can anyone tell me were i racing fits in because you have cheep games for 3 year olds things like LFS and GTR Evolution for more advanced racers and beyond that you get a real car so were is i racing suposed to fit in. They say it's good for training yourself for driving one of the cars on the game but if you had one you would spend 25 hours a day at the track driving it and eating caffine pills to stay awake. if you don't have that kind of money you buy a g25 and a copy of LFS and basicley do the same thing. so how can a game thatv costs more than my race cars monthley running costs be good for any thing. and you can still see it's a game, there will NEVER be a game as good a actually racing because you don't get the rush of adrenalin or the stiff neck the next day if you crash. it also only apeals to the american market as there are no europen cars or tracks apart from silverstone and the Radical SR8. so there are my opinions i would love to hear yours but i will not reply for most of suday because i am going to race a small 1000cc mini around a 1/4 mile oval for £5 British stirling wich is less than a months i racing, if anone in the uk is interested visit www.Grimleyraceway.co.uk and see if you can race in real life. to be honest im better at driving my car than driving on games i mean i finish very low on LFS and i did have a 2nd place finish in my last race.
again all opinions welcome
AL

aaand. *breathe*..

Yes though, i-Rental is an absolute rip-off.

yes sorry about the lare amount of text. i mean my local cart tracks a ripp of but thats still better value for money

Whats the point of buying a pc game made by EA that costs £40 and lasts about 10 hours?

i'm not talking about ea cos they suck. the only good ones ore LFS and Smbin who make race 07 and GTR Evolutio. but yess i know what you mean

Quote from Alistair :

can anyone tell me were i racing fits in because you have cheep games for 3 year olds things like LFS and GTR Evolution for more advanced racers and beyond that you get a real car so were is i racing suposed to fit in. They say it's good for training yourself for driving one of the cars on the game but if you had one you would spend 25 hours a day at the track driving it and eating caffine pills to stay awake. if you don't have that kind of money you buy a g25 and a copy of LFS and basicley do the same thing. so how can a game thatv costs more than my race cars monthley running costs be good for any thing. and you can still see it's a game, there will NEVER be a game as good a actually racing because you don't get the rush of adrenalin or the stiff neck the next day if you crash. it also only apeals to the american market as there are no europen cars or tracks apart from silverstone and the Radical SR8. so there are my opinions i would love to hear yours but i will not reply for most of suday because i am going to race a small 1000cc mini around a 1/4 mile oval for £5 British stirling wich is less than a months i racing, if anone in the uk is interested visit www.Grimleyraceway.co.uk and see if you can race in real life. to be honest im better at driving my car than driving on games i mean i finish very low on LFS and i did have a 2nd place finish in my last race.
again all opinions welcome
AL

Having now experienced iRacing myself I can see why it will appeal to sim-drivers. What I mean by sim driver is someone that doesn't race for real. Actually is JUST a sim driver, and not someone with the motivation to go race for real.

So for the hardcore sim-enthusiasts iRacing at the moment is the most complete sim package. I didn't want to like it, but it is the best driving experience availiable in a sim today. I haven't played with any of the data stuff (if there is any), so I am just going by feel.

So that IS the point of iRacing. It's for people who are enthusiastic about simulations. People that want to spend money on their computer moreso than people that want to spend it on real racing.

Now if you want to add the 'driver training' element this is where I still feel simulations fall short. In my opinion LFS will teach a driver as much about driving as iRacing.

What you learn from simulations isn't the feel for grip, G, or even how to drive a track (iRacing is good but in reality tenths matter and those tenths come from elements that can not be created in a sim...yet). What you learn from simulations is accuracy, consistancy, and ability to understand data. NetKar/LFS etc... all provide this as much as iRacing does. So in terms of driver training iRacing is no better than the other sims I mention for what it can do for a driver.

Is it worth the money? Well that depends on who you are.

If you a SIM freak ... yes it probably is. If your hobby is sim racing, and you have no desire to race for real, then it is worth it. It simply is THAT good.

HOWEVER, if you are someone that races for real and wants to train on a simulator iRacing is NOT worth it. You will learn just the same from LFS, and NetKar... and at a fraction of the cost.

I like driving my pedal go-kart too much around some car park to justify spending money on iRacing, but I do now understand why a hardcore simmer would feel comfortable spending the money.

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=37853&page=134

Already a thread.

Ask in that thread and you will get answers from people who have actually raced on it.



