Welcome in this post where you will discover the 6 tips to get started well in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
The world of virtual racing requires seriousness, professionalism, knowledge, and skills from the get-go.
This is the main rule to know when you start diving into this world.
“Nobody is born learned,” as italian actor Totò would say, nor with the professionalism and respect that the world of virtual racing demands.
But we’re sure you’re eager to enter and fully respect SimRacing.
After all, the driving force behind you is your passion for motorsport, right?
The ability to hit the track in a car that behaves almost exactly like a real one, with the same data provided by the manufacturers and the same reactions to any changes made to the vehicle.
Real drivers know this well, spending hours on driving simulators to train as best as possible.
If they say that thanks to the level achieved by SimRacing, you can experience the same emotions as in a real car, there's nothing more to add.
That’s why we want to help you better understand a tough driving simulator like Assetto Corsa Competizione.
And we’ll do it through 6 tips that we’re sure will make your learning process in ACC more stimulating and rewarding.
Let’s get started!
1st tip: Introduction to ACC
What’s in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
The development team Kunos Simulazioni chose to prioritize quality over quantity in ACC.
It offers the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 seasons of the GT World Challenge and a DLC containing the 2019 and 2020 seasons of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Additionally, as DLCs, you can get the GT3 and GT4 cars from the British GT Championship and the GT4 European Series Pack.
The base simulator lets you race on the 10 tracks of the 2018 GT World Challenge plus the Zandvoort circuit.
Other spectacular tracks like Bathurst, Watkins Glen, and Suzuka are available via DLC.
Is Assetto Corsa Competizione a driving simulator?
Absolutely yes.
The level of simulation is incredibly high, so you need to manage the car you’re driving as if you were behind the wheel of a real car on a real track.
The data provided by Stephane Ratel Organizations, which drafts the technical regulations for GT3 and GT4, have been implemented by Kunos’ development team, ensuring a driving experience equal to the real thing.
Does Assetto Corsa Competizione work on all PCs?
Not at all!
ACC is very demanding in terms of hardware.
For example, a five-year-old PC with an Intel I5 processor wouldn’t be able to handle all the physics calculations, and the same goes for the GPU.
So, an older PC is unsuitable for ACC.
2nd tip: Make the First Start
How can I adjust the graphics settings in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
As we said earlier, ACC is a simulator that demands a lot from any PC.
Graphics settings in ACC depend on how powerful your PC is.
However, we recommend lowering the quality of the rearview mirrors, setting the number of visible opponents to 16, and enabling HLOD for a better graphical experience.
Remember, you should aim for maximum frames per second to ensure a top-notch gaming experience.
How can I adjust the controls in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
These also require adjustments.
We recommend setting:
Gain to maximum, Minimum Force to 0%, Dynamic Damping to 100%, Road Effects to 0%, and Frequency to 333Hz.
Additionally, it's important to set the MFD HUD to an accessible button on your peripheral so you can change the pages of the Multifunction Display (MFD) to make adjustments to the car and set your race strategy.
Remember, in ACC, every adjustment is crucial and not left to chance!
How can I adjust the camera in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
Here's another element to judge your speed and position on the track.
You can use a FOV (Field of View) calculator for the settings.
Then, you can adjust the camera height, distance, and field of view.
Make it a natural process to optimize what you can see.
3rd tip: Understand the Rating System
How do the ratings work in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
Ratings are the evaluation systems for each driver.
The main ones are the track rating and the safety rating.
The ratings revolve around the core concept of ACC: driving as if you were driving a real car.
Firstly, it's essential to do as many clean laps as possible and consistently.
For example, you'll earn three stars for four consecutive clean laps.
Then there are values for consistency and car control on the track.
The safety rating, on the other hand, is earned by knowing how to drive well in battles with other cars.
You need to be within seven-tenths of a second of another car to earn Trust points.
If you touch another car, you'll receive OBWP penalty points.
That said, the more kilometers you drive near another car, the higher your safety rating will be.
Additionally, you'll receive Trust bonuses for completed races.
The best way to increase your safety rating if you're struggling is to do 20 or 30-minute races with the AI.
Set it to a level where you can maintain your pace.
We recommend having at least 60 safety rating points to enter all online sessions.
4th tip: Study these Setup Tips
If you're just starting to get a feel for Assetto Corsa Competizione, it's clear you might have difficulties with setups.
That’s why we want to give you some tips so you can start understanding how to work on your GT right away.
Let’s start with fuel.
You need to load the right amount based on the race duration, and we recommend multiplying the race time by 2.2.
