Currently I'm low middle C on DR with an SR of S.
I was in low B in my DR but took a nasty drop with a disqualification in a race earlier in week.
Was thinking of resetting and starting over to get back to basics and try to get consistent to improve.
Or maybe I am just as good as I can be and don't really fit in well with B or higher as I was struggling hard just to stay in B.
Don't tank. I don't think you'll get any better by doing that. You can only get better by racing against better people. It sucks for a while, but it will pay off. I dropped from A to B on Monday and was really upset and ready to quit altogether. I not only was dropped to B but also to SR A, which was pure hell because I was racing against SR C drivers. I was sure I was stuck in a death spiral. But I stuck it out, learned the track better, and did well in a couple of races. I'm back at A/S, barely, and am running near last in all my A+ lobbies, but my score isn't dropping much because I'm losing to better drivers. Most importantly, I'm getting better and learning. Time of day also matters as well. If you race on off-peak hours you may get set in lobbies with A drivers who you can learn from without getting overwhelmed.
You can always get back to the basics in any race regardless of the lobby you're in. I think the hardest part of racing for me up to this point has been learning to be consistent in traffic. This can only be learned by jumping in and doing it. Take your lumps now and it will pay off, I promise. Whatever you do, don't quit a race you start. It hurts both DR and SR. Even if you're in last place, finish the race and focus on something to work on even in a losing effort. There's always something. For example, this week it's turns 15 & 16 at Spa. No matter where I am (usually waaaay behind) I can still study those turns.
And don't forget to just have fun with it. I was so obsessed with my DR that I wasn't having fun anymore. You'll hear a lot of people here say the same thing. When my rating dropped this week, and I wanted to quit, it reminded me to just go out and race and enjoy the process. Good luck!
I really don’t understand this match making with SR.
Just done a race Spa and Im getting paired up with a lot of SR A-C players. They was 4 S rated players and the rest are A, B and C’s. Now I am on the board of moving up to DR A, so is this like a little test that they stick you with dirty racers to prove you can move up a rank?
What's your rating?
The time of day matters. If it's off-peak hours you'll get a mixed bag. I tend to race very early in the morning and I get the craziest mixes. I've also found that when I transition from A to B, or from B to A, I get one or two races in what feels like a random lobby. Although I think it's probably coincidence, now I can't stop thinking about your suggestion that it's a "test" to see if you deserve the new ranking. This week may not be the best testing ground for me, though, because I had a really really bad day Monday and became a problem to myself and everyone around me on the track!
But mostly I think it's the time of day. For example, I don't race in the afternoons anymore because that's when all the kids get out of school and come looking to kill me! Maybe if I raced in a plain white van with no windows and "Free Candy" signs they'd stay away from me?
Try turning on the line, and follow it religiously (as fast as you can). I tis not perfect but Spa is very line dependent. Other broad tips.........
- Don't brake too hard into LaSource, try to carry more speed and get on the throttle earlier rather than hard brake, pivot then throttle
- Les Combes sequence, there's a LOT of time here. So end of Kemmel, take the right as per the line then sacrifice some time through the left hander and prioritise getting on the throttle for Malmedy
- I stink through turn 11, but you MUST clip the apex
- TIGHT line through 13 and 14
- Stavelot (15) is the most important turn on the track, there is a SECOND to be had. Get on the throttle as early as you dare AND DO NOT LIFT until the turn 19 chicane. If you lift, you've messed up your line.
- Brake earlyish for 19, sacrifice 19 for speed and exit through 20. TBH on a qualy lap it's the opposite as speed at end of straight is irrelevant.
- MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON SOFTS!
Ok, so I've made a little bit of progress, (and THANKS for that) but I need a little help figuring out the line on turns 12 and 16.
On 12, looking at this map, I think I've been doing it wrong. I've been clipping the left curb going into the turn and trail braking around the two bends. I'm thinking maybe I need to brake earlier and more to the right, and then accelerate into the flat part of that turn and into the exit? Any suggestions?
On the 15-16 transition, I just
cannot find the line to enter 16. I can see what I
should be doing, but I can't get my car to go there. I have to lift off just a little bit. Is this "don't lift off" strategy something that only works for the Silhouette? Because any other car I try it with I just can't do it. I find that I have to lift off just a touch between 15 & 16 because I can't go wide enough to get the right angle without getting sucked into the sand on the left. The green strips are so screwy and I never know what they're going to do to me. So the only way I can get around turn 16 is to lift off
just a touch so I can balance the car and get around the bend. I've tried cutting in a little early into 16 and clipping the curb and that pylon on the right, but it swings me wide to the left on exit, at which point I have to lift off anyway. I see people turn into 16 in a way that seems
very late to me, but they don't touch any curbs yet at the same time they pull away from me so they're clearly accelerating and not lifting off. I don't know
how they do it! Any suggestions on this one?
