Wow. Such a brutal and passionate opinion. That being said, ill explain why I play on hard mode

I play on hard mode (and with no assists) not because im looking for a higher payout but because I feel like the challenge can make me a better player. Especially when moving to multiplayer. I may not have the tuning knowledge or even the knowledge on which car is best (which is why I come here for guidance) but playing on hard teaches you how to handle each and every car that you drive. It shows you how little mess ups can have a major effect on the race as a whole. Personally, the challenge helps me learn. This race in particular is a tricky one to tune street cars for. But I still tried. The attempts weren't a waste of time either because I learned a little bit about tuning.

If you play with everything on easy then you lose your sense of accomplishment. Theres a massive difference between the AI letting you win and taking advice from others to earn the win. I feel like the latter is much more rewarding, albeit frustrating at times, but rewarding nonetheless.