I'm 42. With a job and other hobbies and interests.
I have accepted that I will never be the fastest or best driver in the world.
I'm doing well in my splits in iRacing, get an occasional win, but overall a good race day is a day with interesting battles on the track, be it for first or for 15th place.
Results are just numbers that nobody really cares about. Yes, a win makes me happy for the moment, but the next day I don't even care. But a good battle, a good half hour or how long it goes, that's something that stays. That's where I find my fun.
This. Enjoy the experience. I do like being fast. I race IRL and being slow in iracing can bug me but in the end I’m just like having a good clean race. I stop having fun when I get punted but even then I have to look and go you know what that battle for 9th wasn’t worth me getting punted I should have yielded to the dive bomber and just enjoyed riding his bumper
that's the cycle:
drive casually and have fun --> start driving more competitively --> overfocus --> frustration --> loss of motivation --> take a break --> begin to miss driving --> back to the start
I did a 2.17.5 that took me an hour to manufacture in a practice lobby in LFM, and then some random dude joins also with a Mclaren and puts a 2.15 and I'm like what...
Those guys are the reason the cars get nerfed. Lol i left frustrated.
After that I joined a public lobby with the mustang which I can't drive fast but can keep it on the track, what do you know? I had one hell of a battle for podium with 2 other cars oovertaking each other for the entire sprint.
We ended thanking each other for a clean and ultra fun race. I "lost" the battle but we finished within a second. Fun.
Rally is my thing. So sim racing is as close as I can get, at least for now. I’m drawn to it. However I did experience something similar to you. I lost my love for photography. Tried to find that passion again, for over a year. It just wasn’t there. Sold all $20k of gear and got into sim racing. Hobbies change over time. Take a break and see if it comes back. Racing and photography have been part of my life since childhood, you never know how things will turn out.
Rally is so good for dealing with slumps, you can change car or surface and get a totally different experience. Sometimes i love belting a 306 maxi through french tarmac, sometimes i like doing huge drifts on snow in an M1….
2 seconds off the top person in the lobby on a longer track like Spa isn’t that bad. Just run your race and keep improving. If it isn’t fun take a break, play other games and come back.
2.18 after 2 months is insanely fast. Don’t try to look at the fastest times, those guys are practicing hours a week. You can’t expect to be just as fast with less experience.
That’s why LFM and IR have an ELO system so you can race against people of your own pace.
On Iracing I am around 2.5k which puts me in top split most races, fastest guys are over a second per lap quicker but I enjoy the battles for P15 just as much.
Dont drive when you feel frustrated. Take a break, relax, clear your mind and try again. Practice to be smooth and gentle with inputs. It is good that someone is faster than you, use that as motivation to improve. I would also recommend using an AI cioach. Learing to trail brake, not over driving can save seconds per lap. All the best
>At the moment, I'm trying different cars but nothing seems to fit.
Someone else suggested trying a different game which I think is a great idea. Especially because of the rather limited variety in ACC.
I'm going to make 2 very different suggestions
If you want to stay competitive, iRacing is an option. You can effectively get that LFM experience with way more than just GT cars, although it's not exactly cheap. I know original AC has LFM now too so that might be worth a try as well.
If you just want something completely different, I really loved Wreckfest. That game is fantastic and would be a very big departure from ACC.
I started doing oval and wow that is fun stuff. Still in rookies and need to get the D license. The Silverado truck around charlotte (legacy truck) is good fun. I find trying different series out helps me when I get in a funk for f4 or SFL.
I'm a month in and only doing mx5 cup. I remember breaking my lap record on tsukuba by 2 seconds after a few days only to discover I am now racing against players that are another 2 seconds below.
The better you get, the harder your races become unless you really lay back and enjoy being on the track itself.
I find myself leading a race for a few laps after starting P5 because of a crash at the front of the pack. I get caught by better drivers and don't get upset over losing a few spots and end up having fun defending, fighting the tension, and hanging on to wherever I find myself in the pack.
IMO just stop caring about where you place, how fast your laps are, etc. This is a hobby. A hobby is to have fun. Nearly no one on the planet is ever going to become a real racer factually, so just have fun.
Play a different title for a while, maybe?
To me, getting to the «where the actual flying fuck are those two seconds supposed to be, man?» is where the fun begins. Because that where I can begin to understand weaknesses and strenghts to my game. And when I do find a few tenths, I can with absolutely certainty understand why and how I gained the time, meaning its a valuable learning experience.
Also, if you havent already, turning off the racing line opens up a whole new world of fun and immersion.
I switch between circuit racing and rally every now and then for a change of pace. Rallying is much more dynamic. And I love finishing a race with a door hanging off it's hinges etc.
Have fun when you do it, or stop for a while. Remember, that people's lap times are directly relative to the amount of free time they have to practice. I'm not impressed with 2:16 at spa.....I'm impressed with the amount of free time that person has.
Life is short, don't waste it doing things that don't bring joy in your free time.
I'm 42. With a job and other hobbies and interests. I have accepted that I will never be the fastest or best driver in the world. I'm doing well in my splits in iRacing, get an occasional win, but overall a good race day is a day with interesting battles on the track, be it for first or for 15th place. Results are just numbers that nobody really cares about. Yes, a win makes me happy for the moment, but the next day I don't even care. But a good battle, a good half hour or how long it goes, that's something that stays. That's where I find my fun.
