"When you're concentrating hard on a racing sim, the real world melts away and your mind is sucked right into the monitor. If that isn't "immersion" then I don't know what is."

Chunx reflects on his decade of sim racing.

http://www.simhq.com/_motorsports5/motorsports_153a.html

Great read Chunx, thanks.

Ten years eh? Well no wonder you're so much better than me!

It also brought back a lot of memories for me, I'm sure for you too. Like the SimHQ 2.4 Hours of Le Mans, and racing with Weasy in Iraq. What a great coincidence that was

I remember when you and Doug convinced me to go racing. OW! that still hurts my arm... But race we did, rFactor at Toban Short. Of course, I spun out at the top of the first hill and Doug called out "I'll school bus him around for a few laps." My ego, already fragile, was nearly split in two. But it worked out and we had a fun time. I really do miss the Staff races we used to have. As relaxing a time driving a race sim as I've ever had.

And you're right about the connection between real world racing and sim racing. I bought several of Ross Bentley's books, on your recommendation, and they're top notch. Not made with a simmer in mind, strictly real world, but almost everything carries over to sim racing. I was reading one of them on an airplane one time and my traveling associate noticed and remarked he didn't I know I was an auto racer. I laughed and said I wasn't, but that Speed Secrets worked in my world too.

So again, thanks and thanks for getting me into this nutso hobby! I think...

That Dell machine must have been a Dimension XPS 400 Pentium II, with 64 or 128MB DDR and an nVidia Riva128 AGP card (STB Velocity) and maybe an SoundBlaster 16 soundcard?

Yep. Turtle Beach sound card, though. And I added a Voodoo II card to help out the 128Riva in certain games.

That was a long time ago!

Yeah, I thought I better not mention Voodoo, thinking I was pushing it if I did. '98 was an interesting year for sure.

[EDIT]Typed '93. Doh!

I remember Ken and Vic. I knew them since the old days on Prodigy back in 1991 as we were waiting for Falcon 3's release. Lost track and then rediscovered them on and off over the last (almost) 20 years. Only other person from then I think I still see regularly online is good old Falcon.
I remember some other names, have forgotten even more. Can't believe it's almost 20 years!

FWIW, my first experience with (real) PC racing was MPS' Grand Prix: World Circuit circa 1993. I tried it at JEB's house in Las Vegas at my first Fal-Con (the 2nd held). I missed the first, and I always regret not getting to meet Buzz Hoffman face-to-face. Anyway, I really liked it and when I got home I picked up a copy and haven't stopped racing on my PC since. There have been slow times, but always something was around. Papy's Indycar and NASCAR sims started around the same time and I had those plus MPS' F1 sims. I even remember the first game I ever bought with the name "Ubisoft" on it was F1 Racing Simulator about 1996.



The Jedi Master

Good story, Jedi. It's a small sim-world, sometimes. Ken and Vic are good guys. I too hear from them from time to time.

I remember the days in VROC where everynight was a monza nigth and it was 5 or 6 short races per night (for me).

great article chunx, makes me wants to write my own history on simracing.

i felt almost the same the first time i try GPL, but it happens two times!: the first time when i try the demo with keyboard and an analog gravis stick in the foot (the only way to accelerate and not wreck the engine) and then when i purchase my first wheel, a thrustmaster nascar pro digital.

I fixed it.