Is iRacing worth it?

[William Moody]

I have rfactor 2 and AC i am thinking of getting iracing just for the open wheelers is it worth it just for that?
If so how much would it be for 1 year membership and the open wheelers?

 

[Blkout]

@Bakkster thank you on your thorough reply, cleared it all now.

But 2.5 seconds faster my ass i was racing with fixed setup just like everyone else in the race i was in and they were class above me, i cannot race against higher class anyway how, i don't chose that. But thank you now i will go on for a victory in his class!!!! There you are able to make setup i believe, it will be different

When you say a class above you, are you referring to their license? If so, you can race against others with a higher license if their iRating is close to yours since iRacing always tries to put you in a race with others of similar iRating. It is possible to have an A class license with an iRating of 1200. A higher class license SHOULD mean you're a better driver but it doesn't always mean that and there are ways to advance your promotions quicker without actually having great skill. A higher class license only allows you to race in races that are restricted to higher licenses. The only real change is that all class B races and above won't allow you to you use any driver aids. The reason for the race classes and the licenses required to enter them is based on some solid logic though. They assume that by the time you've legitimately earned a higher license, you're good enough to drive those cars that are raced in those higher class series. This is supposed to prevent a rookie from trying to drive an F1 car when he doesn't have the skills to drive it properly and might be a hazard to everyone else in that race.

 

[Dux]

@Bakkster already went 1s below. But i dont think there is much more to be found, perhaps, if i run low fuel or set the pressure on the tyres.

However you are very correct with that quote, since it has happened to me a lot of times and it is like he has said, up to the last word. Sometimes when i am pushing or was pushing very often i was not able to go faster but then when i relax and just concentrate on the drive i go a way faster than i have ever gone before and thats amazing to acknowledge. Not to mention that later whenever i tried i was not able to go that fast again. It was some state of mind perhaps

 

[Bakkster]

When you say a class above you, are you referring to their license?

By @Dusko Avramovski mentioning open setups, I presumed he was referring to the D-class GTC series where the MX-5 races with open setups.

You're correct that there is no difference in the cars in the same series between drivers with different licenses.

@Bakkster already went 1s below. But i dont think there is much more to be found, perhaps, if i run low fuel or set the pressure on the tyres.

However you are very correct with that quote, since it has happened to me a lot of times and it is like he has said, up to the last word. Sometimes when i am pushing or was pushing very often i was not able to go faster but then when i relax and just concentrate on the drive i go a way faster than i have ever gone before and thats amazing to acknowledge. Not to mention that later whenever i tried i was not able to go that fast again. It was some state of mind perhaps

Trust me, there's 2s more to be found (not that I know how to find it)

It's hard to believe at first, but like the Senna quote implies it's an art to go that fast. It will take time to reach that level. Definitely a state of mind a lot of time. Many cars, if you try and push the car harder you'll go slower. It's reaching the level where you're consistently bringing the car smoothly to its limit and no farther. It's a near Zen-like experience for me, sometimes.

 

[Blkout]

By @Dusko Avramovski mentioning open setups, I presumed he was referring to the D-class GTC series where the MX-5 races with open setups.

You're correct that there is no difference in the cars in the same series between drivers with different licenses.

I thought he implied the Asia board leader had a higher license than him so he couldn't be racing with him so I was trying to explain that people with all licenses can race in the same rookie races.

 

[Blkout]

By @Dusko Avramovski
Trust me, there's 2s more to be found (not that I know how to find it)

It's hard to believe at first, but like the Senna quote implies it's an art to go that fast. It will take time to reach that level. Definitely a state of mind a lot of time. Many cars, if you try and push the car harder you'll go slower. It's reaching the level where you're consistently bringing the car smoothly to its limit and no farther. It's a near Zen-like experience for me, sometimes.

In regards to this, its easy to see this when racing in a hosted session as a ghost. I've followed the race leaders before and watched them slowly pull away from me even though I was right behind them following their exact line, then they slowly pull away as they know the exact amount of brakes and throttle to apply at the right moment and I clearly don't so then you realize where those extra few seconds are coming from.

 

[Bakkster]

In regards to this, its easy to see this when racing in a hosted session as a ghost. I've followed the race leaders before and watched them slowly pull away from me even though I was right behind them following their exact line, then they slowly pull away as they know the exact amount of brakes and throttle to apply at the right moment and I clearly don't so then you realize where those extra few seconds are coming from.

And a lot of this comes down to the transition phases. How you release the brakes ultimately determines how much corner speed you can carry. It's difficult to learn, but that's the big 'hidden' place where time is gained.

Setups tend to be the 'easy' way out of a deficit in pace, but for most of us they aren't holding us back. Even I find I do much better with a stable consistent set that I feel comfortable with, rather than dialing in something that the aliens are setting Qual laps with. The problem with looking at the setup before driving style is it can keep you from learning how to go faster, because you're too busy blaming the setup to learn to maximize its performance.

