Installment 17
by Dean Chapman, Northern New Jersey Region PCA
Congratulations, you have found yourself in the pole position on the Dean’s List!
The Dean’s List is the place for me to ask questions of fellow PCA Sim Racing competitors, hopefully gleaning tidbits of information about their likes, dislikes, and equipment.
This Bumper Edition brings together a super group of ‘young’ iRacers, both young in age and /or new to iRacing.
Get some great insights and preferences from your fellow teammates and competitors.
so buckle up, crank up the revs, hold the brake and let’s hit the launch pedal.
Tell us about yourself.
Alessandro Torchio – Rio Grande Valley Region PCA, Zone 5. I am Italian but based in Mexico City where I moved almost 30 years ago.
Blake Lehr – Everglades Region PCA, Zone 12. 2022 911 Turbo S / 2016 GT3 RS.
Chad Dick – Connecticut Valley Region PCA, Zone 1. 1982 930 Turbo ‘RestoMod’.
Nikki Chan – Upper Canada Region PCA, Zone 1. Porsche 981 Cayman S.
Jesse Lyon – Yellowstone Region PCA, Zone 14. 2016 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS.
Levi Nelson – Pacific Northwest Region PCA, Zone 6.
Mark Frost – Oregon Region PCA, Zone 6. 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T. Manual transmission! Stock, except installed roll-bar and 6-point harness for safety, and Forgeline Wheels.
Employment/school/retirement? Other hobbies? Tell us about you.
Alessandro Torchio – “I work for a tour operator. I used to be a motorcycle racer in Mexico and I won the Superbike Master National Championship in 2020 with a Yamaha R1. After that, I retired and switched to iRacing as my full hobby, hoping to become a pro driver.”
Blake Lehr – “Sales Manager at Porsche Naples. Family, racing, golf, cooking, traveling.”
Chad Dick – “I grew up in San Diego, California. Attended Dartmouth College as an undergrad, majoring in Engineering and French, UPENN for my Masters Degree in International Studies and French, and The Wharton School for my MBA. I went into Marketing/Brand management out of college. Worked for blue-chip companies. At the moment, I have a new company called DENTR. Because of my professional work and philosophy, I will never “retire”. I plan to continue to change and evolve until I ‘expire’ or the wheels fall off the chassis.”
Nikki Chan – “Ex-Finance Professional. I did investment research and selection. Now driving coach/instructor, setup Consultant, IRL & Sim YouTuber.”
Jesse Lyon –“At school at BYUI for a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing looking to be a CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist).”
Levi Nelson – “I’m an 8th grader at Enumclaw Middle School, take my math class at Enumclaw High School, I like playing video games, and playing sports. My current sports I’m doing are Track and Field, Basketball, and Cross Country. I did go Karting when I was 8 and have been on the track since. I also used to do track instruction when I lived in California. I drove at Sonoma, Laguna Seca, and Thunderhill.”
Mark Frost – “Ex-Architect (Buildings, not Bytes), raised in the UK, then New York City, then Portland (OR), then MBA (UW Seattle), then moved to technology – Autodesk then Amazon Web Services (Professional Services / Consulting). Outside of work, rower, then a triathlete, then cyclist and swimmer, windsurfer turned kiteboarder, turned wing foiler. Skier, then snowboarder, then Alpine Tourer… but now XC Skier. Member at Oregon Raceway Park, learning the ways of the track.”
What is your favorite car-specific movie or documentary?
Alessandro Torchio – “Senna, and Ford vs Ferrari.”
Blake Lehr – “Days of Thunder.”
Chad Dick – “Fiction – Talladega Nights, the Legend of the (Marginally Above Average Racer) Ricky Bobby [a.k.a. my favorite News Broadcaster from San Diego, Ron Burgandy] Documentary – Schumacher…especially the part where he and his brother would race each other in the rain in go-karts when no one else would go out!”
