Join hundreds of racers just like you! We love to help answer questions and race together.

How Often Should I Take Breaks in Iracing

How often should I take breaks in iRacing? For iRacing drivers: clear timing rules, warning signs, and a fast, simple schedule to fix this issue and stay sharp.

If you want the short answer: take a 5–10 minute break every 45–60 minutes, and a longer 15–30 minute break every 2–3 hours. You’re in the right place — below I’ll explain why, what to watch for, and give a simple plan you can use inside iRacing right away.

Quick Answer — how often should i take breaks in iracing

For most iRacing sessions, aim for a short 5–10 minute break every 45–60 minutes of driving, plus a 15–30 minute break after about 2–3 hours. These breaks reduce mental fatigue, keep lap times consistent, and lower the chance of mistakes that cost Safety Rating (SR) or iRating (your skill/rank numbers).

What’s really going on

Racing in iRacing demands focused attention: looking ahead, judging speed, and reacting quickly. Fatigue builds slowly. When you get tired your braking points drift, steering inputs get sloppy, and concentration lapses cause collisions or off-track moments. That harms lap times and can drop your SR (safety rating) or iRating. Breaks reset your focus, reduce microslips, and improve decision-making — the same way short rests help real drivers.

Step-by-step fix (simple schedule to use in-sim)

Set a timer before you start: plan for a 5–10 minute break every 45–60 minutes. Use a phone or desktop timer.
After 45–60 minutes, pause the session or leave the pit lane and step away: stand, stretch, hydrate, and look at something distant for 30–60 seconds.
If you feel your lap times drifting for three laps in a row or you miss braking twice, take the break immediately — don’t wait for the timer.
After about 2 hours total driving, take a longer 15–30 minute break to eat, rest your eyes, and move around.
Re-enter the sim with a short run-in: two cool-down laps then two fast laps to check pace before racing or qualifying.
Track your results: note laps-per-run and incidents. If incidents rise, shorten run length next time.

Extra tips / checklist

Use practice sessions to test how long you can go before focus drops — everyone’s different.
Keep a water bottle and light snack nearby; low blood sugar speeds fatigue.
Avoid long practice blocks right before official races; schedule shorter runs to arrive fresh.
Turn off distracting apps or overlays that pull attention during runs.
If you run VR, shorten runs by 10–20% — VR is more tiring than a monitor.

FAQs

Q: Does this change for different car types (oval vs road)? A: Yes. Short, intense sprint races or high-downforce prototypes tire you faster. Reduce runs by ~10–20% for very physical cars.

Q: Will breaks hurt my improvement? A: No. Focused, shorter runs with a plan are more effective than long, tired practice. Quality beats quantity.

Q: Should I time breaks by laps or minutes? A: Minutes are more reliable because lap length varies by track. Use 45–60 minutes as a baseline.

Q: What if I don’t feel tired but I’m making mistakes? A: Subjective fatigue can lag behind performance decline. Use lap inconsistency or repeated incidents as a cue to break.

Short wrap-up

Use 45–60 minute runs with short breaks and a longer pause every 2–3 hours. Track incidents and lap drift — if they rise, shorten your runs. Try this plan in your next iRacing session and adjust by 10–15 minutes to match how you feel.