When iRacing Arcaders get far enough into their Career, some races are going to start getting a bit longer. Maybe the series name says something like “Endurance” or something like that. For one, if you’re not into longer races and strategy, Hiring Drivers is a thing we learned about last week. Also, you’re missing out.
You also may have noticed that each track has a pit road, and if you’ve ventured down it before, you know your car slows down and there are all of these crew people in each pit box just waiting there, hoping to have their car stop so that they might service it.
For the short races, they’ll be left alone, wondering what they could have done to help. But, when the races get longer, and the fuel gets low, and the tires drop to zero percent, that’s their time to shine!
STRATEGY, STRATEGY, STRATEGY!
When should you pit? Well, there are a number of factors that could help Arcaders decide when to give up the lap and stop for service. First things first, players will want to be aware of the gauges in the bottom left hand corner of the HUD. The red half-circle is your health, and if you’re out there hitting the computer opponents, that number will decrease and your car will get slower.
If you’re not hitting people, then that health bar won’t change much. The white fuel bar in the middle, and the green tire bar on the right, however, will decrease as the race goes on no matter what. Also, once you complete a lap, a fuel calculator will appear just above those gauges, letting you know approximately how many laps you have until your fuel runs out.
In most cases, Arcaders will run out of gas before they run out of tire. When you do finally come down pit road, you’ll always be getting full service, with fuel, tires, and damage repair, whether its needed or not. The strategy lies in calculating those numbers against the laps in the race. In a 10 lap race, with fuel lasting over five laps, you’ll need one stop after halfway. However, if the fuel is less than five laps, you’ll likely need to make a second stop, or try and save what you need in lift coasting and late throttle pickup.
IT’S TIME TO PIT! COME ON DOWN!
When you do finally need to pit, here’s how it works at every track. Find the entrance to pit road. You won’t need to decelerate, as the game will automatically do that for you. The pit stall you will be pitting in is based on the position that you started. So, if you started first, you will have to go all the way down pit road to the first pit box, but if you start last, your pit will be the first box you come across when entering.
Stop your car within the lines, in between your pit crew. The car won’t get service if you are too far outside of the box. The better you center it, the faster the stop as the crew won’t have to move. Watch the gauges. Fuel will take the longest in most cases. Arcaders can go at any point during the stop, but be warned! If you leave too early, the gauges might not fully refill. If you want all of the gauges to be filled, wait until the box turns green.
But then again, do you need all of that fuel to run two laps? If you wait until you have just enough fuel to make it to the end, you can exit before the box goes green. Just make sure they’re done changing the tires first! After leaving the box, that’s it! Rejoin the track and get back to racing!
ONGOING TIME ATTACKS
- Time Attack #1: Sachsenring | Caterham
- TIME TO BEAT: 42.659 seconds by KENZO9326
- Time Attack #2: Miami International Autodrome | Formula 4
- TIME TO BEAT: 38.763 seconds by FINN ZIMBALL
- Time Attack #3: Knockhill Racing Circuit (Reverse) | LMP2
- TIME TO BEAT: 21.441 seconds by KENZO9326
Time Attacks can be accessed through the Multiplayer Tab on the Main Menu
iRacing Arcade is available on Steam NOW, and it will also release on Xbox and PlayStation consoles later this year.
For more information regarding iRacing Arcade, visit www.iRacingArcade.com.
