Pressure, pressure, pressure!

by Tony Rickard on March 6th, 2010

We have all seen those scenes of exhausted drivers after a long race. The heat, the physical exertion, the g-forces and the sheer concentration  takes its toll in a 90 minute GP, let alone a 500 mile stock car or Indy car race, 12 or 24 hour sports car race.  Drivers have to train extensively to be able to complete a race.

Fortunately for online racers, we don’t have to train for our form of racing. We can race from the comfort of our homes and it would seem as tough as watching the TV; and short of cranking-up the heating on a hot summer’s day, winding-up the force feedback and having someone push against our necks and shake our seats (not to mention adding the risk of injury or death!), we probably won’t ever have train.

Yet an interesting fact is that F1 drivers’ heart rates may rise to about 185 on the starting grid as the lights come on – without moving a muscle. That is pure adrenaline.

For those used to computer games as pure entertainment, the concept of getting a stronger adrenaline rush than you get from reaching the next level or getting a higher score may seem unlikely. Yet ask any Internet racing driver how he felt sitting on the grid in his first online race against fellow human racers rather then computerized AI and that heart-racing feeling is almost bound to come up.

Now make that an important race where the outcome could decide a championship or where you are up against key rivals you are determined to do well against and the thrill of racing is only too apparent and the adrenaline most certainly kicks in.

I recall my first-ever road rally many years ago where the starter counted me down and I set-off on my first ever timed run.  That first bend lined with spectators watching me (well at least they hung around long enough for car 44!) was like another adrenaline shot, and my navigator and I have often wondered how we ever survived those first few miles!

In the early hours of a cold winter’s morning I would have the window part open whilst my navigator shivered in his rally jacket.  I was baking although my Kadett GT/E was scarcely a physical beast.  I think my brain was cooking!

As bizarre as it may seem, those same experiences can be felt in front of a computer screen with a G25 wheel and pedals, heart racing as you get progressively warmer through the race. How many times at the end of a close race do you hear drivers say “phew! I am sweating.”  It is one of those sensations that have to be experienced to be believed.  I would be as cynical as the next man when it comes to believing computer games can be like the real thing.

I write this still ruing a missed opportunity to take a championship lead in a hosted race series in the iRacing Skip Barbers. Following a close qualifying session I had pole knowing I was in for an intense battle at Lime Rock Park. Sitting on the grid my heart certainly races as the lights go red. “Green, green, green” and the old ticker races even more as I set off, aware the guy in second seems to have gotten a better start. Into Turn One and I am relieved when the spotter says “clear” and I can get my head down and concentrate on my lines.

On Lap Three I set my fastest lap and a race personal best and have a gap of a second and a half, the greatest gap I would have for the remaining 28 laps. We drive line astern for the remainder, lap some traffic and the gap comes down as we tackle the last few laps – a couple of looks into Turn One but I am able to hold-off my attacker.

Come the very last lap I have a fraction more of a breather as we approach the last two turns.   Following a reasonable penultimate turn, I know I can be steady into the last corner as even if the guy behind is a little quicker I’ll make it to the line first. So I ease-off a tiny fraction more than the last 30 times and promptly loop the entry, forcing-off my pursurer in the process. Fortunately, we recover to finish first and second but with the places reversed.

The previous times under pressure that corner was so important to not lose the place into Turn One. Once that pressure changed, I tackled it differently and that was my downfall. I could drive it 100 more times without spinning, yet car racing is all about what ifs!

Of course one big advantage with iRacing is that rather than have to face the long journey home with a bent car on the trailer you can get back in the saddle and do it all again.

This time conquering that corner the full 31 times!

The driving may be simulated but the racing, the adrenaline rush, the mental pressure and all the emotions that go with real world racing are just as real. It is what makes Internet racing such a thrill and so much more than just entertainment. Just like my limited world motorsports experience, those feelings extend all the way down to the lowest club event, something Internet racing is able to convey.