Start sim racing in 2025! That is my advice to you. Whether you are currently a real-world racer looking to work on your racecraft, a young (or not so young) race-driver wannabe or somewhere in the middle, start sim racing today. This week’s Sim Racing Roundup has all kinds of tips on getting started, profiles a number of sim racers that have graduated to the real thing and much more. Start sim racing now!
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Ivan Machado Perez, the winner of the 2024 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series, will join the grid for the 2025 edition of the Skip Barber Race Series. Perez, from Spain, earned a spot in a three-day shootout at VIRginia International Raceway after placing in the top three in the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series.
Throughout the three-day program, Perez and his fellow finalists, Matt Bussa and Victor Miranda were coached and evaluated by the instructional staff of the Skip Barber Racing School. The trio completed all aspects of a Skip Barber Three Day Formula School as well as a series of unique driving sessions to determine the winner.
“Back in March, when the announcement came that they were going to do this virtual championship, and the top three would go to the official shootout, I don’t know why, but I just said, ‘why not, let’s give it a go,’” Perez said. “‘Why not get involved in it and try it out? Maybe you don’t win anything, but maybe you get a big prize?’”
The rise of sim racing as a credible feeder to motorsport has been undeniable over the years. David Perel describes it like so: “Simulators are to racing drivers, as treadmills are to runners. It’s not quite the real thing … But at least you’re running.” That statement’s true gravitas has only multiplied since the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. Since then, sim racing has enjoyed a massive increase in popularity, and become a necessary adjunct for drivers seeking other outlets to build their talents.”
Read more about what the three-time Blancpain GT Champion, two-time Spa 24-Hour winner and former Ferrari GT racing driver has to say here.
The FormelAustria Young Driver Program that I profiled last December is not just for real-world race drivers. They will work with sim racers who want to transition to the real thing as well. You can read about the program here.
My last sim racing column of 2024 featured Part 1 by Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets discussing sim training for real-world track drivers. Over the holidays he released Part 2 which features some (but not all) basic training methods and drills Ross uses (all, and more, are available in detail in Sim Racer Academy). You can read Part 2 here.
Max Verstappen has made no secret of his love for sim racing. He has also made it clear that he sees sim racing as a realistic entry-point to real-world racing as he explained during his appearance at Heineken Player 0.0 in Madrid.
“That’s what we’re trying to stimulate more and more,” he explains. “Naturally, still kids grow up in go-karting and that’s the way forward. But I definitely want to try and stimulate the community also in sim racing, [so] that you can become a professional driver.” The advocacy stems from his understanding that sim racing offers a global platform, unlike the geographically constrained entry points of traditional racing avenues. “It really shows that it doesn’t matter where you’re from in the world, anything is possible.”
Read more of his thoughts here.
In the video above, Driver61’s Scott Mansell climbs into the Dynisma DMG-1 to uncover why ultra-realistic driving simulators, powered by low latency and high-bandwidth motion feedback, are revolutionizing F1 teams’ performance.
I have covered Racing Prodigy here on News Racers Can Use since its launch as I believe it offers sim racers are real opportunity to graduate to real-world racing. Kamto Chukwureh has participated in various online Racing Prodigy events and offers his take on what it is like to compete online in Racing Prodigy events. Read about his experience with Racing Prodigy here.
Speaking of Racing Prodigy, David Cook, CEO of the program was recently interviewed on the Gametime Guru Podcast about the mission of the program that gives sim racers a chance to race in real life.
There are many people who aspire to be racers, but the problem is, it’s an extremely expensive sport!! So how do you break the barriers of entry with the financials? Here’s where David Cook and Racing Prodigy come in. David created Racing Prodigy!! From the Racing Prodigy website itself it states: “…Historically, the cost of pursuing a career in motorsports has been so daunting 99% of drivers never realize the opportunity or even dare dream of becoming a professional racer. As a result, most never get to experience the thrill of racing behind the wheel.”
You can listen to the episode here.
Competitive Sim Racing News
Formula 1 has today announced that The F1 Sim Racing World Championship will return in the new year, with all ten teams competing in 12 rounds of racing across three events to secure a piece of the season’s $750,000 prize pot.
Kicking off on Tuesday 14 January, each event will feature four rounds of racing action across three days – day 1 and day 3 of each event will feature one round, whilst day 2 will host two rounds. All 12 rounds will consist of a full qualifying session and a 50% distance Grand Prix as drivers race in person over LAN (Local Area Network) at the EFG studio in Stockholm, Sweden.
More details can be found here.
