Over the last few years, largely inspired by the rising level of interest in esports and the lack of real world motorsport action during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people took the plunge into the world of sim racing.
With the initial construction of their rigs and the installation of their chosen sim under their belts, they began to experience the thrill of driving a car on the edge from the comfort of their own home.
Many took the opportunity to drive a car they always dreamed of driving, while others saw it as a valuable opportunity to keep themselves fresh while they were unable to test their own cars in the real world.
What started off as a few laps by themselves on track to get up to speed turned into some offline races against the AI controlled cars. However, few seem to have made the jump into the online world of racing against human opponents, which is a massive shame.
But why is this? What hurdles would there be to prevent people from venturing online?
Well, there are in fact many reasons why this may be the case. These can include a lack of confidence in racing against other sim racers, being worried about ruining another drivers' race through an on-track incident, or simply not having a stable enough internet connection.
So, in order to break down some of these fears and help more sim racers to progress into the world of online multiplayer racing, let’s take a look at how you can prepare to take your skills online and enter your first race.
If you find the thought of entering an online race intimidating, you are not likely to ever find yourself on the grid.
The first thing to do, if you feel this way, is to figure out what it is that you find intimidating in the first place. This can be any number of things, but here are a few examples:
So, what can you do to overcome these fears? Let’s go through these examples above.
Although this may not actually be the case, this is a completely natural feeling to have, so don’t worry. However, the truth is, it really doesn’t matter.
Every single person who races online has a different level of ability. Yes, there are some very quick drivers out there, but there are plenty more who are much slower. It is what makes the racing more interesting.
You also have to remember that there is a wide range of experience on every single grid. Some drivers have been sim racing for years, while others have only just started out.
Nobody is expecting a brand new driver to be leading the field into turn 1 or cruising to the victory by over half a minute. It is the same reason they don’t ask you to perform heel-and-toe downshifting flawlessly as part of your road driving test, it just isn’t expected!
You have to be prepared to accept that, no matter your level of experience, there is always going to be someone out there who is quicker than you. This is even the case at the very top levels of competitive Esports.
It is a fact of life that everyone is going to have a different level of skill to everyone else. If we were all blisteringly fast with not even a sniff of a mistake, then the racing would be extremely boring with no overtaking or action. It is the variety of abilities in a field of drivers that makes racing so exciting.
In order to attempt to avoid this situation arising in the first place, the best thing to do is to turn some laps in the particular car and track combo of the race you want to enter.
This will help you to avoid missed braking points or overambitious corner speeds in an online lobby, which can lead to some rather unpleasant situations.
With the car and track combination fresh in your mind, you will be better prepared to join those other sim racers online.
At this point it is worth mentioning that despite your best efforts and many hours of practice, accidents can and will still happen.
If you do, unfortunately, end up in an altercation with another driver, try to stay calm. Don’t get caught up in heated conversations or any form of retaliation. This will only serve to make your online experience worse and cause you to stay away in the future.
The thrill of racing against multiple opponents and coming out victorious is highly contagious. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to be on the top step of the podium to feel like a winner. More often than not, you will end up having a good, close race with at least one other driver. You may even swap places throughout the duration of the race.
When you eventually reach the finish line, regardless of whether you beat them there or not, that feeling of closely matched competition is equally as satisfying as taking a race victory. So, rather than focussing solely on the overall race win, take the time to enjoy the pleasure of having a great race, no matter where in the field you are.
Luckily, there are some very simple ways that you can join a like minded group of sim racers online right here on RaceDepartment!
The first thing to do, once you are a premium member, is jump into the Racing Club forums and find the dedicated area for your chosen sim. From there, you will see a Racing Club section where social and friendly races are organised for:
Simply choose which of the races you would like to join and click on the thread. Once you have read the information about the event, all you need to do is reply with the requested information and you are all signed up
Alternatively, you can sign up to race on the Simracing.GP platform. Here you can select a community that you would like to join and see all the races that you can enter, all in just a few mouse clicks.
So there you have it. That’s how you can prepare yourself mentally to join the sim racing community online and begin your journey towards an enjoyable racing experience.
The main thing to remember is to not take it too seriously to begin with and just focus on having fun with a group of like minded individuals. Though you may get nervous when you go to the grid for the first time, I can assure you that once that race starts, there will be no looking back.
With the initial construction of their rigs and the installation of their chosen sim under their belts, they began to experience the thrill of driving a car on the edge from the comfort of their own home.
Many took the opportunity to drive a car they always dreamed of driving, while others saw it as a valuable opportunity to keep themselves fresh while they were unable to test their own cars in the real world.
