Is there something out there like a racing class for new or amateur racers? Kind of like a track day with a coach to improve passing techniques, racing lines, or how to safely defend position? I get together with friends currently and we jostle around a few bends until someone eventually faces backwards, reset and try again. It does make for some laughs, but I feel like we are fumbling in the dark, with no real skill development. Sure it helps racecraft a bit (giving extra space to high ping drivers, watch for speeding drivers trying to go up the inside, etc), but I feel like if there was a way to actively request guidance or even a willing coach to hosts a weekly driver meet, this could attract a few more drivers and up racers' confidence to the point where they participate more often in online races. Thoughts?
Lots of YouTube videos available, like iracing s rookie school. You can also use the leaderboard ghosts that are one or two seconds faster and learn there lines....than progress to faster ghosts. Most of the coaches now have turned it into a business and will charge a pretty penny. Try to find a rookie or beginners league in the community section Other than that, practice, practice, practice!
I mentioned elsewhere recently that you don't learn much from people of the same or lower level to your own abilities. So jostling with friends is fun but if none of you really know more than the others, development will be limited. But for learning lines and finding the best route around a track to improve lap times, R3E has a big advantage over most sims... the leaderboards. You can challenge any lap you want on there, and will get a ghost car, a driving line, braking points and even gear changes marked out for you. Pick someone who is a second or so faster than your best time, and challenge their lap... see what lines they use and what they do differently. When you reach similar lap times, chose someone a second faster again... rinse and repeat. It's a great way to learn tracks and find a few seconds. As for race craft itself, passing, defending, etc, I think the very best teacher is practical experience. You can sit in a class room looking at diagrams and watching videos all day, but it's not the same as just doing it. You need to just jump on in, get the experience, watch what others do to pass or defend from you and those around them, learn from doing. More than half of race craft, in my opinion, is having confidence in the car you're driving and your own ability to drive it, and you can't learn confidence by watching videos. So yeah, as David said, find a community that hosts rookie events, or is at least welcoming to beginners. One with active forums and voice chat during events would be best, so that you can talk to people and get tips and advice. Blowing our own horn here, but RaceDepartment is a good example of such a community. And this of course! No matter what advice you get, you're not going to become a master overnight. Racing is like any other skill, it takes time and patience to improve it, so keep pushing and never give up!
I remember this one (about rookie races). Which spurred this thread. The leaderboard is great yes, but even more beneficial is having feedback on your technique from a higher skill driver, or even coach I feel would help a driver even more. Just my $0.02