Don't fall in to this iRacing TRAP!!!

[@chrisrogerssimracing]

Thrilled to know my video resonated with you, and great job on expanding a very important point - and explaining it far more thoroughly and eloquently than I did! I actually never realised just how daft it sounded to deliberately NOT race through fear of an iRating drop, until I actually heard myself say it while recording my voiceover! It’s quite reassuring to read the comments there, and here, to know we’re definitely not alone!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

100% Chris - and yes it’s absolute madness about not playing the game, especially given how much it costs in the first place!!!

[@alec7568]

iRacers: "Don't worry about your iRating. Just drive safe and have fun!" Also iRacers: "Your iRating is so low you noob, get off my track."

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ha, well I’ve never been the latter, but I’ve only recently become the former!

[@robertisler8557]

Yeah, especially with the „hot lap“ guys. I let them go, at the end of the race they are mostly behind me. But it took time to get calm and just enjoy the race…

[@matthewbyrd398]

You're going to have turds like that in pretty much any hobby or endeavor. The key is just to avoid them as much as possible.

[@SimulatedInc]

and both of those have a 1.3 SR

[@echongkan01]

if they are so fast and better drivers then the one in front, what are they doing in that grid behind him?

[@gianlucarisa7726]

"...iRating, a 4 digit number" Well, it depends lmao

[@techbreh]

i just bought the game yesterday i am at 1.5 SR and 599 iRating

[@jackr.749]

Been there done that, got so frustrated that I not only quit iRacing but sim racing altogether for a few years, was scared of racing as to not kill off my precious points. I've been out of iRacing for roughly 8 years now and have no intentions of returning (the ridiculous expense is one of the reasons). What actually got me back in the seat is VR, I got into VR in the spring of 2017 and decided to try sim racing in VR, the sense of presence of being in the car and the sense of depth of field that VR gave me, got me back into it. Now I just race for the sheer fun of it (mostly against the AI) but I don't feel the pressure to do well that I did from iRacing. Now I just have fun, if I'm having a bad racing day, I can easily walk away to try again another day, I don't walk away wanting to hit something! LOL

[@martinmurphy4852]

I only lasted a year with Iraceing. I came to the conclusion that I would never be truly competitive and then there is the cost. I just play around with NR 2003 now when I am in the mood. Kind of funny that's where I started with sim racing and now it looks like that is where I will stay. Kind of speaks to the woeful development of sim racing in general when a twenty year old game is still more fun than anything that followed.

[@Schwing27]

I never understood how some people get so mad about this game. it’s suppose to be fun. Whether you win or come in dead last. It’s the thrill of driving a car virtually… Something fun to do. To get away from reality for awhile. That’s how I see it anyway.

[@920AL]

Beta af in here

[@Self-Delusion]

I don't even play iRacing but I appreciate this video greatly. Seems there's a lot of people who forget the joy of sitting down and throwing a virtual car around for a bit after a long day. I can't even imagine getting stressed about a rating in any of the sims I play. I know I'm garbage but I'm having fun doing it. You earned a sub from me!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah cheers Cody mate! Glad it resonated with you, and hope you enjoy the vids on the channel - thanks for the sub!

[@ravey1981]

Absolutely, and the same goes for rating in Raceroom. People get so caught up in number chasing that they forget why the simrace in the first place. It's all for enjoyment, when something is stopping the enjoyment you need to seriously reassess your thinking.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Absolutely mate - thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@MrSilverfish12]

Raceroom doesn´t feel that bad. I found so long as I don't DNF, avoid cutting corners and running wide, the system is pretty fair, I have been sent into the wall by people, lost 5 - 10 positions in the race and it has only dropped my ratings a few points compared to if I was cutting the track too often. I am convinced that iracing´s rating system is geared towards making people play more which leads to more revenue since its subscription based.

[@stuartelliott1104]

Just come across this video, absolutely spot on. I played iracing for about a year and a half during 2018-19 and got totally obsessed with trying to get my irating up, then feeling frustrated when I lost a lot. I eventually packed up...until a couple of months ago when I realised I was really missing it. This time I have gone into it with in a completely different way. My irating can do what it likes, I don't care if it goes up or if it comes down, I am just enjoying the racing! I am sitting in the 1.5k region at present but if it goes up or down it doesn't bother me anymore. I am never going to get up into the dizzy heights due to my lifestyle and only get to do two or three races a week if that. It's nice to hear someone giving advice that shows me I amnot wrong thinking the way I do. All the best.

