SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Sim Racing

The demographic band for our niche hobby is really pretty narrow. Most fans of PC simulations have some form of advanced education. Most are in professional or technical fields of employment: Engineers, doctors, architects, computers & high tech, business management, lawyers, law enforcement, etc. In addition to their educational and vocational similarities, many simmers are also currently serving in, or are veterans of, the military. Heck, a quick scan of SimHQ’s Staff Biographies will confirm all that. "...simulation hobbyists can quickly strike up lasting friendships with one another that reach far beyond the computer screen" With all these occupational and educational aspects in common, it should come as no surprise that computer simulation hobbyists can quickly strike up lasting friendships with one another that reach far beyond the computer screen.

Indeed, my personal background is no different than many of our other members: I’m a university baccalaureate, a naval officer and aviator. I relish the athletic rigors, mental focus and self-discipline required to fly high performance aircraft, not to mention the adrenaline rush that comes from doing a tough job well. Not surprisingly, those same cerebral cravings are also satisfied, in part, by the PC simulation hobby. It was the familiar environment of flight that attracted me initially to PC flight sims, and later morphed into a passion for racing sims. Over the past decade, the miracle of the Internet has given me the chance to interact with many of my fellow simulation hobbyists via the Forums, e-mail, and over TeamSpeak2 VOIP communications during online race sessions.

"I started sim racing for real just two years ago. I had dabbled in NASCAR 4 a couple years prior to that, but I was still driving with my Sidewinder flight stick and was never too serious about it. In 2005 "guod", "20mm", and "BeachAV8R" talked me into getting rFactor and a Logitech MOMO wheel. I tried it out a few times and found my new passion... sim racing for real.

I made sure to read up on the racing articles and tips written by Jens Lindblad and "Chunx", and after reading about the very first 2.4 hour race I figured I’d jump online and see what I could do. Man, what a rush! SimHQ Motorsports was born and I was a participant. I wasn’t very good in the beginning and just made a point of not wrecking anyone and trying to at least finish the races. At first I’d see "Chunx" in the starting line up and that would usually be it, until he was lapping me during the race and finishing on the podium.

One time I almost thought of quitting out of disgust for my actions. Somehow I qualified better than "Chunx" in a race we had. He might have joined late or something. When the lights went green I promptly spun from hammering the gas and my car smashed into "Chunx". Lucky for him he recovered well and still finished up top.

Another time forms one of my best memories and ended up keeping me in this hobby. We were racing at Kyalami in the rTrainer cars and I guess "Chunx" had little to no practice time in them. I think I probably practiced all week before the race. I ended up finishing 5th, I think… just ahead of "Chunx". See, he IS human!"

- "Weasel_Keeper"

As expected, I have a lot in common with my fellow simulation hobbyists, but over the years there have been a few that really stood out. Folks who saw the world the way I did: "KC23", "20mm", "Hornit", "Beer Camel", "Wayne Parker", "BeachAV8R", and "guod", just to name a select few. Over the years I’ve had the honor to meet all of them face-to-face, dine with them, and found that our similarities extended far beyond the hobby and easily outweighed any differences. I count all these fine individuals as valued friends.

The list above isn’t very long, but it also isn’t finite or exclusive. The mature and stable environment of SimHQ continually offers up the possibility of meeting ever-more simulation fans, as opportunities present themselves. While geography and real-world commitments frequently stymie opportunities to meet my other online racing cohorts, from time-to-time the planets have a way of aligning and I meet simulation enthusiasts in very unexpected ways. Which brings us to this interesting little tale.

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