I remember one time in a Mustang practice session, several drivers new to the car were looking for the 'fast setup'. They were about a second slower than me, so I hopped into the baseline setup to show them how much faster they could go with it (and thus that they had more to gain from practice than a harder to drive 'alien' setup). I promptly went half a second faster than my custom setup...

Needless to say, I've been racing with the baseline since

 

[Blkout]

Oh yea, I don't disagree with that logic at all. I believe knowing when to brake, when to get on the throttle, how much to apply of each is far more important than the car setup. The car setup is the last thing that should be tweaked because if you can't be consistent at the other part, you're never going to know how much you hurt or helped the car by changing the setup.

I also run baseline setups simply because I know I haven't maximized the driving part yet, so changing the setup isn't likely going to help me at this point.

 

[Georg Siebert]

[...] but then when i relax and just concentrate on the drive i go a way faster than i have ever gone before and thats amazing to acknowledge. [...]

That's exactly right. That's what racing drivers call "driving through a tunnel". You are no longer consciously driving, you 'let go' and don't think at all.
I've personally experienced it driving the Audi R8 LMP (the aero car for le mans from 2000) on the Nordschleife at Gran Turismo 4 and recently in AC driving the Z4 GT3 during a 40 lap race on the Nürburgring GP curcuit. Both times knowing the combos by heart and done a ton of practice runs.

 

[Blkout]

George, I usually fall asleep soon after I reach that state. I'm embarrassed to say that I have nodded off more than once in a long race.

 

[Georg Siebert]

George, I usually fall asleep soon after I reach that state. I'm embarrassed to say that I have nodded off more than once in a long race.

Wow, that's surprising to hear. I would have guessed the adrenalin your body releases during a race situation would more than keep you awake, it should enchance your focus.
However I can relate: here is a pic from my 24h race at LeMans (with chicanes) in GT4:
In the top right corner you see written "Gesamtzeit", german for total time played - fastes lap underneath. The car was a Pescarolo C60 Judd racing car. Had to repair the chassis after the race.

Had to sleep twice during the race...

 

[Blkout]

Naa, if the race is too long, adrenaline gives up and melatonin takes over.

 

[Dux]

Wow, that's surprising to hear. I would have guessed the adrenalin your body releases during a race situation would more than keep you awake, it should enchance your focus.
However I can relate: here is a pic from my 24h race at LeMans (with chicanes) in GT4:
In the top right corner you see written "Gesamtzeit", german for total time played - fastes lap underneath. The car was a Pescarolo C60 Judd racing car. Had to repair the chassis after the race.

Had to sleep twice during the race...

You are joking with us right ? How the hell on earth you survived in driving in front of TV for 24 hours mate! You have pause i assume

 

[Georg Siebert]

You are joking with us right ? How the hell on earth you survived in driving in front of TV for 24 hours mate! You have pause i assume

It was the good ol' days of PS2 mate; and yes, I had to pause the game - eating cereal and holding the X button (for gas) at the same time on the straights was not reliable.

 

[Marius van Wyk]

Hi Guys. I am thinking of joining iRacing, to see what the tracks and cars look like.
Now my question is, if I opt for a 3 month subscription, and I buy a fe additional cars and tracks, what happened ifI do not continue after the 3 months expires? also can UI drive the cars/tracks offline at all?

Thanks.

 

[Aaron Markham]

Hi Guys. I am thinking of joining iRacing, to see what the tracks and cars look like.
Now my question is, if I opt for a 3 month subscription, and I buy a fe additional cars and tracks, what happened ifI do not continue after the 3 months expires? also can UI drive the cars/tracks offline at all?

Thanks.

You never lose the content you purchase even if you let your subscription expire. You can sign back up a year later and all your previous content will still be there. iRacing is currently online only. You can test drive the cars by your self but you still have to be connected to the internet to do this. One of the best times to sign up for iRacing is around the end of November. They usually have a two year membership for the price of one sale.

 

[Marius van Wyk]

Great news there! Thanks a lot for the info.
another question: can I buy any car & track from the start?

 

[Blkout]

Great news there! Thanks a lot for the info.
another question: can I buy any car & track from the start?

Yes but you may not be able to race in an official race until you have the proper license for that class. You can use whatever content you buy though in test mode which is nothing more than a practice session by yourself. You may also use your purchased content in a hosted race, where you will see others racing, but you will be a ghost to them so they can't see you, but you can see them. That mode is actually very fun if you can't race in an official race.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

Can't you also join player run events in cars that are outside of your license (maybe there's an option for that when making the event, dunno?).
Furthermore, you can join practice sessions for events one license above you i think.

 

[Aaron Markham]

Can't you also join player run events in cars that are outside of your license (maybe there's an option for that when making the event, dunno?).
Furthermore, you can join practice sessions for events one license above you i think.

Yes, If you league race or join a race in a "Hosted Session" all you need is to own the content. Hosted servers do not count toward your license level or safety rating. There are a lot of members who league race exclusively and never touch the iRacing sanctioned series. Some servers will set a filter for certain licenses or regions but the majority are open to all.

 

[Marius van Wyk]

Thanks Blkout. Apprectiated!