Nikki Chan – “Rush – It featured my namesake and was really enjoyable to watch. One New Year’s Eve in Vienna, I unknowingly walked past a bar that Niki Lauda was celebrating. Supposedly, he celebrated there every year.”
Jesse Lyon – “Ford v Ferrari and there was a documentary about it too.”
Levi Nelson – “Ford vs Ferrari.”
Mark Frost – “Paul Hollywood’s three mini-series on Netflix on Germany, Italy, and France. A must-see!”
What is your favorite movie with a car featured? (i.e action scenes: James Bond, Baby Driver, 6 Underground, Mission Impossible, Bullet, etc)
Alessandro Torchio – “Italian Job, the old movie and the remake.”
Blake Lehr – “Smoky and the Bandit.”
Chad Dick – “Bad Boys – one of the few that features a 911 turbo in action. I also appreciated Steve McQueen’s love for the 930 – his restored 930 was some of the inspiration for my resto-mod. I will also always have fond childhood memories of the white Ferrari Testarossa in Miami Vice. More recently, the white Lamborghini Countach in The Wolf of Wall Street – laugh out loud funny scene!”
Nikki Chan – “When I was young, I was enamored by the TV Series “Viper”. I’ve always wanted one because of that series.”
Jesse Lyon – “Ford v Ferrari series.”
Levi Nelson – “Fast and Furious 7 with the skyscraper car.”
Mark Frost – “The Spy Who Loved Me. Bond, and the Lotus Esprit.”
Do you follow any car-related websites? Blogs? YouTube or Twitch Channels?
Alessandro Torchio – “Not really, to be honest. I am still into motorcycles more than cars.”
Blake Lehr – “Porsche Newsroom.”
Chad Dick – “Anything PCA related (Sim and IRL). For learning resources, I use Driver61, Speed Secrets, LastTenth and Dave Cameron. I follow a couple leagues on YouTube – NARL, IVRA, VCO, Porsche eSports, and AutoBahn.”
Nikki Chan – “Of course! A YouTube channel called LastTenth! = ]. It’s an awesome YouTube channel dedicated to educating people on the science of how to become a better driver and racer, whether through improvement in their driving, better car setup, or more optimized race strategy, featuring yours truly!”
Jesse Lyon – “Surprisingly no, I watch Cleetus McFarland on YouTube sometimes but nothing religiously.”
Levi Nelson – “I think the only one I follow is on TikTok and his name is Monster Motoring, he does engine swaps in Assetto Corsa and in real life.”
Mark Frost –“AudiWorld. Rennlist.”
What equipment do you use for your rig?
Alessandro Torchio – “Simucube 2 Pro, Asetek Invicta pedals, GSI FPE wheel, NRG seat, Simlab GT1-EVO cockpit, 32” triples curved, Asus Tuf, RTX 3090, Intel i9 12900k.”
Blake Lehr – “Track racer and Fanatec.”
Chad Dick – “It’s an evolution and work in progress! I started with a Logitech G923 in a GT Omega starter cockpit on a single 55” TV. Migrated and upgraded to a Samsung Odyssey 49” UltraWide for Series 8 with a set of Heusinkveld Pedals. I recently upgraded for Series 9 to a Simucube DD Pro wheelbase and Gomez Sim Industries Formula Pro wheel (based on Paiz’s endorsement). I’m loving both!”
Nikki Chan – “It’s a custom 8020 with a VRS DD, Ascher 64 V2, BJ Sim Hydraulic pedals, Valve Index VR HMD, and a few bass shakers. I’m most proud of my fully articulate key and mouse tray LoL. It can fold in between the user and the monitors to function as a workstation, or put to the side as an angle like most sim rigs, or tucked away to create space.”
Jesse Lyon – “Fanatec CSW 2.5 base, Formula wheel 2.0, Fanatec inverted CS pedals, HTC Vive Pro VR HMD.”
