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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WITH
GIO ALTER NIFOSI
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hi everyone, I'm an Italian Simracer. I live in Syracuse in Sicily and I am 56 years old. For 5 years I have been dedicated to driving simulation and for 1 year I have been a fan of ACC. Many years ago, I run in cars both on the track and in rallies.
How long have you been playing ACC ?
My experience with ACC started 1 year ago
You just won the eSeniors GT3 World Championship Group2, what are your feelings ?
My meeting with eSENIORS GT3 World Championship gave me the opportunity to compare myself with good drivers from all over the world. After winning the championship, I felt the same joy as when I was racing in the car. Very nice....
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I usually do about 100 laps on a circuit. I find it essential, to understand the car, its behavior, the right setup and above all to know what my goals can be.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
My "driver's seat" consists of thrustmaster T300 steering wheel, logitech pedal board modified with brake and accelerator hardness and an Xtreme playseat. Medium power self-assembled PC and a 55" TCL TV with 60 hz framrate Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ? Depends on... in principle I do the setups myself. But it happened a few times that he bought them.... and then modified according to my driving style.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don't know!!! Maybe the knowledge of the tracks...
What is you favorite car and why ?
La Ferrari... first the 488 Gt3 and then the 488 EVO GT3. I find it adaptable to many circuits. Difficult and wild ,but when I find the right understanding it is really competitive.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
SPA is my favorite. But I also love Zandvoort. Spa is complete with... slow, fast ,you can improvise, but in some places it is severe and does not forgive (Eau Rouge!!!). Zan is hard, difficult and if you don't have a perfect set-up, you don't come out of it whole.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
My Heroes are Ayrton Senna In circuit races and Sebastian Loeb in rallies.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Have fun... but to do that you have to do training.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
eSENIORS is the closest to real races. Breifing, Mr. Jérémie's recommendations, and all the pilots present, are the guarantee for healthy and peaceful fun. No suggestions... Jérémie and Michel know what they are doing.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
None... It would be best to take it easy ;-)
Giovanni and his first podium in Rally di Roma, 33 years old with his father
Giovanni's Trophies
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WITH
LARS EKLUND
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Lars Eklund, born and raised in Sweden and started my career as IT Technician, became Service Mgr, Project Leader and Sales Mgr before I retired when 55. Will maybe pickup my career once again, but for the moment I’m pleased to do what I want from day to day.
My daughters left home a couple of years ago and I searched for a new hobby during the dark winter days up here in the North and in the trace of Corona. Always enjoyed cars, both looking at them, hearing them and driving them, so this hobby is spot on and with this group it also a large place of good fellowship.
How long have you played ACC ?
Relapsed SimRacing in November 2020 after a brake on at least 10 years. Bought AC and Dirt Rally 2 first. Was recommended ACC in a FB group and bought it on Christmas 4 months ago. Has picked up AC a couple of times to drive Nordschleife only, since then
You just won the Eseniors GT3 World Championship, what are your feelings ?
Feeling great to have met so many new good friends in this group all over the world. I was lucky to be here from the very start and collect points as several aliens have arrived since then; Andrea Caiola, Jörgen Wahlby, M. Neutelings to mention a few new rockets.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Around 8-10 hours just driving and pick correct setup from a few pre made and fine tune one of them. As I’m rather new to this I have to learn the track from clean paper in some cases, so I turn on the raceline, makes maybe 20-30 laps and tries to find right line (the built in isn’t optimal), I Watch a couple of Tortellinii and CDA Youtube clips and picks some ideas from them. On Saturday/Sunday I tune the last and split it into Qually and Race setups.
Without these preparation I would’t had a nay point today
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Got a G25 in the past, but upgraded to Fanatec CSW2.5 and their CSL Elite LC pedals upon relapse in November. Was lucky to buy them on Black Friday.
They are mouted to a sturdy desk with a 34 inch LG monitor on it, but have plans to go all in and buy a 8020 rig with triples this fall. Buttkickers from start, but also maybe motion in future. First step is to mount my Heuskinkveld Sprint that I bought easily used a week ago. Have a concreta plate on floor for pedals, so far...
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I have done my own setups, but it takes quite some time and damper settings are quite tricky to optimize so I have used CDA and some Youtube setups lately and tune them to my taste. Laguna Seca was from Youtube.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I’m far from fastest, being second as best three times. I think I was lucky being in this championship from start and manage to make some point before the Aliens arrived , as I wrote above. Has also been lucky to avoid accidents, even if I have been into some of them. The worse I think was on SPA, hitting a newly crashed car before flags warning on crest of Eau Rouge as P1 with just a few laps to go, dropped down to P6 as my front end was badly damaged and I could turn effecient.
What is you favorite car and why ?
So far it is McLaren as it easy to drive. Have tried Porsche 991.2 on Laguna Seca and did 1.22.2 within 25 laps of practice and little tune, so I may pick that one for next Championship. ;-)
(Gained 0.7 sec compared to my pb in McLaren with +150 laps and experience from 9 Championship races),
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
SPA for it’s rhythm and Eau Rouge, but if I can pick outside ACC it’s Nordschleife aka Green Hell. I hope Blancpain will arrange a race on that track, so Kunos can release that one also.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Ronnie Peterson, Per Eklund, Stig Blomqvist and Björn Waldegård. I don’t know how many are aware of them outside Sweden. Ronnie in F1 in the seventies and must be relatively well known, and the three others did mainly Rally. incl Paris Dakar, but also Pikes Peak, Le Mans et.c.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Smooth inputs, trail brake, learn your track, your car and watch a couple of videos, both hotlaps and how to drive, for example Nils Naujoks, Driver61 and Aris drives. After I while I think you need Motec to find the optimal settings and also to compare to other drivers, to find where to gain more time.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Yes, the progress of this group is stunning. I remember the first meeting we had in late January/early February and I hope that we could manage to be a startfield of maybe 10-15 cars within a couple of weeks. 19 started.
Thank you Jeremie and Michel for all your effort in this. Two big stars ! I think the organizations works very well, indeed.
I think many of us have many other things to do also in summertime, so let this settle now and validate during the summer / early fall. From my own view, we don’t need to « compete » in every event, it can also be fun to make different one off things, such as mixed class, single car events with rarely used machines, only British machines and track, Italian etc.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Can it be four?! My first was upon test driving a Golf II GTI... 1985. I saw the police control far ahead and turned back, and a policemen came running over the street and stopped me. I wasn’t aware that they already measured me with laser a few meters earlier..
Lars and his father at Spa 2007
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
MARK JAMES POCOCK
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Mark James Pocock, I was born in 1971 in a town in England called Wigan. I lived there until I was early 20s then moved out and lived with who is now my wife of 25 years. I have 3 children, 2 boys, 1 who is 23 and 1 who is 21 and a daughter who is 12. I work in Information Technology and was previously a computer programmer. I am now a Product Owner of a large computer system. I have worked for my current employer for 25 years. I currently drive a Ford Kuga ST-Line, 180PS, Automatic. It does have paddle shifters but I don’t use them as I often feel I need to race 😉. I have always been into racing games from the likes of Pole Position and Super Sprint. I used to love Pit Stop II on the Commodore 64 and moving to PC, loved the British Touring Car series and Grand Prix series (Geoff Crammond). I used to play Gran Turismo Sport on the PS4 a lot but switched back to PC and started playing Project Cars 2, Assetto Corsa then Assetto Corsa Competizione and Automobilista 2. Racing a car around a track (even virtually) adds a certain buzz and sense of achievement and with the physics being as accurate as they are you do get a very good sense of realism.
How long have you played ACC ?
Just under 2 years (more actively the last few months [eSeniors])
How was it racing in the eSeniors Championship ?
Loved every minute of it. I have met some really nice people and found that the community is one of the best I have come across and seeing as though it is from many different language speaking nations, impressed how everyone is part of it and gets involved.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Typically I spend at least an hour each day preparing, getting consistent and tweaking the setup. As I work full-time, my preparation time is limited. This is important to me as I like to be ready for the race and respect that others have put effort into their preparation and it feels more like a level playing field.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I have a Thrustmaster T300RS GT Wheel with Thrustmaster T-LCM pedals. I play on an LG 50 inch 4K TV and use a Galaxy Tablet with Simdashboard (and button box setup) to accompany me whilst racing.
My PC is Self Built.
Corsair Crystal Series 680X RGB Case
MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon Wifi Motherboard
Intel i5-11600K (5Ghz)
32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro Ram (Running XMP)
GeForce 2070 RTX
Sound BlasterX Kratos S5
1 x 240GB SSD (Boot & Windows)
1 x 1TB SSD (Steam)
1 x 250GB NVMe drive (Corsair)
1 x 480GN NVMe drive (Corsair)
1 x 2TB SATA Drive
Corsair H100i Platinum AIO Liquid Cooler
Cosair Virtuoso Wireless RGB Headset
Corsair ST100 RGB Stand
Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 Keyboard
Corsair Harpoon RGB Mouse
Elgato StreamDeck
MSI Optix MAG341C 34 inch ultra Widescreen curved monitor
MSI MAG241C 24 inch 1080p curved monitor
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I create all my setups as the ones I find on-line are too loose for my liking.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I am consistent, learn tracks, learn entry and exits of corners, learn braking points and trust the car (and my driving).
What is you favorite car and why ?
My favourite car was the 488 (none Evo) as I could set this up consistently. It went well on various tracks and just drove very stable. I will be upgrading to the EVO next season and already started playing with setups. (It looks like this will be nearly a second faster than the 488 I was driving)
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
I would say Paul Ricard, there is something about this track that is challenging but also rewarding. It offers a good mix of power and technical ability to really challenge you. The sweeping corners in the middle section feels so good when you get the flow and balance right culminating with the long straight that allows you to stretch your legs and back to a more challenging turning section.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
James Hunt and Nigel Mansell.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Watch other drivers, take notes, listen to others and don’ t be afraid to ask for help. Learn tracks, corner entry and exists, braking points and correct gear selection. Never give up, crashes and incidents happen.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I think the group is fantastic and right on point. As more members appear its inevitable that upset will occur. However, its a fine balance to ensure satisfaction is maintained without losing racers. I think you’re doing a great job ! To bring a higher level of competition is difficult as there are already some very quick drivers. You could operate a Super League whereby the current top 10 runners of each group face off each other for the ultimate in super league challenge. The potential is that this group could change as races are taken. This could be done Monday or Tuesday.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I have NEVER been stopped for speeding and NEVER received a speeding ticket. However, In England, if you are only slightly over the speed limit you can do a speed awareness course. I was caught doing 56 in a 50 limit (telling the kids off and not concentrating) and was offered a speed awareness course. I did not receive a fine, a ticket, points and it did not affect my insurance.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ALESSANDRO DIAMANTE
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hello friends, my name is Alessandro Diamante, I am 51 years old and I am Italian; to be precise, I'm Sicilian and I live in Syracuse. I am a geologist and I work in the field of environmental remediation of soil and groundwater for the petrochemical industry. I have always been passionate about racing cars but I have never raced in motorsport competitions. As a teenager I satisfied my passion through racing video games, starting with Pitstop for the Commodore 64 home PC. Then, I devoted myself to university studies and work and only more recently, after marriage and two children, I started to get interested to simracing (Project CARS, Assetto Corsa and now Assetto Corsa Competizione).
How long have you played ACC ?
Until August 2020 I was playing with Project CARS 2 and then, despite some initial difficulties of adaptation, I decided to dedicate myself to Assetto Corsa Competizione which I think is much more realistic and satisfying.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Participating in the Eseniors championship was a lot of fun especially because I settled in very well, thanks to all the simracers, and you can breathe a good atmosphere of healthy competition.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I don't have much free time to prepare for a race. Considering that I don't play ACC every day, I think I don't exceed 6 or 8 hours a week. If I don't know a track, I also prepare myself by watching the video guides available on youtube. Preparation is important to regain confidence with the track and fine-tune the car according to the environmental conditions.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I own a T300 steering wheel and a T-LCM pedal set both from Thrustmaster. Then I have a desktop PC with decent features (AMD Ryzen 5 2600x, RTX 2080 super, 500 GB ssd and 1000 GB HDD, 16 GB DDR4 RAM) and a 29-inch ultrawide single monitor.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I have always studied how to change the setup to try to improve the car and make it more suited to my driving style (everything I read about the setup I have reported on my blog, making it available to all simracers). Lately I also wanted to try some setups available on the web but I must say that I have not had great advantages; the setup is something personal and therefore, if I have to be honest, I recommend that you learn how to modify the car setup yourself.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don't think I'm faster than the others; rather, sometimes I am particularly inspired and I can express myself at my best, other times I cannot find the right concentration and I make mistakes.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I like many cars, some are sports cars like the Ferrari 288 GTO from 1984 or the F430, others are normal cars of the past with a particular design like the Citroen DS 'shark' or the Fiat 600 Multipla from the 1960s. If the question is about the cars available on ACC, my favorite is the Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
My favorite track is Spa Francorchamps because it is difficult, hard and does not forgive mistakes, especially the section that leads from Eau Rouge to Blanchimont; practically it is the thesis for the real pilots.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
I got really passionate about Formula 1 thanks to Gilles Villeneuve, he was my hero.
I must say that growing up I also deeply admired Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, but Gilles is like first love: he never forgets.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Put passion into it, never give up even when the results are not good and try to enjoy even the duels that are not for the leading positions of the race.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Yes, I am extremely satisfied and, from personal experience (I have also organized championships), I must say that I would not have been able to do better.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Hahaha …fortunately, none. I am extremely cautious when driving my real car.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
CARLO VANBRABANT
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I am Carlo Vanbrabant, born in Genk, Belgium on January 26 1968, married no children, except for our two border collies (sisters) Penny and Fiona.