Or, there's a more specific formula:
Total fuel = [(Race Time * 60) / Leader’s Lap Time in seconds] * Fuel per lap calculated by the game + (Fuel per lap calculated by the game * 2).
Tire pressure
Many factors influence tire pressure, like track temperature.
The temperature can vary on each server, so you should adjust tire pressure based on the temperature if you don't want to overheat the tires.
We recommend going on track for three laps to find the ideal tire pressure.
Anything between 27 and 28 PSI is good, but aim closer to 28 PSI to maximize performance.
Traction control
Unlike real F1 cars, which aren’t designed to have real traction control, GT cars are.
Real GT drivers use traction control, so we recommend enabling it, but not too invasively.
Engine mapping
Many GT cars have an engine that can be mapped for qualifying, racing, and safety car modes.
You can use these maps to save fuel or get more power.
There’s a car, the Mercedes AMG GT3, that requires you to change the engine mapping from qualifying to racing if you want to do an hour-long race.
Mode 1, for example, will give you maximum power but more fuel consumption.
The MoTeC telemetry can help you analyze your engine's RPM and much more, giving you a higher overall view of your engine.
5th TIP: Learn How a Race Weekend Works
A full race weekend in Assetto Corsa Competizione includes free practice, qualifying, and the race.
Here are some tips on how to handle the main phases of a race in ACC.
Starting procedure
There are two types: one where all drivers simultaneously exit the pits and line up in double file for the start, and another, longer one where there's a full formation lap.
In the latter case, cars line up single file until the end of the lap, then position themselves in inner and outer rows for the start.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
If the cars are ghosted, don’t worry about bumping into them.
Also, frequently pump the brakes to warm up the tires and, of course, the brakes.
Lap 1
Be very careful; the start is a hot phase of the race.
There can be battles but also accidents.
Be prepared for this.
Obviously, slow down to maximize your chance of avoiding any pile-ups.
In turn 1, you brake much earlier than the ideal braking point, first because the brakes are very cold, and second, if you’re behind, it’s very easy to cause a bad accident.
Battling on track
After the first lap, you can try to build a good race pace.
Here you can see if you have more or less pace than the car in front or behind you.
If you’re about to be passed, it's the responsibility of the driver behind to make a clean pass.
If you're the one overtaking, try to do it in an ideal and not impossible spot, otherwise, contact is inevitable.
Whether you crash, you don’t just ruin your race but also others’ and the safety rating.
Blue flags
Unlike in F1, GT cars aren’t required to yield position when being lapped.
Blue flags in GT racing mean simply that a faster driver is behind you and wants to pass.
Even so, you can’t defend with crazy maneuvers.
There’s an MFD page that shows if there are drivers one lap ahead or behind you, indicated in orange and blue respectively.
If you want to be lapped safely, go off the racing line and lift off.
Or, go long in a hairpin to minimize both your time and that of the faster driver.
Penalties
ACC has an automatic penalty system for track cuts.
The system measures how fast you go in a micro-sector after putting all four tires outside the white line and compares it to your fastest time in that micro-sector.
If you gained time, you'll receive a warning.
If you lift off, you won’t get a warning or penalty.
Be careful; the system needs time to calibrate at the start of a race, so watch out for warnings.
Four warnings trigger a drive-through penalty. Serve it within a maximum of three laps, or you’ll be disqualified.
Speeding in the pit lane results in a 30-second stop-and-go penalty. When serving it, make sure it’s indicated on your MFD.
End of the race
If you’ve crashed or are at the back of the pack, don’t retire but try to drive without pressure, accumulating experience and clean laps for future races.
And remember, the race isn’t over until the checkered flag waves.
Also, if you complete the entire race, you’ll receive Trust bonus points, making it easier to be placed in more competitive servers.
6th Tip: Continue Reading our Blog Posts
Well, we are sure that after reading this article, you’ve gained some important new insights about Assetto Corsa Competizione.
As mentioned before, Assetto Corsa Competizione is a very challenging driving simulator that faithfully replicates real GT3 and GT4 cars.
Going fast without knowing the driving techniques to use, the racing lines to follow, the setups (in ACC, even a single percentage point change can affect the car's behavior), and all the other myriad details...
...is practically impossible!
That's why you need to start a journey that will allow you to drive fast and without fear of making mistakes.
But the good news is that you can take this journey with us at UniSimRacing!
We are industry professionals and have already helped thousands of drivers significantly lower their track times.
First, we invite you to read other posts on our blog by clicking the button below:
See you soon!