Tickford Racing driver Lee Holdsworth says unlike other sports, Supercars is ‘very fortunate’ to be able to simulate its competition.
Holdsworth will be part of a full 25-car field for the first event of the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries, which takes place at the virtual Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Drivers will race from the comfort of their home using iRacing that features virtual versions of the Holden Commodore and Ford Mustang.
“I think we’re very fortunate as a sport that we can jump on the simulator and simulate what we do in real life,” said Holdsworth.
“This is as close as it gets to what we do in the race car, there are so many aspects that are identical.
“Your concentration level, your braking markers, your turn-in points, your apexes, your throttle control, brake control, race craft, there are so many things that relate, and we’re not like AFL.
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“The AFL players would have to jump on and get on a joystick, and that’s not going to be much fun for the punters to watch.
“I think your skills will still come out, the talent will still come out, it’s going to be great for the spectators to watch, and I think you’ll see some personalities come out as well.”
Cameron Waters, Jack Le Brocq, and Will Davison are also set to contest the Eseries for Tickford Racing, which comprises 18 circuits across 10 rounds.
“Even though it’s not the real thing for us it’s nice to have something a bit more normal to take on,” said Davison.
“Certainly it’s kept me busy the past week or so, I’ve been on the sim as much as possible trying to get up to speed on it.
“It’s going to be total madness, we’re all pros in the real world and some are total gurus when it comes to iRacing while some are rookies at it, and we’ve got nothing to lose, so I’m sure it’ll be pretty crazy to watch.”
Tickford Racing team principal Tim Edwards said the Eseries will hopefully give fans a reprieve from the lack of real-world racing.
“This is certainly different from what we’re used to, but it’s great to have some racing to talk about again,” he said.
“Motorsport is the only live sport on in Australia right now, so it’s a great opportunity to expose our sport to people who may not be familiar with it.
“The boys have been having some fun on iRacing, and even though it’s not the real thing the competitive juices are flowing, it should be a real spectacle to watch.”
The first event in the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries gets underway on April 8 at 19:00 AEDT and will be live streamed via Speedcafe.com.
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