Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Introduction to Screen to Speed, Meet the new Host: Emma Galasso!
• 01:07 Axe’s Journey in Sim Racing
• 03:17 From Controller to Wheel: Axe’s Setup Evolution
• 06:02 First Competitions and Memorable Races
• 11:15 Future Goals in Sim Racing and Broadcasting
• 15:08 Experiences at Real-Life Races
• 16:51 Photography and Videography in Motorsports
• 19:47 Supporting Female Drivers in Motorsports
• 24:48 Community and League Racing
• 25:56 The Importance of Racecraft in Sim Racing
• 27:12 Learning Through Mentorship and Drills; Joining a Development Program
• 30:13 Experiences with Harassment in Sim Racing
• 32:16 Balancing Sim Racing with Other Hobbies
• 34:55 Improving Driving Skills and Techniques
• 37:18 Memorable Moments in Sim Racing
• 39:18 Future Goals and Aspirations in Sim Racing
• 43:01 Challenges and Strategies in Sim Racing
• 49:03 The Need for More Women in Esports

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to Screen to Speed powered by Ennit Esports. In this podcast, we dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals, making waves in sim racing, and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real life racetracks, we explore the passion, Dedication and innovation that drives the world of motorsports.

We’ll hear from athletes, creators, and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motorsports. So buckle up, Screen to Speed starts now.

Emma Galasso: Hey everybody! Welcome to InnoTalks. I’m Emma Glassa. This is my first time hosting InnoTalks. I was a guest twice. Um, and I have Axe here with me. It’s going to be a great [00:01:00] talk, but please bear with me as this is my first one. So, we’re going to see how this goes. Um, alright, so. Uh, Axe, talk a little bit about, um, you know, kind of your journey in sim racing so we can get an idea.

Of who you are, um, what you bring to Inox, what you do in your day to day, and also being that we’re both in the us, um, what’s your experience been in the us?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so my first experience with eSports and racing in general was when my dad, when I used to play grants remote two on the PS two at school. Um, I would just do that ’cause I didn’t really have many friends in school, so it was something I could do on my own.

I just kind of would just sit down and I would just set the fastest lap every single time. And then, I think like 2011, when the PS3 came out, my dad bought Gran Turismo, uh, 5. Because that track had [00:02:00] the top gear circuit on it. And at the time, I was really into top gear, top gear and that sort of thing. Um, because I just I love the way that they presented the show.

It was just so visually stunning. Um, yeah. And then since then I’ve been playing more like lots and lots of grinds, Gran Turismo, and it’s kind of the way I kind of, when I come home from school, it’s kind of the way I relax a little bit. Um, sim racing has kind of been a bit of a escape for me from some of the bullying that I’ve kind of faced, uh, in the real world.

And it kind of gave me something to kind of work towards in that sort of thing.

Emma Galasso: Well, I totally can understand how that can kind of help you as an escape kind of thing. I remember when I was in middle school and high school, I mean, for me, it was playing Pokemon. People did not think that Pokemon was cool back in those days.

But, you know, when you practice things like that or do things that really [00:03:00] Excite you and are really cool. Um, in your opinion, sometimes, you know, Now Pokemon is really cool and everyone’s Everyone’s all about it. And you’ve had all this time to kind of catch up. So thanks, thanks for sharing that. Um, I did have a question for, so for Gran Turismo, were you using controller or did you have a wheel?

Yeah.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. So I started out on controller, uh, with the PS2 and the PS3. Um, and then like through the PS4 when I eventually upgraded to the PS4, uh, I raised on controller and actually recently this year, 2023 is when I got my first wheel. Uh, it’s a Logitech G29, pretty basic. Um, I got it on sale through B& H for 250.

Emma Galasso: Um, and

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): I, at the time, I had a kitchen table back there, uh, which I hooked the wheel up to the table, and I had the pedals on the floor. But the problem was I was using this chair, and so every time I’d hit the, I’d hit the brake, my chair would slide out. And so that was, uh, [00:04:00] I had to do a lot of, uh, gear rigging with it.

But, yeah, that’s kind of how I kind of got more serious with it.

Emma Galasso: Nice. Yeah, I started with a G29 as well. Um, I was lucky enough to be gifted my current setup as a Fanatec setup. Otherwise, I would still be using a G29. I really feel like it’s, it’s underrated. Um, I know a bunch of people who are super fast just using a G29, but totally get the, uh, chair situation.

I kind of had the opposite problem. I, I bought, like, a stand on Amazon to hold my wheel, and every time I, Pushed on the wheel because I apparently pushed on the wheel it knocked the whole thing forward

Oh, no,

Emma Galasso: we had a a good time with that So you do are you’re still on the ps4 now, or do you do any PC? I

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): just upgraded to a ps5 this year and my dad actually custom built me a sim rig Awesome.

Oh, yeah, he built it out of PVC piping. My dad used to be a carpenter [00:05:00] And he’s a firefighter, so he’s pretty handy. Uh, so he literally custom built it to my size. So he has, I put a, he put a jeg seat in there, um, a wooden base plate for the wheels, for the wheel and the pedals. So it’s really steady, and it’s nice because I can just recline my seat back when I’m playing other games, and it’s like I’m laying down.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. That’s super nice. It’s really nice. Sometimes I sit in my, my Uh,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): stand by.

Emma Galasso: Oh, yeah.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Mom, I’m on the, I’m doing the internet. I’m doing the interview. Go.

Emma Galasso: Sorry, that’s my mom. It’s all good, hey mom. I was doing a live stream for, I did the Ferrari Esports Challenge this year, and my dad, I told my dad, I was like, Please dad, don’t walk behind me while I’m in the middle of my race, and Jesse walked behind me in the But it’s all part of the fun.

That’s what, you know, stream reads all about. Um, okay. So on the PS5 now, that’s pretty cool. I actually, I still only have a PS4, but mine is basically a Netflix machine at this point. [00:06:00] Sorry to PlayStation. Um, so let’s talk about, have you done any competitions, um, either through in it or screen to screen that you’d like to talk about?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. My first like really big one was the winter was the winter cup. Um, which I didn’t place very well because my 1st time doing that, but the spring cup is where I kind of picked up where I kind of picked up momentum and I finished 10th. So, that was. That was kind of like my first big kind of entrance into large scale sim racing.

So can you tell us

Emma Galasso: really quick what game that was on and what car you drove, just so people have like an idea? Yeah,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): so that was the, that was in Gran Turismo 7, and I was driving a Porsche 911 RSR, which is kind of my go to car. Nice. Um, all my cars look exactly the, look pretty much the same. They all have a purple livery on them.

Nice. Um,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): yeah, it was kind of my first time really, [00:07:00] Like really thinking through Like kind of what my identity is for my cars and stuff.

Emma Galasso: Awesome Yeah, livery design is one of my favorite things about sim racing. Um Are all your liveries just that same purple or is there anything you’ve custom designed like artwork wise?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Uh, yeah, so what i’d like to do is I like to play a lot with like the fair carbon look too Um a lot of times I like to put a lot of um film making related stuff on there. So like different brands My, kind of my signature is every car has the color bar somewhere on the car and the PBS logo because I currently work for PBS, PBS Milwaukee, um, so it’s kind of like a little nod to like film and also kind of my station and stuff like that.

Emma Galasso: Could you explain to people who might not know what a color bar is, what that is and what the significance is?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so a car, a color bars is like if you ever seen like comedy and they cut to. It’s basically like, [00:08:00] it basically looks like a bunch of colorful lines on the screen. Uh, that’s called a color bar, and it usually has what’s called tone.

And it’s that really annoying high pitched, like, screech. Um, and so I put that on there because it’s kind of, it’s kind of a joke, um, where it’s like, uh, speeding, where you’d say speeding if you’re rolling tape or something like that. Uh, so it’s kind of like a play on words a little bit.

Emma Galasso: Nice. Yeah, they still use, um, so for anyone watching who might not know.

Um, both of us have worked in the film industry. I don’t work in the film industry anymore, but they still say speeding every time they’re about to start a take when they’re rolling sound. So that’s a really clever, uh, thing. So yeah, and I’m honestly, uh, as you can see behind me, I’m, I’m a Portia fan. I also work for them, so it’s pretty, it’s pretty cool to see those scars in real life.

But if you’ve seen, um, There’s Purple Sky Metallic is a color on Porsche’s, um, particularly the Taycan Turbo [00:09:00] GT, and Purple Sky Metallic is pretty cool if you haven’t seen that car before. Um, okay, so the Spring Cup, you said Spring Cup and Winter Cup was your first, or was the That

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): was my, those, the winter was my first and the spring was my second.

Emma Galasso: Okay. Do you have a memorable race from either season that really stuck out to you?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. Oh my God. Uh, Suzuka in the rain, man. That was the, I think that was in the winter. I’m not sure, but it was either winter or spring. And that was a crazy race because I was driving the Porsche 911, which of course is rear wheel drive rear engine.

So I was. just fighting that car through the corners. And this was before I had my actual rig. So I was in this chair and I was just trying to opposite lock this car through 130R because all of a sudden, of course, telephony physics, uh, decided it’s time to go drifting. And so I slid that through the corner, but I somehow [00:10:00] saved it just, just in time to get behind fifth place.

And so that was a really memorable race. And also of course, um, of course, uh, Of course, Red Bull Ring in the rain as well. Um, they really like rain races during the split. I

Emma Galasso: was gonna say, there’s a lot of rain. I don’t think I’ve ever Well, I have done a couple of rain races in iRacing, but I don’t think I’ve ever done it in Gran Turismo before.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, it’s pretty crazy in Gran Turismo, because especially at the time I was using a PS4, and the weather system between PS4 and PS5 is pretty different. So, like, the conditions for the rain when I was practicing were way different than the actual race. And so I was like, okay, I got this in practice and then the race started and everything I had in my brain melted.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I would say I did the Global Esports Games Qualifier in ACC within it. And I had kind of the same thing. I’ve been practicing at CODA. [00:11:00] And I was, I felt like, you know, really, really good and then qualifying, I was three seconds off the pace that I’d done, and I even tried to replicate the weather conditions and everything and it just didn’t, didn’t bode well for me, so I totally understand that.

Um, so let’s talk about what your goals are for the future in sim racing. Is it driving? Is it making liveries? Is it both of them? Videography? What is it?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so, uh, for those who don’t know, I am currently studying broadcasting at a local tech college and, um, my plan is I want to somehow combine driving with videography.

So I’m thinking like I’ll do races and then on the side, I’ll work as like a camera operator or something like that. Because I love anytime I can get behind the wheel is awesome for me. Larry Chen is a big inspiration for me, uh, because he does both driving and also photography and videography as well.

So [00:12:00] anything that involves, like, driving and filming at the same time is really cool. I thought about maybe becoming, like, um, a technocrane driver. So if you’ve ever seen behind the scenes films, it’s a car and then it has, like, a big arm on the end of it with a camera on it. Um, I thought about getting training with that.

Eventually, um, but yeah, currently I’m kind of trying to figure out kind of which direction I want to go, whether narrative or broadcast. But yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinking about doing in the future.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. That’s super cool. Yeah, Technocrane operators have a very interesting job. Actually, um, the movie that just came out, oh my gosh, I should know.

Oh, Den of Thieves. Um, Den of Thieves actually has a, the first all electric car chase scene that was filmed. They outfitted some Porsches with, uh, cranes and shot as like the drivers were going through the actual kind [00:13:00] of chase. Um, it’s a cool thing because it’s so innovative. All of that stuff is custom built and you really just have to know your rig and help build it.

So there’s a lot of creativity in that role, even from kind of an engineering perspective and stuff like that. Um, so yeah, talk to us a little bit about what you currently do in broadcasting and, um, like what your kind of day to day looks like in that.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so I’m currently in a broadcasting engineering program at college.

So my day to day is, uh, so usually, uh, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Um, I mean, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have what’s called workshops. So, my college is partnered up with the local TV station in my, in my city. And so what I do is I go in and they rotate me through different positions.

