acare84: Hmm. Things to think about. Thanks all.
I assumed dirt1 was the older game so it'd be less system hungry. According to you gamers my lappy meets the minimum reqs for both grid, dirt2 and fuel.. but only just. It played bioshock and mirror's edge ok, but i think bioshock was getting to it's limit.
Haven't played an f1 game in years, so i wonder if i should go for toca for it's open wheel cars... and it looks like Grand Prix Legends too! Fuel was so tempting though...
soulgrindr: If your laptop barely meets the specs, avoid Dirt 1. It's too demanding.
Toca 3 is a great game (IMO better than the rest) and actually (if you were wondering) plays fine with the keyboard if you don't have a wheel/joypad.
It's open wheel cars racing is demanding, don't think it's going to be easy.
If you want something easier, I suggest New Star GP, yes it plays like Super Cars on steroids, but it is great.