Levi Nelson – “I use Fanatec Csw v2.5 wheelbase, BMW GT steering wheel, and Fanatec v3 pedals. I use a 49” Samsung curved monitor, a MOMO Daytona race seat, and that is all mounted on a GTR sim rig. It was my dad’s first rig.”
Mark Frost – “RigMetal Rig, Fanatec DD1, Porsche Wheel, and V3 Pedals, Samsung G9 Ultra-wide.”
Any new sim equipment you’d like to own or dream of owning?
Alessandro Torchio – “I am very enthusiastic about the upcoming Simucube pedals and I would love to have a full motion rig, but it would mean getting a divorce first.”
Blake Lehr – “I’d like to upgrade my Trak Racer frame at some point maybe add Buttkicker.”
Chad Dick – “Next investment will be into a triple monitor rig and triple 32” screens – can you guess what’s on the Christmas list? I should probably upgrade to a proper 8020 cockpit and Sabelt Seat at some point…”
Nikki Chan – “Those new Simucube pedals look very interesting and expensive. Otherwise, motion and belt tensioners would be a nice addition, but most motion platforms are not done properly from what I understand.”
Jesse Lyon – “Trak Racer T160 rig, Simucube Pro wheelbase, Simucube Active Pedals soon to be released.”
Levi Nelson – “Simucube sport wheelbase, a cube control wheel, Heusinkveld sprint pedals.”
Mark Frost – “Bigger toy shed (for me, my stuff, my rig, and my car(s))”
How many hours per week do you do sim training and racing?
Alessandro Torchio – “About 15 hours per week.”
Blake Lehr – “2-4 hours per week.”
Chad Dick – “Depends – in a competitive season, I usually need 200-300 laps at least at a track to learn it, find the pace, and a consistently repeatable race pace line. I’m probably averaging between 15-30 hours a week in the sim.”
Nikki Chan – “I try to get 10 hours of practice in before an important race, but usually I fall short. I tend to spend less time in the sim during the summer as a lot of IRL activities are happening. Now that we have a new family member, it’s been very hard finding the time to put in practice, not to mention continuing to put out good content on YouTube.”
Jesse Lyon -“10-30 hours.”
Levi Nelson -“4 ish maybe 5.”
Mark Frost -“Shhhhhh. (5-10 hours).”
If you could, what car would you like to drive? (Any era, any value)
Alessandro Torchio – “Porsche Cup 992.”
Blake Lehr – “Any vintage IndyCar or F1 car.”
Chad Dick – “Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Edition – I tried to keep up with one on the highway once in my 930… it wasn’t even close! More recently, I’m very intrigued by the cars that Guntherworks is putting out – aside from my 930, the 993 base is one of my favorite Porsche models, and what they’ve been doing with the Carrera, Speedster and Turbo projects is simply remarkable.”
Nikki Chan – “Hmm… I’m not sure…As a child, I always had a poster of a Countach on my wall. I probably will enjoy looking at one, more than driving one. I’d really love to experience a 550S Spyder though.”
Jesse Lyon – “Ken Miles Ford GT40 Mk.II”
Levi Nelson -“2019 Lamborghini Huracan Performante”
Mark Frost -“911 RSR.”
What’s your favorite non-Porsche iRacing car?
Alessandro Torchio – “BWM M4 GT3.”
Blake Lehr – “Indy Car, it’s so fast and raw. I love it.”
Chad Dick – “Ferrari 488 GTE in the European Sprint Series 60’ races… for some reason, I find my fastest track times in that car… maybe because it is so stable and easy to drive.”
Nikki Chan – “I don’t know if I have one tbh… there are a few other cars that are fun, such as the MX5 or skip Barber, but I don’t know if I’d say they are my ‘favorite’.”
Jesse Lyon – “Corvette C6R GT1.”
Levi Nelson – “Lamborghini Huracan GT3”
Mark Frost -“Never used one. (Well, not counting the MX5 I used in Rookie school.) Would like to drive Audi R8 LMS.”
What’s your favorite iRacing Porsche?
