Forget all that ego stuff, I'm rarely better than most of the people I meet online, I always seem to meet the players who can get everything perfect.
One of the main reasons I'm getting TDU2 is so I cruise around at my own leisure with a few of my TDU1 buddies in our stickered up Veyrons and Zondas, and to hell with the driving physics, we can drive at full speed or at sign-posted speed limits. (And like people have been saying in other threads, we'll soon adapt to the driving style and start learning how to use it properly!)
Yes it's about the social side, but IMO it's about the social side where you just chat and generally have a laugh with your mates. It's not always about boasting to other people how much you win by (though it's funny to point and laugh when someone drops off the road occasionally :))
Some of you need to join in on the cruises me and my fellas used to do a little while back, they were what TDU was really about, ask people like Leadfoot and Ryzza ;)