[@rpierrelouis86]

What an interesting video and food for thought. I started iRacing after being on the mess that was Gran Tourismo sport and really was not prepared for the steep learning curve. I too fell into the trap of chasing IR and SR and the pursuit of it nearly put me off iRacing. I am retired and have tons of time to practice and do as many races as I want and have discovered a few things. 1. Nothing wrong with chasing IR and SR but nobody really cares what level you are at as long as you race clean. 2. Find a car/series you really enjoy driving/driving in. 3. Just accept the fact that there will always be races where things happen your fault or not that will potentially ruin your race. It happens in real life so why not in iRacing? 4. Focus on enjoying the racing....that's why we do it after all. I am back in love with iRacing, I do set myself personal goals but at the start of every race I say to myself...what will be will be. Hopefully you have a good race......hope you guys do too.

[@AlessandroRomanelli]

I'm on Top2% according to the 1:50 histogram. I'm almost 5k IR in a series where your average SoF is 2.5k, which means a SINGLE DNF will result in approx -120 iR drop. I think that having 5k in such a series only means that I'm able to consistently finish Top5 and have little to no DNFs, doesn't say anything though about how "good" I am at the game and surely doesn't mean that I'm better than 98% of the people on iRacing, because I know of multiple drivers who are sick fast (much more than me) on most tracks but who are still stuck at 3k because they will get themselves in troubles too often.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Spot on Alessandro, but hey, kudos to you for being near 5k! That takes proper consistency!!

[@Clancysway]

Well being consistent is a skill on it's own :]

[@Nixqy]

really interesting this get recommended to me right now, here I am right this second sitting here pissed off - was in a fixed ferrari race, got pole but I messed up on lap one and fell back to 6th, no biggy - I get back up to 2nd and run into lapped traffic, this lapped car will not move for the blue flag, is actively defending me and in a dangerous way, nearly clipping my nose twice, hitting me twice, and then finally on second to last lap when Im about to get around him, he just turns into me. I just don't know what to do, i cant climb cause of shit like this constantly - it makes it feel pointless to try, I don't want to get into races cause of stuff like this - 2 of the last 3 races I've been in, I've been hit by someone not even in contention, i know you mention the rating and it hurts to watch that fall but what hurts more is watching the safety rating fall, i just want to get out of C license, drive with safer drivers, learn from them, continue improving. But it just feels impossible man, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[@kerosinecircus263]

This is so well timed for me. Absolutely struggled my way to 1600 only to lose 200+ in one evening and completely become disillusioned with the game....will definitely try and use a different approach going forward

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah mate I’m glad you think it’s going to be helpful. I’ve definitely been in that situation you’re describing though. It’s so so so depressing / infuriating!

[@248JRO]

I always view my goal in every race whether it's a oval or road course race to try and finish in the top half. 2nd goal is to get through the race with as little incident points as possible. The most fun I have had on iRacing was where I was not the best but I was competitive. I don't stress about my irating I just like to see if I can get into the top half and feel that is a reasonable goal most of the time.

[@jeffwertz2953]

Just discovered your channel, Ben. Thank you so much for this info. As an ACC driver for a while, I'm just considering iRacing so this really helps. In ACC it's all about the safety rating and it can be so discouraging when you work so hard to build it up just for some guy to punt you off the track on the first corner and you get penalized. Ugh! Going to give iRacing a try!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Jeff! Welcome to the channel buddy! Yeah it’s so difficult not to get consumed by those ratings. I’m still guilty of it but try my best not to get too bogged down on it. I lost a huge chunk on Bathurst this week before getting a clean run and it momentarily made me want to throw my wheel out of the window 😂 Good luck exploring iracing - let me know if I can help at all as you get started 👍

[@TonyTurbo78]

Here from Steedies live stream yesterday. Hit the nail mate. I too like many others got totally consumed by the need to gain irating and was getting increasingly despondent and enraged when losing it. Every race I focused on those numbers, both SR and IR, I now have very lose iRating goals if you wanna call it that. With work, a 3 month old baby girl, other IRL priorities, the quest for 4k is a much more laid back one now. It don't matter as long as I enjoy that 1 or 2 races I have, even if I finish low but have a great clean race is all I care about now.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah hey mate - thanks for checking out the channel! I’m totally with you, I find I can get just as much enjoyment from finishing 14th but having had a really good fight for it than finishing on the podium (not that that has ever happened much! 🤣).

[@yaswdk]

The best thing I did was to cut down on all the HUDs from Racelabs. By default it shows your iRating gain/loss depending on position. That was just stressful. I now run with almost no HUD and just basic crew chief. I would lie if I said I don't care at all about my results or rating. Good results still feel better overall, but just focusing on racing and not so much your current position is way more relaxing.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Jeppe! Thanks for stopping by buddy - that’s a great shout re HUD information. I did the same without realising it. Previously I’d watch the project irating scores through the race - bad idea all around for temperament and concentration!!

