While real-world racing series found their seasons suddenly paused this spring, for me and many other sim racers — including a number of those real-world drivers eager to keep racing, no matter the form nor format — it was an opportunity to get some valuable virtual track time. My own plans to do more regular Read more about Hidden Talents[…]
It sounds like a question reserved for some post-apocalyptic box office thriller: would you rather be the hunter or the hunted? Of course, now that terms like “pandemic”, “quarantine”, and “lockdown” are appearing in the actual news instead of just Hollywood cinema, we may be closer than it seems to a world where it’s chase-or-be-chased Read more about The Hunter and the Hunted[…]
As both a driver and a writer, there’s something particularly fulfilling about redemption. Perhaps it’s the satisfaction of achieving goals within a convenient story arc and coming away with something to show for it, whether it’s a good result, the respect of teammates, or the memories made along the way. I’ve spent the better part Read more about Redemption at Risk[…]
The numbers don’t lie. Among iRacing’s GT cars, the GT3s are the kings of participation. Last season, nearly 1400 drivers per week raced in the Blancpain Sprint Series, the officially sanctioned virtual version of the real-world GT3 championship. Even outside of that headliner series, the GT3 participation dwarfs that of many other series. The GT3 Read more about Summer Road Trip, Week 6: A Turnaround in 24[…]
With all due respect to the many safety improvements that have been made, the biggest change to race cars over the past 50 years is surely the addition of wings, spoilers, splitters, and other devices that harness downforce and help the cars go through corners faster. By the 1960s, as racing tires became capable of Read more about Driving Styles, Part 2: The Lowdown on Downforce[…]
Watch most any sport and you’re likely to notice individual differences from player to player, whether it’s how they grip the bat, swing the club, or throw the ball. These differences exist in racing, too, although they’re often much harder to see with the drivers nestled within their cockpits, hidden by rollbars, custom-fitted seats, and Read more about Driving Styles, Part 1: The Ins and Outs of Inputs[…]
Last month, the ITSR league — my exclusive home for oval iRacing competition over the past three years — shut its doors. Ultimately, it was the victim of struggling attendance amid a sea of similar competition and a summer season when participation always tends to sag a bit. I’ve written previously about my memorable championship battles in ITSR, Read more about A New Season, a New Direction[…]