Well that was interesting.... Signed up, installed over the weekend and ran a few races and practice sessions (non oval). Interface is confusing to say the least, even to find a race or session that suits. The tracks look great I must say but the driving is meh....and the other drivers are no better than any other free pug race. Pretty underwhelming...then you check out the races you'd *like* to be involved with...and to get the content for this race is £30 or that race is £40 and so on it goes. No thanks....uninstalled and sticking with RRE and will look for a UK based league that races in a suitable timezone for me.
iRacing is like alcohol addiction, it starts as a fun pastime with friends and after a while, you find that you have blown all your savings and your daily schedule is governed by the game, while you put more and more money into it. I have tried it last year and I do understand the appeal, but I find it too expensive in the long run and the more money you invest in it, the harder it is to quit. It's a very good sim in terms of physics and attention to detail, but the cost and dedication it requires feels like too much for me. So far, two of my friends got hooked by it and they are now lost to the game. Hardly any contact with them, unless you want to play iRacing. I have played practically every racing sim out there (though I am more of a casual racer), and I feel Raceroom is the most entertaining at least in terms of my personal interests. If iRacing had an offline mode, I would probably reconsider, but online racing is not my focus and I doubt it will be in the upcoming years.
I installed it about 4 days ago and now i drive near 120 laps per day. Not race yet, only some practice and time trial (i use it like a practice too) and some test drive. FFB is excelent, tracks is excelent, cars looks good and sound ... i like RUF sound from cockpit so much. I read a lot about iRacing and i hear (and see) Roockies races with Mazda MX5 looks more like crash tests or race at pCars open servers, but after i got D license, going to Lime Rock Park with Cadillac for open practice, this way different. More like in R3E MP. Have a lot fun with it. And i see how much R3E give for me. After FR2 no problem to drive Dallara or after RUF GT2/3 no problem with RUF in iRacing, even Cup or RWD road versions. I have only one problem, after iRacing's Laguna Seca, i can't drive it in R3E, big difference. Need to learn it like 2 difference tracks
Get yourself the Skippy and put in some races at Motegi....got my first third place there in D license today and almost ran round the house yelling Also PM me your iRacing name and I'll watch out for you