EDIT (Intrepid posted as I was): I agree that hardcore simmers would like it better, but I don't totally agree on the "it doesn't help you anymore than any other sim". I think that it can teach you relative basics about each track, and that it can teach small bits about a car (very small). There are many people in iRacing who actually do race IRL, probably more than in this forum tbh. So I wouldn't conclude that it is just for the hardcore sim racer. It's still a baby, give it time to grow.

i can't see though why these people can't take a 10 minute trip and rent a go kart, but threr is another reason most people will be slower in real life because the don't want to get hurt. me , i'm the oposite as i said most of the time sim racing for fun real facing for even more fun

Well for starters Race 07 and GTR Evolution can barley be called realistic.

Not everyone has the time for (or even the means of getting to) a track facility, and the level of data iRacing uses means that it is the closest virtual thing. People have been spending hundreds if not thousands on wheels, cockpits, pedals and such to try and get the best sim racing experience for years, so when a sim comes out with an unparalleled level of realism and investment, lots of people won't mind coughing up the yearly $156 for it.

But if you can spend less and enjoy some real life racing, then that's fortunate for you.

EDIT: My nearest kart rental is over an hour away, it costs nearly £1 a minute, I don't have a car and unless I go with another 10 or so people, its not actually a race.

The entire concept of iRacing as a product seems to be to satisfy the insatiable greed of the developers. It's a good sim, but is tainted by the outrageous cost, especially if you want a decent amount of content. They've ruined a good thing by being greedy. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I refuse to participate in it even though I can afford it. The cost is ridiculous if you look at the long-term outlay.

yes but i have the ultimate in racing realism in my garage so i race sims like that for the huge lists of avalible cars. i cant get a game as good as racing my car so i just find somthing to do when i have nothing else to do the keep me amused

Quote from RossUK :

My nearest kart rental is over an hour away, it costs nearly £1 a minute, I don't have a car and unless I go with another 10 or so people, its not actually a race.

depending on your age and if you can persuade yourb parents you can buy a car for £700 ready to race go to the site i gave in the firstv post and have 3 races a meating for £5 a time

Quote from Gunn :

The entire concept of iRacing as a product seems to be to satisfy the insatiable greed of the developers. It's a good sim, but is tainted by the outrageous cost, especially if you want a decent amount of content. They've ruined a good thing by being greedy. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I refuse to participate in it even though I can afford it. The cost is ridiculous if you look at the long-term outlay.

I agreed with that point early days, and still do but come to a different conclusion. If greed can create such an awesome sim then who's to complain.

It's the continual promise of cash for each track and car that provides the motivation to do a good job, which they have.

If you a hardcore simmer you get what you pay for... a wonderful simulation! If your not a hardcore simmer don't go close, because you'll be wasting your money.

I do feel they can improve their model however. Not even allowing someone to demo a car before buying seems a tragic floor. I would be tempted to pay out of a couple extra cars if I could try them first.As it is I won't risk it.

Quote from Alistair :

depending on your age and if you can persuade yourb parents you can buy a car for £700 ready to race go to the site i gave in the firstv post and have 3 races a meating for £5 a time

Ah I was doing a few real races here and there a few years ago, but now I'm at University. So I'm too old, to much in debt and too busy (yeah right I hear you say )

Nah but iRacing really fits me almost perfectly for my situation. My pickyness for realism and the fact I can just grab the wheel and have a bit of fun whenever I feel like it.

Quote from RossUK :

Well for starters Race 07 and GTR Evolution can barley be called realistic.

Not everyone has the time for (or even the means of getting to) a track facility, and the level of data iRacing uses means that it is the closest virtual thing. People have been spending hundreds if not thousands on wheels, cockpits, pedals and such to try and get the best sim racing experience for years, so when a sim comes out with an unparalleled level of realism and investment, lots of people won't mind coughing up the yearly $156 for it.

But if you can spend less and enjoy some real life racing, then that's fortunate for you.

EDIT: My nearest kart rental is over an hour away, it costs nearly £1 a minute, I don't have a car and unless I go with another 10 or so people, its not actually a race.

Not to go off topic but I know someone who is willing to work in some of the worlds most dangerous countries for weeks on end to earn money to go racing. Literally risking their life to go racing. They are neither well off, nor have any more opportunity the next average Joe. I know some other dude who is nowin Alaska, and there's another dude fixing pipes in Columbia! All just to go motor racing, I know another guy willing to drop his life in Mexico to come race in the UK. He aint even got a job. He's just that dedictaed to real racing

So that's how I define the difference between a sim racer, and a real racer. A sim racer is not willing to make those sacrifices, but is satisfied with simulation. There is NOTHING wrong with that. And this is why iRacing is perfect for sim-racers. It provides them a platform to enjoy their hobby to the full!

iRacing provides sim racers with something they can maximise their level of dedication.