So, like, for example, one day I’ll be running a teleprompter. The next day I’ll be [00:14:00] running a camera. The next day I’ll be like a floor assistant. And then the third day I’ll be working as like a, a switcher or a CG operator. Um, and then I have my normal classes, which are lecture based. And lab based, uh, so I get hands on experience with cameras, um, lighting, audio equipment, etc.

Um, and then I go home and sleep.

Emma Galasso: Nice. Yeah, that sounds like the typical film life. You work, then you’re home and sleep. Um, but you have lectures in there too, and it’s definitely, uh

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, it’s a really cool program because, um, it’s It’s very designed to get people like hands on and get you jobs and stuff like that.

And I recently learned that one of my professors was a camera operator at a local racetrack. So I’m hopefully going to talk to him about that.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, that’s definitely the way to go. I mean, they always talk about film being a networking game, but honestly, so is motorsports. [00:15:00] Um, a lot of opportunities happen just because you happen to meet someone at the right time and the right place and some really cool things can happen.

Um, so speaking of motor sport, have you ever been to any races in the U. S. or abroad? Tell us about that.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so I, like, a thing that kind of attrition to me my dad had is we always go to the fall and spring vintage races up at Road America, which for those who don’t know is a road circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

And so me and my dad, we always try to go up there at least once or twice a year. Um, I usually bring up my camera with me and I bring like, my dad usually brings like some snacks or whatever to eat and we just drive around the, we just drive around and we just, I like to take photos. Um, that’s good practice for me.

And my first like overseas race I ever went to was the Le Mans 24 hours in France. Yeah, it was a special gift [00:16:00] that mom gave me. Uh, And we went there and we visited a friend and then we went to Le Mans 24 hours and that was, that was a crazy experience because the place where we stayed was right by Mulsanne Street.

Wow.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): And so, like, as I went to sleep, I just would just hear the cars racing by me and it was, it was so cool. And, uh, I really hope I can go back there again.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I honestly, my

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): actual proper gear.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I was gonna say I don’t actually know of anyone who’s, who’s actually been to that race in person. So could just see it.

That’s a really, a really cool race to have gone to. Um, and I, if you like hearing cars when you go to sleep, I also recommend going to Daytona 24. It’s a lot of

fun.

Emma Galasso: Definitely, uh, sorry, Daytona, but it’s not as cool as Le Mans, that’s kind of the OG, um, wow, that’s awesome. And so, I have a couple friends who like to photograph cars, and when you’re at the racetrack, it is a lot more difficult [00:17:00] than people make it out to be to photograph those cars, and even taking videos, um, Is that something that you’ve just had to learn through trial and error?

Is there any resources you’ve used to learn how to photograph cars and stuff like that?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. So a lot of it is kind of a mixture of trial and error. And also, um, I like to use Gran Turismo to practice because I can kind of go between cameras on the track and like, I can like say like, Oh, I want this track side camera.

Uh, and so I could literally just practice the shutter speed and the aperture, uh, and just kind of figure that out. And I usually will, like, write it down on my phone. And then when I go up to, like, a circuit where I’ve got to run America, I will just plug that into my camera and then see if it actually works or not.

Um, and the thing is, I am not, like, an official press person. So I don’t have credentials to get to, like, the best spots on track. But the nice thing, though, is, uh, Run [00:18:00] America is You can get really, really close to the circuit and get really clean pictures. Um, you can go like right up to the fence almost.

And I’ve gotten some really, really cool shots of like this mini Cooper driving over the curb. And you can see it’s little tiny wheels lifting up. Awesome. Um, yeah, it’s, it’s definitely, I would say it’s definitely trial and error and also just kind of looking things up and. Kind of asking questions on forums and just practicing.

Emma Galasso: Wow. That’s awesome. Yeah. I, uh, and definitely not a photographer, but when the few times that I’ve, I’ve wanted to try to get into it, all that stuff kind of, I’m like, well, I don’t even know how to look at this and think about aperture and shutter speed and stuff like that. So I, that’s really cool to hear how dedicated you are to that.

That’s awesome. Um, let’s see. Okay. So you would like to drive, but also take Photos as well and do videography at motors in motorsports and stuff like [00:19:00] that. Have you ever worked with, um, any groups like SCCA or, or smaller groups that might, you know, kind of give you a press pass for their like smaller days to start with, or how, how do you want to kind of get into that?

What’s your, what’s your plan? If you had, if you could plan it out perfectly, how would you do it?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. If I could plan it out perfectly, what I would do is I would try to contact, um. The SCCA at Road America, or I would try to contact, um, people who race at Milwaukee Miles, since it’s closer to home, uh, since I don’t currently have a driver’s license, um, which does make things a little bit tricky, but what I would do is I would try to find, uh, I try to get, like, a press pass through that.

So I can go up to Road America and try to photograph some of the racers there. And I would actually specifically try to, um, photograph the female drivers and try to highlight them a little bit more. Um, because a lot of times, like, like the problem is with like female drivers [00:20:00] is we just don’t get as much press as our male counterparts.

That’s just kind of the nature of how it is right now. And if we do get press is mostly just kind of a, like, an op ed or like a, like, kind of a filler piece. So my goal is to eventually try to talk to the or, um, get my portfolio together, talk to them, and then try to kind of work out a negotiation where I can.

Um, talk to individual female drivers and try to photograph them and maybe help them with, um, help them with their like media and stuff like that.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. That’s super cool. Do you notice, like when you’re there watching people drive, do you happen to notice kind of roughly how many women are there? Um, have you noticed any growth or anything like that?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, I have definitely noticed a growth. Um, again, it is in an area that is. It’s like how much I think I should say I said I should say it’s more of like a traditional [00:21:00] crowd there for racing so there isn’t really much female representation, but I have noticed a growth in female drivers over the years, and it’s really cool because I kind of perk up when I hear a female name over the PA system and I’m like, Hey, dad, there’s a female right there’s a female driver in this race or my dad, like tells me and it’s like that’s really cool because then I’m like, I’m just like trying to watch for their car and stuff like that.

And, uh, I remember there was this one time I saw this driver, um, she had a pink helmet and a mohawk, like a mohawk blue to it. And, uh, I just, I thought that was so cool because they weren’t afraid to show their femininity or like, you know, how they identify and stuff like that.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, that’s super cool. I was just at, uh, Daytona for work and it was really cool to see, like, in the MX5 races, they had multiple women drivers.

And. They also had a, I believe for the MX5 Cup, there is a prize specifically for female drivers, which I think is a [00:22:00] great way to help encourage more women in the sport because, like he said, You know, it’s still a man’s world, unfortunately, and that also means the funding tends to go to men. Um, so having programs like that can be really helpful in getting people the money they need to run these cars because it certainly isn’t cheap.

Um, yeah, so it’s really cool to, to see how the sport is growing. Because honestly, I mean, I haven’t, I guess haven’t been paying too much attention, but this year I noticed. Multiple female drivers in a lot of classes, and then of course the Iron Games were driving, um, a Porsche this time, and it was super cool to see.

They had a pop up actually in the Daytona fan zone that had, um, it was like almost sold out by Sunday, but they had like hoodies and shirts and Um, everyone could write on postcards, like, their dreams, because their slogan is driven by dreams, so. Yeah, I love that. It’s really cool. Yeah, and I have to say, like, when I [00:23:00] first saw the, the pink car, I, I will admit that I rolled my eyes, because I was like, do we really have to make this into, like, uh, uh, girls are pink, whatever.

But then I heard some of the drivers talking about how they purposely did that so that you knew that there was women in the car, not so much about it being, like, a pink Barbie thing, and. Since then I’m like, oh, yeah, that’s, but I’m with you. I’m, I’m a purple card person. Yeah,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): for me, like, my color scheme, um, is actually the colors of the androgyny flag as I’m an androgynous person, which is gray, which is usually gray, blue, pink, and purple.

Um, because purple, if you think of color theory, purple is pink and blue combined.

Yeah, so

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): when you combine pink and purple, you get pink and blue, you get purple, which is. Kind of the combination of mask and femininity. So that’s often why I have my cars purple because I you know as a [00:24:00] Non binary person. I I don’t really identify with either side, but I do identify more as far as women So that’s kind of why that’s kind of the kind of like little secret behind why my cars are purple.

Emma Galasso: Awesome I love hearing that. I love when people have a story behind You know, the car they drive, the colors they choose, uh, because it is something. I mean, when we’re, when we’re at home sitting at our rig, driving for hours on end, you kind of want to put yourself into that. So, we find different ways to do that, whether it’s, I mean, I throw liveries together all the time just because I love to draw and put stuff in there, and iRacing with Trading Paints and ACC and this other course, it’ll let you customize it so much that I really get a lot of joy out of doing that.

I also think it’s a really good community building thing. Um, I’m actually in a racing league in Isoto Corsa. We also do iRacing races, but we have a livery contest every season. And it’s really cool to see all the creative things that people come up [00:25:00] with. Um, speaking of that, have you ever raced any leagues besides like, screen to speed and stuff, or has it just been that?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Um, well I recently joined Transmission Motorsport. Um, around the same time that I did the spring series and I am hoping to do some of the charity races that they have. Um, I did the race for mental health. Uh, I did the race for, um, breast cancer awareness, which was held by Sophie. Um, and I raced for, um, transmission motorsport in that one.

And I’m hoping to do some of their league races in transmission motorsports. Um, I’m just trying to find the time to do it. But I’m currently in their development series, which is kind of designed to get less experienced drivers kind of up to the level that some of the other drivers are in there and kind of get them more experience on track.

So that’s kind of another.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, did you go into that a little bit because I feel like a lot of people when they [00:26:00] start sim racing, like I did the same thing I started just hot lapping all the time. And it wasn’t until I joined my league and was on track with real people that I actually had a relationship with that I started really paying attention to racecraft.

Um, so go into that a little bit about the development series and how has that helped you? Like, have you noticed growth in your own driving since you started?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, I really have actually, because it’s really nice because it’s like, generally when you go into an online race, it’s kind of like the Hunger Games a little bit.

Um, everybody, the first laugh is just they kind of hate you. Yeah. Uh, and you kind of, you’re kind of always on the defense, you’re kind of always on the defensive. Um, and so you don’t really get a chance to really learn how to, you’re kind of, you’re so focused on not wrecking that you aren’t really thinking about your lines, your cornering, your overtakes, like that sort of thing.

So it’s, for me, it’s really helped a lot, um, knowing [00:27:00] people I can trust to teach me how to overtake some, to teach how, teach me how to overtake safely. How to break into that corner. How to use this.

Emma Galasso: Yeah. How are they doing that? How are you learning? Are you, are you just on track with them in their own voice chat or how does that work?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah. So what we do is we have, we usually will have the, um, like the pros they’re usually on a, um, softer, they’re usually on a, um, harder tire compound and the beginners are on a softer tire compound. So they handicap the more experienced drivers, uh, so that the less experienced drivers can have more experience.

In a car that handles a little bit faster and so they’ll go over which chat and we’ll kind of we’ll do drills So like we’ll do a good overtaking drill where they’ll say like, okay for two laps I want you to drive next to the person next to the car next to you and I want you to keep a one second gap between you two and It’s really nice cuz Tasha [00:28:00] She’s my mentor.

She uh, she’ll like give me some really funny little pointers and stuff. Like let’s just see if mr. Berry Mr. Barry the barricade will want to kiss you over here. And she’ll say, uh, and like, she’ll say like, okay, this corner, I want you to go through like this and she’ll, me and her will go slowly through the corner.

I’ll follow her in the next lap. She’ll follow me. So it’s. It’s kind of like a lot of like drills and stuff like that that really help out.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. So when you first started, when you made that choice to join that development program, was that really intimidating? Were you kind of scared to do that? Or were you just ready to go in?

Can you take us through that process when you decided to join?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, I already knew them for a while. So I was kind of like, oh, this is just a cool thing to help me kind of get more experience and not feel so anxious on track. Um, that was kind of my thought process because I was like, this can really, really help me improve.

