So you finally decide you want to give iRacing a shot. After you get your account started and download everything you need, it is time to go racing! Well, maybe not… Even with the cars you get at the beginning with membership, there are a lot of options. Not counting all of the cars you can purchase. How do I decide what to do?
When you first start driving
We have talked about license progression previously, but there are certain cars that you will be steered (no pun intended) towards. You will be able to jump into the Street Stock and Formula Vee right away. These are more or less the entry level cars, along with a few others.
There will be a little bit of a learning curve. Start with the test drive first and learn your steering and braking. You could jump into a Time Attack or register for a race, but I wouldn’t recommend the race right away. Even though some races are unranked and designated rookie, it does not mean only beginners are driving these. It can be hilarious listening to others call out drivers.
Take your time and really learn how the cars work. This will only help you out in the long run!
How do I decide which category when it is time to go racing?
There are four different license types. Those are Road, Oval, Dirt Road and Dirt Oval. Each one is unique and will advance independent of the others. If you are unsure at first which may be best suited for you, try all of them in Test Drives or Time Trials. Drive each of them and see what you end up liking the most. Ultimately, if you are paying for a membership, pick what you will enjoy the most.
At this point, my preference is for oval tracks. I would still consider myself a novice on road courses, but I am getting better. Braking and shifting are the two areas that need the most work. Road courses can be a lot of fun. The Formula Vee Time Attack has been enjoyable to progress in.
If I have needed a break from either oval or road, I have not been afraid to test out the dirt ovals. Let’s just say that I can get around the track without crashing and leave it at that. I won’t be racing anytime soon. There is nothing wrong with mixing it up to keep everything fresh!
Finding my racing niche
At this point, I have been driving for a few months. Although there is still much to learn (one of those being how to set up a car), I personally want to settle into a smaller niche of racing. This way I can get more practice runs and do more racing in one particular car to gain a higher comfort level. The NexGen Cup car, Dallara IR18 and Dallara DW12 have been a lot of fun to drive so far.
My goal coming up is to get more races in these cars. One issue however, my license level still has me only able to compete in the unranked races. As I talked about before, these races could be an adventure. Hopefully as I enter more, I can work on my qualifying and be closer to the front and maybe avoid some carnage.
My other goal for these races would be to finish closer to the front and aim for Top 5 at least, preferably podiums. At that point, I would want to begin attempting Class C level races.
Will you be the next iRacing World Champ?
You never know! Crazy things can happen. Find what you enjoy and just have fun driving. Some may progress faster than others. Others may just have a habit of crashing on Lap 1 (or the pace lap). There are certainly avenues to achieve whatever goals you may have! It is time to go racing!
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