Hi everyone,
Not sure what a blog is really for. Is it short for Boring Log? LOL I’m a little out of touch. NN has been the recipient of the most time I've ever spent online besides time spent filling my I Pod, and burp'n the nephew once in awhile.
~
I figured I would start by explaining the meaning behind my screen name. Once you hear it, you may think it's juvenile. Simchamp is short for Racing Simulator Champion. Two time champ to be exact. ; )~ I used to race online via my PC in a league, against some of the best drivers on the Internet. I’ve never been a “gamer” by any stretch, but the competition involved is very intense and real, professional racecar drivers swear by it. After all, the game is designed with the help of real NASCAR drivers. It’s even how some have gotten their big break. I’ll give you one example: Dale Earnhardt JR. kept getting beat by a guy online so he offered him a ride.
I’m actually entertaining the idea of becoming a "cyber athlete." I’m learning that in certain leagues you can make several thousand dollars if you’re good. You have real sponsors and all. In countries like Korea, there are cyber athletes making a quarter of a million a year playing a fricken game. It is only time before that craze hits here in the US…if it hasn’t already…hence PS3, X-Box and so on.
I'm a fairly humble person but I'm very proud of what I’ve accomplished while racing online. Again, the competition is amazing! You have to be on your game each and every week to be a contender. I got the game and steering wheel as a gift because I'm a huge motor sports fan. After about 6 months of practice I decided to get online and see how I stacked up. Well, I won the championship my rookie season.
As a Freight Brokerage Manager, I have missed my calling. I was meant to be a professional racecar driver. I am a sponsor’s wet dream; I’m good looking, a good communicator, and I’m fast. Now if you’re like everyone else that I say that to, you are thinking, “Playing a computer game and driving a real race car with real G-forces, and the real risk off serious injury or death is totally different.” Yes and no. You can learn many things by racing a few full seasons online. First and foremost, you learn patience, and SLOW is FAST. How to protect your equipment until it’s time to get after it. How to find the preferred line. How to setup the car for various tracks and race conditions. How to hold a line in traffic. How to pass and get passed without taking you both out. It’s like golf; it’s not near as easy as it looks. You learn “big picture” racing, meaning points racing for a championship. I’ve learned that it’s all about maximizing on days that you’re not so good, and capitalizing on the days you’re strong.
Anyway, I’m getting to your thought. I bought a 30 minute session in those pro Go-carts that get up to like 80+ MPH. Well, I turned laps fast enough to qualify for their A-Main event in their pro league there. I’ve never raced in a cart near that fast and I’ve never raced at that track before. It’s actually one of the facilities that scouted for new driver talent for the Red Bull World Wide Driver Search. My times were fast enough to get flagged, but I didn’t fall with in their age requirements of 18 to 23. My point. I was fast in something real. The g-forces are so awesome that my arms and abs were sore the next day. And believe me, the threat of injury in those things is very real. I was involved in a 3 cart wreck early during that 30 minute period. I got drilled from behind and thrown into the tire barrier. It rang my bell, pulled a muscle in my neck, and I had a pounding headache for the rest of the session.
Example number two. My girlfriend just bought me 10 laps at I-70 Speedway in Missouri. It’s a sister track to the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. I drove a Nextel Cup car there. Now I have to admit, it scared the living shit out of me when I sailed it off into turn one for the first time. A friend of mine had turned some laps at the much bigger, Kansas Motor Speedway and said that the grip the car had was amazing. However, I thought that I was still carrying too much speed for the car, the tires, and the banking. I took my foot completely of the throttle and was going for the brake when the co-driver (a real racecar driver LOL) grabbed my pant leg to keep me from hitting the brake going into the corner. My heart fell to my feet. Again it really did scare the hell out of me. The grip the car had, and exactly how much the banking held you in the corner was more than I ever imagined. That’s all the confidence I needed, and well…I pegged the rev-limiter entering every corner after that. I’ll say it again, I missed my calling.
I've posted my online stats for grins and giggles. Thanks for listening.
CAREER STATS – 4 SEASONS - 84 RACES
Championships: 2
2001 Rookie of the Year
Wins: 14 (17%)
Poles: 5
Top 5's: 57 (68%)
Top 10's: 76 (91%)
Laps Completed: 8611 of 9138 (94%)
Laps Led: 1082 (12%)
Led Most Laps: 7 times
DNF’s: 9 (11%)
Final Point Standings each Season:1st,4th,1st,3rd
Wins:
Bristol(First Career win)
Dover(twice)
Richmond
Atlanta
Homestead-Miami
Talladega
Myrtle Beach
Indianapolis Raceway Park
South Boston
Phoenix
Pike's Peak
Memphis
Rockingham
