Waving the COVID Flag: A Motorsport Resurrection?

BY DYLAN CRAFT - COUCH POTATO SPORTS

As the world faces the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is for certain: there is nothing normal anymore.  Before we even knew exactly what it was that was spreading like wildfire, everything began to change—strict regulations were enforced to prevent the spread of the illness, sporting events were beginning to be changed to no spectators and finally, they put a hold on everything. 2020, the year the sports world went dark…or so we thought.  

While the new stay-at-home measures impacted the daily intake of professional sports, different athletes found ways to pass the time.  Sure, there was extra time to work out and get their physical shape up, and recover the aches and pains that playing brought, but how could they connect themselves with their sport that they missed so dearly? It’s well documented that the NBA’s Paul George is an avid gamer, once claiming to be the best at 2K in the league.  Did someone say Buffalo Bills as Super Bowl champions? Maybe not, but Madden bowl '22 champions? At the hands of the NFL’s Eric Berry that faint dream became a reality.  Bo Bichette’s sophomore year came to a not so "soph-t" landing as the 2020 MLB season was put on hold.  Bad news? Bo no! It’s no coincidence that Bo rhymes with "The Show", which he streamed on his Twitch account—feeding almost 10,000 followers their daily doses of baseball.

It’s great that these athletes are able to "play" their respective sports but video games can’t really help you get better at your sport, can it?  

Cue up MOTORSPORTS!  Racing simulators can be dated back to the mid 1980s. Obviously, as technology and graphics advanced so too did the games and their adherence to realism.  Though there is a fine line between an arcade racer and a true sim racer, the principles and goal are generally the same; cross the finish line first.  

Today, there are multiple racing games on the market, ranging from Mario Kart to F1. Sim racing has it’s own subculture, finding players battling it out on titles such as; Asseto Corsa, Formula 1, iRacing, and my two favourites Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo.  Most notably, McLaren Racing’s rising F1 star, Lando Norris, has become an internet sensation.  Accruing over 430,000 Twitch followers, Lando has virtually raced in F1, Indycar, Touring Cars and Prototypes.  

Simulators for racing purposes are now a staple for every team.  F1 teams use their simulators to test new pieces before manufacturing them, train their young developing drivers and even to teach their current drivers more about the car, tracks and how to shave off those crucial thousandths of seconds. That’s right, 0.001 of a second can be the difference between starting a race from the lead or not.  When you look at the modern day Sim Racer, technology can virtually, and with quite a high degree of realism, put you in the driver's seat of your dream car.  Though they are designed to be played by anyone, and are perfectly adaptable to their gamepads, there is nothing that matches the level of excitement brought on by racing with a wheel.  There is a true sense of immersion that brings anyone who partakes that connection with their motorsport heroes.  Even though full rigs can break the $10,000 mark, for under $200 you can have yourself some proper fun.  

Through various social media platforms, one of the coolest things I’ve witnessed is the youngsters who are taking a shining to these racing games,  in relatively big numbers.  Even more impressive is the skill of some of these kids who, I hazard a guess, would be able to give me a run for my money!  While quarantine has been challenging for many, the growth of sim racing has seen a massive jump.  Gran Turismo has gone so far as to have the FIA, Racing’s Sanctioning Body, take on and recognize the game as a legitimate form of motorsport. Breaking the barriers of the game, Gran Turismo has even created the GT Academy which takes individuals who show incredible prowess at GT and put them through tests and challenges in real cars in the real world. This is how Britain’s Jann Mardenborough, now driving in the Japanese Super GT series, got his start in professional motorsports. Mardenborough beat out 90,000 others in 2011 to earn himself a seat with Nissan for the Dubai 24 hour race, then subsequently competed in a multitude of other disciplines.  This ability to connect video games to real-world racing success shows just how far these games have come and the benefits that sim racing has on daily drivers.

Watching this growing culture of virtual motorsports leaves me with a sense of hope that the beautiful art of racing will continue on from generation to generation, adding fuel to the fire that lives within all us petrol-heads. Heck, maybe it will even stoke the fires of someone who lost the passion a while back, or a senior who wants to live the thrill of 250 m.p.h. from the comfort of their living room! All I know is that I can’t get enough of it, and if you haven’t tried it, give it a shot! All you have to lose is those crucial seconds!