[@MiserableRacer]

Just removed my IR gain on the RL relative. Very good point mate

[@jenscee7679]

I don’t use any overlays now, agree that Racelabapps showing IR and gain/loss is frustrating. Only one I use is the black box for gaps on track. I’m nearly 3K and can be thrashed by drivers half mine on certain track/car combos. What I do is maximise my finishing position. The IR shows you know how to consistently finish high, not how fast you can drive. The main difference in most races is lower IR drivers make more errors due to over reliance on hot lap speed. I tend to concentrate on consistency so run at a pace I can replicate every lap. I also run lots of enduro racing which reinforces this.

[@joemcdonald8314]

I just got iracing and your video really inspired me. I’ve decided that I’m gonna obsess of over this silly little number. I’m writing a script right now that if my irating stays the same or drops within a 6 hour period it orders a pallet of bricks to my front door.

[@SimRacingJason]

Stat checking used to be the first thing I did once a race was over and that led to worrying about each loss and then one day I just stopped. I now never check the stats or results after a race, I just go back and find some great moments to clip and enjoy back. I find I just race for the fun of it now and it’s so much better and in fact the results have even started to improve, sometimes 😁

[@metalgearbas4]

Totally agree with the sentiment. I used to want to grind up that score, but the higher I got, the less fun I had.. I'm now at a pretty decent level, and I'm having fantastic races all the time. The only problem I have now, is that I'm good at some cars (GT3, GTE, GT4) and not at others (F3, F4, WTCR, etc.), so I have to stick to 'my' classes, or be horribly off pace in the other series. I imagine that problem will solve itself in due time, as I put more time in those other classes and get more proficient at them, but for now it's a definite limiting factor. Good video though man, it's an important thing to realize if you really want to have fun in iRacing!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah thank you man - really appreciate the kind feedback. I know what you mean re classes, I’m so much quicker in TCR than F4 or Ferrari Fixed! 😅

[@Sele81]

I was in the tunnel when I started iRacing and made it quickly to 3300 ish with the skip barber but then it got more and more frustrating and I dropped and got stuck at 2400-2500. Then I stopped SIM racing for 6 years because of other stuff happening in my life. Now I am back and the positive iRating I have from the past is a burden since iRacing always drops me in the top tier races where I can not keep up the pace and mostly finish very bad. After couple races I am down to 2300 already. I would feel way better in 2nd tier races so if my iRating drops to 1800 or lower at least I will be in the lower tiers. I see it positive lol.

[@jwebxx]

This is why I went to iRacing and I love it. Because of the match making. I saw this aspect from the beginning. In GTR2 for example, it was frustrating being overtaken by an alien after 10 laps. Ok, at the end, you wish to improve yourself and your iRating, but in a healthy way and in a way it fits to your freetime. I personally dont want to be in a 6k Split at the moment because it makes no sence. Ok, when it happens because there is only one split it is ok because it is not the normal way and iRacing has the mechanism that you have not to finish as good as in a balanced split. So, these are aspects I love iRacing for and I stay in the sim. And sometimes its funny and cool being in a split with youtubers or real world drivers. But only sometimes.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

100% empathise with this Jens - really reflects why I find myself spending most time on iracing these days!

[@barsikkeglya5166]

Speaking from my experience: Top splits in gt3 are exceptionally boring. I've hit 3.3k easy and then every race was a top split. My avg sof was at some point above 4k and highest sof was like 5.9k. And it is boring as ****. That was the main reason I just don't race as much anymore. If you want to be above 4k in popular classes you need to much faster than 4k. The most fun you get either in lower splits or if you are as fast as them (it's impossible if you are not putting a ton of time into it) Don't bother about irating

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah very interesting to hear of your experience buddy - thanks for sharing that!

[@matthewbyrd398]

This is great advice, all around! I hope some folks in LFM watch this, as well. Same philosophy applies to the Elo ranking used in LFM. Far too many people trying to gain positions at any cost.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Thanks Matthew - pleased that it resonated! And yeah I'm sure it is something which is a feature across titles. Your message has reminded me though that I've been meaning to give LFM another go soon...

[@MrSanJose420]

Great post! I totally understand the I rating thing. I ve been a iracer since 2008 and even yesterday after getting wrecked at Indy I found myself stressing about the lose of irating .lol

[@thomashaupt79]