And I already knew everybody in there, so it was kind of like, kind of just a [00:29:00] kind of chill time to hang out with friends as well. So yeah, I use, I use the simracing and like the simracing discord a lot as kind of socialization.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I would agree with that. I, my league, um, you know, there’s probably about 15 of us that are really super active, and we get people, up to 30 people in our races and stuff.

I am the only girl in my league, but at the same time, The guys in my league are just awesome people. Um, we meet up in real life, but also monday nights Um, though i’ve been bad and I haven’t been able to make races lately Uh, we just all hang out. We’re having a good time We’re racing hard, but it’s it’s a casual league and it’s all about fun And um, I always tell people who are just starting in sim racing, you know really think about like It’s a game, but it’s a kind of non, it’s like, to me it’s a, it’s not just a game because you’re really building skills that are applicable to real life, but at the same time, like, you don’t need to be terrified of, I was terrified to join my first [00:30:00] race.

It was so intimidating to me, I was so scared of like, being the only girl in there and stuff like that. Um, did you have any experiences like that? And I mean, I guess Gran Turismo might be a little bit different because I don’t think they have voice chat. Do they? And yeah, they

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): don’t have voice chat, but yeah, I’ve had a lot.

I’ve had a lot of experiences with drivers who aren’t the cleanest. Um, as I said, I often put political stuff on, like, I often put a lot of fried things on my car. So I have been, I have been a target of, um, harassment. Like I have been called. I have been called things in the chat on the side, and I’ve also been targeted during races.

Usually, it’s being cut off, or rear ended, or either planted into having another meeting with Mr. Barry. Um, but yeah, a lot of it has been mostly chat and on, like, on track actions and stuff like that. From other [00:31:00] people. Man,

Emma Galasso: that’s super frustrating. I’ve been lucky, I guess, in that sense, because I, I always say that I’m like, because I found my league and my league is just full of like, you know, normal people who aren’t going to do stuff like that.

And we do have people from the LBGTQ a community in our league. And so it’s always something where any kind of intolerance is not accepted. Um, but of course, when you’re in public races, it’s not always like that. I have. Even iRacing, when you’re, when your full name is out there, which I don’t particularly like, but, um, you, I don’t think that I’ve, maybe, I don’t have my voice chat on for iRacing, but, specifically, so I don’t have to hear that kind of stuff, but, yeah, I don’t think, I can’t think of a time where I’ve been directly targeted that I knew I was being targeted, because I was a woman or anything like that, um, but yeah, it’s just unfortunate that people are like that.

I will say that, like, I, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by at [00:32:00] least the sim racing community and iRacing and Assetto Corsa that I haven’t seen as much harassment as I expected to, um, coming from Call of Duty where every single game is just terrible. Yeah. Um, I was very pleasantly surprised. Uh, speaking of, do you, what other things do you do outside of sim racing?

You don’t, like video games or anything like that? We talked about film a little bit, but anything else that you do that has had like a weird correlation to sim racing, or not at all?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, so usually, like, I do play some FPS games, but I do love Assassin’s Creed. That’s like one of my other favorite games.

I love the representation in it. And, like, I am a big fan of, like, the Labrys, which is kind of why my name is Axe. Um, the Labrys is a, uh, the double headed battle axe, and it symbolizes strength and unity in the lesbian community. And there’s an Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, where you’re able to have that, [00:33:00] that axe.

So, yeah, I play a lot of role playing games. I recently got into D& D, um, and D& D has been really, really awesome in kind of helping me tell stories and stuff like that.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, that’s super cool. That’s so funny because I, so Assassin’s Creed was also a big game for me, um, that weirdly connects to sim racing because when I played Assassin’s Creed, I played the first one when it came out, but Assassin’s Creed 2 was my big favorite game and it inspired me to start learning Italian.

Um, and since then I’ve just been studying Italian, also because I’m half Italian, but I just remember I was so motivated to try to learn what they were saying and I would play Assassin’s Creed in Italian to try to understand it. Um, and I’m not really good at D& D. For me, speaking verbally and telling stories is more difficult to me than just writing them down, but I have a lot of respect for people who do D& D because [00:34:00] The amount of organization you have to do that, I was never very good at it.

I was a seven foot tall elephant man when I was playing D& D. I’m

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): a rogue elf.

Emma Galasso: Nice. Yeah, I’m

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): a rogue elf, yeah.

Emma Galasso: Um, yeah, but it’s so cool how you can, especially in this day and age, where we can do stuff like this. Like, obviously we’re not Even in the same time zone, but we’re both here on this stream talking to each other and streaming out to other people.

It’s something super cool and like my whole D& D crew, um, was from college and we, and we would always play on, over Zoom during COVID and It would be for hours at a time, so it’s a really cool thing to just be able to connect with people and do stuff like that. Um, alright, so let’s move on to something that I think that people don’t talk about too much with simracing, but is important.

When you start sim racing, do you feel that you kind of just [00:35:00] approach the track and you’re just driving it a lot and that’s how you get better? Or are you the kind of person who’s looking at, you know, the data and getting really granular with like tires and figuring everything out in real life and kind of applying it to the game?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): So I’m kind of like a mixture. So I use the app on my phone, um, which is like a digital dashboard. Um, so I have the tire temperatures up. And a lot of times I kind of just drive by feel like I like, I usually like to drive the track a couple laps, usually 5 or 6. And so I drive around the track and I don’t want to overdrive it because then I kind of feel tired and then I forget things.

So, usually I do 5 or 6 laps. I screenshot my fastest lap. I save the lap time for my fastest lap and I’ll screenshot, like, the data. And I usually will screenshot the dashboard on my phone as well to kind of keep track of the tire temperatures. Um, I have [00:36:00] a disability called dyscalculia, which does make doing calculations and like time based measurements and stuff like that very difficult for me.

So, usually when I have to evaluate my fit stuff, I actually do it by feel. So, like, if I feel like the car is loose, um, and I look at the tire temperatures, or I look at the gauge on the side. I can kind of predict when I’m going to pit, or it’s the same thing with the fuel. Like, if I start to kind of feel the car, you know, not giving me what I need, that’s usually when I, that’s usually when I pit or whatever, or I just kind of go by feel a lot of times I have to, a lot of times I just kind of use my gut.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. Yeah, I think that’s a really good, I mean, it’s kind of an innate skill, but if you don’t have it, you can definitely tell. When you don’t know how to understand the car. Um, bad things happen. So it’s really cool that you’re able to kind of get that feel. And I think it’s something, again, really cool about sim racing that we know, we can feel as the car is changing even though it’s [00:37:00] not a car in real life.

Um, so kind of going back to that, when you’re doing stuff by feel and, you know, kind of trying to put it all together. What’s a moment in sim racing that It was like your Hall of Fame moment, so to speak, so far in your career.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Well, a couple weeks ago, I got my first podium finish. Um, I finished second in the many, in the, uh, Nation Series.

Um, that was at, uh, Sardena Circuit. And I was in second place and it, it felt unreal because I started in third. And then lap nine, I, I got spun out. And so I was like, I was like, no, no, no. And then I, uh, I managed to climb back up to second place and like, like my heart was just like, it was insane. I was just sitting there like, I’m just sitting in my living room.

My heart is going like 125 beats per minute. My Apple watch was telling me that [00:38:00] you’ve been sitting for, you have been sitting for 10 minutes and your heart rate is 120. What is going on? Yeah. And like, I remember screaming like, I want, I got second place. And then mom came in and she gave me a hug and I like just started crying and it was so silly.

I was like, this is really silly because I’m just sitting here in my living room and I feel like I just ran a marathon.

Emma Galasso: I mean, I don’t think that’s silly at all. It’s, it’s such a rewarding thing. Cause I mean in my league, I started in last place every single race I was last. And then the one time that I wasn’t last and came in mid pack, like, I almost cried.

And then when I got my first win in iRacing, it was, it was that kind of moment. I was so nervous and all this stuff and then you finally pull it off and it just is an amazing feeling. And I feel like that’s another thing. How cool is that that we get to just be in our house and do this thing and get so much accomplishment from it?

Because you, [00:39:00] like, what, just what you’re telling me about how much you are thankful Taking notes of things, um, even figuring out stuff for your camera on your sim, and then taking it out in real life. Like, there’s a lot of time that goes into that, and it’s, it’s a reward that you for sure earn, so that’s super, super cool to hear.

Um, so in your future in sim racing, what, what do you hope to accomplish and do? We kind of touched about that in your, um, outside of sim racing career, but what would you like to do? Overall, um,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): well, eventually I want to upgrade my, I kind of want to upgrade my rig a little bit and I’m hoping to get my streaming channel set up.

I just got a capture card, um, a couple months ago. I’m currently working out how I’m going to hook it up to my laptop and everything, but I’m hoping to start a Twitch channel with a friend. Also, um, and I’m thinking about doing kind of like a fun kind of game show type thing where my friend. Asks me random questions while I’m [00:40:00] driving.

Nice. And if I get them wrong, I have to like, I have to do, I have to pick a punishment out of my helmet. Um, so like driving blindfolded or something like that. And I’m hoping to do more charity races. Uh, hopefully I’m actually hoping to pair up with, uh, a local, with my local LGBTQ plus community or my local church who is a trans affirming.

I’m hoping to do a. a charity drive where I can donate, um, clothing and things like that for what they need.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. That’s a great goal. I love both of those. Um, so we kind of touched on this already, but as you’re prepping to do more charity races, for example, um, What are things that you, like, how do you, first of all, I guess let’s go into how do you find those races in your community?

And how are you able to find races to participate in?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Um, usually, usually, um, [00:41:00] I usually have like the discord notifications for my, for my channel for the, um, for like transmission and I have the discord channel for in it. And so I usually, whenever something comes up like, uh, like a new race series, I usually will kind of look at that, check the dates, see if I could do it.

Um, that sort of thing. And I usually, like, I kind of look on the internet and stuff like that, but I don’t really trust that kind of stuff. Cause I’m not going to join a random discord if, you know, if it’s weird and creepy, um, but generally I try to just look it up and see if there’s anything available that’s free to enter, which I kind of just sticking with my two leagues for now.

Um, just cause I’m not really ready to do iRacing or Assetto Corsa yet. Um, I kind of want to get my bearings with with Gran Turismo first before I kind of venture into that. But yeah,

Emma Galasso: awesome. Yeah, I think that’s another thing that’s, um, you know, a little bit different about sim racing [00:42:00] is, yeah, you can just join those public races.

But like you said, everyone’s just trying to run into each other and nobody’s. You know, being particularly nice, whereas when you find a, a league or a race that’s hosted by an actual eSports team or something, you can at least hope that people know what they’re doing when they drive. Not always true, but uh, you know, you can try.

Yeah.

Emma Galasso: Um, so let’s think about like, have, have there been any moments, like I think back to, I was racing, I was trying to learn Spa and instead of Horse Competizione, I was in a GT3 And I worked so, so, so hard to get 26 seconds as my lap time, and I was like, This is the time! It’s the best time ever! And then, a year later, I came back and set a 2.

20, just kind of messing around. Have there been any moments like that for you, where you’ve revisited an old track and car, that you’ve really been able to see improvement that maybe you didn’t notice? [00:43:00]

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, yeah, I actually, um, it’s kind of funny because it’s like, I’ll try really, really hard to set a really good qualifying time, and then I’m like, I’m working at it, I’m working at it, I’m working at it, I don’t get it, and then during the race, I’m in like, place, and then I manage to beat it, and I’m like, well, that would have been useful twenty minutes ago.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): don’t. Now we can start it back here.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I feel like that always happens to me too. I think part of it is like, When you’re on track with other people you’re so, I, at least I am, I’m way more locked in because I’m trying to get ahead of them that I can just, you know, follow what they’re doing and set faster times, but totally get that.

Um, and kind of in that same vein, have you noticed anything about your driving style or anything that has changed for you? I know I look at my old laps and I definitely wasn’t ever using all of the track. I was probably giving like three feet of space on either end of the track and then Now I’m giving a couple centimeters.

