GARY HIRSCH VS. RACING UNLEASHED
On a quiet Monday afternoon, professional racing car driver Gary Hirsch visited us in the Racing Lounge in Cham. We wanted to know from Gary how quickly he can master the "green hell" (Nürburgring) in our state-of-the-art racing simulators. He also explained the differences between real driving and driving in the simulator.
About Gary Hirsch
Gary Hirsch is a Swiss and racing driver from Geneva. At the age of 12, Gary's love of speed, beautiful cars and his quest for success in motorsport began. Success in motorsport started with a trophy in go-kart, up to his 14-year career at Formula Renault on GT vehicles.
Other milestones in Gary's motorsport career:
2008 - Gary is given the opportunity to demonstrate his talent in a real Formula 1 car
2013 - European champion in the Le Mans Series in the LMPC class
2014 - Participation in the 24h of Le Mans
2015 - Le Mans European Champion with Greaves Motorsport in the LMP2 class
What makes the Nürburgring so special?
Gary: The Nürburgring is a fantastic race track! It offers a good mix of fast and slow corners. I like to drive this circuit. It's not my favorite racetrack, but it's still fun.
Did you notice a difference between real driving and racing simulation?
Gary: There are definitely differences and similarities. The good thing is: Sim Racing is very realistic. With Sim Racing you can create a solid basis to prove yourself later. On the other hand, there are also small differences, such as driving on the curbs. But also there, the differences are tiny.
As a professional and experienced driver, you have developed a feeling in your career how a racing car drives. Do you also feel this feeling in the Sim Racing cockpit?
Definitely! Especially during the braking process when the racing belts push you into the seat. You almost don't believe it, but you sweat after a ride in the racing simulator, despite the built-in ventilation nozzles in the high-quality carbon seat. All in all, the driving feeling is really very good.
Actually, you shouldn't compare reality to Sim Racing because the reality is always different, but there are similarities.
Is Sim Racing an alternative to training for professional racing drivers?
Absolutely yes! Sure, it is not the same, but it is the first step and serves as a good preparation for knowing the route, mastering the car, knowing the curves and knowing which gears you drive on certain passages. Even if not all racers agree with my statement.
Do you have a tip for aspiring Sim Racers?
Come and race against me!
More about Gary Hirsch
Webseite: http://www.garyhirsch.com/index.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghracing5/