Alessandro Torchio – “Porsche Cup 992.”
Blake Lehr – “911 GT3 R”
Chad Dick – “Last year, I would have said the 992 Cup Car – because, before the update, it drove very similarly to my 930 IRL. But after this season’s update, it feels and drives completely different… so right now, I’m enjoying the OP GT3 R… it’s nice to see it getting so much attention in iRacing.”
Nikki Chan – “The 911 992 Cup. It’s such a good training car and its fun. Every time I drive it, it forces me to get rid of all the bad habits I get from other cars.”
Jesse Lyon – “Porsche 911 RSR GTE”
Levi Nelson – “Porsche RSR GTE”
Mark Frost -“Porsche RSR GTE”
Do you have a favorite iRacing circuit(s)?
Alessandro Torchio – “Watkins Glen, Fuji, Imola, Motegi, Belle Isle, Chicago, Donnington, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park.”
Blake Lehr – “Indy (oval or road), Zandvoort, Bristol, Daytona, Suzuka, Nurburgring.”
Chad Dick – “My daily answer to this is ‘Whatever I’m racing in my league this week’.
I’m not joking…there have been so many tracks I started out hating (e.g. RATL, Detroit, Knockhill) only to fall in love with them. So my attitude is whatever is on the menu this week is my favorite. But if I had to pick my top 10, they would be: 1) Watkins Glen, 2) Road Atlanta, 3) Road America, 4) Spa, 5) Suzuka, 6) Daytona Road, 7) Silverstone, 8) Sonoma, 9) Laguna Seca and 10) Sebring.”
Nikki Chan – “Hard to pick a favorite, but I just bought Belle Isle for PCA’s Season 9 and really liked it. I’m a sucker for technical tracks, at least when solo driving. I almost want to say it could use more elevation, but then that would make it into something else. Mosport being my home track will of course have a special place. It would be really neat if they added the lesser-known Mosport “DDT” track. It’s a 2.9km technical track with 18 corners and LOTS of elevation change. In the sim, you can see it if you’re in blimp view at Mosport.”
Jesse Lyon – “Laguna Seca.”
Levi Nelson – “Mosport.”
Mark Frost – “Nordschleife.”
Shoes, socks, or slippers, when you drive your rig?
Alessandro Torchio – “I use what Puma called Active Gaming footwear.”
Blake Lehr – “Socks!”
Chad Dick – “Always Grip Socks.”
Nikki Chan – “Shoes. Because of IMMERSION. And it hurts my feet otherwise… I’m fragile.”
Jesse Lyon – “Socks.”
Levi Nelson – “I normally use socks or just barefoot, I’ve used shoes a couple of times though.”
Mark Frost -“Socks (OMP in the car).”
Gloves (what brand?), au-natural, or mittens when you drive your rig?
Alessandro Torchio – “I am currently using Sparco Hypergrip gloves, but I also have a pair of Moradness and Adidas for karting.”
Blake Lehr – “Haven’t tried using gloves on the sim yet.”
Chad Dick – “Alpinestars Racing Gloves.”
Nikki Chan – “I go through many pairs of gloves each year, and in my search for durable gloves I’ve used so many brands, Alpinestar, Sparco, Moradness, Castelli. I can’t drive w/o gloves on my sim.
And after trying gloves in IRL driving, it’s like wearing underwear, once I’ve tried it on, I can’t not wear it anymore.”
Jesse Lyon – “Moradness Sim gloves with Satellite Racing logo and color scheme (my team).”
Levi Nelson – “No gloves.”
Mark Frost –“None (OMP in the car).”
How long have you sim raced?
Alessandro Torchio – “I started to be active in iRacing in April 2020.”
Blake Lehr – “1 Year.”