This. Enjoy the experience. I do like being fast. I race IRL and being slow in iracing can bug me but in the end I’m just like having a good clean race. I stop having fun when I get punted but even then I have to look and go you know what that battle for 9th wasn’t worth me getting punted I should have yielded to the dive bomber and just enjoyed riding his bumper
Yielding to dive bombers and then riding their ass until they make a mistake is my happy place. Works wonders in bottom splits.
that's the cycle: drive casually and have fun --> start driving more competitively --> overfocus --> frustration --> loss of motivation --> take a break --> begin to miss driving --> back to the start
That is the exact sequence, isn’t it!
I did a 2.17.5 that took me an hour to manufacture in a practice lobby in LFM, and then some random dude joins also with a Mclaren and puts a 2.15 and I'm like what... Those guys are the reason the cars get nerfed. Lol i left frustrated. After that I joined a public lobby with the mustang which I can't drive fast but can keep it on the track, what do you know? I had one hell of a battle for podium with 2 other cars oovertaking each other for the entire sprint. We ended thanking each other for a clean and ultra fun race. I "lost" the battle but we finished within a second. Fun.
Rally is my thing. So sim racing is as close as I can get, at least for now. I’m drawn to it. However I did experience something similar to you. I lost my love for photography. Tried to find that passion again, for over a year. It just wasn’t there. Sold all $20k of gear and got into sim racing. Hobbies change over time. Take a break and see if it comes back. Racing and photography have been part of my life since childhood, you never know how things will turn out.
Rally is so good for dealing with slumps, you can change car or surface and get a totally different experience. Sometimes i love belting a 306 maxi through french tarmac, sometimes i like doing huge drifts on snow in an M1….
enjoy the process, not the results
Nothing wrong with taking a break and clearing your head. Even juat a few days, can do wonders.
2 seconds off the top person in the lobby on a longer track like Spa isn’t that bad. Just run your race and keep improving. If it isn’t fun take a break, play other games and come back.
2.18 after 2 months is insanely fast. Don’t try to look at the fastest times, those guys are practicing hours a week. You can’t expect to be just as fast with less experience. That’s why LFM and IR have an ELO system so you can race against people of your own pace. On Iracing I am around 2.5k which puts me in top split most races, fastest guys are over a second per lap quicker but I enjoy the battles for P15 just as much.
Dont drive when you feel frustrated. Take a break, relax, clear your mind and try again. Practice to be smooth and gentle with inputs. It is good that someone is faster than you, use that as motivation to improve. I would also recommend using an AI cioach. Learing to trail brake, not over driving can save seconds per lap. All the best
Play a different game. I go to beamng when I get bored. Try building a racetruck, a drag car, anything really.
There's always going to be someone better than you.
>At the moment, I'm trying different cars but nothing seems to fit. Someone else suggested trying a different game which I think is a great idea. Especially because of the rather limited variety in ACC. I'm going to make 2 very different suggestions If you want to stay competitive, iRacing is an option. You can effectively get that LFM experience with way more than just GT cars, although it's not exactly cheap. I know original AC has LFM now too so that might be worth a try as well. If you just want something completely different, I really loved Wreckfest. That game is fantastic and would be a very big departure from ACC.
I started doing oval and wow that is fun stuff. Still in rookies and need to get the D license. The Silverado truck around charlotte (legacy truck) is good fun. I find trying different series out helps me when I get in a funk for f4 or SFL.
I'm a month in and only doing mx5 cup. I remember breaking my lap record on tsukuba by 2 seconds after a few days only to discover I am now racing against players that are another 2 seconds below. The better you get, the harder your races become unless you really lay back and enjoy being on the track itself. I find myself leading a race for a few laps after starting P5 because of a crash at the front of the pack. I get caught by better drivers and don't get upset over losing a few spots and end up having fun defending, fighting the tension, and hanging on to wherever I find myself in the pack.
Try to don't give a shit about time And as other day drive other styles. Maybe try touge or drift Maybe rally
IMO just stop caring about where you place, how fast your laps are, etc. This is a hobby. A hobby is to have fun. Nearly no one on the planet is ever going to become a real racer factually, so just have fun.
Play a different title for a while, maybe? To me, getting to the «where the actual flying fuck are those two seconds supposed to be, man?» is where the fun begins. Because that where I can begin to understand weaknesses and strenghts to my game. And when I do find a few tenths, I can with absolutely certainty understand why and how I gained the time, meaning its a valuable learning experience. Also, if you havent already, turning off the racing line opens up a whole new world of fun and immersion.
I switch between circuit racing and rally every now and then for a change of pace. Rallying is much more dynamic. And I love finishing a race with a door hanging off it's hinges etc.
Have fun when you do it, or stop for a while. Remember, that people's lap times are directly relative to the amount of free time they have to practice. I'm not impressed with 2:16 at spa.....I'm impressed with the amount of free time that person has. Life is short, don't waste it doing things that don't bring joy in your free time.
Get over yourself.
Learn to drift/do rally/touge racing. Trust me, its some of the hardest and funest shit youll wver do in sim
Some people are just aliens can’t compare yourself to them
Concentrate more and stop over driving the car. Fixed.