You have valid points here for sure. However what learned is that the higher the iRating and License level the cleaner the racing. I only do Endurance races and anything that is at least 1h for the simple reason that the racing there is a lot cleaner. I am not fast by any standards but since I picked up the long distance racing my iRating kreeps up slowly but surely and my iRating is stuck at A 4.99. I have a Family and I simply do not have the time to train daily and race weekly. So if I go into a race prepared and ready to rock I want to have a great racing experience where I can be sure that everyone around me know what they are doing and the racing is still great and tight but somehow a lot more relaxed. In lower sprint race categories it is very frustrating as it seems sometimes like a destruction derby due to people trying to hard. The only advise I can give is relax, enjoy the racing and do not try to hard. As soon as people trying to push over their own capabilities the racing sucks for all and I see that frustration getting smaller and smaller the higher the splits are I am starting in. My Teammates have iRatings between 3-4k so I start quite often in higher splits then where I would be with my personal iRating and I always notice the diffrence.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah interesting man! So I had hoped that would be the case, and I guess I have found it to be, but only to a degree. In fairness I’ve only reached 1.9k, so not near the top, top splits very often. I think it may also depend on the car class - F4 seems to be a destruction derby in every split! 😂😂

[@thomashaupt79]

@@Ben_LaBroca my iRating is also only 1.9k . That doesn't matter imho. Having clean races is what is important.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

@@thomashaupt79 definitely! Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@USM3C]

I just recently started iRacing and I can already see your point. Luckily for me, iRacing is just a filler between actual (real world) track days. It's not just a hobby for me, but actual practice for the real world.

[@masterrenderer4338]

Exactly, just have fun racing, which is sometimes easier said then done.

[@oscaralonso2121]

Thank you so much, this is the video I already needed to watch, because yesterday I become fully frustrated next to 4 races getting out because of others fault. I have to change my mind about iRating or will be leaving simracing at the end

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Oscar buddy - I have 100% been there mate. More than once!! The other thing that I think has helped me to be honest is running more than one series - so not getting so committed to just one car and track combo per week and thinking I HAVE to have a good race in it. Hopefully you have more luck in future races and continue to enjoy racing!

[@curleex3838]

Great job raising this normally kept quiet issue that some iracers have, me included. I panic when racing because of other drivers, either up my arse and pushing into making a mistake, i cant keep my cool and end up making way rather than fighting back to hold my position and i think it a good idea to raise these points so we can maybe have some good advice from seasoned iracers on how to deal with that kind of pressure....! Great vid btw...✊🏻

[@dathyr1]

Well, competitive online racing is tough when we strive to get to the upper Ratings in any racing game. Sometimes we try too hard and like you said get burnt out and frustrated. There are always going to be incidents when doing close side by side or bumper to bumper racing. It is the nature of the beast. Best way as you mentioned, don't pay any attention to the stupid Ratings and just do the best you can for each race and stay out of trouble. Things unexpected will happen and there is nothing we can do about it. One problem I see with Rating systems, is we get dinged (points dropped) even when the incident is not our fault. Take care.

[@GhostOfBraznon]

Honestly the best thing I learnt was sometimes if you have a good race, don't race again to chase another win since the loss will be more frustrating since you're coming down from that post race high.

[@telmo_a]

Great advice. Besides, it's good to keep in mind that, the bigger the drop in rating, the easier it is to get that rating back - because less is expected from you in the following races. Rating self-regulates and it's there to promote close racing.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Absolutely spot on buddy!

[@IonDragonRivenEUW]

Great stuff! Watching this video as I download iRacing for the first time. Thank you.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

You’re very welcome! Hope you enjoy!

[@jamesmuirhead6240]

My target for each race is always to try and finish in the same position as my driver number or better. If iRating is working as intended, that's where I "should" be, and anything above that is a good result.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Great philosophy James, and definitely something I think about too! Cheers for watching and commenting buddy!

[@michaelm6863]

Nice video, Ben. Thank you. BTW, I'm in the yellow and white Ferrari in your video and I appreciate the "kind" edit.👍

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah thanks man! Love it when people find themselves in vids!

[@michaelwork9462]

Ratings in any game are so subjective , people play things different . When I play a fps I am super aggressive and rush points and keep it moving while some of my friends snipe or play more support/ medic roles . When you are playing just for the fun , that's when games really shine .

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Definitely agree with that sentiment Michael buddy - cheers for taking the time to watch and comment 👍

[@michaelwork9462]

@@Ben_LaBroca going to subscribe and check all your vids out . Thanks for the content.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

@@michaelwork9462 ah thanks mate - hope you enjoy and always let me know what you’d like to see more of ( and less of 😂)

[@shawndixon4536]

I am about half way through a 3 month trial of iRacing. For at least 3 weeks, I spent my time testing vehicles, tracks, getting used to the cockpit view and manual shifter, and racing against AI, so I wouldn't be "that guy" that takes out half the field in T1. I finally decided to test online first, before jumping into an online race, just to see where I leveled with other drivers. I currently have only 4 online races to my credit, and most I tried to stay back and learn to drive around other real drivers. Unfortunately, as said in the video, life doesn't give me much time, as I work 10 hour night shifts, leaving little time during the week to race, and weekends are left for family time. I get about 6 hours in every 2 weeks, and I probably have less than 20 hours into iRacing in 6 weeks. As fun as it is, it does not make economical sense for me to continue with iRacing once my trial is done, since I connot commit enough time to improve my driving abilities, improve on multiple vehicles, nor improve my rankings if I want to increase license or move up classes. iRacing is a great concept for people who can devote the time into it, but I feel that casual racers can be satisfied with buying a few different sims on major discount (I have almost 20 racing games, and the most expensive I paid was $18 CAD just 3 days ago for KartKraft).

