Happy New Year!!
A new year represents new beginnings and resolutions and one of mine this year is to come out of the closet!!
It's time to confess that at 68 years of age I have become a "GAMER"!!!!
I have had a passion for racing all my life!
When I was a kid my Aunt & Uncle used to take me to the Stock Car Races. I was a card carrying member of the Ted Hogan Fan Club in 1960 (still have the card somewhere)!
I have always wanted to race cars, but never had the funds or mechanical ability. The passion continued through my early adult life (I even got engaged at Moss corner at Mosport.......thinking that was romantic :)
I even started a Go Kart League when I was in my fifties.
The passion really returned a few years ago when I was introduced to Ohsweken Speedway and Sprint Car racing! We have had a great time following and supporting Dylan Westbrook, one of the hottest Sprint Car drivers in North America and only 19 years old.
This past spring I heard about iRacing, an online Racing Simulation that absolutely blew my mind. The realism is amazing.
Dale Earnhardt and many other top drivers use it to learn new tracks and to improve their skills. The Toronto Star recently had an article on how big eSports is getting
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2017/12/30/as-virtual-sports-grow-real-sports-want-in-on-the-action.html
The original goal was to start slow and do it at minimal cost. My racing rig/cockpit has grown significantly over the last 9 months, thanks mainly to Kijiji! I sold a bunch of fishing equipment I was never going to use (electric downrigger, trolling mast) and an over the stove microwave. That funded a $10 steering wheel & pedals from London, a $100 40" TV from a person moving out their dorm at Brock and a $200 gaming PC from Hamilton.
This provided the proof of concept that justified moving forward. A major score on a used rig from Mississauga that included the chassis, racing seat and $500 steering wheel and pedals fast tracked me to a serious racing rig.
The rig grew and Triple monitors were added in the late fall along with 2 iPads and an old iPhone for telemetry information.
My eSports career is now in full swing as I pursue new licenses (Rookie, D,C,B,A, Pro) in Dirt, paved and road racing.
Tracks are laser mapped and dead accurate. I can even see the spot at Mosport where I got engaged.
I've joined a league (Worn Out Racers, must be over 40) with guys from all over the world that are just out for a good time. The live conversations while competing can be hilarious.
All our family members have had a ton of laughs even down to 8 year old Sam. He can hardly touch the pedals and the force feedback on the steering wheel push his whole body around.
Check to this video!
I usually run with number "747" which represents #7-Ted Hogan, my first racing hero and #47x-Dylan Westbrook, the latest driver that has inspired me. There have been many disciplines for an old guy, including learning Gimp ( a free version of Photoshop) in order to build (paint) my own cars.
The bottom line is that I'm a crap driver, but having a riot!
Maybe I'll see you on the track!
Happy New Year!!
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