Has [00:44:00] there been anything you notice in your style that’s changed?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, I, I used to be very, very, very cautious, um, with other drivers. And because of, because of like the nature of Gran Turismo, um, if you get, like, if somebody bumps into you, there’s like a 85 percent chance that that penalty that they were supposed to incur would transfer over to you.

So you kind of have to be really defensive. But since I’ve joined these leagues, I’ve kind of become less of a cautious driver, and I’ve kind of become more of a balanced driver. Um, where I kind of, I won’t let people get past me, but I will drive very clean. Like, there’s a lot of times where I will, like, if somebody is coming up behind me, I know that they’re trying to, they’re trying to pass me.

So what I like to do is I often, like, I kind of mirror them a little bit. Like I kind of get a feel of [00:45:00] how they’re, how they’re driving. I actually let them pass me first. And so I can watch how they’re, how they’re interacting with another driver. And then I kind of wait for them to kind of get a little too cocky with the other drivers.

And I kind of waited out. I’m kind of like the vulture

a little bit

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): where like, I kind of wait for other people to kind of mess up and I kind of capitalize on other people’s mistakes because I’m. Again, I’m, I’m kind of the cautious person who’s kind of evaluating the situation. And then I kind of go for it and stuff.

Emma Galasso: I think that’s a totally valid strategy. I do that unintentionally sometimes. I used to be the driver that never fought anybody because I was always convinced that everyone was way faster than me so I would just kind of let them by. Um, but sometimes I would let them by and then, like you said, watch them and see where, whether a little slower or wait for them to just make a mistake and then capitalize on it.

Because sometimes it’s really [00:46:00] not worth of, you know, going at it for three laps when something like that could happen to either of you. And I know whenever I’m under pressure, I’m better at being under pressure now. But before, if you were behind me, I was just going to spit myself out this for just for, um, so would you say, cause it sounds to me like you’ve gained a lot of confidence as a driver.

Would you agree with that?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah.

Emma Galasso: Awesome. Yeah. I would definitely agree

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): with that. Like before, before I was like, I was kind of like, I had, like you said, I was very convinced that. Like I had the kind of the imposter syndrome where I was like, I’m not the fastest driver here I should just let them have their race Um, or I just didn’t want to make anybody upset which would then trigger like a hate comment in the chat And so I kind of did it as a kind of self protection a little bit Um, but now i’ve kind of i’ve kind of gotten sick of it Honestly, i’ve kind of gotten sick of kind of gotten sick of being pushed around and so i’ve kind of become the pusher a little bit [00:47:00] like Like now, when somebody is trying to get past me, I kind of break a little bit and I kind of dodge and weave and I’ve kind of become more of the kind of become more of the aggressor.

Um, but again, I try to keep it clean because, you know. You get that clean race bonus in Gran Turismo.

Emma Galasso: Nice. Yeah, iRacing 2 really punches you if you go off track at all, so that’s never fun.

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Yeah, you get a point, you get a point zero, you get like a point five hundred per, uh, point five hundred millisecond penalty if you go off track in Gran Turismo.

Oh,

Emma Galasso: yeah, I forgot about that. That’s, I would And it adds up if

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): you do it again, and it goes up to one second.

Emma Galasso: Oh my gosh, that, I would be in trouble if that was me. But yeah, that’s really interesting because Yeah, I feel like when you start getting comfortable in the car, you really, I mean, it’s just like what drivers talk about all the time.

Like when you know that car, like the back of your hand, you can do stuff like that because you know exactly the limit and stuff like that. So super cool. Yeah. [00:48:00]

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Last race, I was driving again, the GT three RSR, and I knew that I can go up, I could go through your row, uh, rogue without lifting and other people couldn’t.

And so, even in the rain, I was able to go through Ouroog without lifting. Man, it’s terrifying, but it was so cool. Oh yeah,

Emma Galasso: that’s a scary one. I just, I remember I was doing that, and I sat of course in the Ferrari 296, and it was, uh Crazy. I was always like, I don’t know if I’m going to make it. I’m just going to, you know, put my pedal to the metal and hope that it works out.

So, sometimes it’s what you got to do. But yeah, there is definitely a lot of confidence that comes with that. And that’s kind of what, what that seat time is all about. I always tell people I’m like, look, I didn’t believe it either when I started, but you really do need the seat time and you just got to, just got to be in there and do it.

And eventually, whether you realize it or not, you’re getting better every single time that you really race. Um, all right, so it [00:49:00] looks like we are kind of approaching our end time here. Is there anything that you wanted to, um, discuss about, uh, either in it or the mission of women in esports and, um, anything that you would like to talk about?

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): Uh, yeah, mostly just kind of, I kind of wish there were more organizations in my city, uh, and in like the United States in general for esports racing. Especially for women. Um, because I’ve been looking around and there just really isn’t anything for women. Yeah. Um, in the United States, there’s a ton of stuff in UK.

I’ve noticed, but there’s not really much here in the States. And so I would personally love to start something or find something, uh, with women in the United States, like, just so we can have accessibility for that. Because, Go to Beadaholique. com for all of your Especially if you’re a woman living in a much metropolitan area.

They’re just really using anything really to find. So I’m really glad that, you know, it exists because if I didn’t find it, I probably would [00:50:00] not be able to do what I’m doing right now. So I think I, uh, I’m so glad that you guys exist. And I hope more people join up for the United States. You know, kind of try to branch out and get this mission moving in the United States as well.

Emma Galasso: Yeah, I totally agree with that. Um, same here. I really, all of my, well, my league is actually primarily in the U. S. and Canada, which is, I was very surprised to see. Um, because I really thought that U. S. was only going to be like NASCAR and stuff like that. So, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by that. But all of, a lot of the eSports, uh, specific people that are really like into the eSports aspect of it.

are not in the U. S., and I’m really hoping that, like you said, we can kind of get the movement going in the United States, because they’re, like, what you’re saying, when you live in a big city or something, it’s way easier to just have a rig than it is to, to go on track. Um, I will say that since I’ve been, um, involved within it, and if you have LinkedIn, I highly recommend, like, following, [00:51:00] Stephanie, following in it, because A lot of stuff is actually, I find it through LinkedIn, oddly enough.

Not even through Instagram or stuff like that. But, um, there’s, there are organizations out there for women. Um, maybe not necessarily for sim racing, but motorsports in general. Um, someone that I work with actually organized on track days for women. Of course, you have to own your own car to take it to the track, which isn’t really accessible.

But still, those kind of events. You really only know about it if you know somebody, because they don’t have, you know, all this money to put into marketing. But, um, I think that the rise of, like, IMSA’s growing in popularity, obviously, for me, the one’s taking a big, um, boost of growth in the U. S. Uh, so I think that things are coming, but it’s kind of up to us a little bit to help spread the message, so.

Yeah, definitely agree, I’m super grateful for organizations like this that really exist just to, um, kind of help women especially in that spotlight for [00:52:00] esports, but then in the U. S. as a whole to make it more of a, more of a popular thing. Um, so thank you so much for, for joining us this evening on this, uh,

Maddie O’Connell (Axe): It’s been a pleasure.

Emma Galasso: Yeah. Um, for anyone who’s not watching live, it is late here in the U. S., so. Um, I had a great time talking and, um, thank you so much. Thanks to everyone tuning in today. Uh, again, this is my, my first stream, so hopefully it didn’t go super crazy. Thank you, Axe, for being, uh My guinea pig so to speak. Um, I think this has been a great conversation and um, I really look forward to talking on the discord and hanging out more.

So thank you very much everybody and we’ll catch you next time.

Crew Chief Brad: Innate esports focuses on sim racing events and digital tournaments. They bring esports content [00:53:00] to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports industries and platforms. eSports is a woman-led company where diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is in their DNA and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible.

To learn more, be sure to log onto www.initesports.gg or follow them on social media at init eSports. Join their discord, check out their YouTube channel, or follow their live content via switch.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast Network.

For more episodes like this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like The Exotic Car Marketplace, The Motoring Historian, Brake Fix, and many others. If you’d like to support Grand Touring Motorsports and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www.

patreon. com forward slash GT [00:54:00] Motorsports. Please note that the content, opinions, and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its creator, and this episode has been published with their consent. If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the episode.

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Introduction to Screen to Speed
• 00:53 Meet Bell Wells: Racing Streamer and Porsche Sports Supercup Participant
• 01:14 Getting Started in Sim Racing
• 02:39 Racing Together: Bell and Her Husband’s Journey
• 03:04 First Racing Games and Transition to iRacing
• 04:13 Challenges and Love for Nordschleife
• 06:35 From Rookies to Road Racing
• 07:02 Oval Racing and Community
• 08:15 Favorite Cars and Tracks
• 12:34 Porsche Sports All Stars Experience
• 17:20 Exploring Other Simulators
• 20:38 Upgrading Racing Equipment
• 24:58 Streaming Journey and Balancing Chat
• 26:55 Funniest Moments in Sim Racing
• 27:55 Being a Female Sim Racer and Streamer
• 28:16 Friendly and Welcoming Community
• 28:42 Competing with the Boys
• 29:20 Experiences in Sim Racing
• 30:51 Encouraging More Girls in Sim Racing
• 32:52 Rally and Endurance Races
• 40:48 Snowboarding Adventures
• 43:24 Plans for Sim Racing and Streaming
• 47:38 Advice for Newcomers in iRacing
• 52:00 Favorite Tracks and Final Thoughts

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to Screen to Speed powered by INIT Esports. In this podcast, we dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals, making waves in sim racing and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real life racetracks, we explore the passion, dedication and innovation that drives the world of motor sports.

We’ll hear from athletes, creators and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motor sports. So buckle up screen. The speed starts now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Hi everyone. Welcome to new talks. Happy to see everybody in the chat. Welcome. Welcome. Uh, today we got a beautiful bell wells with us, uh, store Molina. She is a racing streamer and [00:01:00] also take a part in Porsche sports supercop all stars this year. Welcome bell. Hello. Welcome. Welcome. Uh, happy to see you here.

Thank you so much for taking your time and uh, spend it with us today. Um, so let’s start from, uh, how you started in sim racing, how you actually get into, uh, this passion.

Bell Wells: Um, I have always played lots of video games, all the video games. I love them all. And I think my husband kind of was watching YouTubes of Matt Malone and, like, Jimmy Broadbent, and he wanted to get a wheel.

I made him promise he was gonna put it away every night and, like, not take up a lot of room. And, uh, yeah, we never put it away after we got it. It’s been out ever since. And I probably use it more than him now. I really took it over, the passion.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s really cool. So, kind of [00:02:00] your husband get you into sim racing.

So, the same thing happened with me, uh, in 2020. So my husband, like, showed me a racing and streaming and all the stuff. And we were like, okay, I’m going to start streaming. I’m going to do some racing as well. Uh, so yeah, it’s really funny to hear that you got it. That’s so funny.

Bell Wells: Does he still race also?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, he also race in a racing from 20 and 12. So, right, almost right from the beginning. Wow, so he’s been around for a while. Yeah, so it’s really, really cute. Um, do you race together with your husband or no? Or he’s just, uh, supporting you? Yes,

Bell Wells: we do. Oh, nice. We have like the little logitech that someone else Has to use when they lose.

We’ll do like, uh, a hot laps, and whoever gets the slower time has to use the not as nice wheel, [00:03:00] but really, it’s all very fun. It’s fun to crash around together.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Uh, did you start from iRacing, or you played some other games? Like, what was your first racing game which you did?

Bell Wells: I think we had F1 2020 right around the same time.

I don’t know which one came first. I definitely was doing some F1 2020 like with the driving line on at the beginning. Uh, I think, I think we were kind of doing them at the same time and then I just stopped doing the F1 2020. iRacing, really, just so fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s true. iRacing, the most fun simulator, which I tried.