[@Jonyvoid]

As a newbie to iracing - this was refreshing. Great stuff

[@slowster2945]

I learned early on, that in order to finish first, first you must finish. The same goes for a top 5, a top 10 etc... I peaked at 4k, now live in the 3.2k-3.4k region, and without having the raw pace to support it, maintain my iRating by simply navigating my way through races. It helps that I race off-peak due to living in Australia, but I still manage to gain iR wholesale in series that regularly split, like the Ferrari GT3 Challenge. Race to your lap time capabilities, not your iRating. Often, by letting a "faster" guy through, you'll be treated to a spectacular retirement as a reward.

[@boothys_sim_racin]

Well said mate, im in that hole now where ive dropped 400 iR...it just hurts because thats the second time ive gotten in the 2900s and then the wheels fall off, i dont care if i hold above 3k it would just be nice to get there as a goal and then from there i dont care what happens...top vid mate well said 🤙

[@jcsquared1111]

Mew to sim racing only doing it like 6 months , recently starred iracing up to D level onlt 1 2nd place finish, hope as i progress to higher levels the drivers become less iddiotic as i cannot tell you how many times these drivers just simply plow into me. Forcing me into the pits. Beenn doing the fanatec chaplenge with the ctsv. Saftey up to 3.80 so hupfilly i can start gt3 racing soon. As the caddy is all over the place and deff think that plays a factor. Thanks for vid

[@FedericoTesta1]

safety rating for me is the most important. Clean racing (as fast as is in my ability) is what i enjoy the most.

[@EchoMirage72]

I don't play any of the sims, but I am a regular viewer of various youtube sim racers. I can say quite confidently that one of the biggest things that frustrates me is the constant concern about iRating and Safety rating. It leads to a lot of the racers being overly conservative and ultimately the video falls flat or boring. I think the biggest problem is the dopamine and serotonin that such a system releases, which leads to one of the biggest problems for iRacing and other sims racing in general: There are too many cars and too many classes and too races. Most of the people racing will concern themselves this way will go drive a vehicle they aren't familiar with, on a track they've never driven on and will expect to have their ratings increase, but will walk away frustrated. They can't understand why they do so bad. What people should be doing, and again, take all of this with less than a grain of salt of course, is selecting a vehicle and a league, all week practicing on that a course, and then entering the league race at the end of the week. This way they will improve their iRating or whatever much easier and more consistently.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Brett - I definitely think there’s something in what you say, especially in terms of learning car and track combos. As a general rule I try not to run more than one brand new track a season on iracing, because I know I don’t have the time to learn more than that, at which point I’d definitely become a liability in the race!

[@Christaz9]

Im new to iracing still goind for D ranking i was a high splitt driver in gt7 top100 in europe in competitions. So in iracint even if i go higher in irating never gonna focus on that il rather focus on the race and have fun but still be competitibe no matter against who i drive il take everybody serious even a beginner! thats what got me this high in gt7 was not focusing in the rank but focus on my race and just give the best crashes happens thats all part of the yourney the most important even if youre the best of course take it serious but fun hast to be there aswell otherwise u cant compete at high-level. And i hope i can reach that in iracing but step by step🙏🏽🏆

[@tonybracing3255]

Well, thanks for the video. It really made me reconsider the way I approach iRacing. Having fropped from a 2k driver to a 1.7k driver over the past few weeks. I used to stress over my iRating and, like you sometimes wouldnt race if I knew I was a littleout of my depth and was likely to lose rating. I have changed my mindset and will race more often now. Just got to protect my safety rating rather than chase the iRating numbers. Great video, well presented.