I lived in Belgium for 38 years, 7 years in the Netherlands, 7 years in Australia and now currently in the USA since 2012, my daily profession is Estimator for a steel stairs, rails and miscellaneous metals company in Dacono, Colorado, working from my home in Gold Beach, Oregon, about two minutes from the West Coast in USA, my hobbies are Mountain Biking, Motorcycle riding, watching all sorts of motorsports on two wheels or four, and obviously SIM Racing.
I always wanted to be a race car driver, but never found a sponsor crazy enough to sponsor me, ha-ha !
How long have you played ACC?
I have been playing ACC since they released the initial developer’s version, I bought it for $25.00 USD on Steam early access in 2018 I believe, the release was planned for the summer of that year.
It was kind of to help Kunos further develop the game and see how much interest there was from the public, the playability was great, graphics were terrible, but I was sold from the get-go, because it was a realistic driving experience and soon found out that the difficulty level bar was set high, it wasn’t just another arcade racing game.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important?
On average I spend about 15-20 hours a week on practice and racing in ACC, reading/watching replays, track guides mostly from Unleashed Drivers.
It is a hobby, and you can spend as much time on a hobby as you want in my opinion.
Now, with three different classes to race in GT4, CUP car and GT3 it becomes a little harder setting up for all three classes, so I focus on GT3 more and learn the track that way, while for GT4 i typically take an aggressive setup, fuel up and go!
The Cup car is a different animal and needs time to setup correctly, the car is very lively, and to feel comfortable in the car, you need to spend time practicing finding a good balance both being quick and stay on the track, this car will take you for a spin in no time, it happened several times in a race.
Zandvoort was a perfect example, being in the lead extending that lead and spun around twice in the same race, which costed me the victory.
To me it is important to understand the car and it’s behavior, not only for qualification, but also do full 45-60 minute stints to see how the car is handling after all that time, consistency, fuel consumption, tire wear, etc.
The Cup is a nice class to drive, all equal cars and it really comes down to the skills of the driver having the car under control for an entire race. It separates the boys from the men (figure of speech)
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc.)?
Recently I bought a hardcore gaming Lenovo Legion Y740-17 laptop, 9th gen I7 processor, with a RTX2060 8gig graphics card, 16gigs of RAM.
I use Rift-S VR goggles, Logitech Pro headphones, Thrustmaster T300 RS GT wheel with Thrustmaster T-LCM load cell pedal set, all bolted down in a recently bought open wheeler SIM Rig (still a work in progress since the cables need to be rerouted etc.)
No more using shoes to stop the office chair from rolling away when I am braking.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone?
Oh my….the setups topic !! A bit of both to be honest
Since I was struggling on several tracks with the Porsche GT3 which is the hardest car to set up and make it fast, I bit the bullet and bought the entire Porsche GT3 setups from Coach Dave, just to see what the fuss was all about
Initially I thought I was making progress, but I started realizing that it wasn’t the setup that made the difference.
It’s an illusion to think that those setups make you think you’re unbeatable all of a sudden, sure there are some good pointers in the setup, but it doesn’t necessarily make you instantly faster.
I was spending more time tweaking the bought setups, and it struck me I could have started with a safe setup or aggressive and work my way forward.
The principal is the same, you want a fast car that handles well and can last an entire race and hopefully get on the podium or top five.
There is no shame in buying setups, the work is done for you by other sim drivers, if there is no time to figure it out yourself, fine go for it, but as I mentioned before it’s not some sort of voodoo that is going to make you the next sim version of Michael Schumacher.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I do not consider myself fast, in my opinion it’s all about track knowledge, finding the braking markers, entry speed into a turn, find the apex and on the throttle as soon as you can, tire temperatures play a big role, the traction control will sort you out it is there for a reason and in real GT3 the drivers use it too, it is a matter of not letting the TC (Traction Control) interfere too much though and limit the loss of acceleration on exit speed.
What is your favorite car and why?
Without a doubt, Porsche II GT3, it is the most difficult car in ACC in regards setup, handling, aero balance, but has the best acceleration and brakes, once you master to setup this car correctly it is the most rewarding car to drive.
For instance a Laguna Seca this race is a perfect example, I used a Coach Dave setup as a base and started tweaking toe front and rear, I wanted the car to rotate more, increased the preload on differential, increased tire pressure to correct setting and opened the ducts, reduced front splitter, lowered the front by 1mm lowered rear wing to an aero balance of 0.8, under fuel load for a 45 minute race the aero balance changes , another thing to keep in mind as the fuel level decreases the aero balance can become a factor in front end grip (fuel tank is in the front) and shared my setup with two other drivers, just to gauge the reaction, the results were mixed, but we (Jonathan Wood and myself) kept driving laps every evening on that circuit for at least an hour and we found time, lots of time and improvement during that week, result, #1 and #3 in Laguna Seca.
Then Lars Eklund gifted me a setup the 2 days before Race day, I tried it and was not immediately faster, but it worked really well after I got used to it, so I had another ace up the sleeve. On race day I used my own setup for Qualification with a time at 1.22.317 (the fastest I’ve been on that track) For the race I changed my mind in the last minute and used Lars’ setup which was a gamble but it worked brilliantly, very consistent with 21 laps in the 1.23’s
a race with 33 laps in 45 minutes and 1 liter of fuel left in the tank. It was a brilliant race!
What is your favorite circuit (s) and why?
Zolder… I was born near Zolder and lived there when I was a little kid in the late seventies, early eighties, the house we lived in was right near the track, close to the chicane where Gilles Villeneuve lost his life in 1982
Since the victory in Laguna Seca, Laguna and Zandvoort are my favorites of short circuits
Spa is another favorite track, the Belgian Ardennes circuit that is hard to master.
Who are your childhood racing heroes?
Many, every race car driver is some sort of a hero in my opinion, each in their particular way, having the ability of pushing the boundaries of a car, risking their life to become the best driver in the World.
If I had to pick one from my childhood, I would choose Niki Lauda, the massive accident that nearly killed him, didn’t stop him from racing, the determination to win was immense.
In later years I started watching WRC, drivers like Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Carlos Sainz, Sebastien Loeb and our Belgian WRC driver Thierry Neuville, driving a car fast on all sorts of surfaces is a gift that only very few people possess.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer?
#1 = Patience…..learn from mistakes made, pick a car that suits your driving style, start of with a forgiving car or front engine, start with a safe setup and learn tracks, do laps, lots of laps, not only hot laps, but 20 minute, 30 minute up to 60 minute stints (if you have the time) to understand the cars behavior and your capabilities to become consistent in braking and acceleration, trust me your lap times will eventually come down.
I am not a gifted driver, I learned through lots of trial and error and it is a good learning curve, it’s important to make the mistakes yourself and learn from them.
Are you satisfied with the eSeniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
Very satisfied, without a doubt and I think I can say that for the entire group of members this is by far the most and greatest group of people and fellow drivers to spend your time with, At the beginning, I didn’t know what to expect, but soon found out that this was going to be a great group of people and drivers, several members expressed the same feeling and we all agreed on this statement.
The eSeniors Organization made Sim racing more enjoyable, and bring likeminded Sim drivers together from all over the world to have fun, the idea originated from two minds in Canada, and expanded to almost 300 people from all over the world, one word « Amazing !.
And finally, the most important question... how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date?
I have been driving since 1985, Just 1 in Belgium, 1 in Australia, and 1 in the USA all in a car, none on a motorcycle
Thank you!
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ANDREA CAIOLA
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I just turned 54, as you might guess from my favorite race number 67 😊 I am Italian, born in Milan, but since the age of 12 living in the Emilia region, in the north part of Italy, close to the city of Piacenza.
I live only 90 minutes away from Maranello, 2 hours from Imola, 1 hour from Monza so I think I got into racing and cars just by osmosis. I started playing racing games 10 years ago, but only offline. I turned to simracing only less than two years ago, when I fell in love with ACC.
About my professional life, I work for a well known American Corporation specialized in software and based in Redmond, WA.
How long have you played ACC ?
I started playing less than 2 years ago occasionally but always offline against AI. It became more “serious” last summer when I began racing online with other human. Since then I made a lot of friends and joined a local small team (FD Racing Department) which organizes events and championships through the year.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
It was fun! I wish have discovered about eSeniors Championship for the very beginning, but I enjoyed as well joining half way.
I like the relaxed environment, even if when I hear “Green Green Green” things become very serious to me 😊
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
For me preparation and practice is everything. I don’t have the talent that other drivers have, which in a couple of laps can find the best lines and breaking points of each circuit.
I compensate with almost daily practice and preparation in my evenings when work does not interfere. I like to fine tune setups, practice qualifying laps, run a simulated race with AI at 100% to test my readiness and check fuel / tires consumptions etc…
I also watch coaching videos on Youtube to learn from the best, and leverage Motec when possible to spot my mistakes and identify areas of improvements.
That gives me the confidence during race day that I’m ready to be at my best.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I’ve always been a Fanatec fanboy, since my very first wheel (Porsche GT2) 10 years ago. I used to race on console until 2 years ago when I moved to PC. Since then, I made a few upgrades to my rig, which now is based on Sim-Lab P1-X, Fanatec DD1, Pedals V3, Fanatech Shifter 1.5 and a Samsung super ultra-wide G9 monitor.
The steering wheel I’m using with ACC is the Fanatec F1 2020 LE, but I have also a round R300 for more casual driving in Assetto Corsa 1
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I spent the first year in ACC building my own setups, learning a lot from more expert simracers and from Aris videos. Starting 2021 I decided to buy CDA setups for my Aston to make my life a bit easier during the race preparation. However, the knowledge accumulated in building your own setups help me tune the already good CDA setups to my liking and driving style.
What makes you faster than the rest?
When it happens, is for sure due to meticulous preparation I try to do before each race. The other important factor is that outside eSeniors I race with my friends at FDR, who are all younger than me and some even half my age or less. That pushes my boundaries for sure 😊
What is you favorite car and why ?
I don’t have an absolute favorite car in ACC. I raced with the Ferrari 488 (old and Evo), with the Lexus, with the McLaren. However since last October I focused on the Aston V8, because it’s really a very balanced and predictable car. I like the fact that she tells you in advance what she is going to do so you can anticipate and correct.
Bonus car for me is the Aston V12…heavy and old, but the sound! OMG!!! I wish we could have a fun event with all Aston V12 and just enjoy the engine noise
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Bathurst Mount Panorama…the emotion I get during the mountain part of track, flying a few cm off the walls is pure adrenaline. And when once in a while I manage to do the first part flat out, I go down through the Conrod straight with a bigger smile than Ricciardo 😊
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
There is one and only one: Gilles Villeneuve!
My father introduced me to F1 in the late 70s and while we rationally understood that Niki Lauda was a better driver all around, Gilles was simply pure emotion for Ferrari fans like us.
I still remember the tragic day at Zolder, when we got the sad news watching TV during the family meal…my father and I were in disbelief…
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Have fun, and decide what you want to get out of this hobby. It’s important to me that you understand if you want to be an amateur driver or if you want to compete to win. In the latter case, you have to put discipline and a lot of time in it, including time to learn and study. If that’s not your cup of tea, then don’t be disappointed as if a driver is faster than you is 99% of the time simply due to the more work and effort they put into it.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
For a community which 3 months ago did not exist, the organization is amazing! I think over time will get better and better, and I know already improvements are on the way. Jérémie and Michel are great host and put a lot of efforts in the eSeniors programme. Thank You!
The think I would like to see soon is a semi-professional live commentary on Twitch/Youtube, at least of the group 1 championship, where we can display our gorgeous custom liveries and be able to our spouses: “look, honey, I’m on TV racing like a pro!!!”
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
To be honest not that many, considering that for the most part of my job career I have been a consultant driving to customers places every day for several years. Maybe a dozen or so.
When I was young, I was a bit reckless, but after a dangerous accident I had on a mountain road with the fiancé, now wife, I calmed down. I was driving way too fast and I lost my BMW E30 on a high speed turn. I managed to control the car just enough to crash it to the mountain side, but I could have lost it to the ravine on the other side, and I would not have been here to tell.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
RICKARD WESTIN
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Im 55 yrs young live in Sweden, and work as an service technician with ventilation. I have been doing Swedish endurance racing for about 10 yrs in real life, and we build our own cars and travel to our tracks here in Sweden. I thought it was a good idea to do simracing in the winter to be more skilled for the next season. But with corona we havent been able to race in real life so simracing is real fun and im stuck with it for life.
How long have you played ACC ?
I have played it since the release in 2019, but went back to Assetto Corsa a while, because it was so bad in VR in the begining. I think i have played all carsims on the market but the best is ACC i think.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Its a lot different to ordernary online simracing because here we are 50+ racers who respect each other much better and its a community that cares for each other on and off the track.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
About 8-16 hours learning the track and get a good setup for the car.
Its important if you want to have a chance to win against others who are very skilled, or atleast so i dont destroy for other racers, by not knowing the track.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Another hobby of mine is to build computers, so i wanted to be able to drive with VR in ACC
my latest build is
ASus ROG Strix Z490 Gaming Motherboard
Intel I9 10900K processor with watercooling
32 GB Ram
Asus Rog Strix Geforce RTX 2080 8GB OC
and 2 M2 HDD
AOC Agon 32 inch curved monitor
HP Reverb G2 VR goggles
Thrustmaster TS-XW wheel with T-LCM load cell pedals
and a lot of RGB leds
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I bought setups from Coach Dave Academy but the were too loose for me, so i started to use ACC:s aggressive setups with my own tweaking in stead and it works well for me i think.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Oh thats a tough one to answer, but i think in the end its only practice and a lots of laps thats make the difference. And a little luck with the setup.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I love Porsches since i was a kid, dont know why really but its the sound and beautiful lines of the car i guess.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Except our Swedish tracks i love Brands Hatch because its a quick and technical course.