What started off as a few laps by themselves on track to get up to speed turned into some offline races against the AI controlled cars. However, few seem to have made the jump into the online world of racing against human opponents, which is a massive shame.
But why is this? What hurdles would there be to prevent people from venturing online?
Well, there are in fact many reasons why this may be the case. These can include a lack of confidence in racing against other sim racers, being worried about ruining another drivers' race through an on-track incident, or simply not having a stable enough internet connection.
So, in order to break down some of these fears and help more sim racers to progress into the world of online multiplayer racing, let’s take a look at how you can prepare to take your skills online and enter your first race.
The Mental Game
To start off, we are going to forget about the actual driving and take a look at what you can do mentally.If you find the thought of entering an online race intimidating, you are not likely to ever find yourself on the grid.
The first thing to do, if you feel this way, is to figure out what it is that you find intimidating in the first place. This can be any number of things, but here are a few examples:
- I may be embarrassingly slow
- Someone might get angry if I crash into them
- I will be upset if I don’t win
- I don’t know what to do to sign up and race
So, what can you do to overcome these fears? Let’s go through these examples above.
What if I am really slow?
Are you worried that you are going to be outrageously slow compared to everyone else, or that you are going to end up being lapped by most of the field?Although this may not actually be the case, this is a completely natural feeling to have, so don’t worry. However, the truth is, it really doesn’t matter.
Every single person who races online has a different level of ability. Yes, there are some very quick drivers out there, but there are plenty more who are much slower. It is what makes the racing more interesting.
You also have to remember that there is a wide range of experience on every single grid. Some drivers have been sim racing for years, while others have only just started out.
Nobody is expecting a brand new driver to be leading the field into turn 1 or cruising to the victory by over half a minute. It is the same reason they don’t ask you to perform heel-and-toe downshifting flawlessly as part of your road driving test, it just isn’t expected!
You have to be prepared to accept that, no matter your level of experience, there is always going to be someone out there who is quicker than you. This is even the case at the very top levels of competitive Esports.
It is a fact of life that everyone is going to have a different level of skill to everyone else. If we were all blisteringly fast with not even a sniff of a mistake, then the racing would be extremely boring with no overtaking or action. It is the variety of abilities in a field of drivers that makes racing so exciting.
What if I crash and make someone angry?
If this sounds familiar, the first thing to do is to accept that accidents happen in motor racing. That is just part of the sport. Indeed, some say that if you don’t crash then you aren’t trying hard enough or that you will never learn anything.In order to attempt to avoid this situation arising in the first place, the best thing to do is to turn some laps in the particular car and track combo of the race you want to enter.
This will help you to avoid missed braking points or overambitious corner speeds in an online lobby, which can lead to some rather unpleasant situations.
With the car and track combination fresh in your mind, you will be better prepared to join those other sim racers online.
At this point it is worth mentioning that despite your best efforts and many hours of practice, accidents can and will still happen.
If you do, unfortunately, end up in an altercation with another driver, try to stay calm. Don’t get caught up in heated conversations or any form of retaliation. This will only serve to make your online experience worse and cause you to stay away in the future.
I only want to win
Let’s be honest, those who love racing are also rather competitive. In most cases, these individuals are there to win. But the reality is, you simply cannot win them all. That is one of the main reasons we keep coming back for more!The thrill of racing against multiple opponents and coming out victorious is highly contagious. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to be on the top step of the podium to feel like a winner. More often than not, you will end up having a good, close race with at least one other driver. You may even swap places throughout the duration of the race.
When you eventually reach the finish line, regardless of whether you beat them there or not, that feeling of closely matched competition is equally as satisfying as taking a race victory. So, rather than focussing solely on the overall race win, take the time to enjoy the pleasure of having a great race, no matter where in the field you are.
I don’t know how to sign up for a race
In the early stages of your online career, it can be incredibly confusing to find a place to race, let alone how to enter.Luckily, there are some very simple ways that you can join a like minded group of sim racers online right here on RaceDepartment!
The first thing to do, once you are a premium member, is jump into the Racing Club forums and find the dedicated area for your chosen sim. From there, you will see a Racing Club section where social and friendly races are organised for:
Simply choose which of the races you would like to join and click on the thread. Once you have read the information about the event, all you need to do is reply with the requested information and you are all signed up
Alternatively, you can sign up to race on the Simracing.GP platform. Here you can select a community that you would like to join and see all the races that you can enter, all in just a few mouse clicks.
So there you have it. That’s how you can prepare yourself mentally to join the sim racing community online and begin your journey towards an enjoyable racing experience.
The main thing to remember is to not take it too seriously to begin with and just focus on having fun with a group of like minded individuals. Though you may get nervous when you go to the grid for the first time, I can assure you that once that race starts, there will be no looking back.