Chad Dick – “15 months… I got started ‘by accident’ after visiting the PEC in Atlanta with my son. He wasn’t old enough to drive the cars IRL, and they wouldn’t allow ‘ride-alongs’ for him due to Covid, so we spent 2 hours in their sim room – and the rest is history… my son and I are both members of PCA and PCA Sim Racing. Like Golf, it’s a sport we plan to share for life…”
Nikki Chan – “Looking through my emails, I found invoices from Fanatec back in 2018. But I think my first experience would have to be this: I remember playing games like Stunts, Test drive, Spy Hunter, Excite Bike, Pole Position, Final Lap, Ridge Racer, but most memorable has to be the first Gran Turismo – that REALLY got me into cars.”
Jesse Lyon – “Over 2 years.”
Levi Nelson – “A year to a year and a half.”
Mark Frost -“9 months.”
Is there another sim car race platform you’ve tried? (Like?)
Alessandro Torchio – “I have tried ACC. I love the graphics, sounds, and cars, but if all the best drivers are in iRacing there must be a reason (or more than one).”
Blake Lehr – “have only tried iRacing”
Chad Dick – “I’ve only tried Assetto Corsa and F1…no comparison with iRacing. Been hearing a lot lately about RFactor2 and ACC…but not tempted to try either.”
Nikki Chan – “I’ve used Assetto Corsa , Assetto Corsa Competizione, and rFactor 2. ACC looks amazing but is terrible in VR, so I’ve spent no more than a few hours on it. I haven’t spent much time in rF2 either, but I’m told the physics is really good. AC is a really useful one though. It has a huge mod community to keep it going. The graphics are so good with the mods. But the best part is the cars are moddable. So I have an ‘exact’ model of my IRL car in AC, with the specific aftermarket spring/damping rates, suspension geometry, and everything. It’s a very useful tool for IRL prep.”
Jesse Lyon – “rFactor 2, ACC and AC.”
Levi Nelson –”Assetto Corsa I don’t have the most hours on it but it’s fun.”
Mark Frost – “Does Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox count?”
What are your most used steering wheel hot keys (mapped buttons)?
Alessandro Torchio – “Brake bias, radio, flashing lights. Looking forward to mapping one for rain.”
Blake Lehr – “The scroll on the black box and lap timer.”
Chad Dick –
“1- Pit Limiter
2- Headlight Flashers
3 – Fuel to End (Crew Chief)
4 – Brake Bias dial
5 – Dash Page and Black Box Selectors.”
Nikki Chan – “LOL… the ESC “reset” key… A close second is probably the ignition key… hah!”
Jesse Lyon – “Pit Limiter and reset to pits :)”
Levi Nelson – “Exit car, pit speed limiter, ignition, and starter.”
Mark Frost -“Push to Talk.”
What’s your favorite tipple (drink)?
Alessandro Torchio – “Aperol Spritz (Italian cocktail made of Aperol, Prosecco, soda, and a slice of orange).”
Blake Lehr – “Bourbon / Scotch neat or with an ice ball.”
Chad Dick – “West Coast Style (Double) IPA – my current favorite is Lawsons’ Little Sip of Sunshine.”
Nikki Chan – “Used to be gin and tonic, then I had to switch to something lighter which was vodka soda. I literally drink anything that’s not sweet. The most intense drink I’ve had is something called a grenade – it’s basically 5 drinks rolled into 1. I’ve also had a version of a flaming Lamborghini where the stack is 3-5 wine glasses high and the entire tower is lit on fire. Nowadays, since I’ve returned to Canada, I don’t really drink much. I still have quite a bit of things I like in the liquor cabinet, but I don’t remember the last time I drank.”
Jesse Lyon – “Mango Loco Monster juice.”
Levi Nelson – “Water, Powerade.”
Mark Frost – “Wheat Beer.”
Favorite cookies? Candies? Do you ever eat at the rig?
Alessandro Torchio – “I love milk chocolate and yes, my rig sometimes needs a good cleaning session.”
Blake Lehr – “Definitely no eating at the rig. My wife’s homemade cookies.”