And Nordschleife due to its many corners and long track.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Its Ronnie Petterson, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda and many more
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Dont give up it takes time to be able to drive fast, and theres no short cut. And just enjoy to participate in races no matter what.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
When I joined in Marsh this year I was surprised how friendly every one was ,and still very competitive on track. Its a great community for online racers from all over the globe, so a Big Thanks to our two Admins Jeremie and Michel making this happen.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Im sorry to say i got two of them, but in my defense i have had driving licence for 35 years.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ROGÉRIO GOMES SANTOS
Please introduce yourself, tell us about yourself (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a Simracer
My name is Rogério Gomes Santos, I am 55 years old (May 1st), I live in Curitiba / Paraná / Brazil. I am a systems analyst, as I have always been passionate about motorsport and I even started to run a professional go-kart, and virtual motorsport is what brings me closer to motorsport now.
How long have you been playing ACC?
Since its launch
How was it to race in the eSeniors Championship?
It was great, the people respect each other a lot
How many hours did you spend getting ready for a race and why is this important?
I don't have much time for training, but whenever I can I prepare. Without a doubt the training is very important, as it helps you in the times and behavior of the car.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc.)?
Thrustmaster T300rs / 3 screens / Cokpit extreme
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car yourself?
I do my setups, but I'm not an expert at this. The setup will only make a difference, when you are less than 1 second from the opponent you want to catch, before that forget the setup and train piloting techniques ... train, train and train, when you think you have trained enough, train one more little... ;-)
What makes you faster than the rest?
I am not fast, but consistent. If you notice my times on racing laps, they are always better than my times on qualy laps
What is your favorite car and why?
Ferrari GT3 Evo, I got along very well with this car, more in the hand, more predictable
What is your favorite circuit (s) and why?
A driver cannot have a favorite circuit, he has to ride all without complaining ... But one that I like a lot is nurburgring nordschleife
Who are your childhood racing heroes?
Ayrton Senna / Nelson Piquet / Rubens Barrichello / Fangio
What is the best advice you would give to a simracer?
Race in virtual motorsport, exactly as if you were racing in the real world and be patient.
Are you satisfied with the eSeniors organization and do you have suggestions to help raise the level of competition?
Very satisfied ... As for me consistency is strong, so the longer the races the better ... :-)
And finally, the most important question ... how many speeding tickets have you accumulated so far?
Oops .... I prefer not to answer ... :-) but there are few .... ;-)
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
CHRISTER HIORT
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Im born in Sweden but moved to the US for work in 1990 and is now both Swedish and US citizen. I will be 60 years this year. I have a wife and 4 grown kids. I work as Director of Project Operations at a Swedish Telecom Supplier.
I live in Frisco, Texas just north of Dallas. I have been an F1 racing fan for several years and have been watching some F1 races here in Texas, so I started to race the F1 game series on PS4 in 2016 to get more familiar with the tracks I was watching in the races. Then I was hooked,
How long have you played ACC ?
I started my on-line racing on PS4 in 2016 with the F1 series of games. Then started with GranTurismo Sport and then with ACC when it came out on PS4 in 2020.
I have played ACC on PC since April this year.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Great! The best league I have been part of. Very well organized and the drivers really want to improve and provide better racing for everyone. It’s becoming a real community. I love the international aspect.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I probably spend about 3-5 hrs. Its important both for my own enjoyment as I want to be competitive, but also for the other drivers, as I learn the track and the car so I do not become a liability on track.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I use a Fanatec CSL Elite wheel base, Fanatec F1 Wheel, Fanatec Clubsport Pedals V3. The PC is brand new with a AMD RyzenTM 5 5600X processor and GeForce RTXTM 3060 Video card.
The game monitor is an LG 32 inch.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I simply buy them from Coach Dave Academy. I might tweak them in rare occasions. Still learning that aspect of the racing experience.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I prepare a lot. I compare my drive with a reference drive of the same car and setup that comes with the CDA setups. I use Motec for that. I’m pretty consistent in my driving so that helps a lot.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I’m a McLaren fan so the Mclaren 720S became an easy choice. I like it because it is stable. I like mid engine cars. I also think that if you stay and become really comfortable with a car, why change. However, I’m looking at the new Mercedes EVO as an option as well as the Lambo.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Mount Panorama - I used to hate it but now I love it. Its so unique and challenging as well as beautiful vistas for replays.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Ronnie Pettersson that unfortunately had a horrible accident at Monza 1978. That was the first race I watched live as a kid. I have been interested in cars, but not so into racing until I picked up F1 again about 5 years ago.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Take your time to learn the track. Study YouTube videos with track guides. There are many out there for all the tracks. They are really helpful.
Remember, brake so you have control as you come into the turn, and you will be able to go fast out !
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I think it is working great and its evolving to the growing needs by listening to the members. More groups are being evaluated and I think that is an excellent next step.
Just to be “promoted” to the next group is a great carrot.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I have ONE speeding ticket ! It was 2 weeks after I had purchased a brand new Camaro Z28 .. :-). I still have the car 20 years later, but no more tickets.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
JONATHAN WOOD
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hello ! My name is Jonathan Wood, I grew up in London, UK but have lived in San Diego, California since 1995, basically more than half my life. I like to think that I’m British by birth but American by choice. Technology has always fascinated me, since my first computer, a Sinclair ZX-81 back in 1982-ish. I’m a national computing product trainer for Samsung Electronics, which allows me to indulge in a passion while getting paid for it.
How did I become a sim racer….thats a good question, and it has everything to do with my only big sports interest…..Formula One. My « anorak » following started when Nigel Mansell was on his championship charge in 1986. Of course it was a failed bid but it sold me on F1 and top level motor racing. My first in-person race was the 1988 British GP at a very wet Silverstone. I’ve also attended the 1991 British GP, 2000 and 2003 USGP and Le Mans in 1989.
The interest in video games and F1 was always led me to PRAY for a good racing sim and I’ve tried them all, however I had a haetus from gaming from about 2012 to 2020. When COVID hit I was temporarily laid off so decided to build a new gaming rig. I played AC and ACC initially, then my friend let me borrow his Oculus VR….Instantly my perception of video games changed. Driving down the pitlane for the first time at Nurburgring in VR was gob-smacking…..I could LOOK at the apex of the corners….see PAST the corners to the next one. I Was THERE…..VR is ****ing amazing.
The day I joined eSeniors was karma. I’d just joined the ACC FB page and Jeremie was putting feelers out for his Championship. Timing was perfect !
The first 6 or so races were very humbling (still are actually LOL) but I feel I’m finally up to speed. Every lap of every circuit is a learning experience !
How long have you played ACC ?
Initially I bought ACC and AC in Summer of 2020 but found AC was more fun because of all the mods. The ability to drive any car on any track in any weather condition….at any time of day…..WITH your friends was like nirvana ! The 1990’s F1 mods are simply magical.
I only really seriously started playing ACC when the eSeniors Championship was formed this year….Had to win all those bloody track medals ! GRRRR !!!!
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Oh how humbling ! You know, we all have an ego and THINK we’re a digital Michael Schumacher, but at that first practice end up feeling like Nikita Mazepin driving a Renault Clio (the really, really shit one).
So yeah…humbled. We have so many fantastic racers ! Building relationships with the other drivers has been the most rewarding thing. After a race we message each other and have the funniest conversations. At this age it’s difficult to build new friendships, so I’m VERY thankful !
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Ahhh well you see it’s not just one race…we have several disciplines which are all VERY different. The week leading up to GT3 Sunday there are 3 West Coasters (we call ourselves the West Coast Wankers ) : Carlo, Robert and myself. We start in the GT3 and work our way and try to get a good rhythm. I’d say we stick with the GT3 on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday night we’re practicins with the GT4, and Wednesday night the Cup car, before focusing on GT3 again on Thursday night. I’d say we practice not much more than 2 hours a day. For me the enjoyment is in driving and chatting with Carlo and Robert in Discord. These guys are hilarious.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Built my own rig :
Coolermaster full sized case
Asus something-or-other gaming Mobo w/PCIe Gen4
32 GB RAM
Samsung 980 Pro NVME m.2 1TB
Samsung 870 SATA3 x2 512GB
Seagate Barracuda HDD 4TB (for games library)
Nvidia RTX 2080ti Founders Edition
TCL 55 inch 4k TV
Samsung G9 Ultra Wide 240hz 1440p Monitor
Oculus Rift S VR
NO I don’t have ANY RGB ! 😊
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
No I don’t buy setups. I find the ones on YouTube to be decent, and exchange help from other eSeniors (gosh that makes us sound so old doesn’t it ? Hi I’m an eSenior…….do I get a discount ?)
What makes you faster than the rest?
Ooh I was waiting for this question. It’s an easy answer. I’m not. HAHAHA
There are a LOT of eSeniors who are clearly much faster than me. I’m improving week by week though. I think the one thing I’ve improved the most is my racecraft. I have found a good safe distance 2 inches from the tailpipe of the guy in front without hitting them ! Apologies in advance if I have hit you in the past ! No really…I’ve not hit anyone since my win at Misano from the reverse grid (Grrrrrr Jeremie 😊)
Oh I drive without mirrors, but with the radar…that makes me faster because it’s less of a distraction…..does that make me dangerous ? LOL Is it even legal ?
What is you favorite car and why ?
I really love the Cup car. The fact that it doesn’t have TC doesn’t even register any more. Wish it had better brakes, or a parachute though. That top speed !
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
The fast ones. Spa, Monza, Suzuka.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
The man with the moustache and Brummie accent, Il Leone ! I love to read about past racing drivers. Gilles Villeneuve, Francois Cevert, Jackie Stewart, Jimmy Clark, Niki Lauda.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Be patient with your own speed. It’ll come. Don’t over-drive. Watch other drivers and their lines, braking points. Find visual markers on the track for your braking. Accept losing a corner if necessary. And remember, the corners don’t change…only you do.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I’m blown away by this organization. We’re VERY young, literally just been born, but already have a fantastic, passionate, competitive and hilarious bunch of racers. I think shorter qualifying might provide better racing as 30 mins may be too long. 10 minutes would mix the grid up because of traffic, and possible inability to get into the groove.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
4 if I remember correctly. 1 in the UK and 3 here in the US. This is spanning over 30 years so that’s not too bad. 1 ticket every 7 or 8 years.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
NEIL BYWATER
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
A ‘69 baby, the best year. Born in the UK midlands city of Leicester. Leicester sits in a nice little triangle of nostalgic motor racing circuits of Silverstone, Donington and Mallory Park.
By day I’m an industrial process control system engineer, by night I’m into this sim racing business, I know which I prefer doing.
As a teen, I visited motor racing circuits most weekends with my Dad and Brother. Formula Ford single seater racing was my personal favourite and I saw a few notable F1 drivers of the 1990s and 2000s competing in their Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival year 1987, Ratzenburger, Coulthard, Irvine, McNish, I guess it was quite a privilege to see that.
I started my own racing with RC cars, always seemed to have good hand eye coordination, I also did a bit of RC helicopter flying.
I then progressed on to TKM Kart racing for a season in a RAC regional championship before that ended when I found my partner, now wife of 20 years and 19 year old twins.
Sim racing of sorts started with REVs on the BBC Micro B, Indy Car Racing on the company 386 PC in the early 90s with a colleague at lunchtimes on two PCs connected with a RS232 cable, then F1 games by Geoff Crammond on my first PC in 1995 and then moving on to Grand Tourismo and F1 on the PS1 through to Forza Motorsport on the XBOX and XBOX360. My first real online league racing starting on F1 2013 on XBOX360 and then PC with Apex Online Racing.
How long have you played ACC ?
I’ve only been racing on ACC seriously since late 2020. I got it early 2020 but didn’t play on it much as I was still competing in the F1 2020 league through 2020
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
The racing has been very close and generally clean. Having raced with a wide age range of drivers for the last few years it’s pleasant to find drivers who understand fair play and behaviour.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Less time than I would like but having raced competitively in F1 leagues for 7 years I know most of the circuits pretty well, so I’m not having to learn the track layouts just new braking points for the various cars. On tracks I don’t know I’m probably spending 5 hours per week before the Group 1 GT3 race. It’s more a matter of game familiarisation at this stage than anything else.
I looked at my racing game stats recently and it’s around 6000hrs since I joined Steam over 8 years. Quite worrying when you consider it, that’s 3 man years.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I’m running a i7-7700k PC on an AMD Rx580 GPU. I run in a HTC Vive VR headset with Logitech G930 headphones. It will be hard going back to F1 2021 without VR.
For the simulation gear a Fanatec CSW 2.5 wheelbase, Formula V2 wheel and CSW V3 Pedals all mounted to a GTOmega classic wheel stand back frame and RS9 sear.
I’ve made a few additions with my 3D printer, including a button box shaped to the CSW 2.5 wheelbase, Magnetic shifter attachments.
A cheap bass shaker was also a great addition, giving me feel of wheelslip and brake locking through the racing seat.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
A kind fellow racer here on eSeniors donated my first setup for the first eSenior race at Brand Hatch. Thanks Jonathan. It was very stable and allowed me to push hard, and I adapted that for most of season 1. Carlo also provided a few setups late in the season that I used for a couple of races, again very useful, thanks.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Experience and consistency which comes with time. I’d rather be a bit slower and consistent than outright fast and edgy. The true aliens can do the latter, but the former will get you the points for a good championship result.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I’ve only raced Porsches in all classes on ACC. Again consistency is key and mixing different car types doesn’t help with that. Pick a car and get better with it. I find the Porsches generally good anywhere.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Silverstone is one of my favourites I’ve probably done 100s of hours on the circuit in F1. In F1 leagues I’ve had one win here, but probably my most successful track has been Spa. I do like Spa, a proper circuit, but I think it’s more an F1 circuit than GT3.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
I remember James Hunt, but I can’t say I was a fan back then, a bit too young. My personal favourite was Nigel Mansell from his Williams Honda days through Ferrari and back to Williams, sat at the entrance to Copse 1992 in the FW14B he was visibly faster through that corner than all others including Patrese in the same car. Then there was the remarkable first season of Lewis Hamilton, I’ve admired his abilities ever since and Jenson Buttons 2009 season was something special. Can you tell I’m English?
