Sim Racing and Esports News for June 9, 2022

This week in Sim Racing and Esports News covers all bases for racers looking to hone their craft online in order to help them when they hit the real track. I look at YouTube star and sim racer Jimmy Broadbent’s positive effect on club racing in the UK, why Daniel Ricciardo has embraced sim racing as a training tool, new cars and tracks in iRacing, the World eX Championship for electric prototypes, sim racing tips for brand new beginners and more.

• YouTube sensation Jimmy Broadbent entering real-life competition in a Praga has sent livestream viewing figures through the roof and is exposing club racing to a whole new audience. “Two elements mark Broadbent out among the countless other simulation content creators. The first is that, yes, his audience is gargantuan, but it’s also engaged. His followers tune in, predominantly, because of his alacrity. The second is for trying to forge a motorsport career and taking his fans along with him for the ride. Combining his loyal following with the UK motorsport scene is proving to be quite the boon for national competitions.”

• Sim Racing Academy explains why Daniel Ricciardo has embraced sim racing as a training tool. “The biggest challenge that I’ll say all of us F1 drivers have is we only get a few chances each weekend to put a new set of tires on and do the perfect lap. There’s sometimes three weeks in-between races, and then at the end of the season there’s two or three months. It is crazy, for a sport that’s so precise, and there’s so much technology involved, and with such precision, that it’s hard for any of us to ever really be perfect because we just don’t get the mileage.”

• Sim Racing Academy also gives you some sim racing tips for brand new beginners. “Sim Racing is about constantly improving. It’s about controlling your car and taking into account a lot of parameters that you are not thinking about in an arcade racing game, like how much heat/wear you are putting into your tires, racing clean, and not taking dumb risks that will cost you the race. Treat the car like a real car. If you really were in a GT3 car worth several hundred thousand dollars, would you go flat out right out of the pit lane and spin it in the wall? Of course not; you would be terrified and cautious trying to understand the car at first. The beginning is the same for simracers – go slow, do a few laps to see the track, the view, heat up your tires to actually have grip, hear your engine and learn your car’s reactions. The most important part is staying on track and being clean.”

• Available with the iRacing season 3 update, the turbocharged Radical SR10 will join the iconic 2005 SR8 Supersport on iRacing. You can see it in action in the video above.

• In addition to the SR10, a number of other cars and tracks have also been added in this update. You can read the full release notes here.

• If you are curious about electric racing in a sim environment, check out the World eX Championship. “The World eX Championship is the global esports racing series for electric experimental prototypes (eX). Nine professional teams are fighting for the ultimate goal: the world championship title and the #racingfortheclimate jackpot. But World eX is more than just esports racing: Our teams and drivers are promoting zero-emission mobility and clean energy. World eX mixes entertaining races with the latest news and trends for a better and cleaner future – via social media, live streaming, TV, our weekly blog “(Un)real”, our partners and last but not least our stunning teams and drivers from the real und unreal worlds.”

• F1 22 is making key changes for a new era for the sport. “The 15th entry in the series, F1 22, will release on July 1 to coincide with the Silverstone race weekend, bringing with it a whole host of new features and exciting enhancements to last year’s engine. We spoke with Senior Creative Director Lee Mather to find out just what makes this one so special and what fans can look forward to on release day.”

• The Coach Dave Academy looks at the the best Fanatec wheels in 2022. “This article will give you the guide on the what’s what and who’s who in Fanatec’s lineup, as well as recommend the best offer for you in Fanatec’s rostrum.“