Racing online

[EvilClive]

lol     I'm not sure that alcohol would help my driving but whatever suits you I guess is fine.

I can still remember my first few online races when sat on the grid waiting for the start. I think my heartbeat was so fast it must have been a health risk!!

One thing I try to do now is conciously get myself calm and focused as I join the grid at the start of a race.

I have a routine that helps. Doing this keeps the mind occupied and stops panic , well it does sometimes 

1) When qually is over and the countdown to the start begins, I switch to "Car Setup" and check that I have my race setup selected and the correct fuel set. Too many races in my early days ended with a splutter!!
2) I do not sit on the grid revving the engine. I just sit there quietly focusing on the start flag and nothing else, maybe even with my hands off of the wheel and leaning back in my seat.
3) By the time the starter raises his flag I am fully focused and only rev my engine when the flag is raised.

 As Tim and Hristo have already said it is by concentrating on YOUR race, and YOUR braking points and YOUR apexes that you will go faster. You will not go faster just by trying to follow the alien in front!!

[BadBlood]

I'm more likely to crash out of a race if I find myself totally on my own

Ah - that is why I keep crashing.... must try and get into the field some day

[Hristo Itchov]

I can still remember my first few online races when sat on the grid waiting for the start. I think my heartbeat was so fast it must have been a health risk!!

Well, they do get very high heartbeat rate in real racing, most of it coming from emotion and adrenaline rush. I think calming yourself too much can work against you. The importance is to be calm in your mind rather than body.

3) By the time the starter raises his flag I am fully focused and only rev my engine when the flag is raised.

IMO it's better to bring up some revs in the engine earlier than that, to allow the oil temperature to increase and possibly lower the chance of sudden blow up when you suddenly release the clutch and revup, or bang it going from N to 1st. I tend to keep about 1/3rd revs at first and gradually bring them up 2/3rds once I'm allowed to change gear (which is when the countdown goes to zero). In my experience the smoother you increase the engine temperature, the less likely it is to expire.

[blito]

I`m with H there... not sitting with the engine idle, nor having it screaming its nuts off..
As for Karliss' original question,  just accept whats happened and try to calm yourself down...
mind you having said that I lost my calm completely at Anderstorp last season when I was tagged by another driver... a Honda driver from eastern europe I seem to recall..... that incident destroyed my concentration completely! I have since learned to keep cool by not bringing expections into the race. 
I also agree with whats being said about staying focused... I try not to "think" too hard about the race, just settle into a comfortable rythm and let develop however it is going to develop

[Hristo Itchov]

Good point about expectations, Jason. The benefit of not doing much practice (or any at all) before races gives me the serenity and focus, as well as higher motivation, which otherwise is kinda lacking when I spend a whole week or two in preparation for a race. It also helps me overcome disappointment if something goes wrong, as opposed to feeling like I wasted all my time practicing for nothing.

[karlisss]

about non practice... i think, some Aliens like Hristo can afford it, cos they anyway 3sec faster on BT7, than any human on Lotus or Honda, but for me, if i can i practice. Maybe not on next race track, but i am doing some laps, to get GPL racing feeling in blood, and maybe after some years i will be able to not practice before race.
about expectations is good point, i think my problems starts when i driving in high place.
BUT
how you push hard at every lap? cos one thing is consistence, (i can do it if iam going slow), but in race...
in monaco i prayed in every lap after tunnel , lets my car points into correct way in chicane for flat out... first time i did it for 26 times in row lol, but is it normal?
(cos i never did it even in 15lap AI practice race) and it makes me feel very uncomfortable during race.
how you deal with it? or is it something what you can gain only with expieriance?

[Hristo Itchov]

It's simple really. When you feel you're out of control that means you're going over your limit. The difficult thing is to ease off just enough as to stay close to your limit, but not go over it. You can find out where that limit is in two ways - start off slowly and gradually push more and more, or take a lot of risk and find out the limit by going off or crashing out in practice, then keep making corrections until you reach a comfortable feeling and yet maintain high speed. I usually use the first method if I enter a race I haven't prepared much for, or when I use a setup which I haven't tested, i.e. when using a Qualifying setup which I've only ran on low fuel.

[Podkrecony_Ziutek]

about non practice... i think, some Aliens like Hristo can afford it, cos they anyway 3sec faster on BT7, than any human on Lotus or Honda, but for me, if i can i practice. Maybe not on next race track, but i am doing some laps, to get GPL racing feeling in blood, and maybe after some years i will be able to not practice before race.

Being an alien has nothing to to with that. It's all about experience Wait 10 years and you'll understand how come some guys can be so fast without training  

[Hristo Itchov]

With time, you just develop some ability to quickly learn a new track (except Targa!!!), a new car and make a setup, or if you already know the track, it's even easier. Put me into a new sim and I need as much practice time as anyone else.  

[FullMetalGasket]

Pah!, Targa only took a month!