Professional vs Amateur Racing

Very quickly in iRacing, it is easy to identify two major "groups" of drivers.  Each group includes drivers with a wide range of skill levels.  What indentifies the members of each group is their "philosophy" about racing.

The vast majority of participants in iRacing have never participated in a real life auto racing event. Their "experience" and knowledge is based on their observations of professional racing.

Participants who have some real life racing experience generally have raced in amateur events.

There is a very big difference between Professional Auto Racing events and Amateur Auto Racing events.

Professional Auto Racing events are run for the entertainment of a paying audience.

Amateur Auto Racing events are run for the entertainment of the participants.

Drivers in Professional Auto Racing are highly rewarded, with fame and money when they win. And, the sanctioning body knows that an entertaining race is a competitive one--so aggressive driving is encouraged, within the limits of reasonable safety.

Drivers in Amateur Auto Racing, for the most part are only rewarded by "having fun" and "being better" than the other guy.

Real problems occur in Amateur Auto Racing when: A) Drivers assume that the "correct" competitive behavior is what they see in Professional Racing; and/or B) When the incentive of "being better" than the other guy causes driver behavior that interferes with the "having fun" of the others they are racing against.

This is a real problem for iRacing. Their "solution" is a combination of a performance or outcome based "iRating" and a "Safety Rating" based on collisions with other cars and offtrack excursions. The system "allows" the new participants to compete like they think racers do (as they witness in Pro Racing) but over time a large number of drivers drop out and lose interest because of a very high level of car contact that ruins outcomes.

Many of these "discouraged" drivers choose to race in iRacing Leagues that often have rules requiring more "polite" driving. Plus, when repeatedly driving with the same guys, people tend to exhibit more care and respect.

Still, there is that lingering difference in attitudes--some guys still see racing the way that Pro Drivers do. To them, racing is a "battle" or a "fight".  Others just want to have fun and drive as fast as they can. These "amateur gentlemen" are annoyed by actions that are seen as unnecessarily reckless.

The solution is strict rules, agreed to by all participants; rules that are enforced by stewards who watch behaviors and all action of the participants.

There is a "cost" to this solution and a dilemma. The "fighting battlers" far outnumber the "amateur gentlemen" and the lure of "being better" than the other guy is so powerful, that often actions are rationalized as being "fair competition" when they lead to finishing in a higher position. The aggressive "winner" gets an emotional "high" and is anxious to return for another dose--the "victim" is often highly discouraged and often loses interest and drops out.

iRacing has another form of competition that the "amateur gentlemen" should find attractive. There is no other driver "battling" to slow you down, so that he can finish ahead. It is truly that the faster car posts a better time. It is called a Time Trial and pehaps is the most under-rated and under-promoted part of iRacing.