I’ve been glued to the TV screen over the past few weekends. No it’s not only because of F1, we are in peak endurance racing season. Back-to-back Le Mans and Nürburgring 24-hour weekends have had me dreaming about one day sampling one of the GT beasts participating in these demanding events. Don’t get me wrong, I love F1 but GT racing and, more specifically, having a go in a GT3 car around one of the world’s best racetracks would be an amazing experience.
Opinions are like **sholes
Watching these spectacular events always makes me excited to jump back in the simulator. The idea of experiencing just a smidge of what these cars can do in real life and developing some of the skill needed to master it is exciting. It allows one to dip your toes into a world which only a limited few can experience in real life. To me there are some interesting parallels one can draw between real and virtual racing. Much like our preferences for certain race series, brands or drivers some sim racers are quite opinionated when it comes to their preferred “tools of the trade”.
Know your aim
Sometimes, this can become confusing or even cause despondency. Sim racing is cheap versus real racing, but it still can become an expensive hobby. It is easy to get lost in all the options and reviews. I recently jumped into a friends rig which utilizes a more traditional belt driven and modified brake pedal setup. It works and with him at the wheel just as fast as someone with a much more expensive setup. Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a benefit to using upgraded equipment. However, I do think this is overblown though if you don’t plan to take it too seriously. Hardware feedback and subsequent lap time consistency in my opinion is where newer technology offer benefits.
The real driving simulator
The same can be said for choosing between gaming titles. When starting you will have Team Iracing vs Team Asetto Corsa, etc. Plot twist they are both wrong. Grand Turismo will always be the original. Would you rather have an Iracing windshield banner or a Grand Turismo one on your GT3 race car? Jokes aside, in certain circles there seems to be an obsession with which title is more realistic than the other. Although there is much one can take from the virtual world, this is proven time and time again, the reality is that there are still aspects that cannot be simulated as accurately. The current battle ground for the push towards real and virtual parity is in the tire models. I will leave this can of worms for a separate blog post!
Just have fun
The message here is not that you can’t be excited for or shouldn’t invest in upgrades or have your preferred title. It however should not prevent you from taking part for fear of not being fast or not enjoying it as much as those with better setups. The beauty of sim racing is that it is accessible to motorsport and gaming fans in general. If you are sitting on the fence, I can only recommend that you have a crack at it. And if you seek more of a challenge and looking for a local championship, come join us in the Iracing SA Masters league.
Want to join the Grid?
We would love more drivers to join us in the series. The joining fee is minimal, and you will become a faster driver whilst enjoying the racing and getting to know some industry stalwarts in the process! More information can be found here: https://masters-series.co.za/Entry