[@LJMRACING]

You and me both! 2.2k to 1.7k

[@richrinehart1083]

When they launched online racing for the Nascar game in '97 I was there the second day and over the next about 8 years or so I raced every chance I had. After about 3 years there was 2 groups of guys and there was a big power struggle and we all just became "Just Racin" which was around 55 or 60 guys and we ran usually 2 league races every night. 1 for the east coast side and one later on for the west coast guys. It got the the point that everyone knew how everyone raced so if you see Joe Schmuckatelly coming you know he is a dive bomber so you just give him the room and Wah-La! no problem. My Tuesday league that raced 1/2 distance, yellows on with full damage ran the first 6 weeks without a yellow flag. Our pickup races would run caution free. I guess I am saying that what I have seen posted over the last few years kind of makes me wonder if I should even spend the money..... I am a die hard sprint car fan and worked on a 410 winged sprinter for a family friend so I am dying just to race the dirt side and I am curious if my real world experience of setting up a car would work in the sim. Actually my all time favorite sim to race was Grand Prix Legends, a full on 4 wheel drift/ power slide out of the turns was bitchin! That was on freakin 90's sim with a thrustmaster POS. I would love to blow $5,000-$8,000 on all the killer gear and a full on membership because I had to retire early due to back issues so I got the time to put in the work to bring myself up to speed. What I love the most is when you tell someone about racing online and they think its like on a gaming system and kind of laugh at you. I just tell them to come on over and sit in my rig (It was built from wood because I am a carpenter/contractor), and I would tell them to get ready to get their ass handed to them. They always left with a whole new attitude. There were some guys in my old group that were just faster than all the rest of us.... you know if anyone of of these 5 guys is in the race with you it's going to take a perfect race with good green flag pits stops along with running super consistent laps and trying to keep them from slowly pulling away at 2 or 3 tenths a lap so if you wanted to be within striking distance the the final 15-20 laps you better have eatin' your wheaties brother. Sorry for the rambling on and on.... I just got all of those years of racing rolling around in my head. I made some great friends with a whole bunch of dudes that just loved racing. We sure did have some great times even with the "warp" we had to deal with. It was awful sometimes. Peace

[@casesully50]

I went into a race for safety rating, starting from the pits, because I had been on a horrible incident streak. I was dangerously close to being downgraded to B. I had one guy behind me on the pits. Race starts, we catch up to the queue for T1, the guy behind me wasn't paying attention, slams into the back of me, puts me in the wall, and bends my steering. The repair time was 18 minutes, the race was 20. I quit, threw my mouse and threw my keyboard. My wife and dog come running in and they caught the brunt of my anger. They were both so scared and confused. I immediately couldn't believe my reaction. It took a week to repair our relationship. I haven't raced since. I LOVE iRacing, but unsafe racers have gotten the better of me.

[@slowanddeliberate6893]

Good video. Believe it or not some people have 3-digit iRatings.

[@paulie170580]

Brilliant vid, and outlines where many of us are with life

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ah cheers Paul buddy - pleased it resonated!

[@Herrie199]

iRating is a good thing when kept out of sight from the players, keeping it out of sight prevents people from obsessing about it but still you can put equally talented people in every race. Safety rating should be visible to everyone to prevent, or at least try to prevent, people being idiots on track

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

I have no issue with irating. I have issue with the safety rating system which knocked me almost an entire point in 2 days all from being rammed by angry children who would rather ruin everyone's race than let someone beat them.

[@mikejackson9585]

I feel like the iRating is more important to my mental health in terms of not stuffing me in a race with clowns. When I'm in a race with lots of 1500-1800 people I get hit significantly more than when I'm in a race that is rated at 2500. I've been in the 2200-2600 for the last year and a half or so and I have NOT ONCE been hit on the formation lap yet. But when I was racing in the 1500-1800 range that was the norm. Dodging clowns "warming up" their tires, is never fun. Its very clear the quality of racer is largely different. For this reason iRating is hugely important to your state of mind. But as you say, getting overly concerned with iRating is a slippery slope.

[@jean-lucgoudreault6228]

In fact a lot of player under de mid 1000 irating are very very fast player being unlucky or taking to much risk! Sometimes there is also those very talented drivers that do not take any risk and prefer starting in the back and race very well Its not all about irating, its all about having fun !

[@Hustler9g]

I wonder if we'd all be better off if they hid the irating. I really agree with the sentiment of this video who cares if you're in top or bottom split if you have a good race 😁

[@BenFilley]

I’m far more interested in my safety rating than I am my irating. I insist on putting in at least 20-30 minutes of practice before a race unless I’m doing it multiple times in a row. I also run in vr 95% of the time, so it takes me a couple minutes to get the car back up to my pace. It takes a lot of focus to actually compete in vr. It’s a lot more sensory involved than flat screens. But it also has a lot of the same brain chemical rewards we get from racing.

[@raceace701]

I screwed my irating by running to many rookie races in an effort to increase my safety rating so I’m glad when my Irating drops as it means the racing will get better

[@Smdqt]

The issue is more so the no fault system. Lap 1 punts when a gaggle of cars on cold tires take you out of the race for no reason and then your safety rating/license suffers is just demoralizing.

[@magnusnielsen4345]

Having just reached 4k iRating and just lost 160 iRating in 2 races this is what i needed. Im in the top split anyway so there should be no worries on my part

[@LehanViper22]

This is perfect and great summary!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Thanks man - appreciate that!