Also, I started from Assetto Corsa. A long time ago, I also did some race 07, which is basically Air Factor, the first one. So I did some Yeah, I did some practice for formulas, uh, in it. Uh, and then, uh, I was working as a [00:04:00] coach and, uh, the manager on the, uh, in sim racing center and we had a set of course, so with the dirt rally too.

Or Dirt Rally, and yeah, I do a lot of Nordschleife these days. I know that, yeah, I know that you’re a big fan of Nordschleife, so how this, uh, how this love with this track started for you?

Bell Wells: I honestly don’t know. It was kind of like, can I learn this? People were like, it’s so hard and it’s so long. It’s kind of like a challenge.

I love a challenge. It’s fun. And really, it’s, I don’t know why I like it so much.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I honestly have

Bell Wells: no idea.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I saw a lot of streams where you race, like, Porsche Cup and some other cars also at Nordschleife, so I know that you’re a big fan of this track. I’m not really, even I did, you know, a lot of, uh, I spent a lot of time in Santa Corsa with this track, but in a racing I’m like I don’t really want to [00:05:00] race it, I don’t know why.

The 10 minute laps? Yeah, 10 minute laps, they’re just really hard. I think that because, you know, I just really like to work on lap times, and on exact corners, and improve, and Nordschleife, that’s the track where you, um, like, it’s really hard to improve on this track because it’s really long and, you know, you like, uh, you can split it by sectors of course, but anyway, that’s going to take a lot of time to, um.

It really does. Yeah, improve something here.

Bell Wells: I kind of think that might be why I like it so much. It’s kind of more just go with the flow than I’m really bad at like identifying breaking points and using them. I’m much more just, I feel it. Not an analyzer.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well, yeah, you know, if you got skills already, I think it’s just fun to race here.

As you [00:06:00] said, you’re going with the flow and that says you, you’re not thinking about like, uh, uh, where exact the breaking points and all the stuff. So you’re just, uh, kind of going with your racing skills and with the flow of the track. So, yeah. Um, so how, how’s your way started in a racing? Like, uh, I guess that that happened also during pandemic times.

Yeah.

Bell Wells: Yeah. Uh huh. COVID racer for sure. Had lots of free time for new hobby.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s right. Um, how long did it take you to get out of rookies, get out of MX5 and drive proper cars?

Bell Wells: It took me a long time. I only raced ovals for, like, the first year that I did iRacing. I was very afraid of roads. I could not memorize the tracks.

And now it’s kind of gone the other way. I do mostly roads, a little bit of ovals. I [00:07:00] like to do both, though. They’re very different. You do ovals, right? You like them.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yes, I really like ovals. I also started, like, from COVID and I started to do roads, but then I, uh, at the same time I did some ovals as well, like street stalks and all this stuff.

I really like ovals. That’s a big part right now of my streams and of our community as well. Yeah, so I think it’s just really cool because your mindset Completely different compared to road races and I actually learn a lot of stuff and novels and you race people really close all the time. Yeah, side by side

Bell Wells: the whole time.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: And it’s really cool. I remember we raced together in like Gen 4 at Bumpy Daytona. It was really fun. Oh yeah, we

Bell Wells: did. That was a while ago. I do recall that. Very fun. I was glad when they added the Draftmaster. I like that a lot.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, [00:08:00] Draftmaster. A lot of crashes, but when you get, like, top five or get a win here, you’re like, yes, I did it.

Good feelings. Yeah, it’s really rewarding. It’s serious indeed. It

Bell Wells: is.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Speaking about OWLs, what is your favorite car to drive and favorite track? So, I guess that you’re a fan of the super speedways, but anyway, go on to ask this.

Bell Wells: I do like the super speedways. I don’t know, for ovals, it’s hard for me. I really like Michigan, I remember.

And I don’t really have a favorite car. I like the Gen 4s a lot, and I kind of I used to like the Xfinities a lot, but now, I don’t know. Definitely, if roads is a part of it, P Cup is my favorite car, for sure.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I’m on the same side with you here. It’s so fun, yes. Yeah, uh, I started to, Drive Porsche Cup because one of my teammates from [00:09:00] Olympus Sports, uh, Thomas Cope, he just said to me like, you have to try Porsche Cup, you’re going to like it.

And I’m like, okay, I’ll give it a go. And then I just blink and I’m already like in the very club, uh, Club Sport Championship with Porsche Cup. And, you know, I’m driving it most of my time, actually. So, yeah. It’s your favorite as well? Yeah, that, that’s one of my favorites. Uh, I think. This series is one of the best in the racing, in my opinion, um, because, you know, people just driving really carefully, uh, because no traction, no ABS system, um, you get in cleaner races compared to GT3s, uh, I still remember, you know, a race, uh, there was Monza on week 14th, uh, which was official and, um, MG3s, they just crashed after Lesmo, before Skari, this long straight.

They somehow, like, [00:10:00] five or six cars just crash here. I was like, how they did this actually?

Bell Wells: Yeah, I’m kind of afraid of the GT3s. They’re maybe my least driven road car. Maybe not, actually. I don’t know. I dabble in all the things, but I’m very afraid of them because I’m not aggressive in them.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, sometimes they’re too aggressive and sometimes they just You know, doing really bad mistakes, which cause big crashes in GT3s.

I know, so that’s why I prefer Porsche Cup more. Yeah. I love Porsche Cup. So fun. From what series, actually, did you move to Porsche Cup in everything?

Bell Wells: Uh, I kind of just I feel like I I don’t know, I kind of jump around in everything. But I definitely do, I think I started in Mazdas before. It [00:11:00] didn’t, it took me a long time to get out of the rookies.

I was really afraid to drive next to people, I was mostly just getting lapped, trying to learn tracks. For like two years. Now I feel like I can kind of keep up and actually follow people around.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, I think you’re driving pretty good right now. And, uh, I see this in the Porsche Sports All Stars. So I see how you improve.

Uh, so you did really good lap times with GTPs. Uh, the Yeah, I can see you

Bell Wells: guys still at the end of it.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: You know, uh, to be honest, like, uh, some previous, uh, years with the Porsche All Stars, they didn’t have that, uh, competitive, uh, streamers in this series. So, uh, last two or three years, uh, They get really fast drivers, like, for example, Oh, wow.

Casey Kirwan with a 10k rating, yeah, and some other people with 8k, [00:12:00] 7k, 6k. So, yeah, pretty much everybody’s so fast, competitive, and, uh, you know, it’s really hard to overtake. It’s really hard to fight. And some people defend like lions.

Bell Wells: Yeah, really. I’m trying to learn from all of you guys, Sponge. Sponge,

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: the education.

Actually, I think that that’s really cool that you spend, uh, like more time in the Mixed Five. So it seems like you learn a lot of stuff in this series. And, uh, with this experience, you moved then to Porsche Cup and to some other series, which you’re doing also daily. Um, how was it for you to do first ever, uh, championship with Porsche All Stars?

How was it for you?

Bell Wells: Ooh, that made me so nervous last year. It still makes me very nervous. This year’s a little bit better, I feel. I used to get really, really, really nauseous before the P. E. S. S. Graces. This last Saturday wasn’t too bad. We’ll see how this one goes, but [00:13:00] far less nauseous. It’s very nerve wracking.

Do you get nervous for them still?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Uh, you know, not really. This is my first year, and like Okay, I’m just going to do my best. So for Daytona, I was really sure in my pace and in the car as well, because I did 24 hours of Daytona in GTP. So I had quite a lot of laps on this track. Yeah, a lot of practice. And I felt like, okay, so maybe like, We’re going to finish like top 10 or I’m just someone just going to crash me.

So yeah, this is what happened actually. And I’m like, okay, okay. I’m not PLS. That’s good. PLS. Yes. Yeah. I’ll take

Bell Wells: care of that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I’m feeling so sorry about. Emily Jones, because she woke up like it’s 4 or 5 a. m. for her, yeah, and she just crashed in both races.

Bell Wells: You’re expected to be functional then. Yeah, well, this is probably ready for a [00:14:00] nap after that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So yeah, but First season, uh, which I did with, uh, with Pascal Stars, I was really nervous, I was, uh, you know, missing the start with Portia Cup, some other stuff happened, so I think I spawned once or something like this happened, so don’t feel bad for this, I think it’s, it’s okay to be nervous, like, uh It’s a

Bell Wells: rite of passage.

Yeah. I’m sure we’re all nervous, mine just is like full display, I

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, it was in the same way for me. Um, what do you think about Mugello? How, uh, do you think you’re going to perform here on this track?

Bell Wells: I quite like Mugello. I did it when P Cup was there last season. Or, wait, maybe just a couple weeks ago.

It wasn’t even that long ago. It was rough for me. Hard to learn. But then I just tried the GT3 there and it feels It’s a lot easier for me than the P cup.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: We’ll

Bell Wells: see in the race. [00:15:00] But I felt like the GT3 is a little bit easier for me to control there.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I love the P cup. Mugello, it’s uh, I know, it’s like a Some kind of lead Brent Hatch for me, something like this.

So I race it a lot in the set of Corsa also, uh, because, uh, this is a home track for Valentino Rossi. I’m a big fan of him. And, uh, so I started to learn it, uh, did some open wheelers here, some GT3s as well. Um, so we’ll see how I’m going to perform here in GT3s and we’ll see if we’re not going to get into some crashes on the track.

Yeah, I’ll see you out there. So, wish you all the best for Mugello, uh, I think that, that’s going to be an interesting, uh, race indeed, and, uh, really cool track to drive, I’m so happy that, uh, it’s finally not Imola or Monza, it’s, uh, something different, yeah. I know, yes,

Bell Wells: I don’t mind Imola, [00:16:00] Monza’s alright, but I quite, I really, really like Mugello, I think it’s my favorite Italian track.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm hmm. What do you think about Misano, do you like Misano as well?

Bell Wells: I don’t think I know it. I don’t really know that one.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Can’t,

Bell Wells: can’t compare it

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: yet. Okay, um, so speaking about tracks, uh, what is your favorite combo with Porsche Copia? Because that’s your favorite series, definitely.

Bell Wells: Probably with Nords. I like to do the NECs when they come around, those four hour races in the P Cup.

Oh, I love them. I miss them.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Really cool. Okay. For me, that’s going to be being Road Atlanta with Porsche Cup because Road Atlanta is my favorite track. I really like it, uh, because people just on official uh, weeks, uh, struggling with this track a lot in Porsche Cup so you can, uh, get top five quite easily here because I got on this [00:17:00] track.

Um, so yeah, but, yeah, Mizano is such a good track, so you have to try it, uh, if you will have time. I think I

Bell Wells: must have done maybe just one or two races there. I can’t picture it. I’ll have to do a refresher to really assess. All

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: right. Um, do you plan to do Outside of iRacing, do you plan to try maybe Assetto Corsa Evo, or like, maybe Le Mans Ultimate, or you want to stick only with one simulator?

Bell Wells: I have dabbled in some of the other ones. My husband will play the other ones a lot more, and like, uh, is it R Factor that has the old cars? And Nords sometimes. Really cool old cars. I mostly stick with iRacing. He kind of branches out. I’ve tried Le Mans Ultimate. That was fun. I just never went back. I haven’t tried the Assetto Corsa [00:18:00] Evo yet.

Have you?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, I tried it and, you know, it, it feels for me really close to a racing, uh, with the force feedback, with, uh, how you brake with the car. Um, so for now it looks really promising for me because, uh, I used to Really dislike the ACC, uh, because I don’t understand how to brake here. I don’t understand how to properly, um, Like, control the car in this simulator, so it took me a real long time to get used to GT3s right here after my racing.

Uh, so AC Evo feels a lot better and it’s actually so fun to drive. It looks, uh, clean and nice. So yeah, I, I really like it so far. It’s going to be interesting.

Bell Wells: Is it weird to switch back and forth between iRacing and Assetto Corsa? Does it feel totally different?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Like

Bell Wells: relearning?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, you know, when I, um, tried some championships in [00:19:00] ACC, uh, and I did iRacing a lot, uh, as well, uh, it was really hard to get used to it, uh, after iRacing.

hours for me. Um, for example, different thing happened for me when I switched to your factor two for virtually months. Um, and I was like, Oh yes, like I can drive it. Uh, you know, the car feels almost the same. I like in a racing and, uh, I get used to it fast. Yeah. And I feel like kind of the same thing happened with me for Assetto Corsa Evo.

