Oh man. This game is rough. I still play it since there’s practically nothing out there to satisfy us riders when we’re craving a MotoGP fix, but this game does not reward you for good racing. The AI don’t take the fastest line, which encourages you to, since you’ll speed right past em on an underpowered bike.... except you don’t. Because they slam into you, catch your back wheel and turn or hold you into the barrier/sand/grass where you slow to 20mph and lose any chance of a good finish. And you’ll always have to put up with this, since your bike will always be slower. Unless, of course, you shell out some serious IRL cash to pay for better parts, or oil and tires that fade after 6 laps. If you’re not willing to pay, prepare to embrace the constant frustration of having a brain dead AI ruin your races until you can afford more parts. Then it’s off to watch another two ads to change your oil/tires, and then a careful, focused attempt at a podium to advance to the next track.
Oh. And don’t think you’ll be riding any 1,000cc bikes any time soon. That’ll take weeks, or even months if you play casually.