by Dean Chapman, Northern New Jersey Region PCA
Congratulations – Welcome to Installment 13!
You have found yourself on the pole position at 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.
Today’s installment 13 is a special one…yes, I’ve interviewed myself!
I grabbed the Number 13 installment to match my car number.
After a series of unfortunate incidents during Series 6- From one race to another, I was wrecked, ran into, wiped out, and generally suffered at the hands of others. I count 5 races in a row, with big impact incidences….no excusing my lack of foresight, nor my ignorance of the principles of the ‘Vortex of Danger’ …but I’m a fast learner. I adopted the #013 and kept plugging away. I set about improving my situational awareness, avoidance maneuvers, off-tracking if necessary, and learning the ropes of fast mid-tier racing. And yes I improved in all aspects…including my results.
so let me tell you some more;
Dean Chapman, Zone 1 NNJR, 911 992 4S
here’s the real deal.
and here’s the GT3 in ‘warning’ yellow color,
replete with Black Cat and #13!
And now, the questions!
“What is your favorite car-specific movie or documentary?”
Dean Chapman, “Documentary: I gorged on the Road to LeMans on YouTube. Features Michael Fassbender (Magnetron fame Avengers). He learns to compete as an amateur RSR driver along with his two Pro ‘instructors’. Fascinating and not unlike the experiences and lessons we learn in the SIM world.
MOVIE; I learned a lot from Talladega Nights. Especially what’s necessary to conquer fears and getting back in the car…tame the cougar!!!!
And growing up this was the BEST…Whacky Races.”
“What is your favorite movie with a car featured? (i.e action scenes: James Bond, Baby Driver, 6 Underground, Mission Impossible, Bullitt, etc.)”
Dean Chapman, “I still remember Bullit’s car chase and I’m a huge Steve McQueen fan, but the minis in the original Italian Job were out of this world…I so desperately wanted a mini cooper.”
“What equipment do you use for your Rig? (Be as specific or brief as you like)”
Dean Chapman, “80/20 frame/Sparco seat/ Fanatec Podium wheelbase, HK sprint pedals, and the latest big investment..Index VR headset.”
“If you could, what Car would you like to drive? (Any era, any value)”
Dean Chapman, “Ford Escort MK1 Mexico / or RS2000 version…but it must have racing stripes!.”
“What’s your favorite non-Porsche iRacing car?”
Dean Chapman, “I have yet to try any others, well, except the MX5, which is a hoot once you know what you’re doing, But when I started, it was a dog’s dinner.”
“What’s your favorite Porsche iRacing car?”
Dean Chapman, “I Love the RUF…it races well, however, it was a little too flimsy if mistreated
Stepping up, it’s the all-new 911GT3R.“
“Do you have a favorite iRacing circuit?”
Dean Chapman, “Nordschlieffe is one hell of a buzz! Normal tracks on the other hand…Brands Hatch has enough danger to keep me interested.”
“Shoes, socks, or slippers when you drive your rig?”
Dean Chapman, “socks.”
“Gloves (what brand?), au-natural, or …mittens?? when you drive your rig??”
Dean Chapman, “some old mtb gloves.”
“How long have you SIM raced?”
Dean Chapman, “I started in the pandemics of April 2019.”
“Is there another SIM car race platform you’ve tried? (Like?)”
Dean Chapman, “Never tried another.”
“What are your most used Steering Wheel Hot Keys (mapped buttons)?”
Dean Chapman, “Last year- TOW!
This Year – I found the button to scroll dash info on the Pcars…quality/Race 1 and Race 2. And of course Relative.”
“Do you follow any Car related websites? Blogs? YouTube Channels / Twitch? Etc..please share with us.”
Dean Chapman, “I like the F1 and IMSA Apps and have just downloaded the REVS (museum app) for some great photo ogling.
On YouTube; Driver61, Boosted Media, Matt Malone, and hours of Mecum Auctions …I want a car collection!.”
“What’s your favorite tipple (drink)?”
Dean Chapman, “My go-to is a V and T. But after race nights I like a whiskey.”
“Given a few hours locked away, what would you prefer to watch…”
Dean Chapman, “I was brought up on Rally car races-WRC- but sadly they’re not shown here.
Otherwise Formula 1 and any Porsche racing events, especially the Porsche Cup races.
(TBH anything involving fast cars/speed/jeopardy/cars/skill/adrenaline/cars).”
“Does SIM racing ’scratch your itch’ for car racing? or would you always prefer to race in real life?”
Dean Chapman, “Yes, absolutely it scratches the itch.
IRL I ran some autocross then tried a few track days. I loved it! However, as I qualified to run on my own I shredded some expensive tires. Unfortunately, the realization was that it wasn’t going to be in my budget to take the car out regularly enough to satiate my need for speed!.”
“If you were the boss at iRacing command, what new feature, improvement, race category or class would you make?”
Dean Chapman, “I’d suggest at the beginner level ;
- An online class session with q and a’s like a driving test…once passed
- I’d have drivers run on their own until they set some ‘realistic’ track times.
- Then once qualified, Allow the racers to join races-real drivers and AI bots.
- More class time in parallel
- if you rack up X amount of incidents over Y amount of events, I’d throw the driver back into the ‘driving school’ classes again.
I say this since I witnessed firsthand the madness and mayhem of Rookie class and it is VERY off-putting.
Maybe also apply something like this at all Category levels so as you are moved up you’d be learning more.
I’d have iRacing improve the BRAKE lights of the cars, they are so dim as to be worthless and unrealistic at the moment (esp on the Pcars).”
“If you were the boss at PCA SIM racing HQ, what new feature, improvement, race category or class would you make?”
Dean Chapman,
“1. I’d like to see a small series of events with all the Pcars running together (inc the 919!) A Porsche extravaganza.
2. More stringent penalties on race days.
3. A sponsored race team – have our top PRO guys ‘sponsored’ and compete in and against some of the e-performance race teams- even if it was just one or two events per year.
4 . Invite the BMW/Ferrari/Corvette etc SIM racer owners clubs to a challenge.
5. PCA SIM negotiates some % discount on equipment from one of the big retailers /SIM / computer chip / hardware companies.”
Thank You, for your time and I look forward to receiving any feedback or comments on the next questions, driver recommendations, etc for this Dean’s List section!
Don’t forget to check out the Tip Jar for more wisdom and general SIM racing good practice …
Read other Dean’s List Installments here!