Uh, so I feel like it’s, it’s more like iRacing, uh, than, uh, like Assetto Corsa or Assetto Corsa Competizione because, uh, Assetto Corsa completely different, uh, to Competizione as well. So it can be a little bit weird. Uh, especially after racing, uh, also due to the Ferrari sport championship, the one race, uh, and.

I [00:20:00] felt really weird after erasing, I was like, well, what to do with it, actually? This is how you’re feeling. Yeah, so far, AC Evil looks really cool. And I’m looking forward for Open World, which they’re going to have and all this stuff. It’s going to be really interesting. Oh

Bell Wells: yeah! Oh yeah, you’re supposed to be able to drive around, like, Nords.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. I think you have to try, because you really like Nords also.

Bell Wells: Yeah, right? I don’t know if I can make it to Germany in real life, but I can in the video games. Yeah. That will do.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s right. Um, speaking about your setup, uh, So you said there you got the G29 right now, uh, did you use it before and what equipment you got right now?

Bell Wells: Yes, we actually gave my brother the Logitech, so we don’t have that anymore. And then on our other little setup is the [00:21:00] Fanatec CSL wheelbase, and this is a DD1 podium. Nice. Yes. Powerful. But they’re all just clamped to a wheel stand, and it’s pretty, uh, just kind of drilled together. It’s not the sturdiest, but it works.

Usually.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s the main thing, if it works, you know. Yes. Exactly. Oh, that’s real cool that you got, uh, DD. So you, you had it, uh, right from the start, right?

Bell Wells: Uh, we had the CSL base pretty early on from the beginning. We weren’t on the Logitech for very long. My husband was like, I want something with more force, something bigger and better.

Pretty quickly. We got this second hand from someone from my stream and it actually has just been great.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s nice. Uh, how [00:22:00] was the transition from low end equipment to the high end DDE podium from Final Tech for you?

Bell Wells: Um, uh, I’m shocked at how powerful the wheels can be. It’s like amazing. Considering we were just on like controllers, it’s, I can’t believe they can do this.

I found the biggest difference when I changed my pedals, though. And I used the Hussienfield Sprints from the Logitechs, because the Logitech ones, they feel like toys compared. I love the new pedals. I feel like that’s the biggest difference when we upgraded the pedals. The wheel is nice and fun. It’s fun to have a bunch of force feedback and Like, have to muscle through it, but the pedals, I think, actually make a difference with, like, my braking, I could feel completely different.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, definitely, I agree with you in this, uh, that pedals, the most important thing in the, [00:23:00] in the rig, uh, because when I switched also from Logitech pedals to TLCM, so it was like, wow, finally can, You know, can break properly. I can feel it. Yeah, I can feel the break in and I can control the trail break in properly.

And also, yeah, I just stopped to lock up wheels on formulas. And, uh, yeah, I think the pedals give you really good, uh, feelings and definitely if you got the opportunity to, uh, switch, uh, to low tail pedals, you have to do this first. Uh, and then yeah, I agree.

Bell Wells: The wheel is a bonus.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, you know, wheelbase is more, uh, about having fun.

So, as you said, it’s really cool that it’s powerful, yeah, and you feel the whole force feedback and everything. So it’s actually really fun to have and really fun to experience these feelings. Um, but, uh, the biggest improvement I think pedal is going to give you anyway. [00:24:00]

Bell Wells: Yes, I agree. You got to drive, you’ve driven

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: in real life too, right?

Yes, I did some open wheelers, so, Formula 4, the same chassis as we got in a racing. Awesome, that’s fun. Yeah, and you know, TLCM pedals feels quite close to what I felt, uh, in real life with Formulas, because, uh, pedals not really, uh, strong in Formulas, like, uh, I pushed Around 70 kilos or something like this So yeah, it just feels great with low tail pedals and I’m pretty sure like sprints Also good pedals as well like, you know, any low tail pedals are better than Logitech pedals Right,

Bell Wells: Logitech Like rubber bands

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: All right How did you actually start streaming?

So I [00:25:00] know that you got a husband who’s really into simracing and all this stuff, uh, but, uh, how you get into streaming.

Bell Wells: Um, I was actually streaming other games. I was playing Planet Zoo, where you just make, like, giant zoos. It’s very wholesome. There’s no yelling. There’s no winning or losing. It’s very mellow.

I actually, I think it just kind of started with COVID again, and I used to work as a nanny, so I wasn’t really working that much because everyone was home, and it kind of started as like a hobby, and my husband would stream with me on my channel, and then it just kind of stopped, and I Started doing just iRacing instead of Planet Zoo.

I still do other games, but I mostly do

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: iRacing. How do you feel, uh, to balance, uh, with driving and [00:26:00] with talking with the chat at the same time? Uh,

Bell Wells: sometimes mistakes are made.

But really it’s not, it’s not too hard. I noticed in, I’m like in a really intense race or side by side with someone or pesk, I get distracted very easily. Much harder for me to read chat. But overall, it’s not too hard for me to just glance over and keep it going. I love having chat. It makes the races even more fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s true. You know, it feels really weird to not have a chat and not have a stream and races. So I did, I think, a couple of races off stream and was like, no, I’m not going to do them anymore. Like, it’s more fun on a stream, definitely.

Bell Wells: I always end up talking to myself. I’m like, okay, here we go.

Everyone is talking to myself.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: What was the funniest moment in SimRacing which you remember? [00:27:00] Like maybe some races or some stuff happening on the stream, something like this?

Bell Wells: Ooh, I don’t know. I feel like all of the crashes, I love a giant pileup. I think it’s why I like Draftmaster so much. Those crack me up usually. I love a good mess.

Uh, really the crashing and I don’t know. I feel like some, some of the things that people will insult each other with are very mean, but also sometimes very funny.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s true. This, um, every time I’m jumping into C Tracks, uh, you know, we’ll chat like, okay, we’re going to have all podcasts. Nice.

Bell Wells: There’s going to be some jibber jabber there.

There’s usually some fun things over the voice chat and ovals.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, it’s so funny. How do you feel to be a female streamer and a female sim [00:28:00] racer as well in the, like, male community? Uh, did you face any I know people who’s like against you or something like this or like everybody, uh, most of the time friendly and nice.

Bell Wells: I think everyone’s all, I’ve only had friendly. I really haven’t had any issues, which I’m kind of shocked at, honestly. But everyone’s been quite nice and very welcoming, very helpful.

My mom has a lot of questions. She’s always like, where are the other girls? I was like, they’re in there. There’s one. They’re out there. I like, uh, I kind of like, uh, I have an older brother, so I always enjoyed trying to keep up with him and his friends and stuff. So I think I kind of like competing with the boys.

I love beating the boys if I can.[00:29:00]

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well, the same thing happened with me. I think, uh, so I started with, with Carsing when I was nine and I really like, uh, you know, make boys cry because I was winning races this year. I

Bell Wells: love it. Yes. So you’ve been doing it for a long time. Yeah.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: And, uh, during streaming, and during, uh, some races in a racing, I met some people who’ve been, uh, you know, bullying me, or, like, doing, message some, some weird stuff, uh, something like this, uh, but

Bell Wells: Just, like, silly stuff.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, but recently, like, that was in 2020, recently, most of the time, everybody, like, uh, so Welcoming. So friendly. And, um, as you said, communities are really supportive. Um, so we’ve been talking about this, uh, like girls saying that, uh, for example, in the set of course, or in Gran Turismo, [00:30:00] they also, uh, got really supportive community.

And to be honest, it’s really, uh, cool to see, um, because me as the coming from racing and racing, uh, in real life is really. Toxic sometimes. Uh, so yeah,

Bell Wells: I bet.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. You just, uh, coming to some racing and you’re like, wow, everybody like so happy that you’re here and you’re like, wow, , this is, oh, that’s

Bell Wells: so

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: nice,

Yeah. That, that’s nice. And you know it, it’s really weird feeling that you’re getting this actually. Uh, so I was really happy to. Dive into simracing community and to the streaming as well because everybody like really supportive and welcome you and they trying to Help you they trying to yeah, and I would cheer you up when you get a crash or something like this So it’s really cool.

All right, and um, so what do you think can be done to encourage more girls to? [00:31:00] Jump into simracing and jump into maybe simracing streaming and all the stuff which we’re doing I

Bell Wells: feel like just keep going, keep going, keep having, like you said, the community is really nice and welcoming. We have Innit and stuff.

There’s lots of different communities you can find in it. I really just think trying new things is, I’m so glad I tried iRacing. I can’t believe I almost missed out on this. I almost didn’t play this game.

But I really just think the community is I think we help each other. Keep a nice safe space and you, uh, we encourage each other. I can ask questions and people will answer them. It’s, yeah. Everyone’s been very nice. I’m quite shocked. It’s been very helpful, Twitch.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, community is really nice and I think just because [00:32:00] people are going to see more girls who are streaming like you, like I, and other people.

And also in Nittysports, we got, uh, Podcast with different girls from motorsports and from simracing as well. I really hope it’s going to inspire some girls To jump into simracing and feel like home. Yeah And feel that here is a community which can support and also that’s a really cool hobby to have Because you got different kind of races.

You can do roads. You can do endurances. You can do spring races ovals rallycross rally. Yeah So, um, so yeah, here’s a lot of stuff to do and, uh, I hope that we’ll have more girls in the future and I

Bell Wells: think we will. I feel like it’s slowly kind of catching on a little bit more.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm hmm. All right, you just said about Raleigh, yeah?

I think I saw you did some Raleigh, [00:33:00] um, on stream. So can you tell me about this a little bit more? Was it Mount Washington?

Bell Wells: I want iRacing to add more tracks like that. So fun. Uh, sometimes my chat and I will have like, uh, almost kind of, oh, they have a time trial there right now, maybe, or a time attacks, or we’ll just arrange it ourselves amongst each other.

Kind of a friendly competition, try and beat each other’s times on the downhill, which is very fun. Feels very scary, lots of crashing, many cars were crashed, but it’s a really fun conquest to just get a little bit faster.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Uh, did you try any games like Dirt Rally or something like this?

Bell Wells: I’ve done a little bit of Dirt, I think it was Dirt 2.

0, and then a little bit of Richard Burns Rally, but I haven’t, not Not super, like, really committed to it or done [00:34:00] any particular tracks or anything. Right. I do love it. It’s very fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, Rally is fun and, uh, you know, it’s different compared to, uh Totally different. Yeah, because you, you have to really focus of, uh, what spoiler telling you, uh, to not miss the next corner.

Yeah. Yeah, it’s, it’s really fun. I like Rally because it’s And

Bell Wells: it’s you against

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, it’s completely different and it’s really fun to do, definitely. Um, do you like, uh, to do, would you like to do some endurance races in the future? I’m not sure if I saw you doing some. Um, so do you like some team racing, you know, racing as well?

Bell Wells: Yes, I do. I love the endurance races. I just did the 24 hours of Daytona. Mm-hmm . We did a GT three. Very fun. I kind of wish it was GTP. That would’ve been good practice. , . I do love the Endurances. They’re [00:35:00] very, uh, I also like when I can do them by myself, like the four hour ones. Mm-hmm . Very fun. I love how, they’re very different, like you get a, usually I get a black flag, a meatball, it’s like the adventure of endurance races, you collect all the things, but it’s such an adventure.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Alright, uh, speaking about Daytona 24, how was it for you and, um, how was it to have rain for the first time ever in Daytona 24?

Bell Wells: Oh, I had all the dry stints. I didn’t have to deal with it at all. It was all my teammates. But I love having the rain. I think, I feel like I just did an endurance race where it was a little bit wet and we maybe started on dry tires.