Obviously Senna and Schumacher have to be mentioned, generally I appreciate good drivers and their skill, they were among the best I have seen. I kept old copies of Motoring News in my loft for years. Found these two when moving house and kept them, they were pretty poignant I feel, the changing of the guard, that headline on the 27th April 1994. Schumacher was on the up and sadly that following week 05th May 1994. Zoom in on the dates of the copies.
Below some mementos of the events I was lucky enough to attend and see the noted drivers race. Spain 1996, the first of Schumacher many wins for Ferrari.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Put the hours in and get consistent. I’ve pounded Time Trials for hours and hours. Unless you have absolute natural talent, practice practice practice is the only way.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I’m still here and I’ve parked AOR, at least until F1 2021 comes out (which will be a copy of F1 2020) . So I must be satisfied.
I enjoy the pre race briefings, something I’ve not experienced before, gives it a bit more realism and accountability.
It takes dedication to run these leagues, you can’t rest. I’ve been involved with coordinating leagues on AOR in a small way, it’s not easy and we should appreciate what the admins are doing for us here.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Zero, keep the racing for the track (or virtual track) perhaps that’s why. Although I did receive a TS10 which is a traffic light violation here in the UK, which is probably worse.
I’ve had a fair share of fairly quick cars, Nissan 200SX, Subaru Impreza and Alfa 155, but I must have been lucky. Bizarrely the TS10 was while driving my wifes Citroen Picasso people carrier with all of the family in there with me.
Currently running a BMW 530e which is a quite pleasant way to get from A to B. But on the weekends you may find me in our Motorhome, so there’s not much chance of a speeding ticket in that.
This is why I missed the first round of GT3 at Barcelona.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
DEREK BIRD
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I am an English 61 year old sim racing addict. Originally from Hull but now live in Doncaster South Yorkshire and work as a self employed kitchen and bedroom fitter. I have always enjoyed playing computer games especially racing games. I have been playing them since the early days of Atari (you young 50 year olds probably won’t have heard of it). You certainly couldn’t call them racing simulators in those days but they were still fun to play. The games took a big leap forward when the Play Station was released with the likes of F1 Gran Turismo and TOCA Touring Cars which was my favourite at the time(really showing my age now). Progressed through all the PlayStation consoles up to 4 then moved onto PC gaming in 2016.
How long have you played ACC ?
I purchased ACC when it was first released 2018 when it was in the development phase. I didn’t play it a great deal at first but as new updates and improvements were released I began playing more and more when realising what an excellent game it was becoming. I own most of the other sim racing titles, the original AC, R Factor 2, Race Room, AMS 2 but they have all taken a back seat since joining this group as most of my spare time is taken up practicing for the upcoming race.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Its been a fantastic experience racing with a great group of fellow friendly racers all willing to help someone with tips and setups. When I use the word friendly its an understatement. All my previous online racing was in the public lobbies where if you have an incident with someone all you got was a lot of verbal abuse on the message board or the other driver would be waiting for you to come around again so he could ram you off the track. With this group if someone makes a mistake they are willing to own up to it and apologise. You seldom get that in the public lobby, it’s always someone else’s fault. Peter Perfects I call them.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I try to get as much practice as possible. It varies depending on work commitments but will usually get an hour in the evening and a bit more at weekends. Practice is very important especially if its a track you’ve not raced much. You need to learn race lines and brake points if you want to be competitive and you need to get your setups right for the race.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
My pc is a i9900k with a nvidia RTX 3070 gpu Fanatec DD1 with a Porsche 911 wheel, podium button module and advanced paddle module. Fanatec Clubsport shifter Simlabs GT1 Evo. Heusinkveld Sprint Pedals. Heusinkveld Sequential Shifter Samsung 49 inch ultra wide monitor Extra button box and an Elgato Stream Deck Sony surround sound system, Sennhieser headphones with microphone HP Reverb G2 VR which I use for my other racing sims. I don’t use it for ACC as the game isn’t optimised for VR I also have Sim Rig SR1 motion system on my rig. I love the feeling of the front of the car dipping as you hit the brakes and feeling all the bumps and rumble strips of the track as you race.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
Never been very good at doing my own setups from scratch, always used ACC setups with little tweaks. Decided to purchase CDA just to try and found them much better to my style of driving and lap times quickly came down so always use them now.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I’m certainly not the fastest in the group but I am happy with the lap times I set and the positions I finish in races. A lot of the faster guys are younger than me and I think that give them a bit of advantage because they will have better hand to eye coordination and faster reaction times (racing drivers excuses coming out now for not being the fastest) so overall I am very pleased with my progress in the group.
What is you favorite car and why ?
Favourite car is the McLaren 720 which I find a safe and easy car to race. For this season I switched to the Porsche for all the championships, GT3, GT4 and Porsche Cup. The reason being I thought they may have some similar handling characteristics. What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ? Favourite circuits are Imola and Donington. Not sure why, I just love racing on them so if I go on just for a quick race it will usually be one of those tracks I choose.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
My childhood racing hero would have to be Jim Clark (really showing my age now) He is my first memories of anything motor racing related. A two time F1 world champion. He also race in multiple championships in one season, a bit like me. (he’ll be turning in his grave now if he knew I was comparing my sim racing to his racing)
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Practice as much as possible. Watch Youtube videos, a lot can be learnt from those. Also watch replays of your own races especially if you are involved in an incident whether your fault or someone else’s, it could help you avoid them in the future and make you a better racer which will make your races more enjoyable,
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Absolutely satisfied with Eseniors organisation. Jeremie, Michel and all others involved in organising the group have done an amazing job and I am delighted to be a member. eSeniors is still a young organisation (unlike the drivers) and sure it will grow and go from strength to strength.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I’ve only been CAUGHT speeding once. That was a few months ago and I did a speed awareness course so avoided a fine and points on my licence and a hefty increase in insurance premiums.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
FRANCOIS ERASMUS
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa 55 yrs ago. Being in JHB at a young age I frequent Kyalami (Old track) and watched many GP’s and enduros (Wynne’s 1000) early mid 70’s. Got hooked on motorsport. Couldn’t afford racing IRL so started with Slotcar racing at school level. I took on RC (Electric) racing late 90’s to 2001, took a break and started again in 2013. I stopped racing RC after representing RSA at the World Champs in 2018. With petrol (fuel/Gas in some Countries)in my veins I then started Simracing during lockdown June 2020. I Joined the South African Police at 18yrs old and went on early retirement end of March 2021 as a Colonel after 37yrs service. Currently resides on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, RSA.
How long have you played ACC ?
I started simracing in ACC in June 2020.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I really enjoyed racing my age and mixed it with very experienced people. Racing not always the best result but loved the banter in between and after a race. Also great respect amongst the drivers. I unfortunately cannot make all the races anymore but do race when ever possible.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I never arrive and drive. (As I have learned lessons). I always do practice the full race length or close there off but most importantly the same conditions. Prep time depends on whether I have a previous setup or need to work on a new one. Best advise is to stick to one car or similar car (i.e. front engine cars) as the characteristics are the same. There is just no substitute for seat time.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
PC is a Ryzen 3900X, RTX 2080 Super with 32Gb Ram. Triple 24” 144Hz screens. G920 wheel (to be replaced by a Simucube 2 Pro soon). Pedals is Alien Zadrotti Load cell pedals. Seat is an almost new Mazda3 seat from scrap yard. All mounted on an allu 4545 profile home made rig (was a shelve before) Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ? I did invest in some CDA setups which helped a lot. Could then fine tune to my liking. I was not too far off with my own setups but worth the money spend for that extra tenth or two….
What makes you faster than the rest?
I am not faster than anyone else. It all boils down to confidence in the car, knowledge of the track, handling/applying of pressure and adopt to environment. I can always do with a lot of luck. As Gary Player said……”the more you practice, the luckier you get…..”
What is you favorite car and why ?
I started off with the Lexus but recently changed to the Aston Martin V8. Very forgiving, excellent on brakes and off course that sound…..
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Few tracks stand out for me. Kyalami obvious my home track and the place where my love for motorsport started. Spa for its layout, old school, balls to the wall corners, just wow…… Imola and Zolder very special for the reasons that it is there that two of my heroes died. Always an emotional experience for me racing on these two tracks.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Gilles Villeneuve was my first hero. After he was killed I supported our very own Jody Scheckter. Then the greatest of all arrive on the scene, Ayrton Senna…..no real heroes for me after him.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Have serious fun, enjoy the races. Learn from mistakes, including others. Study the Hot Laps of guys like Tortellini, Coach Dave and other Aliens. Watch live streams of them incl. Jardier, Jimmer where you can get better insight and advise on the go. There is always another race at no extra cost….but time, and it is time well spend.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
As with anything else in life, there is room for improvement. The entries increased a lot and so did competition, skills, admin and everyones 2 cents. Server ping is a problem for me in RSA hence me not very comfortable in racing frequently. Joining server in North America is problematic and cause lag which in turn created incidents. A more central based server in Europe can help with that. The new simracing.gp should also be looked at to manage races schedules and entries. A job well done to you Jérémie and team, not an easy task. It is and will always be a daunting task keeping Grumpy Old Men and more so Woman all satisfied.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Paid once for driving 71 km/h in a 60 zone. I have the utmost respect for traffic cops, propably the most ungreatful job after a telemarketer agent…..
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
PETER WOLFSLEHNER
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I’m 56 years old, born and grown up in Austria and I finished university as a mechanical engineer in Austria. After some years working in Austria I spent 27 years in South East Asia Asia in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan but most of my working period in Shanghai China. Main businesses have been electrical machines and drives as well as PV industry and high performance polymer developments. I’m semi-retired and living in Austria and enjoying live together with my wife with Mountain Biking, Windsurfing, Skiing, real Motorsport Racing and SIM Racing of course.
I more or less started SIM Racing on PlayStation 2 and continued until PS4 mainly Gran Turismo and some other Arcade Games until I completely switched to PC 2019.
How long have you played ACC ?
I tried except iRacing all known brands like RaceRoom, Rfactor2, Forza, Assetto Corsa and finally found myself in Assetto Corsa Competizione being the main focus by January 2019. Car physics, graphic and audio elements have been a clear decision maker and I found ACC best at the time.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Well, mixed feelings. My first season didn’t go so well and part of the first races didn’t find such a good end. All in all it’s getting better for me and I try my best to keeping it up. It’s improving but still a way to go I would say but high respect what has been established in such short period of time by Jérémie and Michel, congratulations.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important?
I wouldn’t say that I’m a talented driver and therefore I probably need to practice more than others, especially on unknown tracks. I’m practicing 3 hours about 4 days a week but not only for practice reasons, also to chat with my team mates from Leadlap eSports Racing but as a physical workout as well. Pit stops are used to change sweaty T-shirts.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I’m using a Fanatec DD2 base with a Porsche GT3 wheel, Heusinkveld Ultimate pedals on a Samsung G9 Odyssey ultrawide screen, all mounted on a SimLab P1-X and powerd by an i9-9900K – RTX 2080 Ti, its running smooth and sound since day one.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
Before I built my own setups but nowadays I buy setups and adjust them to my personal preferences, it’s too time consuming and I like racing more than making setups.
What makes you faster than the rest?
In other leagues I’m racing I’m far away from the fast guys and I try hard to keep up with them but my talent is limited therefore I’m practicing little more than others.
What is your favorite car and why?
I like the Porsche 911 as it has been my chosen car for the first 9 month but in general I like mid-engine cars like McLaren 720, Ferrari 488, Audi R8 and partially Honda NSX (at Mount Panorama unbeatable). At the moment I’m good with the Ferrari 488 EVO and will stay with it for a while. It’s a very agile and responsive car which I prefer even its a little “principesssa” always want to get rid of me.
What is your favorite circuit (s) and why?
I prefer tracks like Kyalami, Zandvoort, Misano, Brands Hatch, Barcelona and Bathurst. Those tracks are very technical and need all the skill from a driver and the car isn’t the most important part.
Oultan Park I don’t’ like too much since my teeth and tongue are in danger when I drive there ;-)
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
That’s easy for an Austrian in my age. Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda and James Hunt and Ayrton Senna of course - GOAT
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
practice, practice, practice…. watch videos, study, read …. practice, practice, practice
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
It’s incredible what has been established in such short period of time and it’s good to have a place and platform for motorsport enthusiast like us, that’s wonderful. The community and higher level of competition will grow by itself since there are a lot of fast and experienced racers out there.
Live streaming with pro or semi-pro streamers in different regional areas who have an existing community behind them will probably help to spread out, that’s where it could go to.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Innumerable tickets but definitely too many… part of a police station should be my owned property already… not proud of it but honest and last 2 years none, getting better ;-)
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
DAVID NOBLE
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer :
A ‘69 baby, the best year. Born in the UK midlands city of Leicester. Leicester sits in a nice little triangle of nostalgic motor racing circuits of Silverstone, Donington and Mallory Park…………………………... !!!!!! WE must get a beer Neil.
O wait, that’s Neil's, but I am the very same in all accounts.
I am self employed in IT and look after small companies in the area.
Mainly selling Andrea’s Products, I am still awaiting more discounts.
My Blood is pure Petrol, just into cars 24x7 and raced RC at National level in 83/84.
And now do track days at Donnington in all manor of cars, I have had 80+ Sports cars !!
How long have you played ACC ?
I bought this the day it came out, then left it a bit then just played now and again untill I joined this league but like Many, Geoff Crammond was the main man back in the day.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I love it, of couse gutted to come 2nd well done Lars, but I love racing real people and I am getting faster ;-)
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I have sadly gone from 15 hours a week to 3 or 4 atm, we are out of Covid and times are not as easy to come by. You need laps and maybe 200 odd to be fast per track.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I upgraded mid waythough the last league.