Chad Dick – “Only during endurance races and lengthy post-eDe discord reviews. Usually, a protein energy bar and a workout bottle with water…or said IPA above.”
Nikki Chan – “Not really big on sweets. If I had to pick one, then it’s cookies from a gourmet shop called Felix and Norton.
I don’t really eat at the rig. Maybe some granola bars during 6 hour+ endurance races. I’m paranoid about leaving crumbs or spilling drinks.”
Jesse Lyon – “No Eating at the rig. But I really like Cheeseits.”
Levi Nelson – “Snickers, kitkat. No I never eat at the Rig.”
Mark Frost – “Chocoholic. But, never in the rig.”
Given a few hours locked away, what would you prefer to watch… NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, Rallycross, GT racing, or…?
Alessandro Torchio – “GT Racing, by far.”
Blake Lehr – “Don’t laugh, NASCAR!”
Chad Dick – “I thoroughly enjoy watching all the Porsche Cup series – European/German and North America. It’s a great way to learn how to race closely and cleanly.”
Nikki Chan – “That’s a tough one. I don’t really watch sports, even sports that I liked and did through the years. I’ve come to learn that people watch racing because they are emotionally invested in one or more drivers. I know a bit about the F1 drivers so maybe that. Otherwise, it’s GT, cuz the cars are more relatable.”
Jesse Lyon – “IMSA And WEC.”
Levi Nelson – “GT racing, F1.”
Mark Frost -“Don’t subscribe to TV. Still trying to figure out how to watch F1 (now that my daughter is hooked on it).”
Does sim racing ’scratch your itch’ for car racing? or would you always prefer to race in real life?
Alessandro Torchio – “I never drove any sports car on a track, so I can’t really tell. However, I live, dream, think sim racing as my real-life racing, just like when I was racing motorcycles. My way of taking sim racing so seriously has pros and cons, but I am totally addicted to becoming a fast sim racer.”
Blake Lehr – “Of course, I’d prefer to still be racing. I do enjoy hitting the escape button when I wreck in the sim though!”
Chad Dick – “Yes. My itch is scratched by PCA Sim Racing and my 930, and attending real-life races. I do not feel the need to get on track and enter the ‘money pit’ of racing IRL. 30 years ago, I might have given you a different answer….”
Nikki Chan – “It’s not like the real thing, as many would say. The truth is, nothing is like the real thing, apart from the real thing. But nowadays it’s pretty close to it. One huge benefit of Sim racing is I can jump on any time I want, do a race, and then go do the dishes or something. You can’t really do that for an IRL race or a track day. The latter consumes the whole day, and then some, because of the drive time, prep time, etc.”
Jesse Lyon – “It’ll scratch my itch for a while. I miss track days.”
Levi Nelson – “I have always preferred racing in real life as I was racing for a few years but it’s not bad, I would prefer to race in real life though.”
Mark Frost -“Race? No. HPDE? Yes.”
If you were the boss at iRacing headquarters, what new feature, improvement, race category or class would you make?
Alessandro Torchio – “uff, what a question! First, I would try to sign agreements with car manufacturers, pro real teams, and drivers, with even FIA, to make iRacing the most professional sim racing platform. I would dedicate a specific area to old series, but I would focus on new championships linked to real-life racing, like IMSA, WEC, etc. I would change the license system to make sure there will be more filtering before accessing the higher levels. I would force new entries to do a probation period by racing with the IA for a time, fulfilling clean racing. I would hire more stewards to approach and handle protests in a much more transparent and efficient way to keep good and clean racing as much as possible. I would upgrade iRacing from that old graphic engine, at least for those who can have a higher PC, to enjoy more races and not feel we are in a video game in the 1990s.”
Blake Lehr – “More fixed race events. It takes a lot of time to tweak a setup.”
