[tsk94]

I’ve been doing track driving and wheel-to-wheel racing for almost 15 years, and in many ways, I actually prefer sim racing. The accessibility to high-level competition is simply much greater. You still need to be a competent driver to reach the top in either environment, but in the sim world you can do it without the massive budget that real-life racing demands. And I’m not even talking about GT4 or GT3—just running a competitive season in NASA or SCCA at the regional or national level, or even Gridlife, requires a serious financial commitment.

In contrast, you can race at a very high level in the sim for a fraction of the cost. Plus, you don’t have to worry about some yahoo punting you off in real life and the time and money that goes into repairing the car. In a sim? Just restart and go again, lol.

As someone who does all the building, maintenance, and track prep on my own track and race cars, being able to hop into the sim and just drive is incredibly refreshing. No towing, no travel time—just sit down, load up your sim of choice, and you’re racing within 10 minutes.

With a good, properly set-up rig, you can get about 90% of the real-world experience in my opinion—maybe even more if you go with a motion system. But as close as it gets nowadays, it’s still not quite the same as being out there on a real track.

The vast amount of vehicles and driving experiences you can have on the sim is simply unmatched as well. Whether you're more casual or serious, there's something for everyone.