About Us

A look back

It was late in 2018, that Doug Atkinson had talked to a fellow Lone Star Region member about sim racing and how PCA members could enjoy it. He was told that PCA drivers were already using sim racing to learn tracks, especially Circuit of The Americas (CoTA) in Austin.

Doug contacted PCA Executive Director Vu Nguyen about the feasibility of a national program for PCA sim racers. Vu assigned recently hired PCA Marketing Director Jim Hemig to “see if it might be worth pursuing”. Jim was convinced it could be a good activity for PCA members. Jim provided a surprising bit of information: the Peachstate Region had already started doing sim racing among drivers in their region under the guiding hand of longtime Peachstate member, Andrew Ellsom.

Andrew, Jim, and Doug talked on the phone about some ideas for a national sim racing activity where the concept was fleshed out. Then Mike Nyden and William Yu joined in and the original PCA Sim Racing Steering Committee was formed which has expanded and continues to this day.

In February 2019, Doug presented the idea at the Winter National Staff meeting to the Zone Representatives and the PCA Executive Committee (EC). The proposal was accepted and PCA Sim Racing was off and away! A Mission Statement was then drafted which set the stage for the program’s culture we all now live by and appreciate…

PCA Sim Racing provides a quality sim racing experience, including opportunities for all levels of driving experience, competitive intensity, and sim racing interests, in a friendly environment for all Porsche Club of America members.

The experiment worked!

Though the PCA Executive Committee (EC) agreed to respond to member interest initially by supporting a sim racing program, it was considered a bit of an experiment. We are most pleased to report that the program has now shown its’ value and the PCA Executive Committee considers it now a regular part of the array of activities it supports for the membership.

However, with our new status comes the need to remove the training wheels concerning our expenses. As PCA members, you’re aware that the majority of PCA activities and events you participate in all carry fees. This is because PCA programs are expected to be as self-funding as possible. Having graduated from the incubator, we now have the same expectations for 2025.

Providing a great experience yet balancing our budget

By now you can see where this is going — the time has come for us to begin generating some revenue to assist in balancing our budget and enabling us to provide all the services and features we know you want. We have worked on this for nearly a year now: we have surveyed you the drivers, and surveyed the fees for the various paid Leagues that offer broadcasts and live race control on iRacing to make sure that we have a solution that works for all stakeholders.

We are therefore excited to announce our new PCA Sim Racing Grid Pass program! This new program is optional and will have an annual fee of $48. The Grid Pass entitles the holder to participate in Series 13, Series 14, and the Team Racing Series, which will have race control and broadcasts of every race! All other PCA Sim Racing activities continue at no cost to participants who do not opt-in for the Grid Pass program.

In terms of getting closer to balancing our budget, there’s more to it though. There are two potential sources of revenue to help cover our expenses: our program fees, which is exactly what the new Grid Pass is, and external sponsorships.

We have periodically had external title sponsorships, but haven’t had one for quite a while now. As you can imagine this is not something we can ever count on, but know that we are actively working behind the scenes on external sponsorship as well.

The bottom line is that between our Grid Pass program, external sponsorship from time to time, and PCA covering the rest, the PCA Sim Racing program’s growth will be on solid financial footing.

The 2025 Plan

The 2025 schedule of events will be similar to 2024, with a few refinements and additions. Here’s the 2025 plan:

PCA Sim Racing registration activities, no Grid Pass required, and all these events remain free to registered PCA Sim Racing drivers:

  • Onboarding & Entry League
  • eDE Trackwalks – Chris’ Classroom (Monday’s)
  • eDE Driver Education Sessions (Monday’s)
  • Arrive & Drive (Tuesday’s)
  • Arrive & Drive Bot Sunday’s
  • Summer Tour & Zone Group Racing

Important message for Onboarding and Entry Class drivers!

You DO NOT need to purchase a Grid Pass until the year after the year you are classed in:

  • Pro Class
  • Club Class
  • Sport Sport
  • Challenge Class

Grid Pass activities include:

  • Series 13 (7 races for all classes)
  • Series 14 (7 races for all classes)
  • Team Racing Series (5 races, 4 classes – January to May)

All annual fee activities will be broadcast live.

The Grid Pass program will be managed through PCA’s secure national database, the same place where you initially registered for PCA Sim Racing, and where your annual PCA membership and dues are managed.

We’re on it!

Expect a continuation of feedback surveys from us to you, our customers. A new channel, 2025 Plans, has been created on our Discord server to address participants’ questions and comments. Let us hear from you! The Steering Committee is always open to your comments and suggestions, and we look forward to a great 2025!

– Your PCA Sim Racing Steering Committee