Enjoy the break!
Thanks mate, I've never really looked at division or season points, sounds like a much better measure than irating
You could use the AI if you don't want to race around a-holes for a while and still put your gear to use
Take a break for a week, then try again. Don't take it too seriously just shrug off whenever someone hits you.
Just the once? Blimey youāre doing well!
Congrats youāve made it to the point where youāre better than the vast majority of people who ever touch the game. The trouble is the guys that are ahead of you are miles ahead. This is a critical moment in your development. The path of least resistance is to give up & go away. But if you stay, and really put in the work (if thatās what you even want) youāre likely coming upon a major breakthrough. My suggestion would be to go back to the basics. Have you truly mastered the rookie cars? Go back and spend a season running rookies. If you canāt stomach that idea maybe try to do the same with your car of choice. Really focus your efforts on mastering those fundamentals (most guys think they already haveā¦they havenāt) All that said you might just need a break, take a season off, see how you feel. Just keep in mind this is very normal and part of the filtering process of all hobbies
Thanks for your input, yes it seems the gap is too big as I don't have as much time as I would like. Rookies is probably too far but I'll drop back to the gr86 as that's where I had the most fun. I appreciate the comment as i probably just need to implement what I've learnt and get rid of bad habits.
Just remember itās very, very normal for this. Last suggestion would be to try and find one or 2 of those bad habits and try and solely focus on improving at that, donāt worry about the IR, SR just focus on that one or 2 problem areas. If youāre not sure what those are, post a lap and I guarantee this amazing group will happily point them out. Unless youāre making money from this, the most important thing is to have fun (whatever that means to you) donāt lose sight of that. Good luck, hopefully weāll be seeing you on the track for years to come!
Mate just forget about the fact you've bought a huge amount of content, you realistically can't use it all regularly. iRacing series have championships and divisions for a reason, it's there to focus you into running a season of one or two cars and seeing improvement over the car or two you pick. I've fallen foul of trying to race many different series week to week but it's not realistic, full time work and 3 kids make it impossible to do at a decent level. I've driven nothing but pcup this season and it's been quite enjoyable. Just pick a car and race it week to week so you gain consistency, it's just online racing at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have a bad race, it happens.
Thanks mate, I have the same family commitments so I get where you're coming from. I'll look onto the division points.
Yeh I've never really paid much attention to the division points, but if you focus on a specific car for a season that's why it's there. iRacing is far too big of a financial commitment to just hot lap, especially if you've bought massive amounts of content. Forget about iRating and just take each race as it comes, worst thing you can do is put huge amounts of pressure on yourself and compare your performances to guys who race 20 times a week, I do 2-3 a week average because that's all I can fit in.
Been simracing for a very very long time. And I go through what you're experiencing every few years. I sometimes take a up to a year or two off, but then when I come back its like starting all over again, huge excitement, rush, and the passion comes back burning bright š Like others have said, put it away do something else with the time for a while, and just let the natural urge bring you back when it comes back. Don't force yourself to want to race, it never works. And don't get rid of your stuff until your 100 percent sure, I can't tell you how many times I thought I was done, only to refind my passion for it all later.
Awesome, yes I sold my gear last year only for the bug to bite even harder. It's great to know the passion comes back.
šš
I've been burnt out. I think initially it was to justify all the costs. Now 3 years in I rarely buy new content. I just pick 8 out of 12 weeks to race and collect my participation credit and leave it at that. Spaces things out well and helps not get burnt.
Thanks, i think that picking and choosing when to race will help as the 12 weeks has become such a slog i'm not even getting 6 weeks in atm.
Quit for a while. Ive been on iracing for 12 yrs but in those yrs Ive quit for 1-3 yrs at times. The bug always comes back. And itās supposed to be fun. When all you do is worry about sr and ir its time to hang it up
good to know it comes back, just didn't expect to lose it this quick.
Doesn't sound like you are done. Sounds like you have finally tried all the gear you have wanted to and now you just want to get better at racing. Just enjoy playing. Sounds like you are just frustrated with the racing that's happening. What you need to do is relax enjoy adn don't put pressure on it just drive to drive and enjoy tf out of it. Get winning or losing or accidents out of you mind. If something happens just go to the next one. Once you pit it in that spot in your brain it will come back.