I love the rain. It’s really spiced up all of the races.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Do

Bell Wells: you

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: like the rain? Yes, I really like Reign in, uh, I think Formula 1 600. I really like to drive this car in Reign. I haven’t tried that. I like Porsche Cup and [00:36:00] Reign. Uh, speaking about GT3s, I’m kind of struggling with GT3s and Reign. Um, but yeah, those two cars I really like in Reign.

They’re so fun. And people making mistakes was for Chicago. I remember it’s a Red Bull ring with the rain conditions and just people starting to, uh, you know, hunting you for position and they missing the break in or something and just go straight because it’s really wet on the track. So yeah, it’s really funny.

Yeah, I feel like

Bell Wells: that really changes it. It’s kind of an equalizer, I feel like, the rain.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, true. So what position did you get in, uh, in Daytona, and did you finish it? Because, uh, we did, uh, with Olympus Esports, and we’ve been in GTP class and split number four. Uh, and out of 22 GTPs, only four finished the race.

We finished P5. Oh my gosh! Yeah. Oh my

Bell Wells: gosh!

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: We actually didn’t finish last. [00:37:00] Six or five hours, so, and we’re like, okay, we have to code in the car.

Bell Wells: It’s the rave. I definitely saw some issues with the prototypes when we were driving around. I think we finished like 10th ish, maybe? I can’t, I don’t exactly recall.

But I do know we finished. I think we had three meatballs along the way.

Definitely a black flag that I earned from penalties, yes.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well, I think in terms of, uh You know, repairs and all this stuff, I think, uh, repairs on GT3 is a lot better, uh, because we, like, twice get the, the meatball flag with GTP and it’s Not really like 40

Bell Wells: minutes. Yeah, it’s it’s

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: not really good With condition really so that’s why we decided like, okay, we crashed get a meatball flag and we’re like, okay We’re not going to continue because car [00:38:00] going to be undrivable.

So my teammate he just drove straight to the wall and whole front just a broken Uh, and we were like, okay.

Bell Wells: We don’t need that. Yeah, we don’t need that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: We don’t need to finish, like, the last five hours of this. You know? Still top five, and still gain high rating and safety rating, so good.

Bell Wells: That’s so crazy. It must have been a struggle with the GTPs. Do you like the GTPs? I’m not very good at them. I don’t drive IMSA very often, so definitely don’t prototype often.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well You know, that was my second Daytona in GTP, uh, one of the last one I did was a BMW GTP. There was only one GTP in a racing by this time. Um, I really enjoyed them. They really cool to drive. Definitely. Um, they are. I don’t really enjoy them in rain, uh, [00:39:00] because you can gain this boost. It’s really hard to do.

And because of that, you just sometimes going slower than LMP2s, uh, because LMP2s got, got the engine and on, on their engine, then going faster than GZP because we can gain boost and rain conditions. Um, but overall, I think it’s really fun car to drive and a lot easier, uh, in terms of what. You’ve got in cockpit, uh, adjustments compared to LMP 1, uh, which we had before.

Oh, yeah!

Bell Wells: I only did that for a little bit. I had just started doing multi class in IMSAs when they got rid of the, what is it? And there’s a push to boost button. Yeah. Very interactive, that one.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Here is just a lot of stuff in LMP1 and I didn’t do them because of that. I knew some friends of mine who’ve been really into.

LNP ones and they like, Oh, I know what to do with it. And, uh, yeah, it [00:40:00] was just staying away from it. Uh, but speaking about GDPs, they a lot easier and I really like to drive them. That was really fun to do, uh, at Daytona. Um, do you plan any endurances, uh, in the future? Like what this would be for you?

Bell Wells: Ooh, I think Bathurst is coming up.

I’m not sure if I’ll be here for that one. I might be on a snowboarding trip. But there is always Nords 24 hours. I would love to do that. That’s kind of the next one I’m thinking of. Also when the NECs come back. Cool. Those count, right? Four hour endurance. Yeah, I love those.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So outside of sim racing, you got also snowboarding as your hobby.

How long are you doing this?

Bell Wells: Um, I’ve snowboarded since I was eight but took a long break in between because I lived in a desert and then picked it [00:41:00] back up with my husband when I was like 20 and he kind of taught me more. He’s taught me everything. He’s taught me sim racing. He’s taught me snowboarding.

Very helpful. Great teacher. Nice.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well, that’s the best thing in the world, I think, when you got a partner who supports you in, like, in everything. And also, if, like, your husband doing stuff together with you, this is, like, even more awesome.

Bell Wells: Yes, the shared hobbies. It’s so fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, indeed. Um, what do you like the most about snowboarding?

Because I did some snowboarding, uh, like three, four years ago or something like this. Uh, so I learned, uh, quite good. Uh, but I just didn’t have opportunity then to, to go to the mountains because I lived in a place where here’s no mountains. And so right now, [00:42:00] and I just moved to Almaty once again, we’ve got really big mountains and I’m thinking about snowboarding once again, because I really enjoy the speed.

And yes, it’s really fun. It’s

Bell Wells: kind of like the same feeling as racing. I like to go fast. I like to It, like, it gives me butterflies, it’s very fun. We’re dabbling in the terrain park, so I like kind of trying tricks, but not anything crazy, like I can barely get on a rail, but it’s just fun to try something and slowly, slowly achieve it.

It’s kind of like getting better at a track, you’re just slowly finding seconds and tenths. I just like fun, it’s just fun. I do also like being outside, it’s fun to be out there in the sunshine.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Nice, that’s really cool that you’re doing some other stuff outside of some racing and streaming, uh, really cool.

Um, yeah, what I really like about snowboarding that when you, uh, just [00:43:00] riding in the morning when you got this fresh snow and, uh, here’s not a lot of people and it’s like completely silence here and you just riding the mountain, it’s beautiful.

Bell Wells: Yeah, it’s kind of meditative in a way, especially out there in the trees, on the mountain, in the snow, it’s very nice.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah,

Bell Wells: that’s really

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: cool. Um, what do you think you, uh, going to do this year, uh, outside of the Porsche, eSports, All Stars. So we already aware that you’re doing this championship and I hope it’s going to be, uh, good and fun. And so even if we’re going to have a lot of crashes, I hope it’s going to be fun for everybody.

Uh, so aside of this, uh, what are you, what’s your plans for some racing and streaming?

Bell Wells: I don’t really have any other plans, just keep racing, keep having fun, I would love to get, I don’t know, I don’t really have any goals, I just want to [00:44:00] keep getting better, slowly better, slowly faster, keep having fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: This is, uh, the best goal which you can have actually, so just have fun, and, uh, I I think that I got kind of the same goal for this year, so I just want to have fun with some racing, because when I was trying to push to the 4 5k in iRacing, I was like, I was feeling really horrible after this, I was like, oh no, I don’t want to race iRacing, you know?

Uh, so right now I’m just like, okay, I want to have fun, I want to have fun races, maybe do some Assetto Corsa, Evo, maybe some Microsoft Flight simulator, just to not have all the time in iRacing. Yeah.

Bell Wells: That’s always fun. Yes, I do like flying planes sometimes in between as well. I think that’s so funny. We all kind of dabble in the flight sim as well.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Did you try the new flight sim?

Bell Wells: I haven’t, my husband has done it. I’ve barely, [00:45:00] I’ve just watched it probably. I don’t even think I’ve done a landing challenge in it. Does your husband

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: fly? Yes, he, he’s flying also. So, yeah, that’s why we My husband loves flying. Yeah, that’s why we started. So he did some DCS World and some Microsoft Flight Simulator as well.

And he already tried some career mode and new one. Which I didn’t, uh, really looking forward for this, because it’s really interesting, because you got some, like, rescue missions, uh, you got, uh, some commercial flights, and, uh, Oh

Bell Wells: yeah, they added a lot more. It’s really

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: cool, yeah.

Bell Wells: The bush flights.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. I do like that.

I really want to, you know, learn how to fly on helicopter because I already learned how to fly on planes, so I can take off, landing, do all the stuff and some navigation as well, but I got no clue how to fly helicopters [00:46:00] because they’re so complicated for me, but here’s a really cool missions like rescue people from mountains and you have to do this with helicopter and some other stuff as well.

Fun. Makes me want to try it. Yeah, we’ll jump into this as well. That’s, you know, that’s really nice that you got a person who’s into flights and sims and simracing, snowboarding, like, it’s really cool. Have you tried

Bell Wells: the, um, truck simulator where you’re the big semi trucks and you drive those around?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Ah, you ever tried a truck simulator too?

I tried this, uh, we stream it. a lot of time. And I also had a convoy with my my friends. Yeah, it was really fun. And also my husband to join us with a convoy. So yeah, it was really fun. But, you know, I think I’m, [00:47:00] I want to have more time in the flight scene right now, because it’s still completely new for me.

And it’s always It’s kind of funny to learn new things and, uh,

Bell Wells: Yes, I agree. I love learning new things.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Jump into some other simulators where you’re just a noob. So it’s a good feeling. Uh, so yeah. A rookie again? Yeah, be a rookie again. It’s really fun. Uh, because in iRacing, we, we pro already.

All right, um, what advice can you give to newcomers in iRacing, uh, from your side?

Bell Wells: Um, I think just keep it fun. Like, I get frustrated when I try a little too hard, but Just keep it fun. Keep it light. It is still a game. I do love that it’s, like, [00:48:00] competitive and it has that, that side to it, but it’s also, it’s so fun.

It’s such a fun game. I’ve made friends over iRacing. It’s Fun to explore, try new things, you can discover the love of dirt ovals, oval ovals, road roads. Some roller coasters as well.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yes. Because it can be really fun. It’s not really popular in iRacing, but I think it’s just an underrated category in iRacing.

Because I used to do them a lot and it’s always really fun, especially these jumpy tracks, so I really like them.

Bell Wells: Yes, get some air, get the butterflies. Yes,

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: that’s true. Um, and can you give also advice, uh, from, from what equipment to start with? Because usually I’m telling people that you can start with whatever equipment you got.

Like if you got G27, [00:49:00] you have to jump into a racing. So what do you think about this from your side?

Bell Wells: I agree. I agree. I don’t think you need, like, a direct drive to start iRacing. I think it’s good to see if you like it first. Like, I didn’t think I was going to be this into it, so I was like, okay, Logitech, little wheel, this is perfect.

Like, I didn’t realize it could get this crazy with the prices, and, like, I didn’t even know they had this kind of equipment, that it was so strong I could barely turn the wheel. It’s a fun, it’s a fun thing to discover, but yeah. You can honestly start with just a controller, like that’s the first racing games I did when I was like 13 a million years ago.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, controller can be okay for some games, uh, I know that some people started even iRacing with a controller and then they moved to the wheelbase. Um, so yeah, just, uh, you know, sometimes in the internet, uh, here’s some Uyghur people who’s like, you have to start from D Didi wheels [00:50:00] and, uh, like prop pedal.

Yeah. Right from the start. And I kind of disagree with this because, uh, yeah, yeah. Just

Bell Wells: start.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. I feel like, uh, people who’s coming to some racing, uh, so some racing should be, um, like more open for everybody and it doesn’t matter, uh, which equipment, equipment you got. So if you got exactly. Anything, you have to jump and start and try it, uh, if you like it, then you can continue and, uh, step by step upgrade, uh, the rig which you got.

Bell Wells: Yes, I agree. I feel like people think they Uh, like, need to not be bad, like they can’t suck at something to start it, but that’s where I always start, is being very bad. I suck. I embrace the suck, I love starting something, a new challenge. Start bad and then work your way up.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, you know, it’s, uh, completely okay if you, you just started the, the new things, uh, for yourself, you’re [00:51:00] learning and, uh, you’re growing step by step, and it’s okay if you, um, not really good in the beginning.

Your equipment or your knowledge, yeah,

Bell Wells: isn’t top notch, it’ll get there.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s true. Um. Also, I started from G27, uh, in 2020 from single monitor and now I got the D, load cell pedals and triple screen. Of course, people who

Bell Wells: Surrounded by screens. Yeah,

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I mean, of course, people who’s coming to streams, they’re like, Oh, you already got high equipment, but when they’re asking me, they’re like, Oh, you really started with G27?