1 : Simlab P1X
2 : fanatec CS 2.5 base
3 : Heusinkveld Sprint pedals.
4 : Sparco race bucket seat
5 : buttkickers
6 : sim 3d design rumble motors.
7 : 3x 27 » 1ms Curved triple screens.
8 : 3070 GPU
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I did buy CDA setups at the start and liked them although did tweak still, when 1.7 came out, I hated his setups, imo they are not right now and for me totally unusable. I now look at you tube and mod from there.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Sadly I am not the fastest lol, but let say top 10 as it stands today, I would say know your lines, and race craft is key.
And you have to put the time in of course.
I follow the slower guys, they are not on the racing line !! you will get no where off line.
What is you favorite car and why ?
In ACC I loved the Ferrari but from 1.7 hated it, In the Merc for this run and seem on my own in this car, Real life I am into Porsches and own 2 atm.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Donnington and Spa, and I have to go to the ring in 2022 in one of my real cars.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
I don’t have hero’s, I did like Stirling Moss and would liked to have had a chat with him.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Lines, lines lines and buy some good pedals.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
As we all know the start was hard, but after a few chats on the forum and with yourself, now having 2 leagues it transformed the platform 10 fold in all area’s, long may it grow, it’s great here.
Competition is growing all the time as people get faster.
As we all know I made a thing about Blue flags early doors and now it’s all pretty good.
But without you guys running it, we were all alone in our 50’s.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Quite a few, but clean atm, I had motorbikes and went to court for speeding, super bikes are mental fast, I feel lucky to be here and would never buy another, I gave those up many years ago.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
DIMITRI STATHIS
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Dimitri Stathis. I am 54 and live in Montreal Canada. I am a business owner in the telecommunications space. I started Sim Racing about a year and a half ago just before the Covid Lockdown. Prior to that I had no experience in Sim Racing or actual racing other than playing Forza on my kid’s Xbox about 10 years ago. Just as I started sim racing, we went into lockdown and the whole sim racing world exploded. Fortunately I was able to equip myself before everything was out of stock.
How long have you played ACC ?
A little over 1 year. I started off with Assetto Corsa. I tried many cars and tracks until I found ACC and then focused entirely on it ever since. I bought pretty much every other sim on the market but nothing compares to ACC.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
What a great group of guys!. I started racing in another league about 6months ago after many public server disasters. I found that organized leagues with the same people racing every time makes for a more controlled environment where you can actually focus on getting better. eSeniors has been great. Most racers have way more experience than me but everyone races in a gentlemanly way so it is a great environment to promote improvement.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Most weeks I spend 5-6 hours before each race but some weeks my schedule doesn’t allow for more than a couple of hours.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
When I get into something I usually go all out :) I built a PC with an i7 9700 and initially a 2070 Super but upgraded to a 3080 when they came out. Initially I was in front of a 50” plasma with a Thrustmaster TX and T3PA pedals but after a few weeks I decided to upgrade. I designed and built my own aluminum profile rig and set it up with triple 27” monitors, a Simplicity 20NM direct drive wheel base, a Simline Porsche Cup rim and Heusinkveld Sprint pedals. I guess I wanted to make sure that the equipment would not hold me back :) The best investment by far were the pedals by the way.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I am not good enough to do my own setups yet so I bought the CDA setups.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don’t think I am faster. My biggest issue is consistency. I study my laps using Motec and try to compare with others to give me hints on where I can improve. I find I do better when I relax and don’t overdrive. I am quite conservative on the track which has helped me stay away from trouble and get some free positions when others get into crashes in front of me.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I started off with Porsche then I went to the 720S and now I am driving the 488 Evo. I am too new to have a favorite so far. I try to focus on one car for a long period of time so I can really get the feel for it. I used to do GT3 and GT4 races in the same week but I found that I was spreading my practice too thin so I decided to focus on GT3 even though I find GT4 cars a blast to drive.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
The first one I drove on when I started sim racing was Siverstone so I have a soft spot for that. Can’t go wrong with a classic. It is my favorite fast track. I also love Brands Hatch as it is short and very technical. Recently I discovered Oulton Park. What a blast. It almost feels like I am driving a rally stage.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Niki Lauda and Nigel Mansell in F1 and Michelle Mouton in rally driving. I grew up in Greece where rallyes are a big part of the local racing culture. That Audi Quattro was like something from a science fiction movie.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
I am very new myself so it is hard to give advice. I started with Zero knowledge of racing. I learned everything from scratch. There is so much knowledge available today on youtube that anyone can learn. Nothing beats laps though. So practice analyzing and comparing will ultimately lead to better results.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Could not ask for more. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much. Competition is quite high for my level so no need to make it harder :) Maybe longer races with pit stops to add some more elements.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Less than a handful over 35 years. and most were in 50KPH zones doing just over 70 :( Cruise control is my best friend.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
MIRCHE PAUNOV
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Mirche Paunov, 52 years old, Macedonian, born and live in Macedonia. Married, We have 3 sons. I’m graduated mechanical engineer, specialty – vehicles. I also worked with programs for photo/video and vector graphics (Photoshop, Premiere, Corel draw), assembling, and repairing computers and networks. How I became simracer ? It is natural for someone like me to become simracer…. All my live I have interest about cars, motorcycles and trucks. As I boy my toys were cars, bikes, trucks. Whenever I had opportunity I drove someone's vehicle. Besides cars, bikes and trucks. I have thousands of kilometers with big trucks (Scania, Mercedes, Volvo, MAN, Iveco and DAF). I also drove Tanks – T34, T55 and M84, feeling is awesome You feel power like nothing else.
My other passion beside vehicles are video games. First game I ever played was about 1980 in Stockholm, after that as a kid I was always going to the locals with video games. 1984 I started with commodore 64, than amiga 600, than pc. Before ACC, I played project cars 1 and 2, F1 2012- F1 2019, Collin mcrae rally… But when I tried ACC, I instantly felt that this is most realistic game and left all other car games.
How long have you played ACC ?
About 1 year, but not actively.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
It is totally different experience than public lobbies. We are clean drivers, respect each other, and it is easy to compare yourself with other drivers. Before I joined Esenior Championship, I was diving only few tracks, didn’t try at all Porsche cup car, and with GT4 I had only 2 races. Thanks to Esenior Championship I had to learn a lot of tracks that I never tried before and I discovered how fun is to race with GT 4. I have to highlight that for me is important that I met a lot of friendly people in this group.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I cant tell exact value, but I think about 2-3 hours a day. Training is something that I must do, and I wish I have more time for preparation. If it is a track that I don’t know I have to learn track, fine tune my setup, and tyres. Without practice it’s hard to drive.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Wheel Logitech G25, monitor AOC 24 inch, IPS 144 Hz, CPU I5 9400F, GPU Nvidia RTX 2060.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I have some paid setups for other cars in GT 3, not for ASTON MARTIN V8 that I drive in GT3. I usualy use agressive setup with tuning to my taste, or setups from Youtube.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I won’t be modest 😊 I’m faster than billions of peoples on the earth. To be fast in real life you have to have passion, feeling, talent, desire to drive fast. Sim racing is just a reflection of real life passion. But people that I met online are also fast. In our group are also very fast guys, that are faster than me and that is good. I like competition and faster guys are motivation to be faster.
What is you favorite car and why ?
In real life Porsche 911, best car I ever drove, It was 1998 but I remember like yesterday, it was the only car that I ever tried that gave me feeling that I grew up with it.
In ACC my favorite is BMW M4, at every race I drive it with agressive setup and for me driving this car is the most close to real car driving.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Bathurst, I like mountain section you are not allowed to make mistakes and you are always close to the walls. This is the circuit that I have feeling no matter how fast lap You do , You can always improve.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Ayrton Senna is Number 1.
After Senna my heroes are Valentino Rossi, Mick Doohan, Carlos Sainz, Nigel Mansell, Antonio Cairoli, John Mcguiness
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Never let your wife to try simracing. If she goes into it, You will have to learn all the wife’s work at home.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I’m satisfied, it’s well organized, overall atmosphere is great and orginzation have big impact on that.
The broadcasting with good commentators of the first race this season was great, and that is the think that could brings our championship to much higher level. Organizing endurance race(s) with 2-3 drivers in one team for example once a month can be fun.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I was bad boy when I was young and always drove fast, but with respect to other drivers. Every drive for me was race. I still like fast driving, but I feel that I’m not capable like before, so I slowed down a little. I have many speeding tickets, and I can’t remember how much, but no other traffic violation.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ROBERT OBANDO
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Greetings Race Fans! Of course I really don’t need any introduction, but in case you just crawled out from under a rock my name is Robert Obando, 56 years young. Grew up in Piedmont, California and have been a California kid to this day where I live just 25 minutes from my childhood home, in Alameda. I work for a major communications company that starts with an A and ends with a T and the middle initial is also a T, as a Results manager supporting Enterprise customer’s data and voice installations. Yeah, I know, I just put everyone to sleep.
I have many hobbies, too many per my wife, Archery, Cycling, Running, Music (play guitar, bass drums, piano, Trumpet), Kayaking, Stand up Paddle boarding, avid Fly Fisherman, Skateboarding, oh yeah and that SIM racing…
I became a sim racer after I built my first gaming PC early this year... the first one since 25+ years ago, the last PC I built was a Pentium based box. Once my recent machine was built I started looking at racing games and ACC popped up on Steam and decided to give it a shot.
One day, a few months ago I was on a public server trying to learn BrandsHatch and I started trading paint with a stranger, he hit me I hit him but we always waited for each other after each incident and apologized to each other. I thought, ‘This guy is so polite, like 1 in 1,000 compared to all the wreckless drivers I had previously encountered. Well that ‘Polite’ gentleman was none other than Jeremie ! After we raced he asked if I wanted to join a racing group.. and I said, WTF, why not ! I believe I was the 7th or 8th person recruited to eSeniors (Jeremie will correct me if I’m off base).
Cont…
How long have you played ACC ?
… so here I am now, SIM racing with 3-4 months of experience and totally HOOKED !
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
The most fun I’ve had with my clothes on ! Well, there were a few times I’ve raced butt naked but let’s not share that information (and YES I put a towel down on my office chair, because my wife would disown me I did not). It truly was humbling, I ‘thought’ I was sorta fast but after the first race, reality sunk in, I’m 89 Chapters behind everyone and I hate homework, but luckily I love racing.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Usually about 5-7 hours a week learning the track and working on techniques that ppl on the interwebz say make you faster. Since every track is new to me, with the exception of Laguna Seca (since I’ve physically done a lap there as well as Sear’s Point, not in ACC) after every race I always realize or figure out the numerous things I could have done to be faster. That’s just what comes from being a Rookie I suppose. My team mates Carlo and Jonathan teach me some of the forbidden arts of high speed racing, especially the techniques of how to run slower drivers off the track and how to get away with it, so special thanks to them.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
My weapon of choice, don’t be jealous guys, is a Logitech Driving Force wheel and 2 pedal set I picked up from eBay for $49 USD. After racing with the keyboard and then graduating to a Joystick, I thought I would splurge and drop down $49 for a used 20+ year old PS2 wheelset !
PC is a GB Aorus X570 Wifi Pro with a Ryzen 7 3700X and a Radeon RX 5700 XT Nitro+ GPU.
Of course, I sport an Oculus Q2 headset, cause that’s what all the ‘cool’ people use.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I’m too frugal to buy setups so I either poach them from the interwebz or have been offered them from my generous team mates Carlo and Jonathan... Well I take that back, Carlo is generous, Jonathan has not offered me diddly, cheap English bastard. WEST COAST WANKERS .. Woop, Woop !!
What makes you faster than the rest?
I think starting from the back of the grid disqualifies me from answering such a sensitive and ego crushing question. I mean, I thought you were a thoughtful person Jeremie ??!!??? I do have a Therapy appointment tomorrow and I’ll be sure to mention this,,, and here I thought you were my friend ?
But to not destroy my ego too much, my strategy in racing is just like Golf, I challenge myself, and try to be faster the next time I get behind my cheap a$$ wheel.
I can say I am steadily improving with MUCH help from my team mates Carlo and Jonathan. We practice most nights at 8pm PT and they offer me many tips and suggestions to help me not SUCK as much. The Alien Carlo and soon to be Alien Jonathan are great role models on the track and when I grow up, I want to be just like them ! Oh, and I can’t leave out Gentleman Jack Jacobs, my Filipino brother from another mother, he has most recently graced our practice sessions and is a joy to race with.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I’ve never liked the ‘favorite’ questions because it always discriminates in certain way. I love all the cars because they all have something cool to offer, each car was a dream of a designer that came true and I would not want to diminish that accomplishment by picking favorites. I drove a Pink and Purple Honda Civic a few races for crying out loud !! That motor was derived from their Lawnmower line.,.or was it a Portable Generator ? Can’t remember.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
See Answer above. I love them all.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Early on it was Nelson Piquet and then eventually Juan Pablo Montoya just because of the fact they raced BMW powered F1 cars (my first car was a 1978 BMW 320is) and I thought the Parmalat Brabham BT49-50 was a damn sexy car. Other racers I admire are James Stewart of MotoCross fame and Lewis Hamilton. Minority racers that reach the pinnacle of success will always get much respect from me for all the obvious reasons. I would add Tiger Woods to the list but we are just talking racing.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Sell me your Fanatec rig for $150, you’ll never get better. If that does not work, I would suggest practice at 80% race pace on all tracks to truly experience the optimal line then gradually add speed, going too fast too soon will just frustrate you to no end. I liken it to Golf.. if you try to hit the ball as hard as you can, that ball will most likely go 50 feet at best or 45 degrees from your site line. Slow progression as in any new skill is the best method. Oh, and hanging out with people that are much faster than you never hurts.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
100% satisfied with eSeniors for sure, part of it is the thrill of racing against old as dirt folks (me included).. and that always reminds me of the Who song where Roger sings « I’m burning tires with some guy whos hair is turning white ». –Dreaming (The Who by Numbers album)
And the most important part are the new good friends I’ve made in the group, which is priceless. We’ve had conversations of hooking up when the opportuntity presents itself and I can’t wait to tilt pints back with them and talk about fast cars and fast women !
