Dave Cam is a popular presence in the sim racing community, from an initial hobby, his Youtube channel now boasts over 25 thousand followers. The British sim racer living in the North East of the UK, has a strong love for Porsche. We caught up with him to talk about his work as an influencer and all aspects on the iRacing platform. “Until just over 3 years ago I didn't even know sim racing existed, so started very small. I stumbled across iRacing on Steam and thought it looked cool, so I downloaded it. I quickly discovered that the racing was real, even though it was on a simulator. I had previously done a little Supermoto/Motocross and realised this gave me the same buzz as those, but without the risk of injuries which I had previously suffered from. The more I raced and the better I got, the racing and all round experience just got better and better.”

For many sim racers out there, especially ones just starting out on the platform, the equipment needed can be confusing. Many fans of motorsport more jump from console motorsport games into the simulator world. Finding your feet can take some time and the equipment certainly plays a big part. “I started out like most with a Logitech G29 clamped to a desk and an office chair. As my interest grew I slowly upgraded various parts along the way into what I have now. My advice to new sim racers is to start small and make sure this is for you. If you get the urge to upgrade, my suggestion would be the pedals with a load cell, which will make you a much more consistent sim racer and where most of the time is gained or lost. I currently have a custom built aluminium profile rig, Accuforce Direct Drive wheel, Heusinkveld Ultimate Pedals and I use a Samsung 49" Super Ultrawide monitor. I also have various other button boxes which I use during racing however most consumer wheels have plenty of buttons on the actual wheel rim, so that isn't necessary when starting out.”

There is no doubt the sim racing community has grown since the world has been under lockdown, with more and more users joining the platforms each day. It’s clear sim racing has filled a huge void that real motorsport has left. It also has given those fans the opportunity to drive the same cars and tracks of some of their favourite motorsport drivers. “In my opinion, the current situation has benefited sim racing greatly, from having more people actually sim racing, to the manufacturers of sim racing equipment, and the coverage on television has massively increased exposure. It is fantastic that real life racing drivers have taken note of sim racing and got involved. Only recently I had an amazing battle with Heikki Kovalainen on iRacing in the IMSA series. Racing with somebody with proven racing pedigree just makes things a little more special. No other eSport offers that experience.”

The popular 911 Cup Car is certainly one of the more challenging vehicles to master on iRacing and often one you will see Dave himself racing in. Porsche has a successful stable of events on iRacing, with the ever Popular Mobil 1 Virtual Supercup, WeatherTech IMSA, Porsche Club GB and Porschesport 2 Hour Series. “I have always been a huge fan of Porsche and growing up as a child had many pictures on my wall of the 911 Turbo and the beautiful 959. The 911 Cup Car in iRacing is like nothing else on the service, being rear engined, 400hp, no ABS, and no traction control. People new to sim racing may give up after the first half a lap, but once it clicks you'll find that it rewards smooth inputs from both brake and throttle. The racing at the sharp end of the Porsche 911 Cup Series on iRacing is superb. “

Many fans return to Dave’s channel for track guides and tips on improving their skills. One thing you will notice almost immediately is how much respect Dave has for the simulator, car and other drivers. Just like real Motorsport, sim racing can sometimes be frustrating and bring out negative decisions on track: “I guess my real world personality is mirrored via the way I race. I am generally laid back and courteous. "Sorry" and "Thank you" are the easiest words to say, they cost nothing and are arguably the most useful words to say in sim racing, people remember you for such things as these. Don’t be remembered for being the guy who on the face of it doesn't care that he caused an incident, or that you went off line to let him by.

Whilst competing at some of the top levels of iRacing, many of the competitive sim racers still juggle full time jobs and family life around their skills on the simulators. “I work full time and sometimes find it hard to get time to race with family life etc and it doesn't take very long for the muscle memory to fade slightly, so it can sometimes take a little longer to get back up to speed. I try and do 2 or 3 races per week and if they are worthy, upload them to my Youtube channel. Although, with editing and upload time that can easily run into a few hours per race. Thankfully my partner, Julie, is very supportive of my hobby and has actually started racing herself. She has even appeared in one or two of my videos. Worryingly, she has been asking about getting her own rig!”

You can view some of Dave’s fantastic videos on Youtube here.