Here are more headlines from the world of competitive sim racing
- Base Performance Simulators and Motorsport UK Join Forces to Expand Sim Racing Accessibility And Drive Innovation Through 2025 And Beyond (BPS)
- BMW M Motorsport becomes iRacing’s “Official Safety Car Partner” for the largest events on the popular simulation platform. (iRacing)
- IMSA Esports Global Championship: Williams win at Sebring to extend championship lead (Traxion)
- 2025 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series schedule revealed (iRacing)
- Veloce Esports announces a new collaboration with Thrustmaster as an Official Sim Racing Equipment Partner (Veloce)
- PRI Becomes Title Sponsor, Official Broadcast Partner of Hoosier 500 (PRI)
- The Esports Zone, new at Autosport International 2025 (Autosport International)
- “No One Comes Close”: Max Verstappen Declares His Domination Against F1 Peers When It Comes to Gaming (The Sports Rush)
- DTM Esports sim racing competition returns for 2025, qualifying now open (Traxion)
- Max Verstappen Opens Up On Sim-Racing Background After Heineken Player 0.0 Global Finals (Sporting News Canada)
- Max Verstappen Hosts F1 Sim Racing Spectacle in Madrid: Heineken Player 0.0 (MSN)
- Rennsport will return to 2025 Esports World Cup (Traxion)
- Your guide to iRacing’s ROAR 2025 special event (Traxion)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
New Years Resolution: Learn How Driving Works, Not Obsess Over Laptimes. (Apex Advisory)
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
Here is a roundup of the latest sim racing tech news, reviews, and recommendations from around the world
- The best Xbox sim racing setups for every budget (AutoBlog)
- iRacing: Best VR Headsets for Season 1 [2025] – Expert Recommendations (Box This Lap)
- Racing wheels: Essential budget PC and console gaming wheels for more immersive sim racing (Channel News Asia)
- The best sim racing wheel for $500 (Traxion)
- Dominate the Virtual Racetrack: The Best Sim Racing Rigs for 2024 (Road & Track)
- Sim-Lab launches debut sequential sim racing shifter (Traxion)
- Thermaltake launch their G6 Direct Drive Sim Racing Wheel Bundle and GM5 3DOF Motion System at CES 2025 (Overclock)
- Building the best sim racing rig for $500 — driving on the cheap is a lot better than you think (Tom’s Guide)
- Join the SimXperience Beta Testing Program for AccuForce Xtreme 28 (Box This Lap)
- Can a $1,700 brake pedal make you quicker? (Traxion)
- Best advanced sim racing wheels (MSN)
- Sim Racing: Everything You Need to Get Started in 2025 (Box This Lap)
- Corsair’s Fanatec Unveils ClubSport GT Cockpit To Shift Racing Sims Into High Gear (Hot Hardware)
General Sim Racing News
- Assetto Corsa EVO Official Content Unveiling (Assetto Corsa)
- Report: Assetto Corsa EVO Will Be The Official GTWC Game (Overtake)
- No, Assetto Corsa EVO will not be the official GT World Challenge game (Traxion)
- What to expect from Assetto Corsa EVO throughout 2025 (Traxion)
- Laguna Seca and Suzuka confirmed for Assetto Corsa EVO’s initial track list (Traxion)
- Assetto Corsa EVO complete car list, updated (Traxion)
- Every new car spotted in Assetto Corsa EVO’s video explainer (Traxion)
- Assetto Corsa EVO: Everything Will Be Drivable (Box This Lap)
- Assetto Corsa EVO: Elevating Racing Simulations to New Heights (DIH.net)
- First Assetto Corsa EVO cars and features for January version unveiled (Traxion)
- iRacing to redevelop GTP and Ferrari 499P tyres and hybrid system (Traxion)
- Automobilista 2’s latest update tweaks BoP and tyre sidewalls (Traxion)
- New Toyota touring car coming to PISTA Motorsport (Traxion)
- Crashy Christmas: RaceLeague update rebuilds Cup car (Traxion)
- Five racing games that will destroy your friendships (Traxion)
- Five overlooked driving games you may have missed in 2024 (Traxion)
- How Need for Speed has reinvented itself for 30 years (Traxion)
- Top 10 best original PlayStation (PSX) racing games (Traxion)
- RaceRoom: “Our super touring journey is not over”, further cars in development (Traxion)
- EA SPORTS WRC’s DLC strategy “stems from our long-term vision for the game” (Traxion)
- Forza Motorsport: Starting 2025 with BMW and Update 16 (Box This Lap)
- 20 Years Later, Gran Turismo 4 Is Still the King (Yahoo)
- New Argentinian track confirmed for free PISTA Motorsport update (Traxion)
- What the Traxion community is most excited about in 2025 (Traxion)
- Art of Rally developer teases ‘exploration’ driving game (Traxion)
- How Grand Theft Auto IV broke the open-world mould for vehicle physics (Traxion)
- Sonic Racing CrossWorlds will traverse space and time and… return to old ways? (Traxion)
- Project Motor Racing: Behind the Wheel and the Workbench (Box This Lap)
- F1 Challenge – Saturn’s forgotten licenced 3D Formula 1 game (Traxion)
- How to access BeamNG’s secret Rally mode (Traxion)
- How to play Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown for free on PS5 (Traxion)
- Classic Škoda rally car hits Live for Speed as licensed mod (Traxion)
- Gran Turismo’s Kazunori Yamauchi on 30 years of PlayStation and why sim racing shouldn’t be difficult (Traxion)
- 9 Racing Games To Get Excited About In 2025 (Car Throttle)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