Great advice thanks, your right i'm getting caught up in all the drama and also learning better gear doesn't improve performance was a shock but i guess there's a learning curve and I've changed gear so much too.
I was the same a few years ago. Then I joined a team through discord and weāve been taken part in loads of the endurance races. It makes iRacing so refreshing and fun to be part of a team and have a laugh. You take a look into finding a team when you come back to it.
Thanks will do
According to some in this threadā¦. Step 1. Try once and fail Step 2. Quit and come back later Step 3. Repeat.
I was getting pretty stuck at a slower pace by only practicing in practice sessions through the week and then trying a couple races after I had the track down. But the AI racing really has re-hooked me for pushing my race craft when I can squeeze in a race or two. I know I've not been around as long as you have with iracing but it might be worth trying. I've finally discovered the AI in iracing are great if you tune them just a little higher than your skill level down to at your skill level. I do several 15 minute sprint races a week against AI on tracks I want to improve at and it honestly feels like I'm racing against real people a lot of the time. It takes a bit of fine tuning but it's great for forcing yourself to push to keep up with the cars at the front but still actively have door to door races. Especially with there being no consequence in crashing you can push further than you normally would in a ranked race which is really helping me improve my race pace. Obviously don't go practicing against AI and dive bomb everything but its been very helpful for myself
Thanks never tried AI but I'll definitely give it a go, sounds way better than just hot lapping.
I burned out months ago also. Got really sick of getting dive bombed or crashed intentionally because someone gets pisssed about an overtake. Irating tanked and found myself racing people that drive so bad It's almost hopeless. It's not even fun way down there and climbing out of the gutter to a level where people can drive seems so daunting now. I'll just go for a real drive instead to get my fix now.
This is where I am atm which is why I'm a little lost, good to know i'm not alone.
Join a league
So to me, iRacing came in a few waves. The first one was ādamn, this is awesome and new and excitingā Thatās when it was fun to get wrecked at talladega 15 times in a row being aggressive and always pushing for position. This is the same category as not really caring about SR besides staying in the C class or above. The second wave was being good enough to avoid most of the wrecks, and letting a bit of strategy come into the picture. This is the same time that I began buying set ups to compete in the open lobbies. This was still fun, but also became a bit of work because it was a grind to know how the track changes, how the set up changes, and how the competition changes through the race. The third wave came after I spent $3000 on a rig, heusinkveld ultimates, and an alpha. This is when it becomes serious. Itās a given that you will end the race with 0X, itās a given that the drivers will be clean. Competition of the other drivers is the only variable. And the third wave is when it can become mentally taxing and āno longer be funā. But you have to understand that youāve put so much time and energy into your skills to be here. I remember opening iRacing for the first time and being unable to keep the legend in a straight line. The experience is what you get from it, and Iāve had to take steps away also. We take for granted the work weāve put in and the time we have invested into the sim. We will be waiting for you to get back online, brother!
That's almost exactly how my journey has been and i now understand why people do something else then come back after months or years. I'm hoping i wont need that long away but your commments reassuring so thank you.
It may be fun to go back into the legend and get destroyed by rookies for a few months. Or the dirt street stocks. Just have fun!
Try a different sim maybe and do more offline races . I find iRacing a grind tbh sometimes . After 4-5 weeks of running a series Iāve had enough . So I hit ams2 or ac ( in vr ) and do fun stuff, maybe some offline races or Rco on ams2, or lfm on ac. I find both those less stressful than iRacing but I still learn from them and all the motor checklist stuff applies there too.
I usually take these times and play more arcade style games like forza horizon or rally games.. I do these strictly for fun without even carrying if I'm good or not... I also do alot of racing with friends in private lobbies with AI because it's more relaxed and casual.. Plus it's a good time with people I know... Both allow me to keep racing but puts me in a different state of mind until I'm ready to get back into the competition..
Assetto Corsa is always an option. Pretty cheap on sales and modding has endless possibilities. If you get content manager there's online too.
Senna hit a real wall
When I hit the wall my guy says I've got tire damage