Courtesy Andre Jamison
What the blow-by-blow reports and fully narrated replays don’t fully show: From our behind-the-wheel perspective, the SCCA has definitely raised the bar on quality, approachable sim racing during a period of time when not everyone has access to real-world motorsports events.
And it’s not just racers looking to pass some time until real-life tracks become more accessible. Many have found sim racing to be a viable outlet to express their competitive desires, regardless of the current situation.
The result is–at least for the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA eSports Super Tours–a level of competition that is reaching the point of something like an SCCA Major or a Solo National Tour. The front of the field is getting superhumanly faster, while the middle of the group is finding that they have to work diligently to constantly improve their skills, lest they be left permanently behind. The back of the field is being ground into a fine, Dunning-Kruger power and scattered at sea.
Courtesy SCCA
This is not to intimidate anyone, however. The upside of this level of competition is that the level of bone-headedness is almost nonexistent. Racing is almost universally clean, and if you are in one of the groups where skill building is in order, there are few better places to hone those skills: Novices are welcomes with open arms–provided they display courtesy and proper track demeanor–and the SCCA eSports Discord channel is becoming an excellent resource for trading knowledge, driving and setup tips. Then add in the old-fashioned encouragement and support.
The second season of the Hoosier eSports Super Tour started this past Thursday at the virtual Virginia International Raceway. What’s new? Look for another voice in the press box as our own J.G. Pasterjak will join a rotation that already includes Gregg Ginsberg and Larry MacLeod.
Courtesy Andre Jamison
Author’s note: The above 300 words were mostly written because I got smoked and have very little to report from behind the wheel. After qualifying mid-pack in the MX-5 Cup division, I was involved in an incident on lap 2 that took me out of the race.
It was a “clean” incident and is just one of those things that is going to happen when you get nearly 60 Miatas all trying to share the same strip of asphalt. If nothing else, running in a series like this has improved my driving and concentration level dramatically, and even small gains against a tough field like this feel like major victories. If you’re on the fence about joining a highly competitive series like this, I can vouch for this particular one unreservedly.
Courtesy Andre Jamison
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