I know their is a passion for racing games from people on here, so I pose the question:

I am looking for the ultimate driving sim for the PC. I hear people bashing GT5 all the time as it is a console game; so I want a sim that will put all others to shame from eye candy to realism. whats the go?

I come from an FPS or RTS background and the last racing game I had for a home computer was Revs on the BBC in 86, and on console Mario Kart . I bought GT5 for the PS3, as I use the PS3 as a media server and have really enjoyed it, next step I bought a G27 and now I need more racing to quench my first.

There has been prior discussion about racing games at Respawn here:

http://respawn.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=1543

Unfortunately, Sim Racing does not get much playtime at Respawn. The trend is more towards Arcade.

I tried picking up Sim Racing, but I am still seriously amateur (and to make matters worse I haven't played a single game since the last Respawn ). I haven't heard from Ezkaton in ages either.

Cheers,
Brendon

I am not looking to play it at Respawn, couldn't be fagged carting the setup in, I was after other gamers opinions of which ones to look at. Is iRacing worth it? I have heard bad things about rFactor etc. Thanks for the link, The thread makes for interesting reading.

Carmagedon.

HAHA the realism of that game is awesome.

iRacing, that is all.

iRacing is where it's at. It's multiplayer only though... and much like real life, you're in a set class, and you race and practice one car per class. Of course you can run more than one, but that makes it hard on you 'cause you can't really get to know your chosen car properly. Races are sanctioned once per hour, with open practice sessions in between. Races in C class and higher are once every 2+ hours 'cause there's more emphasis on practice... as the races are more important.

There's also a safety rating sysem in place to stop people driving like asses without consequence.
The initial monthly subscription fees grant you access to all cars and tracks needed for your Rookie season, then from D-class upwards you need to buy your cars and tracks. It can get pricey if you try and run more than one car. Also, tracks change once per week, so you don't need to lash out lots of money straight up front. It's not too bad if you think about it logically.

If you're not interested 'cause of the costs, you're going to have to wait for GTR 3 and/or rFactor 2.

On the off chance you do get into iRacing, post your profile on here and I'll add you to my friends list.
I'm C-class, but racing the MX-5 series (Rookie) 'cause I love the car.

Also, my personal car suggestions for the first three classes;
Rookie - Mazda MX-5 Roadster
D-Class - Ford Mustang
C-Class - Star Mazda

(...and Hello Commander!)

Thanks for the post, been toying with Iracing but was not sure of the commitment level required to do any good, I only get to have serious time on weekends due to the baby.

How much on a weekly basis does it cost to run to be competitive? and how many hours a week to do a season?

I saw there is a 14$ 3 month trial that sounds cheap, so did the free 30 day trial of WoW at the time

For the moment I have gone back in time, I tried some demos and I finally bought Race 07 and GTR Evolution it was going cheap off steam.

Mmm, not too sure. Depends on the class you're racing.
Rookie class is relatively easy and low on costs.

It only runs 2 tracks on the road series (Mazda MX-5), Laguna Seca and Lime Rock Park.
These are all free with your initial subscription.
Once you get a feel for the driving model, all you have to do is practice a couple hours 'til your driving becomes reasonably consistent and I'd say you're pretty good to jump into a race.

To be competitive, it's all about staying on the track with speed coupled with lap consistency... no diving into corner 1 like a maniac as you see in most other racers.

For the seasons, it's really up to you how much you put in... as only your top few races actually count toward your final spot on the season ladder. So you're not really required to race every waking second of your free time to actually count, which is nice.

As for GTR Evo, hit me up on Steam if you ever feel like doing some laps.
I haven't played in forever, but the WTCC cars are good all-rounders for beginners and experienced alike.

Here's my Steam profile link: http://steamcommunity.com/id/supervillainoutcast

flatout/blur/Grid = the 1337 driving games

thats coz theyre the ones you win

I am okay at most driving games

I'd like to see you try iRacing, missingo.

Will be trying out Iracing in the next few weeks the 14$ seems ok to see whats going on for a few months.

I have added you on steam, I will hit you up after some practice.

i need a little chance of not being lapped.

Awesome. I'm happy to do some "open practice" online if you want. I've been enjoying driving the WTCC Extreme cars lately, but I'll drive anything. Maybe if Commander actually ever comes online on Steam he can join in.

I've run online GTR servers before... sometimes they fill up fast, sometimes you struggle.
Whatever works, really.

Let me know if you sub to iRacing.