This was a really slow run and even without the mistake at the first hairpin I'm well off the pace but I think the video illustrates something quite important.

I've seen a fair few posts complaining about the difficulty of this game since its console release last week and yet to my mind it seems very well scaled in the early stages of career mode. (It was certainly not that hard to dispense with the first, or Open, season at the first attempt, even for complete newcomer). I netted third place on this stage at Clubman level (the second level of the Championship tree) and yet I'm probably around a whole minute off what can be considered a fast time!

It seems that what a lot of new owners of the game don't understand is that this is indeed more of a sim, as it has always been billed, and that you should not expect (and do not need) to win every stage of a rally. Your goal is to win the overall title, or, if you wish to progress to the next level of competition in career mode, to place in the top three overall.

You have to expect a few disappointing results during the course of a full rally season and those poor performances do not necessarily condemn you to failure, just as in the real world. Players who were expecting something different patently didn't read what it said on the box prior to buying.

My point is, don't pay too much attention to all the complaints about DiRT Rally being "too tough" as most of those doing the complaining are people who will quickly move on from all games that require any level of commitment or patience.