Top 10 wheelie useful MotoGP 23 tips & tricks

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In this top 10 MotoGP 23 tips and tricks video, I try to make your life easier on two wheels.

If you are reading this or listening to me right now, there is a chance you are looking for some MotoGP 23 tips and tricks to help level the playing field. Or perhaps you heard there were free biscuits. There aren’t.

Crushing disappointment aside, I have compiled 10-ish MotoGP 23 tips that may help you out. Some potentially obvious, some potentially not. Because even though those new braking, acceleration and steering Neural Aids can make life easier, that may not be enough.

So let’s cut to the chase. Subscribe, like and get your leathers out. No, not that kind of leather.

Please note: This is the script from my YouTube video, click play above to watch or go here.

1) Embrace AI

Now, most MotoGP guides, including my older one, suggest turning off all assists to get a better feel for the bike. While I would still do that in the long run, I do think some Neural Aids assistance can help you get into the flow of bike racing and learn the circuits.

Especially as you can use the ‘moderate’ option as opposed to ‘enabled’, helping give you some bike feel without throwing you in the deep end. Sticking with semi-automatic gears is a good idea too as you can focus more on braking and cornering.

2) Learn to turn

Once those assists are off, you may also want to ditch the racing line – and it is not as scary as you might think. Having no markers forces you to learn braking distances, if only so you spend less time in A&E. Signs, crowd members, barriers – anything will do.

You can actually utilise various visual cues such as darker tarmac, tyre lines or dryer areas when it is raining as these can give you an indication of where you should be heading.

Another good tip is to look at the apex as you approach then through to the exit of a corner, as this usually helps your brain naturally brake to a good speed, turn at the right point, hold the line and then accelerate out smoothly.

Why does it work? I have no idea. But I guess it is linked to that thing where if you look left or right in a real car you end up finding yourself steering that way.

Whatever the reason, looking through a corner also encourages you to take into account what is coming up, as opposed to just the corner you are in.

3) Brake straight (mostly)

Another maybe obvious tip. While it is mostly best to lose speed in a straight line in cars, it is especially important on two wheels. Do it while turning and not only do you potentially unbalance the bike, you are probably going to lose speed less effectively.

Therefore, where possible at least start your braking before you turn and release the brake if the wheels lock to ensure you start turning again. Not all track sections allow straight braking but doing it before turning is a good habit to get into – particularly after speedy straights.

And now I will go against everything I just said because of this thing called ‘trail braking’, which is really effective in MotoGP 23 – far more so than in MotoGP 22.

Trail braking is where you brake into a corner and gradually release the brakes as you lean in and go round the bend. Basically, in putting more downward force on the front tyre, you get more traction. Overdo it, of course, and you will slide out.

If you mess up braking distances in a straight line, which is likely in the early days, you will inevitably end up trail braking so it is worth practicing.

Just to be more confusing, sometimes the best form of braking is simply easing off the accelerator and turning to let gravity, rolling resistance and other factors slow you down. Learning circuits will help you know which technique to use and when.

What about front brake versus rear? Well, most braking is done at the front but for maximum braking potential you can use the rear too. As in, after a long straight. Although if a beginner you may want to use the combined brakes setting.

4) Go to school

Speaking of which, a new feature in MotoGP 23 is the MotoGP Academy. No, you do not leave with an internationally recognised piece of paper and huge debt. But the way it splits tracks into sections and has a full run will make you faster.

Especially as there is a medal to be won, depending on your time, ranging from bronze to gold. Put in a few hours here and you will be more competitive. Just thinking at least one corner ahead will really benefit your lap times.

5) Smooth, smooth operator

Now, slow is smooth and smooth is fast, right? Well, not in a downforce-heavy Formula One car but for slower four-wheelers and lighter two-wheelers that is almost always the case. This is partly why I suggest not trying to be fast when you start playing – just try to get round each circuit.

Learn that the thumbstick is not an on and off switch for steering. Ease slowly into a corner progressively and watch for any jumpy or jerky movements as these usually end badly.

If you steer hard too early, you will probably overcompensate with the correction and go off course. In leaning more slowly, you can make subtle adjustments to ensure the line you want and keep the bike balanced.

The same goes for the accelerator and brake – increase the pressure progressively and use the controller vibration warnings. In doing so, you prevent endos, understeer and oversteer, depending on the bike and conditions.

Or as I like to sometimes do, Ayrton Senna style, I tap the brake and accelerator to create a sort of human ABS and traction control. This can help prevent lock-ups, wheelspin and unwanted drifts while keeping you fast.

Being a smooth operator, smooth, operator, also helps with tyre and fuel longevity, which will be a factor on longer MotoGP 23 races. Just be sure to adjust the bike power level to 1 or 2 if you hear that fuel warning, or risk running out before the finish line.

6) Accelerate to exit

Now for a more advanced tip, which is to let acceleration dictate your exit and not the level of steering. What I mean is try not to ease off the steering so you go wide, lengthening your route. Accelerate earlier so the bike is pushed wide by understeer – hopefully to the edge of the track.

Obviously certain corners do not need you to run fully wide depending on what comes next, but the point stands. You will more quickly learn where in a corner to start applying power as the distance to the outside will be more obvious with maximum steering.

7) Embrace lower pace

Another maybe obvious tip, but a useful one. Try to avoid rushing to the MotoGP category. Apart from helping with longevity, a full season of Moto 3 helps with circuit memorisation, bike control, AI habits, tyre and fuel management and control of the various electronic systems.

While the speeds will be substantially slower, you will have more time to process what is going on and learn from it while the racing can be just as enthralling. If not more so. The same can be said of Moto2.

8) Make AI weaker

Now, Captain Obvious again but reducing the difficulty can be a big confidence booster – and confidence goes a long way in keeping you around, eager to practice. 50 to 85 per cent AI is what I use initially, as it means the AI is good enough to follow but not annoyingly unbeatable.

Of course, you can crank the AI to 120 and learn the hard way, but I suspect this will be more off-putting than beneficial. Although you will learn some of the best racing lines.

9) Guided setup

Tip number nine is to make use of the ‘guided setup’ option once you have done a few races. Though not especially advanced, you can select certain issues and have the game auto-adjust bike settings to compensate.

So for me, I kept experiencing rear wheel lift. Probably down to braking too hard, maybe I could have softened the control input to compensate, but I decided to let MotoGP 23 tweak some settings – and that worked. Now I could brake more effectively, not be a stuntman.

Usefully, guided setup tells you what was changed so that you know what is going on and can learn from it, allowing you to fine-tune things yourself.

10) Be patient

Last but not least is something that applies to learning anything. Do not expect to run before you can walk – you are not a modern-day Disney character. Just enjoy the racing, try out each camera view (though third-person is usually easiest) and run a full season. Blitz the rewind option – no one cares.

As with all good games, good-old effort will result in improvement. From crashing constantly to sometimes achieving a full lap without rewinding to upping the difficulty to winning the e-sports championship. Okay, maybe not that last one but you get the point.

Ultimately, MotoGP 23 is a satisfying racer because it is more challenging to master than cars. Stick with it and you will probably end up even faster on four wheels such is the necessary level of control and precision.

And on that note, here ends my MotoGP 23 tips and tricks video. Add your own suggestions in the comments to help out your fellow bike racers and consider subscribing and liking.