by Dean Chapman, Northern New Jersey Region PCA
Congratulations! Welcome to our special web release!
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 and sometimes Real life Pro’s, hopefully gleaning tidbits of information about their likes, dislikes, and equipment.
I’d like to thank Tom Moore, Porsche Cars North America, Consultant, Motorsport Public Relations and Ken Breslauer, Director, Media & Track Historian at Sebring International Raceway for hooking me up here.
OK, so thumbs up, engine running, first gear selected, watch the pit lane speed…and OFF we GO GO GO….
Today’s special guest…
…is professional sports car driver and keen iRacer, Riley Dickinson, Hill Country Region, 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car …!”.
Riley, that’s a bad ass looking machine…!
I posed these questions while Riley was about to race at Sebring in a 2 leg race. It was thrilling to see him racing and the 2nd race was a dooozy!
….I also asked; “Which corners at Sebring cause you to pucker the most!?”
Riley Dickinson, “Turn 1 and Turn 17, its why they are so much fun!”….yep you heard it here…same ones that cause us all to gird!
And now, the questions!
“What is your favorite car-specific movie or documentary?”
Riley Dickinson, “For a real racing movie, I easily have to go with Ford v Ferrari. However, if we are going for laughs then I take Talladega nights all day long!”
“What equipment do you use for your Rig? (Be as specific or brief as you like)”
Riley Dickinson, “I use a Trak Racer TR160 as my chassis. Then I have the Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 base with the BMW Wheel and then the Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals…with a few modifications!“
“If you could, what Car would you like to drive? (Any era, any value)”
Riley Dickinson, “I’d love to drive one of the current factory Porsche 911 RSR’s, they are simply just unbelievable cars. The 2009 997 GT3 RS. I saw some of the first ones come off the line all covered up when my family visited the factory in Stuttgart, Germany. I’ve always loved the look and sound of this car and would love to take one out on the road.”
“What was your first real-life race car?”
Riley Dickinson, “It was a 1991 absolute beater of a Miata!”
“What’s your favorite non-Porsche iRacing car?”
Riley Dickinson, “Right now it’s the Dallara LMP2.”
“What’s your favorite iRacing Porsche?”
Riley Dickinson, “This is kind of ironic, but it’s the 911 GT3 Cup!”
“Do you have a favorite iRacing circuit?”
Riley Dickinson, “I have a few, I can’t pick just one. Bathurst, Charlotte Roval, and Road ATL.”
“How many real-life circuits have you driven?”
Riley Dickinson, “About 15.”
“If you had to pick 2 or 3 favorites, which ones and why?”
Riley Dickinson, “Here are my favorites in order.
- Road ATL: Ever since the first lap I turned here in 2019, I have been in love with this track. It’s extremely technical, very physically demanding, and is so much fun to drive. This is also the track where I captured my first ever win in GT3 Cup competition!
- St. Pete: Now you may be thinking, wait isn’t this a street track? Well the answer is yes! As intimidating as this circuit was for me because it was my first ever street track, by the end of the weekend I was having so much fun driving here. Just like Road ATL its very tight and technical, but unlike most street tracks there are many high speed sections.
- Barber: This was my first track to drive at outside of Texas (where I live). Also because of the tracks layout, I immediately felt at home because of how similar it is to a go-kart track. Go karts is where I got my start in racing, so this track will always hold a special place in my heart.”
“Shoes, socks, or slippers when you drive your rig?”
Riley Dickinson, “Always wear shoes, mainly because I’ve made my brake pedal extremely firm just like my Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in real life.”
“How long have you SIM raced?”
Riley Dickinson, “I’ve always loved racing games ever since I can remember, but I would say that I’ve competitively SIM raced for about 3 years. “
“Is there another SIM car race platform you’ve tried? (Like?)”
Riley Dickinson, “Honestly it’s really hard to like anything else once you have raced on iRacing. But from time to time I just play on the F1 games, R Factor, Assesto Corsa, or Project Cars.“
“What are your most used Steering Wheel Hot Keys (mapped buttons)?”
Riley Dickinson, “Brake Bias, Pit Limiter, and Radio.”
“What’s your favorite tipple (drink)?”
Riley Dickinson, “Lemonade all the way!“
“What do you drink in-car during longer real-life races?”
Riley Dickinson, “The longest race I’ve done so far is only an hour, so I haven’t actually had a drinking system in my car yet.”
“Given a few hours locked away, what would you prefer to watch…NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, Rallycross, GT racing, other…?”
Riley Dickinson, “Can I say all! If I had to pick though, it’s easily GT racing.”
“Does SIM racing ’scratch your itch’ for car racing? or would you always prefer to race in real life? Or would you always prefer to race in real life?”
Riley Dickinson, “It does “scratch the itch” for a short while, but I’ll always rather race in real life.”
“Do you think SIM and real-life share similarities in adrenaline delivery?”
Riley Dickinson, “What’s funny is that I truly believe SIM racing has way more intensity and adrenaline involved. I have no clue why, maybe it is because it’s not “real”, but SIM is much more intense to me than real life. “
“If you were the boss at iRacing, what new feature, improvement, race category or class would you make?”
Riley Dickinson, “The current Formula 1 car. It would be so cool to get a small taste of those cars.”
Thank You, Riley! Good luck with this seasons races, we’ll be cheering you on from the stands and emulating your speed in our virtual worlds!
Read other Dean’s List Installments here!