Online Racing
Once you have some racing experience under your belt, you will soon come to the point where the AI drivers just aren’t quite cutting it anymore. At this point it is worth exploring the world of online racing.
Depending on the simulation software that you are using, most will feature open race events for you to enter, known as “public lobbies”. These events often contain a wide variety of drivers with differing levels of skill and experience, so there will always be someone to race with. In the case of iRacing, each grid of drivers is grouped together with those of a similar ability level, or “iRating”, in order to try and provide the closest racing possible.
Although the racing will undoubtedly be intense, the main thing to remember when on track with other human drivers is to be respectful at all times. Make sure that you give your competitors racing room and exercise some restraint when looking to make an overtaking move. The last thing you want to do is go for an overly ambitious move at the first corner and ruin your race, or worse your competitors.
Although public lobbies are great for getting into the heat of the action, if you are looking to do more with your sim racing, it is recommended to find a league. There are many different leagues currently operating on the various racing sims which offer structured championships, coverage and even stewarding to avoid reckless driving.
When looking for the right league for you, first you will need to figure out what type of car you want to race. Most leagues tend to use the more popular cars such as GT3 or touring cars, but there are also some leagues which are geared towards a more specific type of race car.
Once you know what type of car you would like to race in a league, it is beneficial to do some research to find out key information such as when and how often the races are, how many drivers are taking part etc. This way, you will be able to have a more enjoyable league racing experience.