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Only 1, and that was when I was driving to the shooting range… if the police officer knew what was in the toolbox on the passenger seat floor I probably would have been handcuffed, arrested and violated in prison !
And lastly I would like to thank my sponsors, AlpineStar, Sparco, Oakley, Pirelli Tires, Brembo, Fanatec, Harbor Side Dispensary and Zig Zag Co. for all they provided because without them we would not have finished in the back of the grid where all the true fun happens.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
MALCOLM HUTCHEON
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Malcolm Hutcheon, aged 52, I am a Scotsman originally from the Northeast near Aberdeen, but have lived in the Southeast of England now since May 1999.
I actually moved to England for the first time after leaving school to take up an apprenticeship as opportunities to do so were far greater in the southeast at the time. In 1990 I joined a company who manufacture Industrial Batteries then shortly after moved back to Scotland as a Field Service Engineer with them, then in 1999 moved back down south for promotion with the same company.
Today I hold a management position within the same company.
How I became a sim racer? I had an Amiga 500 and played Geoff Crammonds F1 Grand Prix which I really liked, but at the same time discovered an F-16 flight sim (okay, probably a loose term ;) ) called Falcon, which I loved and got hooked on. This stuck with me until in approx 1989 rumours of a new version started to circulate and in (IIRC) 1991 Falcon 3.0 was released, so I bought an Intel 286-based PC running at 10 Megahertz to play it. I lost count the hours I spent playing this, but it ran into the 1000s.
In 1999 Falcon 4.0 came out and I gave this as much if not more attention than I ever did F3.0 and was heavily involved with modding before eventually joining the Benchmark Sims dev team. The something strange happened – last October-ish, I was browsing Youtube one evening when through the magic of their algorithms an ACC video of some fella called "Jardier" appeared in my suggestions list. I watched a few of his streams, thought it looked a lot of fun and fancied a go myself, so borrowed a Logitech wheel/pedal combo off a mate and bought ACC in November 2020. Away from the computers and simulation, I still have an involvement with the motorbike racing despite "retiring" from racing myself, my interest is predominantly 80s/90s era Japanese two-strokes and still own a few, most notably a 1998 Yamaha TZ250 4TW3 (which I would sleep with at night if the missus would let me!)
How long have you played ACC?
Since November 2020
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship?
Honestly, I love it ! I have also raced in the Actrollvision Beginners and Bronze leagues but as these are usually populated with people probably half my age I struggle to be competitive, managing a few top 10 finishes at best, and to be blunt although the speed is there many of these guys have no idea how to actually race and try to go through you rather than round you. It got quite frustrating. I saw a couple of Andy Lees YT videos to find eSeniors, and after a few messages back and forth I decided to join up and see how it went. I haven’t looked back since – eSeniors racers for the most part share my philosophy of "respect first" and race cleanly. That’s not to say us "old guys" can’t be fast though, and some are extremely quick which is good because we all need healthy competition to improve.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important?
When learning a new track, multiple lap times of 20 minutes plus are not uncommon as I aim to find as many reference points as possible. An intimate knowledge of the circuit (i.e. everything, not just where the tarmac goes left or right) is essential if you want to be competitive in all scenarios. I'll spend probably 3-4 hours or so tweaking setups per track. After that, I try to do at least 1 full race simulation (against AI) and 2 qualifying runs per day, but will do much more if and when time allows.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc)?
Currently, Intel i7-9700K with nVidia 1070ti and 32GB RAM. My current display is a 32inch ultra-wide at 3440x1440. I’d like to try VR but not with this video card (eye-candy is important too!) and we all know the current situation... Unfortunately my mate has reclaimed his Logitech so I bought Fanatec CSL base, V2 Carbon wheel, and CSL pedals with Load Cell. It was a fairly big investent for something I'd only been doing for 3 months, but I knew it would be money well spent. This all resides on my desk, I haven’t the space for a dedicated rig.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone?
To start with I tried a few setups I found on YT videos but invariably the car was just awful so now I use default Aggressive tuned to suit. Having gained some experience with ACC, understanding better what the car was telling me, and having a fairly good knowledge of how weight distribution/suspension works from the motorbikes (alot of it is transferrable), and the stuff like camber and toe I researched online on how best to benefit from it.
What makes you faster than the rest?
LOL ! Not sure I can be described as faster than the rest, but I aim to be, or would at least like to be! Practice, determination, a drive to succeed, and most of all learn from mistakes. We’re all human, we all make them – unfortunately not everyone admits to them though.
What is you favorite car and why?
That’s easy – the Audi R8 Evo. As you probably realise by now, cars are not really my thing and have never been able to get excited by F40s and Countaches, but a few years back I was at the cinema and saw an advert for the R8. I thought it was pure porn. When the numbers come up, I’ll be straight to the Audi dealership to order one. Here is the advert… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflP9D53slY
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
That’s not so easy ! All the British ones because I know them from my motorbike racing days, but at the same time I don’t particularly enjoy racing them in ACC. Silverstone, Suzuka, and Bathurst would be the ones I look for in a calendar. Silverstone because it is so fast, Suzuka and especially Bathurst because they demand 100 percent concentration – one slip and you’re toast! Paul Ricard is fun too due to the compromise – do I go fast or stable? Who are your childhood racing heroes? Barry Sheene, Mick Doohan, Vale Rossi, in no particular order. From F1, Michael Schumacher. I remember vividly when he was in the Ferrari at Hungaroring when Coulthard and Hakkinen were in McLarens. A slow-mo through turn 3 showed the Ferrari bouncing about everywhere while the McLarens were rock solid, Schumacher was still faster my miles.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer?
First off concentrate on learning the track intimately. Forget about laptimes until you know the track, and use the resources available on YT and similar to help you here. Turn off the HUD laptime display because it is just a distraction, especially in a race. Aim to be smooth and controlled – don’t just stamp on the brake and accelerator, don’t be sawing away at the steering wheel. Remember there's no such thing as a wasted lap! Most of all enjoy the ride and have fun.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
Yes, as best as I can determine the admin team are making real efforts for eSeniors to become a professional and organised outfit and in this regard I’ve no doubt you’ll succeed. As an aside, maybe consider something like Hotlap Leagues where drivers can aim to set the fastest single lap at a different circuit every week – this can be done offline/single player, then the replay is submitted for verification.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date?
Only 1 – when I was 21 years old! I probably took the mick more than I should have on the roadbikes though, but thankfully I was never caught!
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
JÖRGEN WAHLBY
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hello I am Jorgen Wahlby born in Sweden on 11th July 1968 so I will be 53 this summer... facepalm where did all the years go ???
My daily work is as a gardener for a housing company in Trollhättan, and at night I work as an “hardcore” sim racer and compete with and against grumpy old men from all over the world in ACC... “Evil laugh” muahahaha ;)
How long have you played ACC?
I started with ACC 2020 in January. I have been “racing” since late 2004 offline against the AI and started to race online in what we nowdays call multiplayer around 2006 when Simbin released GTR2.
How is the racing in Eseniors Championship?
It's a blast. I think we all can enjoy ourselfs and have found a group of individuals at the same phase in life both mentally and physically. = We are all nuts!
How many hours do you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
Normaly I spend about 6-10 hours preparing for a speccific race but it depends on my mood and the track. If I feel confident and already have a setup for a track I might take it easy but it can also be that I practice a lot if I have a chance to get on the Podium. If I need to make a setup or not driven a track before I might have to put in some serious time as well.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc)?
Wheel base: Thrustmaster T500RS + Steering rim EVO 599xx
Pedals: DIY loadcell
HUD: Samsung G2 DashMeter Pro
Buttkicker: One DIY on my RIG deck
MotherBoard: Asus Z-97A
CPU: Intel i7 4790K @4.6Ghz
Ram Memory: 16Gb @1633mhz "Quad Channel"
GPU: nVidia RTX 2070 Super 8Gb
Screens: 3x BenQ G2460 1920x1080 60hz = 5890x1080 (Bezel adjusted)
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone?
I try to make my own setups but have tested some setups from so called ”Pros” for educational purpose.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don't think I am faster than the rest (maybe some) but there will always be someone that is faster for everyone, but I hope that nearly two decades of simracing have given me some experience that I have use of.
What is you favorite car and why?
Overall it's the Lister Storm GT1 in GTR2 but in ACC it's the Aston Martin GT3 V8.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why?
Nordschleife is my all time favourite but if I have to pick one in ACC, it would have to be Kyalami...or Silverstone... or Bathurst “Laugh” there are to many to choose between.
Who are your childhood racing heroes?
I didn't really have a racing hero in my youth. (I watched Ronnie Petersson in F1 in my youth.
He sadly past away after an accident at Monza. (Think it was a blood clot from the operation that became fatal)
I started to watch drivers later in my simracing career though, and I did look up to Jamie Campbell-Walter when I started to drive in GTR2 and the Lister Storm which he drove IRL. He later switched to Aston martin DBR9 GT1 and I followed him in his steps when I switched to iRacing years later. Allan McNish and Darren Turner are drivers I have admired as well, both from there individual victories at Le Mans 24hours.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer?
Don't give up. Try to read something from a real driver on how to become better. It did help me not only with my pace but also in how to tackle the mental issues we ALL have while racing. (Believe me I'v been aweful and miserable in my pace and mental self esteem over the years)
The most important thing for a rookie driver that want to be competitive is to know the rules for the league you race in, and to be patient with traffic both in front as behind of you. AND really learn the tracks, it's a real bonus if you know the layout of the track you race on... Some say practice makes perfect but that is only half true, “Perfect practice makes perfect”...
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
Yes I am very happy with it, and so far I don't have any suggestions that already have been mentioned on discord. (which is a great tool for all of us)
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date?
I think I have a total of two, both within a year when I was younger (some 20 years ago before I started sim racing)
Here are some photos of my sim racing gear over the years. (Some I own and some I want)
https://1drv.ms/a/s!AnQiV87EbUG0jEi4_s3kH6RlhYJe
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ERIC DHONDT
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hi all, my name is Eric Dhondt, 51 and living in Belgium since the summer of 69.
Married and two children all still under the same roof. I grew up near Antwerp but moved to the area of Aarschot 10 years ago.
After working in the harbour of Antwerp for some years I had the opportunity to start working for a Finnish Mobile Phone manufacterer. I stayed for 15 years and had a great time there.
When that came to an end I had a short working experience at another company and realised that this kind of work was not what I wanted anymore (mails, conference calls, travel, endless (pointless) meetings,…)
So now I am a self employed painter/decorator painting people’s houses and I’m really enjoying it.
Besides some simcades played on the Playstation 1 (Rage Racer) and later on XBOX (F1, Forza) the real revelation came about 1,5 years ago when trying Project Cars 2, I was really smiling ear to ear when I started the game, the immersive experience was fantastic!
After that I bought a low budget game PC and discovered ACC.
How long have you played ACC ?
That must be a bit over a year now, I also played Raceroom and Project Cars 2 for a while, but I like sticking to a certain type of car and a limited amount of tracks.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
This is the first league I joined and I think I’ve been lucky so far to have taken this step. Very carefully at first because I thought I was way to slow to race in a league.
And honestly, since joining I’ve been improving so much I’m surprised to see how many seconds I’ve been shaving of my laptimes over the past months!
I really enjoy the races and community on Discord.
It’s definitely a plus that you get to know the fellow racers, the experience of SIM racing takes another step and it’s also nice to know there are others out there that sit behind a racingwheel playing race games, because family nor friends really see the fun of it...
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I try to practice 1 hour a day, during the week not always possible. On Tuesday some practice with the GT4 car. I really like the GT4 cars, it’s fun and a great way to learn a track. Not only to get the best result possible, but I think it’s also necessary to know a track well before going into a race. Racing is more challenging then hotlapping and sticking to the ideal line all the time.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I first used a Logitech wheel, but a few months ago I purchased the Fanatec Clubsport wheel base and V3 pedals. And it’s true : they don’t make you faster, but the immersion is again a step up, once set properly you can really feel the car a lot better.
I upgraded my PC two weeks ago to a more suitable model (Ryzen5 5600x and a GTX1070 GPU) enough to race with better settings then before, now we just need to wait till the prices drop a bit for a better GPU. I use a 27 inch monitor, but would really like to get a widescreen.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I did buy the CDA setups for the Ferrari and they seem to suit me well, but for GT4 I start from standard setup and tweak it to get a suitable setup.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I became faster since joining the eseniors league, but still a way to go. I think it helps for me to focus on a track for a week and try to find a good flow on the track, once I have confidence in the car I can try to reduce the lap times, check lap guides etc. But I need to work on my race pace and consistency.
What is you favorite car and why ?
Currently drving the Ferrari 488 Evo, suits me well, driving with it for a longer time now I think I understand the car better. It’s well balanced for my style of driving, with front engine cars I tend to have too much understeer issues.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Spa, what else can I answer here, been there a couple of times even as a kid when it was still partially a public road. Seen a few F1 races and went a couple of times to the 24hours race. Unfortunately in ACC I’m not that good on it...
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Definitely Ayrton Senna, what a charismatic person and racer. He was the reason that I started following F1, the rivalry with Alain Prost is legendary.