THIS IS NOT A SLUR AGAINST SOMEONE THAT JUST RACES SIMS BTW! I am one of those people.. well almost! I am just defining how a differentiate the two types of people

Hardcore Sim Racer? - iRacing is perfect
real Life Racer looking for a training tool? - LFS/NetKar are as, if not more affective at achieving that goal
Someone who is a bit of both - Try Iracing for a month, and then stick to Netkar and LFS... wait a minute thats me....

Quote from Intrepid :

I do feel they can improve their model however. Not even allowing someone to demo a car before buying seems a tragic floor. I would be tempted to pay out of a couple extra cars if I could try them first.As it is I won't risk it.

I can suggest one: the Radical. I have had loads of fun in it even if it is just on my own (not included in an online series yet) Its a real blast if the slower tin tops are not your thing. And there is a '79 Lotus F1 car in the works, you know you will want that!!

EDIT: ^ Yeah for sure Intrepid I can see how someone would do that, but that's defiantly not for me atm. If I get a decent job at the end of Uni I'll buy a Caterham and take it on some track days for sure, but I'm not willing to let racing dictate my future.

Yeah, I agree with Intrepid.... I always think I'd jump at the chance to race in real life (apart from the autocross I've done...) but in reality if I really wanted it I'd have been saving up non-stop and devoting everything towards making progress... But really I've just gone "hmm, I think I could be good at that, but I'm not willing to risk it all to find out". Although I'd love to get into local motorcycle racing in a year or two... but we'll see if it actually happens

Quote from RossUK :

I can suggest one: the Radical. I have had loads of fun in it even if it is just on my own (not included in an online series yet) Its a real blast if the slower tin tops are not your thing. And there is a '79 Lotus F1 car in the works, you know you will want that!!

hehe I very much would. The radical does look very tasty! But it's a one-month trial for me, no more money is going to spent. Half the reason I got it was to tie me over to NetKar 1.0.3! I've played it now, and I do understand iRacing a lot more than I did before.

However, I went into GPR at Silverstone yesterday and saw a nice pair of boots, and I want them more than I do iRacing

Quote from Michael Denham :

Yeah, I agree with Intrepid.... I always think I'd jump at the chance to race in real life (apart from the autocross I've done...) but in reality if I really wanted it I'd have been saving up non-stop and devoting everything towards making progress... But really I've just gone "hmm, I think I could be good at that, but I'm not willing to risk it all to find out". Although I'd love to get into local motorcycle racing in a year or two... but we'll see if it actually happens

lol that's the most poisonous phrase on the planet... I know... coz i use it So I have done some changes to your quote. It should read, and you will agree

Quote :

I am going to get into local motorcycle racing in a year or two... I've started saving, and working my ar5e off! Gonna be tough, but worth every cent

be sure to post how you get on!

Quote from Intrepid :

Half the reason I got it was to tie me over to NetKar 1.0.3!

Probably should have got a years subscription then!

well loocks like i racing is good for smoe things
have to go now half of brain asleep other half wants waffles

You just know at some point your all going to give it a try .

For me Sim racing is my hobby and as such I don't find it an expensive hobby. I have tried almost all other popular sims and this is the best online driving experience to be had in my opinion. The tracks are amazing and I have been having a sexual relationship with my Radical it's just such good fun. I can understand people saying it's expensive and a rip off or whatever but hey you have the choice to play it or not. I was even in a race with Dale Earnhardt Jr earlier.

Oh and just to add the cheapest real racing I can get up here in Scotland is the XR2 chamionship that comes in around £6000 for the first full season, a touch more expensive than iRacing.

Intrepid I'm so gald you got sorted mate as my ears were starting to bleed:P

Quote from Michael Denham :

Yeah, I agree with Intrepid.... I always think I'd jump at the chance to race in real life (apart from the autocross I've done...) but in reality if I really wanted it I'd have been saving up non-stop and devoting everything towards making progress... But really I've just gone "hmm, I think I could be good at that, but I'm not willing to risk it all to find out". Although I'd love to get into local motorcycle racing in a year or two... but we'll see if it actually happens

And Michael... I'll be your grid-girl, at all your races, in short-shorts + bikini.

Quote from Intrepid :

So I have done some changes to your quote.

Haha yeah you're right That's the attitude you need to have...

Quote from dawesdust_12 :

And Michael... I'll be your grid-girl, at all your races, in short-shorts + bikini.

Oh god no. What did I do to deserve this?

iRacing is the best SIM there is, bar none.

That's not to say LFS isn't VERY good, because it is, but in pure sim terms, iR is where it's at, of course, the price is a stumbling block to many, but in life, you get what you pay for.