First off this game is accessible to the non-hardcore among us. The driving school combined with numerous assists including stability, braking, steering, traction etc should even see those unfortunates that have had their skills corroded by arcade slop able to cope with staying on the track. One thing that irritates me though is the car set-ups. You can download online set-ups using the game menu; other users rate these set-ups. The problem is that people who have no idea what they are doing flood their utterly pathetic, no hoper set-ups into the system, which have no user ratings.
When you know you can pull scorcher laps but someone has the set-up edge – you will lose. You may have the driving skill, the crate of red-bull concentrate for reaction enhancement, a killer control set-up with a $700 wheel (not me), a grandstand full of screaming supporters, and a perfect knowledge of the track and you will still lose against online players that have the tech savvy edge. The struggle to find good set-ups is a harsh one. People who have that knowledge don't seem to like giving up their advantage.
All in all this game is excellent. My lack of set-up savvy is the only drawback of this epic, epic, epic racing game, and I hope to remedy that drawback over time.