Racing Etiquette and Techniques

Firstly, Happy New Year fellow NODO's.

I'm new to the crew, so haven't raced many of you yet.
I consider myself a good, clean racer but I'm still getting used to some of the tracks you guys race on before I decide to get my ass kicked in a full NODO session.
For the high level, experienced racers in the crew, there are a few things you need to remember & take into account when racing newbies like me.

1. It's a different world for us. Most of the time, the racing is alot faster & more intense than what we're used to from the random lobbies. We are pushing ourselves to the limit just to stay on the same lap as you guys.

2. We don't always take the same lines as you guys. Some of you run extra wide onto the footpath on both entry & exit which means your cornering speed & angle of approach is different to ours. There will be a point where our racing lines cross paths with yours.

3. Quite often I'm struggling to control a slide while at the same time trying to spot the braking & turn-in point for the next corner. Sorry, but I wont be looking in my mirrors at that point.
If I block you on corner entry or exit, it's because I didn't know you were there. It's not intentional, & I might not even be aware that I've blocked you.

4. We don't have the same experience & spacial awareness as you guys, especially at the pace you guys run.
If I can't see the nose of your car on my screen, & I haven't got time to check my mirrors, I will assume you are not there & I can take the racing line at that point. If I take the racing line just as you're about to dive down the inside or about to take me on the outside, you will probably think it was an intentional block, but it wasn't.

5. Some of the crew created tracks are quite new to us. You guys have done hundreds or even thousands of laps on them. Us newbies may have only done a handful of solo runs to learn the basic layout & lines. Think back to your first runs on some of those tracks. I guarantee the cornering speeds & lines you took back then are different to the cornering speeds & lines you take now. These things need to be taken into account by the newbies & experienced guys.

6. Most of us will get better the more we race you guys. Hopefully most of us will learn from our mistakes. In the meantime though, you experienced guys will have to accept that we're not on the same level as you. It's almost like a multi-class race where you need to allow for differences in speeds, lines & breaking points etc.

7. Some of you are so fucking quick that it takes us by surprise. We just don't expect you to be where you are.

Having said that, intentional blocking & blocking on a straight is totally unacceptable for a racer at any level.
However, if we're in a series of technical corners & you think I blocked you, please accept my apologies in advance & remember that it was never, ever intentional.

Hope to see you all on track soon. I'll be the guy at the back, or the guy stuck between the tree & lamp post.

That's all good ;-) Kind of related to what I was trying to point out as well. If someone dives down your inside at hotlapping speed as you're approaching a turn it's their fault, as they are overtaking you in the braking zone. So you have line priority, you're not on the inside of someone if the only time you spend on their inside is when you knock them off the apex.

Basically it's their responsibility coming up from behind to make their presence known by adapting to your pace if the lines are intersecting. In the middle of a straight it's okay to just zoom past someone if there's enough space, but that's a judgement call you should be able to make coming up from behind, which means it's still their responsibility to be able to tell if it's going to work or not.

Nobody can be expected to know where every car is on the track at all times, so it's only fair that they need to adapt their pace based on the car in front of them, not the car in first, until they can perform a legit overtake.

Keep one thing in mind though, when you are driving through the first few corners on a track you are driving in traffic. This means there must be space for multiple cars going through a turn in the width, so you can't take the racing line but need to stay on the line you already have to make and take the other traffic into account. It's much better to take it slow and steady and be a little bit off the pace in this part then trying to rush up in front from the start, especially if you don't know the tracks.

Looking forward to seeing you on the track, if you're on PS4 ;-)

we know you suck no racecraft....  

All what he said. And so am I greatly sorry if I screw you experienced guys up in the races. It's not intentionally and I hope you can live with us for the time being that we are not on your level.

Also I tend to (when I am hosting races) to only go stock cars as I have (if I have little chance to begin with) absolute ZERO chance of keeping up with you guys in my customs as I have not won enough races to get the best upgrades, nor the level needed to get all mods.

So, sorry for my now poor skills compared to you and sorry to make you guys race stocks with me if you even wanna join me.
And a big thanks to OG_NL for changing to stocks the other day when he saw that I got absolutely smashed after 2 races. A big thanks and HUGE respect to those of you who takes notice and let's us into the race at the same starting point.

This ^ and many others like it

Meh Ryan...  Fast racer, terrible communicator.