Don't be discouraged...the racing rules seem complex and at the fine details, they are. But, the basics are much simpler than traffic rules. The basic rules will serve you well in racing for a majority of your boat & mark meetings.
This doesn't mean the finers points and more complex rules should just be ingnored...just learn them over longer time periods. Try sailing/racing with a more experienced crew/skipper and get in a habit of de-breifing between races, at the end of day when situations are still fresh in your mind. If I have a situation on the water that I didn't feel I understood well enough (& I've been racing for many decades!), I pick up my Dave Perry's "The Racing Rules Explained" book as bed time reading that night and review the pertinent sections. This is how you learn to understand...it takes time but It is very rewarding and part of what makes racing so enjoyable.