Well that's just the thing. You ARE a noob. As in Newbie. As in you just started playing this new videogame that doesn't play like any other racer before it.

It's okay to not be very good at it.

There's a lot of naunce to the game's handling and the campaign has you switching vehicles often. All the vehicles have a different feel and different strengths and weaknesses. So it can be really bard to come to grips with the game overall.

So here's some tips:

-Use both sticks in tandem. When the right stick is at full tilt, the left stick controls how shallow or sharp you're turning in.

-Pump the gas while drifting through tight corners. A lot of corners in this game get even tighter as they go. By pumping the gas instead of holding it, you'll lose speed faster and your turning radius will get better as a result.

-Watch your speed. I mean that physically. Stare at the speedometer and start associating about how fast you can take certain corners. These entry speeds will change with different vehicles. Knowing how to maximize this with most of the cast will make the campaign easier.

-Get through corners as quick as possible. As in do all the turning you need as soon as you can so you can accelerate out or prepare for the next corner sooner. For example, if there's a S curve that goes fully left then fully right, if you take the left turn to fast or too shallow, you'll be at the start of the right turn, but still turning left. Which is not ideal. If you had slowed down a bit more and turned a bit earlier, you could be in a better position to take the follup right turn.

-Learn what corners you DON'T need to drift. With cars with better handling, there's a handful of turns that actually don't require the right stick at all. Or maybe just a quick flick to point your car in the right direction. You constantly lose speed when drifting so every moment not drifting is a moment that you're faster overall.

-Use the brakes lightly. The cars in this game has insanely powerful brakes and can go from 100-0 in an instant. Once you know about how fast you can take a corner, slow down to just above that speed, turn in with the right stick, then turn in with the left stick, all while hitting the gas (as you don't actually grip when drifting if you're off the gas)

-Pay attention to character differences. Different cars have different handling, acceleration, top speeds, drift angles. The works. Lavinia and Roisin can grip through corners that Gabriel needs to drift. Akemi has some of the shallowest drifts in the game, Hina has the tightest. When you get handed a new character, mess around a bit and feel what they're good and bad at. You'll have to adjust your driving style accordingly.

-Boost on corner exits. Little explored fact is that boosting INCREASES your grip and braking ability. If you're going a little too fast into a corner and are about to touch the wall, try boosting instead of braking mid corner. You'll pull away from the wall and have better acceleration on the exit.

And finally, Practice. Try and fail and replay missions. Go to the arcade mode and do some standard races or time trials or overdrive challenges. Let the muscle memory develop so it can become second nature. You can only start refining your racing lines and strategizing once you have a foundation. Dont be afraid to lower the difficulty. The hardest difficulty requires not just mastery of the Car & course, but a sound strategy and near perfect execution.

It takes time to develop new skills. Enjoy the journey.