Many new drivers to iRacing spend a lot time on classic oval tracks and feel like they aren’t moving forward. It is not surprising that sim racing veterans are still participating in rookie leagues. There are some key iRacing tips that will help you get better faster. In 2016, the Monster Cup League, a iRacing NASCAR leagues, was established. It featured 100% distance races and held at least five nights per week. There were the Monster Cup Series (Cup), Budweiser Series (Grand National), Winston Cup Series (“Throwback Cup”), IROC(Fixed Settingups) and the Dash Series (“Rookie Class”). In 2019, it was renamed Old School League. It had several series, including the Gen 3 Cup Series (’87’s), Winston Cup Series(Throwback Cup), Winston Cup Series(Throwback Cup), Winston Cup Series Series(Throwback Cup), and 2 series (Old School Series), each with the Gen 4 Grand National cars known as ARCA cars. The other contained the 2013 Chevy Fusion and 2016 Ford Fusion. It was renamed to the National Sim Racing League in 2021 to reflect the current rules of racing and to be run with current cars.
Strategically improve your iRacing ratings
Rating Systems
iRacing has two rating systems that help to evaluate their drivers. These are the Safety Rating and the iRating. Your driving skills and track performance will determine your iRating. Your Safety Rating is determined by how many incidents you experience during a race. This affects the type of racing license that you have.
iRacing uses the driver’s iRating as a basis to allocate racers to different session splits. During matchmaking, iRacing will group racers with similar iRating ratings together to make each race fun and competitive.
Drivers are better than you
Learn from the Best
Watching other racers drive can teach you a lot. This is similar to professional athletes watching tapes of their opponents to help them prepare for battle. You can learn a lot from watching videos, such as how other racers approach corners and how they plan their races. These skills are essential so it is important to watch drivers who are more skilled than you.
Many sim drivers have YouTube channels that help new racers get started in racing. Even if you have been racing for a while, it is important to remember that you can still learn the basics to improve your technique. Even experienced drivers can learn skills like eye training, following a racing line and practicing braking while following another car.
Optimize Your Setup
Although you will be racing better with great gear, there are things you can do to improve your racing abilities.
Many drivers are shocked to discover that best iRacing leagues can be customized, unlike console racing games such as Gran Turismo or Forza. It is not easy to get great results by simply loading the software and joining a racing team.
Modify your FOV
Your field of vision is the first thing you need to control. Although it might not seem important, the way you view the virtual racetrack from your screen can have a significant impact on your racing abilities. This aspect of sim racing can be difficult to master, so take your time and dial it in.
Your field of vision is important as it affects how you see corners and other obstacles. Your picture might be too close to the corners, which could lead you to believe they are closer than you think. This can cause you brake too soon. If you aren’t close enough to the corners, you may think they are closer than you actually are. This can cause you to overshoot corners and force you into more brakes, locking your tires, and losing speed.
Virtual Racing School
There are some paid options to improve your racing skills, such as a Virtual Racing School Membership. Virtual Racing School has three levels of membership. Members have access to data packs and racing sessions that will help them improve their iRacing performance.
One-on-One Coaching
Drivers can also benefit from one-on-one coaching by some of the most skilled Sim drivers around, such as Ray Alfalla or Martin Kronke.
Virtual Racing School is used primarily by drivers for data packs. These are downloadable car presets that can be used to optimize driving performance.
VRS offers several tools for free, including a telemetry tool to help drivers understand their driving habits and track how the car is performing over the course. You can also compare your performance with other drivers.
Upgrade Your Rig
It’s not the biggest factor
You will become a better driver if you have better gear. You can still do poorly even with the best gear if you don’t dedicate yourself to being an excellent iRacing driver. You can make sim racing more fun by practicing, optimizing your settings, or watching better drivers.
Your racing rig will eventually limit your abilities. You might consider upgrading to better peripherals if your steering wheel doesn’t provide enough feedback or your pedals wear out.
Comfortable Racing Setup
You may also find it difficult to race longer distances if your driving position doesn’t suit you. There are many ways to improve your iRacing speed, but you must still spend a lot of time behind the wheel. Your racing setup should be comfortable enough that you can race for hours.
Your overall rig is the best option when deciding which parts to upgrade. It was crucial for me to be able to dedicate the time and effort necessary to build my iRacing business.
