Steve McQueen’s prophetic line from the 60’s film ‘Le Mans’ couldn’t be more appropriate for racing drivers around the world during this strange and uncertain time. Their racing world quite literally came to a halt at the start of the traditional motorsport calendar at the beginning of March when COVID-19 virus took hold around the globe.
Personally I was on a huge high from another brilliant Castrol Toyota Series in New Zealand. A new car, new tyres and the most diverse field in its history producing some brilliant racing live on Sky Sport with a worthy champion. Igor Fraga of Brazil narrowly beat New Zealand’s own Liam Lawson as the Red Bull Junior pushed him all the way to the Grand Prix at Manfeild. Fraga’s achievements won him, as it did Lawson a year before, a chance to join the Red Bull Junior Squad alongside Lawson.
Both of them were then about to reignite their rivalry on the world stage as they geared-up for the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship.
After the TRS series I headed straight home to the States and Austin, Texas, to embarked on more racing events. After celebrating my birthday with family, two days later I was emcee and commentator for the FIA World Endurance Championship at COTA or Circuit of the Americas, in Austin.
A great 6-hour race was as part of the series super season, but it was WEC’s last race before the shut down.
I then went straight to Florida and Sebring for the first round of the Trans AM Series presented by Pirelli in the USA. Again it was a brilliant event with over 30 TA2 cars and action in all five classes as Trans AM embarked on its 54th year. With full fields, a new APP for live streaming worldwide, it was an exciting start to the year. We were live for the whole weekend and it was a euphoric start of a new era for Trans AM.
Then on February 29th I returned home to Austin after 8 weeks of brilliant motor racing and it all came to an end.
So like the rest of you I’m just waiting. Waiting for Life and Racing to begin again.
So what’s the world of motorsport up to. Well many of the best minds in motor sport are doing what they do best, which is innovating and creating. Race teams from Formula One to Supercars in Australia and IMSA in the USA are turning their 3D printers and other machinery into designing and producing ventilators, CPAP equipment and safety protection for hospitals to help the health care providers the world over to fight this global Pandemic.
The world of ESports was already growing fast, but now has vaunted into the mainstream with F1, Indycar , MotoGP and Nascar, all stepping up with their real world talent all taking each other on in Cyberspace to huge global audiences.
Drivers like Lando Norris, Nicolas Latifi and Jimmy Johnson are entertaining motor racing fans in these troubled times in a great distraction which may well be a paradigm shift for motor racing in ESports.
I’ve even got an onboard myself and will be commentating the official Trans Am Esports championship which will begin 11 April.
So that has given me a chance to reach out to drivers all over the world and catch up with what they are up to.
New Zealand’s Hunter McElrea was hunkered down in deepest Wisconsin. Of all the drivers gleefully anticipating the 2020 season, Hunter was chomping at the bit to go racing.
Hunter McElrea.
“I’m fine, quarantining here in America right now kinda waiting to see what will happen. The Road to Indy just released a schedule that has us starting up again in June which is encouraging and there’s a lot of folks at Road to Indy dedicated and committed to making that happen so we will see.”
Hunter had just come off one of the best season’s in his career last year. He missed out, by the narrowest of margins, on winning the USF2000 championship at the last race of the season to Braden Eves, and a huge pay check of over $300,000 US dollars.
He spent the winter raising the budget to move along the Road to Indy and move up to Indy Pro2000 this season. Once again he would go head-to-head with his arch rival Braden Eves who was also moving up. Having topped the times at several of the pre-season test sessions, Hunter was fit and ready to go at the beginning of March and now with no racing and a complete lock down, he is left struggling to find inventive ways to train..
HUNTER:
“It’s really hard to train as they closed all the gyms so I’m doing a lot more running. Now every other day I’m doing 10 km though I’d be lying if i said i wasn’t sleeping-in more than normal.
“For me the thing that sucks is that I can’t even do the Road to Indy E Series as I don’t have my Sim here . So my dad’s sending it over and I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas so I can take on my rivals in the game and join the party.”
So what’s his set up?
HUNTER:
“I have a nice mid range sim. I just ordered a sim-lab cockpit from Europe which is pretty high end. I’ve got Hughesenveld set of full hydraulic pedals so I will be able to get realistic brake pedal forces into it. I’ve also got just a club sport Fanatec wheel which I’m hoping to upgrade soon to a direct drive wheel. So I can’t wait to cut some virtual laps soon.”
Hunter has been gaming since he was a teenager growing up with Porsche drivers Matt Cambell and Jaxon Evans, in Australia. Back in 2016 he raced almost every night on the sim while he lived there.
“I sweat way more in the Sim. When I’m in the real world it’s almost mechanical and subconscious. But in the sim I get so nervous cos your way more aware of your surroundings and your talking to everyone and you actually have more time to think and it makes me way more nervous to race. I read recently that Lando Norris says that too about Esports.”
One man you’d expect to shine while the real world has a cold is current TRS champion Igor Fraga. He’s won almost everything there is in Esport – F1, Gran Turismo, The McLaren Shadow Project.
Trouble is he went straight from New Zealand to the FIA F3 test at Bahrain then to the Czech Republic where he met his new Charouz racing system team and then headed home to Brazil. He hasn’t had time to set up his rig yet, but look out for Fraga on the internet because as soon as he is up and running he will be taking on the world in Esports for sure. Now with Gran Turismo and Red Bull backing him he could be a megastar in both worlds very soon.
Fraga is a great example of how successful you can be and how both real world racing and E sport racing are now converging.
HUNTER:
“Look at Fraga. He is a great example. He raced in USF2000 in 2018 and got fourth in the championship. Didn’t have the money to go racing full time so dedicated himself to winning E sports and that got him the backing from Gran Turisimo that got him the budget to do TRS.
“Now with Red Bull behind him as well as Gran Turismo backing both his real and Esports career. So with two massive companies backing him I don’t think there’s any junior driver in a better position anywhere in the world and that’s all because of his success in ESports.
“Whether you like it or not, it’s relevant and if you’re not using sims as an up and coming driver you will be at a disadvantage in real world racing. I’m 100% sure Esports is a place where you can gain advantage for your overall career.“
Like a lot of drivers it’s given Hunter a time to slow down just a bit and become reflective on what he’s been working towards tirelessly for the last few years.
HUNTER:
“When I was 8 years old I saw Scott Dixon win the Indy 500 and I thought that’s what I want to do. I’m still a little star-struck by him, but he’s been really helpful to me. He gives me advice and recommendations and it’s quite surreal for me.
“I’m not used to having time to reflect on what I’m doing and how lucky I am and how far I’ve come.
“I didn’t realise how special what I’m doing is to me and it’s great to have time now to realise that. I think my 10 year-old self would think it was pretty cool.”
The road to Indy will have their next E-race here in Austin at COTA this weekend. Well it will be at COTA in the game this weekend as the real COTA is just a track and tumbleweed blowing by like all those good westerns.
If Hunter doesn’t have his sim rig together by then he may have to sit this one out. Watch out for him when he does get back into action as this young man is determined to make 2020 his own come hell or high water.
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