[@TravisHi_YT]

I'm surprised people think iRating could be something you'd be able to compare, I only just started but it seems to be an indicator of what your average lap time would be and nothing else. The real rating that matters in racing is your lap times and consistency. Personally, if I can have a battle in last place or try to beat my lap record I'm still having fun, I couldn't imagine racing for any other reason.

[@OkiDingo]

I’ve had iRacing for 2years….buy tracks each season and have only raced like 7 times but practice each track 100s of times. My problem is the last few races I have done cars were bouncing all over the track due to net code. Ended up hitting a car that wasn’t even on my screen. Really put me off of racing.

[@justinnagy7954]

Irating is like a handicap in golf or a rating in tennis. It pairs you up against players similar to your strength. I think the frustration lies in not getting better at it, atleast for me it is.

[@josefgadringer]

Wait what? iRating can go up to 4 digits? that's mental!

[@Ben_LaBroca]

🤣 it’s a revelation!

[@Baltuc_Racing]

Irating really only apllies too you, if you only race 1 car Example : i can farm irating in the kia where i win 4/5 races but that has nothing too do with my skills as an F1 driver , where im slow AF. (remember that lads/ladys) Oh Great vid 🤘

[@codeREDsim]

I focus on my safety rating and don’t be a danger to others. iRating just means I am competitive against other drivers.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

100% mate!

[@DreamstoRealityAutomotiveTV]

I do it for therapy. Some people need therapy on IRacing. First or last it all pays the same. I enjoy skipping qualifying and seeing how far I can come through the pack. Usually the pack kills its self and I wave and drive on by. The entire scoring system is flawed as well.

[@Gallifreii-games]

Just signed up for IRacing, I really don’t want to have to worry too much about iRating I want to just enjoy it. However in looking into this game and others for a couple of months I see a lot of KZbinrs post idiots of the week compilations and I find that pretty difficult to take, I know at some point I will feature as I am just starting out with racecraft in general, but it does add a certain elitism to these types of games which is very daunting to find yourself stepping in too.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Mark - great that you've signed up! I'd absolutely ignore stuff like idiots of the week and your iRating more generally. If you want to focus on a measure of progress your safety rating is better, but even then, having fun is best of all! I'd also switch voice chat off, at least during races. I've never had it on, and I don't miss the idea of folk swearing at each other etc. I've just posted in my community tab an invite to a La Broca community event in iRacing - feel free to sign up if you like!

[@Gallifreii-games]

@@Ben_LaBroca many thanks!

[@Jabbawock1972]

im relative new to Iracing...as im bit older i know, that i will never be the fastest guy so my goal is to race clean, as i would in RL...so...my Irating suffers....but still enjoy the game...as many hot shots wont survive a 20 min race

[@nimcross4510]

Great video!

[@SimulatedInc]

I Personally value Safety Rating/LPI over rank/rating if you can keep a 4.99 that means you are Clean nothing in sim racing gets you more respect than racing clean, respect won't get you any points but it does prove you aren't "that guy" in sim racing and people typically will as they say "race you the way you race them" that's where the respect will help you in the rating if you are not in the pits with 10 minute repairs your chances of a good finish is are much better and good finishes are the only way to advance your ranking I always say the real "Swagger" is SR not IR look at the top racers in this sim and you tell me what their SR is and then tell me if I am wrong about that

[@4_14_fan]

I like to keep my irating up but I also don't like doing official races, I've achieved A class in every license but I have more fun racing with people I know in hosted races than racing with strangers who will probably wreck me in official races

[@Kmoore888]

I’m not a fast racer. And I know I never will be, so I just concentrate on my SR instead.

[@LanceWolfe]

I just hope the rating system puts me against people i can be kinda competitive with

[@petrstepancik9168]

Actually irating system is very good. It is good until you are in the top split and there could be big differencies. When you are in the second or third split (VRS for example) all drivers should be on the same level and race is mostly very equal. In the top split there are big differencies and that could be frustrating for some drivers. I actually have 5.2k and even with this rating I cannot match aliens speed. I really big endurance events when I have similar drivers around me, those races are best.

[@Ohio_Hobbies_Guy]

I just need to understand how to run good lines and work on cornering. One I can understand that better, ill be able to race better and get a better score.

[@kevinvizcainno]

Bro lost all his irating then made this video 🤣

[@Ben_LaBroca]

😂😂 didn’t even WANT a high irating anyway!

[@Ixxlostinabox]

I use my irating as a consistency score system. If I am being inconsistent and being a menace to those around me I will gradually lose irating and so I know I need to put in some more practice. Then once I have spent a good amount of time practicing its simple to get irating back by just finish a clean race. IMO irating should be hidden, it leads to ego and a sense of entitlement on the track. I have been low 2k irating for a while and have noticed that people above me tend to think that I should get out of their way, even if I am as fast or faster than them.