Chad Dick – “They have got to find a way to eliminate the bad behavior on track – intentional wrecks and dive bomb/vortex of danger. The ‘no fault’ system doesn’t work and penalizes the victims. The protest/review process has no weight or consequence really – unless it’s a blatant block. I’d add more transparency to the protest process (let both parties know how it was judged and what the penalty/consequence is), and create something like a ‘Penalty Point System’ in addition to IR and SR…if you incur too many penalties in a certain period, you have to ‘pause’ for a while…or attend a mandatory driver training seminar (just like the DMV does IRL) to improve the quality in public races.”
Nikki Chan – “I can’t imagine this to be hard to implement, but why do we still have to click each item one by one when we update?? Wouldn’t be great if we can just click-by-category? One-click to select all GT3 cars, or one click to select all Road tracks?”
Jesse Lyon – “New engine for the game. It needs one. Old 2004 NASCAR engine is on its last legs.”
Levi Nelson – “I would add a casual category for races so you can separate the people who want to race first and the people who just want to drive.”
Mark Frost – “Sim cars that feel like road cars.”
If you were the boss at PCA Sim Racing headquarters, what new feature, improvement, race category or class would you make?
Alessandro Torchio – “I am very new at PCA and I am very impressed with the organization of the races and championships. I would not change a thing so far!”
Blake Lehr – “Maybe individual races with the 919 or RSR.”
Chad Dick – “I would eliminate in-race drive-through penalties for reaching arbitrary incident limits. Race Control already judges car contact and incidents… and generally, people don’t abuse 1x off-tracks – but Race Control could easily monitor that, and issue a human-determined drive-through for anyone abusing off-tracks. Relying on AI and iRacing ‘no-fault’ system for contacts unfairly penalizes the victims. There are some great software programs to help RC monitor Xs and issue penalties during a race, so hopefully, we don’t have to rely on iRacing’s AI which leaves a lot to be desired…”
Nikki Chan – “From the perspective of a participant, nothing. They are doing such a good job, it’s incredible. To think that there are over 800 drivers on the roster, and growing SOOO quickly, but everything works pretty much like clockwork. From the perspective of the Steering Committee, I would try to feature/showcase the drivers a bit more often and more prominently, even outside of races. Get people emotionally invested in the drivers. They should make ‘Drive to Survive’ for PCA Sim Racing.”
Jesse Lyon – “Keep The 919 alive! It’s about to be retired so I would see who would want to make a little club race out of it.”
Levi Nelson – “A rally cross series or non-points series where you just race for fun.”
Mark Frost – “Multi-class driver racing teams (i.e., teams made up of one of each – Pro, Club, Sport, Challenge)… and be sure to add Nordschleife. In Series 10, let’s race Nurburgring GP Circuit!”
Where do you see sim racing heading in the next 5 years? The next 10 years?
Alessandro Torchio –“I would love to see VR headsets get the same resolution of 2k, and 4k monitors, and be much lighter. Once we will get there, I will definitively switch to VR because the level of immersion is unbeatable. I would love to see much more sim racing programs to give people the opportunity to start a career in real-life racing, no matter the age.”
Blake Lehr – “Only getting better, better graphics, wet weather, etc.”
Chad Dick – “Only getting more immersive and realistic – just look at the Simucube FFB pedals just released… it will be interesting to see how much the price falls of things like full-motion immersive haptic rigs to make them more accessible and mainstream. We’re seeing it right now in the base hardware and rigs (e.g. Logitech DD Wheel, 6Sigma in rigs, Moza in wheelbase), only a matter of time before the rest of the setup becomes more accessible and affordable.”
Nikki Chan – “More events, bigger sponsors, larger prize pools. I think brands are becoming very aware of how strong a marketing tool sim-racing/esports is. The first fun car I owned was a car I learned about in Gran Turismo.”
Jesse Lyon – “I see it dying down for the next couple of years but I expect it to have a big boom in the coming decade. Especially with the new title RENNSPORT.”
Levi Nelson – “I think it’s going to get a lot more realistic as well as cheaper, I think more people will have motion rigs and it will feel a lot more real.”
Mark Frost – “Better VR and motion.”