And Thierry Boutsen, I recall the race at Hungary when he took victory with Senna chasing him for several laps.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
So far the best advice is practice and then do some more practice, but be critical on how you drive, replay the laps you make and see if you are using all the track, hit the apex etc. All the other tips have been given I think.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Sure ! The first weeks I had to get used to the community and how to fit in, but now I see that knowing the fellow racers is making the whole experience a lot more fun then joining public lobbies or racing the AI.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Not sure, I for sure need two hands to count them :-)
But after a visit to the States a few years ago I realized that driving a bit calmer is possible and it’s a lot better for my blood pressure and wallet.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ALISTAIR HUGHES
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I'm 53 years old, Welsh, and I'm currently a "Forecasting, Planning, and Reporting Specialist" for a contact centre (they're not call centers any more, as more work comes in via email than calls) for a medium sized multinational. If you want to know your workload, staffing requirements, shift patterns, or anything else related to contact centre management then I'm your guy.
I've been in contact centers for 20 years, but before that I ran a pub and was a professional lorry driver for 10 years. I think I'm approaching 1,000,000 miles driven in real life, and I'm probably over that if you include virtual miles.
How long have you played ACC ?
I started playing at the end of March when I got my new PC.
I tried playing ACC last year, but my old PC has a GTX560 from 2015, so the graphics were awful, and I did about 5 hours and gave up. Now I get about 200fps with everything on full, and it's a very pretty game, especially when the sun is low.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I'm enjoying this league and the camaraderie of all the racers. Everybody is friendly and there's been some good racing so far. (I'm not sure everyone is human though, one or two are just too fast!)
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I get about 3 hours on a Tuesday evening, when the mother-in-law comes over and occupies the missus. Then maybe a few more hours through the week if I'm lucky, and about 3 hours on Sunday before the race itself.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I've got a new PC, with a 3070 and a good chip. A nice AOC 32” curved screen, and a Logitech G29 mounted on a GT Omega Pro rig.
I literally had a Fanatec CSL Elite, with pedals and 2 wheels, in the basket on their site on a weekend back in April. I decided to do a bit more research, and decided to buy it. Went back on Monday and they stopped selling their old wheelbases so I'm waiting until autumn to upgrade my wheel and pedals now
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I bought the Coach Dave Academy setups, but they're very loose and don't suit my driving style. So I dig around websites and YouTube for setups, or get some from Marc Neutelings 🙂
I'm starting to learn how to smooth oversteer and settle the car, but it will be a while before I can build a setup properly.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Those 1,000,000 miles I've done, plus many hours in every Gran Turismo game since they started.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I'm currently using the Bentley as it's a FR car that handles predictably, has good pace, and sounds good. It's a big lump though, and heavy to throw around.
I think I'll go for the Porsche soon. I like a challenge.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
I like Silverstone and Zolder, as they're quite fast and flowing, but with a good mix of corners. I also like Brands Hatch, and think the last 4 corners there are probably the best combination on any track.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Ari Vatanen. Walter Rohrl. Tony Pond. Michelle Mouton.
I was a rally kid.
What is the best advice you would give to a simracer ?
Brake earlier and get a good exit.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
It's pretty good, but it's growing and possibly there's too much going on for everything to be organised 100%. It's about 95% at the moment.
I think it needs more stewards, for in-race penalties. The website could do with a bit of modernisation and more frequent updates. And I'd love to see some endurance races, with teams, driver changes, and weather. (Although not too much rain. I live in Wales and it rains for 75% of the year).
I'm loving the YouTube coverage with commentary. That's brilliant.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
In my 35 years of driving and 1,000,000 miles I've had 2 tickets for speeding. But I'm the UK we have a system where you can go on a "Speed Awareness" course if it's your first ticket in 3 years - and I've done 2 of those as well.
It's hard to get speeding tickets when you're driving a 40 tonne articulated lorry (semi for the North American contingent) that's limited to 56mph.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
KENNY SMITH
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Kenny Smith I'm 52yrs old, Born and raised in USA, I've been an Automotive Technician for FMC since 1988
How long have you played ACC ?
Started ACC in March of 2020
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
It's Very Challenging
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
On Average I'll do 3 or 4 Complete practice races for Prep, Tire and Fuel planning. It's important because I Feel knowing I've tried as Best I can to prepare takes pressure off at Race Time
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Fanatec CSL Elite base,McLaren V2 Wheel,Clubsport V3 pedals with Brake mod (CSL DD on pre order)
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
Normally as I'm Always at work I'll research a set up online then dial it in to feel comfortable to me
What makes you faster than the rest?
I never really take comfort in those feelings. I've been leading a Race to the end only to blow it on the Last Lap. Every Lap. Corner Entry/Exit. Fuel weight. Tire wear. Personal Fatigue plays a Factor.
What is you favorite car and why ?
Corvette Gt3 or Gte I Stood right beside them at Rd Atlanta
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Nurburgring GP or Kayalami so smooth
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Bob Glidden or Larry Morgan (Drag Racers)
What is the best advice you would give to a simracer ?
Race Etiquette over Pace,
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Very Satisfied, So much time and Work go into running these Leagues and It's a Big One! Thanks to All involved!
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Not Sure to date but Positive there's been 0 since getting sober 9yrs ago lol.
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
PATRIZIO ONGARO
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I am 51 years old, I was born and raised in Italy in the San Daniele del Friuli area in the province of Udine. I am an electronic expert and since the beginning (it was 1987) I have been dealing with personal computers, networks and for about 15 years with industrial plc. I have always been a SimRacer since MicroProse Formula One Grand Prix way back in 1992.
How long have you played ACC ?
Since the release of the first Beta as for all other Kunos Simulations titles.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
What to say; first of all I didn't think there were so many SimRacers over 50 and this gives me a lot of pleasure. Simulating with 20-year-olds wasn't much fun for me anymore and this group is a pleasant company for me. Like all groups in strong growth, also in this group I see things now known to me, which we must try to fix. Big congratulations to Jérémie and Michel, you have all my respect for what you do.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
It really depends on the free time that work leaves me. If I know the tracks I don't need a lot of time to prepare for the race; weather, temperatures, pressures and on. If I don't know the track, things are more complicated. Because it is important? It is very important to practice as much as possible, the more things you can delegate to muscle memory and the fewer things you have to pay attention to during the race. I try to explain myself better; when you participate in a race, the important things to always keep in mind are the opponents who are always and in any case unpredictable continuously and at all times. In order to be attentive and focused on this, everything else must be automatic. You, car, and track must be everyone, you get this only by practicing a lot.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
Fanatec DD2 with Acelith crown - Dc SimRacing pedals - Samsung 49 "screen - Headset Index Vr - PC all Asus brand - i9-10900k - RTX 2080 Ti
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
The setup has to be personal to work, so I do it myself. Being part of a team I could also try purchased setups but in the end I always had to fix them for how I like to ride.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don't think I'm faster than many others, when I'm ok with the car I'm very consistent and I make very few mistakes.
What is you favorite car and why ?
Surely the Nissan, I have a lot of fun driving it, it's powerful and sincere. She is not very well suited to sprint races but I always know what she is doing or going to do.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Mount Panorama, Imola, Zandvoort, however technical tracks.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Gilles Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Before looking at the times you can do, you have to be one with your car, so practice, practice, practice, until the combination of you, car, track will no longer be a problem for you.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I am very satisfied with the organization, I know what it means to make this work and I congratulate all the staff. There will always be things to improve, it is impossible to please everyone.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I have a good memory and can tell you None :-)
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
TONY WHITTON
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Tony Whitton, born in Durban South Africa, but raised in Johannesburg where I still live. I am married for 26 years and have 3 children. Growing up in SA. I wasn’t exposed to motor racing until much later in life. My family only got our first tv when I was around 14 years of age, SA was a late starter when it came to television so didn’t know anything about cars other than the one my dad had. I lived kind of close to Kyalami and a friend of mine took me to a Grand Prix there when I was around 17 years old, couldn’t for the life of me see what the fuss was about. The cars only came past once a lap, you didn’t know who was in the lead and everyone, including myself was drinking far too much beer to be able to tell anyway. I an / was a sound engineer where I worked for a National popular music radio station for 35 years, pumping out Jeremie’s Safety Dance tunes and many others. My speciality was outside broadcasting where I would build a temporary radio station to broadcast from anywhere in the world. Some of the exciting places I have broadcasted from are Antarctica, a castle in Scotland, the Mardis Gras in New Orleans, off the back of a yacht while crossing the Atlantic from Cape Town to Rio de Janiro and even from under the sea in a military submarine. These days however I’m retired so no more travel for now. I have 3 rabbit holes which cost me a lot of money, 1. Photography, doing shoots for Animal Planet and Discovery Channel across Africa. Mad Mike and Mark series, Meerkat Manor, Chimps in Sierra Leone etc. 2. Coffee, I restore old coffee machines, sell them and buy myself new one’s I can’t afford. 3. Sim racing, new to this one, but it’s seriously dangerous to the pocket. When I’m not at home you’ll find me in the bush taking photos, I love wild life. I have a holiday spot near the Kruger National Park, my most favourite place on Earth.
How long have you played ACC ?
I bought the game last year and absolutely love it. I have played around on other sims like GT5 and Forza 7, but they are nothing like ACC. This is also the first time I have done and multiplayer / online racing.How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ? This is the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on. I really enjoy the racing, the organization and meeting and racing other people from all over the World. I didn’t think this was even possible until I bought ACC,
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I spend roughly an hour to an hour and a half every evening. I would love to do more, but time is an issue for now. It takes so much time to learn the tracks, some I have come across in other games, but generally most are new to me.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I have a Fanatec CSW V2.5 with a wheel that looks like a D (I’m no expert, so don’t know what it’s called). CSL load cell pedals, an old Playseat with way too much flex in the pedal mount ( I actually snapped it off during a race not so long ago, got to sort that out). My PC is an i5 9400f, GTX1080ti with 24gb ram ( as you can tell, I’m no pc man either). I have a Reverb G2 VR headset which is awesome, but I can’t use it in ACC, my PC is just not powerful enough………yet!! I see that rabbit and it’s calling!
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I have bought Dave Academy setups, they work for me. I’m new at this so absolutely clueless with setups, got no feel for it, but I’m working on it. What makes you faster than the rest? LOL, I think this question needs to change as we get to the bottom of the barrel. I wish and dream of being fast. Sometimes I feel it sometimes I don’t. I’m certainly working on it though and when I find out I’ll let you know, promise.
What is you favorite car and why ?
I drive a Toyota Prado Land Cruiser and absolutely love it, Its 11 years old and I have no intention of replacing it. We have such big pot holes in SA that it’s pointless driving fast cars here. BUT, if you gave me lots of money and some nice tar, well a Red Ferrari of course, any one will do.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Ooh tough question. Kyalami because it’s local, but Spa is fantastic, fast, scary and only one chicane or is that 2? The Nordschleiffe (spelling), just love driving around there. Les Mans is also great. The longer the better, I have ADD so the short circuits I lose concentration on when it becomes repetitive. It’s why I drive with the green line on, to remind me where I am when I start nodding off.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Jody Scheckter of course, only South African to win a WC. Nikki Lauda, Didier Perroni, Jean Alessi and Michael Schumacher with special mention to Eddie Ervine, loved it when he unlpped himself with Ayrton Senna for which he got a slap! What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ? Don’t hit the loud pedal till you can push it all the way (Jackie Stewart). Find someone you can practice with, my old Brummie mate and I practice together and I learn constantly from him, I also get to steal his tweaks and lines.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Absolutely! You guys are doing an incredible job, where everyone’s an expert and has an opinion, rather you than me. Just keep doing what you doing, I see a lot of advice coming through on the discord channel, some of it fair, some of it not. My advice, just keep doing what you doing and keep this fantastic thing going.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Nothing for the last 3 years touch wood, but I’ve had a few. They get dished out here like confetti at a wedding. Even had one in Mozambique where if you can’t pay on the spot ( with no receipt or proof or payment) you go straight to jail, do not pass go and do not get 200
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
TERRY TROWBRIDGE
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
My name is Terry Trowbridge and i live in a seaside town on south coast of the United Kingdom. I was born in 1949 and worked in the family landscaping business until i was 50. I then retrained in engine reconditioning until i retired in 2012. Cars have always been my passion doing small motoring events until getting married and having a daughter. When my daughter was old enough to drive she wanted to go rallying, so we built a Mk1 Escort rally car which we took turns in driving in club rallies for 4 years until …….
How long have you played ACC ?
I got ACC on early access when it was released on steam, so May 2018 I believe.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I have enjoyed racing with all you guys in the Esenior series but am my own worst enemy trying to drive too hard sometimes.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I usually drive about 1 or 2 hours every day to learn lines and track conditions for each race.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I use a Fanatec DD1 wheel, Heusinkveld sprint pedals, PC is self built Ryzen 7 3700X 32GB of 3600 Mhz memory AMD RX 6800 XT graphics card.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
No I do my setups myself (usually very badly)
What is you favorite car and why ?
Aston Martin Vantage, because it is beautiful and British
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Bathurst, because it is the most challenging
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Stirling Moss, but in later years Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Enjoy yourself !
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I’m very happy with it as is.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
None, I save my speeding for the racetrack !
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
KEV FORREST
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hi Everyone, I am Kev Forrest, born in the year of our Lord 1967 in the beautiful Scottish Borders, although I now live in the « almost » as beautiful county of Somerset in England. I am the renegade of the family having moved away from the homeland to join the army, then the police, then the NHS and now the Railway where I work as a prosecutions manager.
I’ve always been a petrol head, and have always loved racing. In the 1970’s my dad was a successful kart racer and I used to go with him every weekend to wherever he was racing. I then raced motorbikes myself in the 1980’S & 90’s at all of the tracks that we race in ACC, but had to give up after a big off at a little track called Pembrey in South Wales. The crash hurt the body and the pcoket a little to much !
How long have you played ACC ?
