The next 10 days are somewhat pivotal in the history of the health of the US. We haven’t faced a pandemic in 100 years, and the exponential spread of COVID-19 is very concerning. Lots of events are being cancelled from the local schools to the NBA. During this time of social distancing, one activity that is seeing a surge in popularity is sim racing. So I thought I would do a short series of daily posts on sim racing as we buckle down and survive these next 10 days (or whatever it is).
Racing vs. Lapping
Probably the biggest mistake rookie sim racers make is that they think they are supposed to lap faster than the next driver. Ultimately, yes, you do need to drive fast, but that’s for the top 3 drivers to worry about. If you’re a mid-packer, you need to earn points. Here are three things you must understand.
- 1/3 of the field will crash out on their own accord. There are racers who purposefully qualify last, start at the back of the grid, and then wait until all the people in front of them crash out. It’s not the way to get on the podium, but it is the way to get more points than average.
- 2/3 your passes will occur because the driver in front fucked up. If there’s a racer in front of you who is just a couple tenths slower than you, you can (1) figure out which part of the course you’re faster and construct your pass (2) wait for him to make a mistake. Most of the time, while you’re trying to do (1) you’ll actually pass because of (2). It’s a lot more nerve-wracking leading than following, especially if you suspect the idiot behind you is going to run into you. So follow for a bit and de-stress.
- 3/3 of your crashes are avoidable. The moment you stop blaming other drivers for an incident is the moment you take control of your own destiny. Avoid bad situations and don’t point to the rules when things go wrong. Rules don’t save your race, you do.
Tomorrow: getting fucked in the apex
you suck at racing 