[@MrPaulJame5]

iRating is important, without it or without caring about it it just turns into any other sim, risk a stupid send everytime.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hey Paul - that’s definitely a fair point mate in terms of it being an incentive to race well. Thing is, the damage model and safety rating is there for that too and you still see your fair share of absolutely crazy driving 😂 Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment buddy 👍

[@casuallyjustinkaes]

If you get burnt out from chasing iRating numbers and ultimately wanting to drop the game because of it, please do yourself a favour and change focus: do some racing leagues hosted by great communities out there. Community leagues don't affect your iRating, and you will be bound to find awesome people and races which in turn may reinvigorate your passion of racing. Who knows, maybe after a dozen seasons doing leagues, you get back to doing official races and then look at your iRatings, "Ehh, why was I worried about these numbers?"

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Good points buddy - thanks for watching!

[@steveturner550]

Hi Ben you sound local to me as I live in stanley co.durhm. Enjoying the vids and would love an idea of price for a simple mackem mover graphic for my current cars

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Hi Steve! Yeah I hail from Newcastle so not a million miles away! Glad you’re enjoying the vids! Cost of liveries is £25 per car but happy to discuss it on discord if helpful? There’s a link that should work in the description, but if email is easier let me know.

[@everythinggaming7938]

Some sim racers have no life I know I won't reach a certain level as I do not have enough time to practice all day long. I'm sitting at 4k and I only can play 3 times a week so I'm good with that. My goal is always top 5

[@Ben_LaBroca]

That's definitely how I look at it too buddy. I tend to think if it's a big grid, then being inside the top ten of a competitive split is a good result. Anything higher is a bonus!

[@Aro3o6]

Ladder anxiety:(

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ha I’ve not heard it called that before, but yes exactly!

[@SONICBOOM-117]

Those tire barriers tho 😫

[@MickR0sco]

For me, I rating means how much time you can spare to play the game. I like to race, I am OK but nothing special but only have an hour or 2 on an evening to play. Just look at it like that.

[@boymeetsmini]

2:00 Max with the 8k iRating 👀

[@1xRacer]

iRating is like gambling. I ended up getting a second account to just drive for fun.... now that's ridiculous

[@gwapolindo8944]

"That four digit number" Yeaahh... four digits... not three.

[@StickyPlasters]

I dont mind losing irating. It just means you get easier lobbies for a while.

[@Prickles2001]

I've thought for years that it should be hidden. Just have the 10 divisions or whatever

[@deadmanwalking1930]

Ah, so 1.6k doesn't mean dollars for the cost to buy cars and tracks. lol. Really though I'm new to iRacing and just got a t300 wheel, so will start to really get into the game now. But thanks for this video, I will basically forget about trying to raise the numbers and just enjoy the racing.

[@LennyisFast]

Wait iRating is supposed to be 4 digits? Not 3.. ohhh that makes sense i do suck

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Ha ah buddy the reasurring (if bleak) thing is relative to someone else we all suck!! As long as you're enjoying it who cares!

[@BleiddynPictures]

I've only been sim racing for two weeks and have already realized that you shouldn't care about iRating. It'll start raising naturally the cleaner and safer you drive.

[@davidb.4334]

Late to the party but I might quit my job to chase Verstappen.

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Haha! You know what…that sounds like a great idea. Hold my mortgage!

[@reeceogorman]

It would be awesome if you could reset your license system and start from the bottom again while keeping all your paid content. Personally I’d love to work my way back up through rookies. Also I feel like if you could reset, people wouldn’t get so hungup on their safety / irating because it would have less “value” and hopefully create better matched lobbies with more people

[@osergergfd2501]

That already exists they are called smurfs

[@TyeWills]

Lucky for me I just race for fun. I have no idea what my I rating is at any time.

[@shawnpowell9076]

One thing that matters is the equipment you use a thrustmaster t150 with the plastic pedals versus a high-end wheel and pedals make a huge difference in your finishes

[@lambolim2178]

People just obsessed with identifyinig themselves with the iRating number just like in real life people obsessed with status

[@itaykellner4045]

0:31 who said four digit?

[@MohSHAk]

unfortunately I don't have issue with my Irating, it is my safety rating wont go up thanks to clean driving in the community

[@daboiracing3848]

I got such burn out form Iracing I took a ( I think 4 year break )

[@maciejhyla7503]

I've always hated the idea of irating. It's just an imaginary number. There's people that grind irating on one series and get to like 5-6k, then they get destroyed in other series. What's the point? I've always preferred league racing instead, where you race against the same couple of drivers in one season. It's a shame that iracing, lfm, etc. Have made leagues less popular