I have always hankered to get back into some form of racing but just didn’t have the budget. I saw a couple of clips on Youtube and was hooked. I eventually saved enough to buyt my rig in December 2020, then bought ACC and began to practice. I started my online experience in January 2021.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I really like racing in this Championship because we are all a little older and a little more mature in our outlook and friendly in our behaviour both on track and off, but we are also quick and competitive, so for me compared to some other groups this is a great blend.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I normally practice a couple of hours 3 or 4 nights a week, as I need to learn , the game , how the car bnehaves and the most of the tracks. Practice makes perfect and I am far from that so I really do need to practice !
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I use a FANATEC CSL Elite wheel and two pedal set, I have Track Racer TR8 RIg with a Benq 32inch curved screen Monitor. ( I really want three screen but will wait to see what Snata brings). My PC is a Cyberpower Centurian Gaming PC with a AMD Ryzen 9 3900 and Nividia RTX 2080
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I haven’t bought any set ups (yet) mainly beacause I have only raced the Audi and the Bentley. I download some Youtube Aliens and tweak from there, or do my own, but I also have to thank Carlo Vanbrabant and Marc Neutlings for help in providing me help with the Audi early on.
What makes you faster than the rest?
I don’t really consider myself that fast, I think that I practice a lot and that certainly helps
What is you favorite car and why ?
I have only driven two. but I like the Audi as it is a lot more nimble than the Bentley which is a speed beast, but heavy and I find a little cumbersome at times.
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
Really difficult question this, as the ones I enjoy aren’t always the ones I’m that fast at. I suppose I would opt for Misano and Donnington Park as being two of my favourites
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Loads, Jim Clark ( I have a very loose connection with him) Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, James Hunt and Barry Sheene
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Practice as much as you can, and remember its racing for fun stay calm !
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
I like Eseniors, and I think we are attracting some seriously quick competitive oldies !
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
Right….so I’m an ex cop….errrrr…..a few !
But my claim to fame is that in nearly 30 years of policing I never ever gave anyone a speeding ticket !
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
ANDREAS PETTERSSON
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer.
My name is Andreas Pettersson. A Swede born -69 (the best year) currently 52 years old.
Since I was a kid I have been into mechanics, cars and speed. I've had cars as my hobby since younger years and have been working them as a hobby. Now I'm more in to hold my car in a good condition.
I've been working at ABB Machines since 2005 running a Vacuum/impregnation plant. Schedule is that I work 7 days straight and have the next week off.
I started the racing on PC when the PC's couldn't run games without lag and stutter! LOL Remembering the old TOCA, TOCA2 that I drove with the keyboard. It all began around 1999. But paused for years and years when the family formed.
How long have you played ACC ?
I started playing when it was just realeased but had more focus on AC and Dirt and other types of games for a while. Raced in a Swedish league for a year but the drivers where amoung the fastest in Sweden so I felt like I never had any fair chance, my age was againts me and the boys where really fast and consistent.
But just before finding the eSENIORS I had started to race ACC when i bought a new monitor, beginning of this year 2021.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
You mean how it is? I missed many of the earlier races, but I think it is a lot of fun! The people in here are so welcoming to new drivers/competitors!!! I felt very welcome when entering the group on FB and on Discord. The willingness to share and trying to solve each others problems is heartwarming to see.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
That differs from week to week. Some of the tracks I now better than the other so I feel I do not need to practice as much as on the other tracks, maybe 5-6hr if I feel I know it and perhaps 10 and then some if I feel unsecure. But I know that I shure need to practice a lot more than I do. ;-)
The practice is very important because it's the way you get to"know" the car and how it feels and behaves on that particular track.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I just bought a Simagic Alpha DD with the GT4 rim. Currently waiting for the matching pedals to be released! (Signed up to the short list for them). I might even buy the GT1-R rim when I'm at it as well.
My Pc is getting old I think. Managed to trim and optimize it so it runs smooth and fast.
CPU I7-6700k@4,5GHz, RAM 16Gb DDR4@3200MHz, motherboard Asus z170 pro , GPU Asus Nvidia 1080 8GB
Win10 runs from a nvme-ssd 970 pro. So does the most frequently used games of course
Monitor is LG OLED CX55.
Bought a new rig as well and it's a SRD PRO-TRI (if I get the feeling of I need to upgrade to triple monitor setup. So I'm still in the process of adapting to the new driving position. 20210625
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I make my setups based on the ingame safe setup. I'm twerking them to my likings ;-) Using the Motec software to see how I need to adapt them.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Nothing, rien, niets, ei mitään, nichts, τίποτα, rud ar bith, niente, ништо, nada I think. :-b
What is you favorite car and why ?
I really do not know, I have tried the McLaren, Ferrari, Audi, Aston, well the most of them but since I have had an AMG IRL myself, I feel for that car so for me I think I will drive it for a while. Lets see how the year turns out!
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
I'm very fond of Green Hell, The Nordschleife. It's like racing on the never ending story. So challenging and never a dull moment on it!
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Ronnie Peterson, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna among others.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Never give up a race! Don't quit in rage if someone or something happens. Just dig in and race your race. Things tend to happen to more people than just you so you could earn points just hanging in there. Of course practice to....practice,practice,practice,practice,practice,practice,practice.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
I am satisfied as it is and are looking forward to see how we can evolve and see how large the community can be. I'm not really here to compete as hard I can with you but more to have fun and race tight intense races. That's what I get so I'm happy with that.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I have had three tickets for speeding. The first in my youth and the other maybe 10 years ago and the last 2 years ago. The last two is because of that the limit was changed on that road I got them. So it's pure ignorance from me. It's about 4-8 km/h to fast, not 55 or 70!
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
CHRISTOPHER BOURNE
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Christopher Bourne aka cbo
Hi I am 52 years young from Kent in the UK originally from south London
sales rep for the largest soft drinks company in the world.
Married with 2 children. EX FOOTBALL COACH. (12 years)
Started sim racing playing Geoff Crammond game and other old f1 games, and when granturismo was launched and the forza franchise came out I got into the world of what was simcade racing using a plastic folding table with the old original logitech granturismo wheel (still got it) and other mad catz stuff.
Currently I am admin and race organizer in another group so I know how hard it is to run and organize events
How long have you played ACC ?
just over a year I had it when came out but in VR it was very glitchy on my old old system .
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
I am finding it fun and competitive and the guys are very helpful
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I spend a good 30mins to 2 hours per race that I do . I find its good to put the time as you generally get out what you put in
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
thustmaster tspc with open wheel magnetic shifters/ fanatec v3 pedals/ thrustmaster sequencial and usb handbrake/ rift s / 32 inch ultra wide / 80/20 si tunbull rig
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
Nope never buy set ups I'm tight. I always use pre set aggressive set ups but i tweak them and just use same set up for each track
What makes you faster than the rest?
I wouldn't say I'm faster just consistent?
Practicing helps, looking ahead for danger. hopefully i can use my left leg soon to trail brake and brake as late as i can whilst on throttle early to balance car more but i feel more like an on off switch atm
What is you favorite car and why ?
ACC ASTON V12 THE NOISE IT MAKES OVER THE MOUNTAIN.
REAL CAR OLD SCHOOL AUDI QUATRRO SPORT
F40 THE ULTIMATE DREAM CAR
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
BRANDS HATCH COS ITS LOCAL
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
COLIN McRAE // M Schanche
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Less is more
Look ahead
Don't over drive the car in the corners.
Respect the guy next to you as what goes around comes around
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Yes i think you guys are doing a great job organizing these events and keeping everyone engaged especially as I know how difficult it is
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I just got the 3 points way back in my youth
hurrying from football training to the night club after a shower of course
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
LEE DANIEL ELLIS
Lee Ellis with his mother and his sister
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
I'm a 16th-generation American, turning 50 in September of last year. Born & raised in rural Pennsylvania but I've spent most of my adult life living in Chicago. I graduated from college (1993) intending to go into advertising as an Art Director, switched careers, spent a few years working low-level IT jobs, and have been working as a cybersecurity professional since 2004. Never married, no kids. I also enjoy...
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archery - backyard target shooting only, no hunting
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growing hops in my backyard
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building/collecting/shooting civilian rifles (AR-15)
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cycling - I've raced many long-distance gravel road races in recent years along with some cyclocross
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making music with friends - fretless bass player for 30 years
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and playing tabletop RPGs - proud D&D player since 1979!
I began my simracing career in 1998 when Grand Prix Legends was released and spent many a night in the VROC client getting smoked by aliens. From there, I discovered Sports Car GT (anyone remember SCGT?), eventually became bored with that and switched to F1 sims almost exclusively until ACC was pre-released. I also have an affinity for rally racing, and still play Dirt Rally 2 every so often.
How long have you played ACC?
I began playing ACC during pre-release.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship?
I love eSeniors. I've had more fun racing with you guys for the past few months than I had in the previous 20 years racing with random internet weirdos.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important?
I typically spend between 4-6 hours each week prepping for races. I should spend more time, but I just recently started a new job and have been busy learning the new environment.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc)?
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Thrustmaster TS-XW wheel & pedals - I also bought the Thrustmaster load-cell pedals, but haven't begun using them quite yet. Technical issues. Long story.
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GTR GTA Pro rig (https://gtrsimulator.com/gta-pro/) - I never should've bought this thing. It's a deathtrap and not as adjustable as they claim. Not worth the money, would not recommend. I plan to replace it ASAP with something that doesn't suck.
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For visuals, I've been using either the Oculus Rift S or a 50" Samsung TV. I plan to replace the TV with a Samsung Odyssey G9 at some point in the near future.
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The PC is a Digital Storm Velox (https://www.digitalstorm.com/velox.asp) using a single GTX1080 card. Performace is sufficient, but I recently bought a 2nd GTX1080 exactly like the one already in the machine, and will be dualling them once I've purchased the SLI bridge cable.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone?
I just load the default aggressive setup and adjust tire pressures. Also, Mr. Neutelings & Mr. Vanbrabant have been kind enough to share some really good setups.
What makes you faster than the rest?
My mustache. It has to be the mustache (I don't have a mustache).
What is you favorite car and why?
Bentley! I've always loved the Bentley because I enjoy sailing the open seas. ;^)~
What is you favorite circuit(s) and why?
Hungaroring, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch, Zandvoort. I love these tracks due to their quick left/right, flowing nature. I like to keep busy without waiting ages for the next corner.
Who are your childhood racing heroes?
To be honest, I never really paid attention to motorsports when I was a kid. I was in my late 20s when I finally caught the bug.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer?
No serious simracer should ever take my advice.
Are you satisfied with the eSeniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition?
Like I said, I've been having tons of fun with eSeniors. That being said, I think we should hold a special event every once in a while. Let's do a 90-minute multiclass race (anywhere but Monza, please) at night with dynamic weather! I also wish the GT4 and Porsche Cup races were held on the weekends so could participate again, as I am now busy working at those times.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date?
Not many, maybe three or four. I recently went 20+ years without a speeding ticket; was stopped for driving 44mph in a 40mph zone. Bullshit ticket out in the middle of nowhere. Lonely cops looking to make quota. I tend to be pretty tame on public roads, but every once in a while, when conditions are just right...
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eSENIORS GT3 INTERVIEW WIITH
STEVE HOWELLS
Please introduce yourself, tell us about you (age, nationality, profession) and how you became a simracer
Hi my name is Steve Howells. I'm 51, English and live on an island off the Kent coast im an unpaid part time mechanic and full time carer to my wife ......... I suppose I became a simracer only last year when i got ACC before that I'd played other driving games like Forza and gran turismo.
How long have you played ACC ?
I've been playing ACC for about a year and have loved it from the start. I have racked up about 406 hours.
How was it racing in the Eseniors Championship ?
Well what can I say?! I joined group 3 as I had never raced with the seniors before and did not know where I'd fit in. From the start of my first race at snetterton it was so hard mentally, 45 minutes of Mr Ashley chasing me down and I knew it was going to be fun.
How many hours did you spend preparing yourself for a Race, and why is it important ?
I don't spend too long preparing for a race. Maybe 30 minutes-ish a day, if I go longer I find I get track blind and make mistakes. I do some laps, try to get my tyres right and the feel of the car. I like a stable car that I can trust round corners more then straight line speed. I think if you trust the car then you will go faster because you will push more.
What kind of equipment do you use (wheel, pedals, PC, screen, etc) ?
I run a Ryzen 5 2600 32GB ram RX5600 XT and msi 24inch monitor.
My wheel, until september, is a G29 and CSL elite pedals with loadcell.
Do you buy setups or do you setup your car alone ?
I did buy setups in the beginning but they were way too loose for my way of driving.
What makes you faster than the rest?
Faster then the rest? Ha Ha I think I'm just lucky not fast. Most of the time I can just stay on the track and dont go for silly moves. I think if you're behind someone then the right overtake will come to you without forcing it.
What is you favorite car and why ?
It has to be the Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO, it just feels right. I drive it all the time and I feel I know what its going to do (some times!).
What is you favorite circuit (s) and why ?
I dont really have a favourite track. I like a flowing track (not Monza ha ha)
I think if you have a good race with someone then the track doesn't matter too much.
Who are your childhood racing heroes ?
Well thats a big question! Number one has to be Senna just for the abilIty he had to put a car where he wanted it and to make moves. I also like Damon Hill for his smoothness. I like a driver that makes it look easy.
What is the best advice you would to give to a simracer ?
Don't get blinded by track times. If you're consistant you will do well and slowly but surely increase your skills. I found when I started
that I would be too hard on the brakes and I have become faster with a lighter touch.
Are you satisfied with the Eseniors organization, and do you have suggestions to help bring a higher level of competition ?
Yes absolutely. It's been the best and friendliest community i've found. Suggestions? Hmmm, maybe weather change in a race or pitstops. Always mix thing up butin general I like where the eseniors is going.
And finally, the most important question...how many speeding tickets have you accumulated to date ?
I have absolutely none and never have. I drive a 21year old golf mk4 tdi that my father-in-law bought new and passed to us when our daughter was born. The only way I'd get a speeding ticket is if I drove off a cliff!