I also got G27. And, um, I think it’s really cool that I got this experience that I went step by step in equipment as well because I would like to inspire more people to just

Bell Wells: try some racing. Yes, it gives you good perspective too. So now when you push on the pedals and it’s not a Logitech you’re like, oh, that feels good.

That’s nice.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s [00:52:00] right. Um, the last one will be for you. Um, which of the rounds in Porsche e sports all stars are you wasting the most? This season, of course.

Bell Wells: Oh, that I want to have happen or I’m nervous about?

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Uh, you want to happen.

Bell Wells: Oh, I’m kind of nervous about all of them and I’m not very good at any of the tracks.

I don’t really know Thruxton yet. Oh, me too. Do you know

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Thruxton? Me too. I’ve got no idea about this track.

Bell Wells: Don’t really know Fuji. I don’t love Lamon. I’m actually quite excited. Saxon Ring, is that how you say it? The new one? I like that one. Yeah. P Cup was there recently too, that one’s fun.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: I think this one will be, yeah, will be fun with Porsche Cup.

And I tried it in Raceroom a long time ago, but I hope my brain still remembers this. The muscle memory. Yeah, the muscle memory and all the stuff. So yeah, and Fuji, [00:53:00] I think you should be okay with Fuji, so you just need to practice this track. But, uh, recently I tried it with GTPhrase and I really like it, you know, just going with the flow.

Here is the some cool corners on this track. So I’m looking forward for Fuji, I think, in this season. So yeah,

Bell Wells: I’m looking forward to anything that’s not GTP, just because GTPs I’m a little intimidated by still.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Do you have the racing license? So here’s just some messages in chat about this. Yeah. Oh, so you won’t I don’t have

Bell Wells: a driver’s license.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Ah, you won’t get the racing license there in real life. Ah, so it sucks in ring. Okay, got it. So it sucks in ring. That’s really cool. Oh. Yeah. You know, German tracks are really Yeah.

Really fun, yeah. [00:54:00] So Saxon Ring, I think, should be okay with Porsche Cup. Um, about Mugello, yeah, like, I don’t know this track, so I’m going to do some practice. I do like

Bell Wells: Mugello. Yeah, starting, yeah, we have a couple days.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Um. Okay, here’s a question for you. What is your favorite track in general? So that’s the Nordschleife, I guess.

Bell Wells: Definitely Nordschleife, yeah, definitely Nordschleife. I don’t even like the Nürburgring Grand Prix part. It’s okay, but my favorite is the Nordschleife bit.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, if, uh, you would ask me, I think I would choose the Nords without GB part because I really dislike this mixed Nordschleife, it’s so funny, I’m glad I’m not the only one.

No, you’re not the only one. Alright, it was nice to talk with you about A lot of different stuff, uh, thank you so much, I wish you good luck in Porsche eSports this Saturday, next Saturday as well, then we’ll [00:55:00] have a little break. You too. Thank you so much, and uh, good luck to your streams, uh, and to your daily races in eRacing, thank you so much for being here, and guys, thank you so much for watching, we’ll see you next Thursday, bye bye!

Bell Wells: Bye!

Crew Chief Brad: They bring eSports content to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands, while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports, industries, and platforms. eSports is a woman-led company where diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is in their DNA and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible.

To learn more, be sure to log onto www.initesports.gg or follow them on [00:56:00] social media at init eSports. Join their discord, check out their YouTube channel, or follow their live content via switch.

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[00:57:00] episode.

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Introduction to Screen to Speed
• 00:53 Meet Sarah Hawkie: Co-Founder of Nighthawk Racing
• 01:13 Sarah’s Journey into Supercar Coaching
• 02:11 From Sim Racing to Real Tracks
• 08:31 The Birth of Nighthawk Racing
• 12:59 Challenges and Triumphs in Sim Racing
• 18:16 The Female Experience in Sim Racing
• 25:33 Comparing Sim Racing to Real Life
• 28:52 Future Aspirations in Racing
• 30:20 Balancing Dreams and Reality in Racing
• 31:10 Encouraging More Women in Racing
• 31:30 The Role of Online Platforms in Sim Racing
• 36:55 Starting a Podcast During Lockdown
• 37:57 Building a Community Through Streaming
• 43:33 Involvement with Razor and Comms
• 51:04 The Car Community in the UK
• 59:42 Advice for Women Entering Racing
• 01:02:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to Screen to Speed powered by INIT Esports. In this podcast, we dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals, making waves in sim racing and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real life racetracks, we explore the passion, Dedication and innovation that drives the world of motor sports.

We’ll hear from athletes, creators, and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motorsports. So buckle up. Screen to speed starts now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Hi everyone. Welcome to Ineed Talks. Welcome everybody. Happy to see you here. We got, uh, today, Saira Hawkey. Uh, she is a co founder of, uh, Nighthawk Racing and also a podcaster. For first, we’re going [00:01:00] to talk about sim racing, racing, and he is also, uh, she’s also the, um, uh, supercar coach. Uh, so let’s start.

Saira, welcome. Happy to see you here. Thank you. Thank you very much for

Sarah Hawkie: having me.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. Uh, so let’s start, uh, talk about your job and, uh, how you get into coaching, how you get into like the supercar coaching. So let’s start from this.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, okay, cool. So, um Happens up just before I got that job. I uh got invited by porsche gb to go to brands hatch to test I think at the time it was four brand new porsches.

Obviously, there’d be a couple years old now Um, but I got kind of got picked out of 12. I don’t know if anyone knows of esme hawkey She used to race in the porsche 9 11. Um Kind of cup and she held like a competition where I think 12 uh, women got invited to do this We Drive event, um, and lucky enough as one of the [00:02:00] 12 that got picked.

I don’t know how, but I was very lucky and um, obviously I was very thankful for that opportunity because before that I’d never really kind of done any on track driving. I’m used to doing like sim driving and sim racing, but that was kind of my first. on track experience and, uh, obviously to drive Porsches was quite a, a jump from going nothing to doing driving the Porsches around my, uh, my favorite track.

But, uh, after that I had, well, my parents actually bought me, um, an experience day package for my 21st birthday. And at the time I think it was to drive another Porsche, uh, an Aston Martin, a Nissan GTR. And I can’t quite remember the last one, but, um, I had that experience and at the end of the day, um, I don’t know if it’s obviously because a couple of days before I had coaching myself and I must have kind of, I guess it kind of ingrained in me.

They, um, offered me the job, um, at the time I was about to finish a uni degree. So I was [00:03:00] at that kind of point in my life where I was like, I want to take the next jump. into, you know, a career. It just so happened that that came at the right time, because I was wondering what should I do? I was at that stage of life where I was like, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to use my degree in something, because I did sport and exercise science, and I was do I carry on?

Do I go for a job? Uh, and this was kind of the perfect opportunity because it was self employed. I could kind of choose my own hours, choose what tracks that I worked at. So, um, I now obviously work with a couple of companies, um, but it’s a very cool job and trying to explain it to someone else is always the hardest bit because when you say I’m a super cool instructor, they’re like, Whoa, what’s that?

Um, I try and say that obviously I’m the person sat next to the person driving, you know, talking through breaking points, when to accelerate, trying to learn, we’re trying to teach them basic kind of track terms like apexes, [00:04:00] um, obviously, when to Put the front one, like I say, when to brake, trying to show them parts of the track, um, where, you know, I would brake And lap by lap trying to push them a little bit more so, you know, they feel comfortable in themselves driving these, you know really fast cars, but also Um, they get the experience of a lifetime like I did when I was sat in the driving seat Um, so I try and give them, you know a good experience Also, like I say, at the end of the day, not many people get those opportunities to drive those really fast cars.

So I really want to, you know, make sure that they have fun and they would come back and do it again. Um, so I was very lucky to get an opportunity, like I say, um, and it was like the perfect time in my life. But that’s how I fell into the supercar stuff and I’ve been doing that for about two years now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: This is awesome. You know, I worked also as a super car instructor. So we, uh, I was, uh, um, like on my own also. Uh, so we had some [00:05:00] sessions on the racing track with a Porsche Carrera. So I had a really beautiful girl was nine 11 and, uh, been doing, uh, some track days with her. Uh, so. This, uh, this thing is kind of popular, so if people doesn’t know about this, uh, so now they got, uh, some information that, uh, people work in, uh, as you said, uh, to give, uh, good emotions of driving the car and, uh, great experience on the track.

Um, what actually sparked your passion to motorsport? Like, uh, that happened before twenty, uh, one year old, uh, so maybe in childhood?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I’ve always, I’ve always been car mad as I call it. Whenever I start talking about cars, I can never really shut up because I’m, I’m always talking about it and the job definitely helps because I can kind of talk about it for as long as I want.

Um, but from when I was young, my parents, um, obviously when I learned to drive, I was very passionate about trying to get on the roads as quick as I could. Just because I’ve always had that [00:06:00] kind of. drive and passion that I want to pass as soon as I can. So when I turned 17, I was like, yep, booking the test, going for that.

And luckily I passed that first time. So I didn’t have to wait too long, but, um, I also set up a car online club. And that was obviously during, mostly during the pandemic when, you know, the world just shut down, I created that so that it. With a friend, um to bring like like minded car people together Because obviously you went through a time in the world where everything just shut down car meets stopped Um, you couldn’t go out and see your friends So I kind of created this online community so that you know people are feeling lonely, but um, they could talk to People maybe with similar cars or the same passion and I found that really brought people closer together.

Um, but yeah, I’ve always been into cars and racing. I’m always watching. I’m always trying to go to local tracks. My local track is Brands Hatch. So [00:07:00] even when I was little, I was like, I want to go to, it doesn’t matter what’s on track. I just wanted to go there, kind of feel that environment. And that’s, I’ve always enjoyed that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: That’s awesome that you’re living next to the Brands Hatch, uh, absolutely legendary track and, uh, in my opinion, one of the best, uh, which, which we, which we got because of the, this, uh, high and down changes, uh, absolutely incredible on this track. Um, so how’s actually, uh, transition from, like, you, you did a lot of, uh, in real life.

Yeah. And, uh, how did you dive into sim racing?

Sarah Hawkie: Um, probably like everyone else, it’s kind of that, um, when you’re at home, you know, you want to kind of carry on doing what you love, which is driving. And that’s kind of the next best thing, or in my opinion, one of the best things to, you know, when you’re not on track, you’ve got this set up at home that you can practice whenever you want.

Um, that really, that sim racing [00:08:00] passion probably, um, sparked mostly when I was Was in lockdown because I think like everyone else is like, what do I do? Um, and that’s when I really kind of invested a little bit more time into it before that It was kind of just playing with friends Like I said, just playing a few games here and there.

Um, I started on I think gt sport Um, that was kind of my first experience of you know competitiveness racing sim racing Um, I haven’t quite gone up to iRacing yet. I don’t have the whole the setups and stuff But that’s in the future. I’d like to give that a go as well Um, but yeah, i’d say that although lockdown was a very difficult time for the world That’s where I kind of like homed in on sim racing and really wanted to try and give it a go And recently obviously, um I’d say in the last year or so, I set up Nighthawk Racing with a friend to kind of, again, bring, you know, like minded people together in a community where we’re all playing this one game.

We all kind of met through GT7 and GT [00:09:00] Sport, so it just brought us a lot closer as a a friendship group, but also now we’re four seasons in, and um, we’ve, season on season, we’re learning things, we’re changing things, and we’re getting more and more people in, because obviously, GT, when you’re on consoles, it’s kind of that entry level, so it’s a good kind of, place for everyone to kind of begin their journeys as well.

Um, so like I said, that’s where I began my journey with sim racing.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: This is awesome. Yeah, I think that many people started sim racing during pandemic times because just racing tracks didn’t work and many in real life drivers also jump in here and actually So many people discover that, oh, we got some racing, we got like a racing and, you know, some other, uh, simulators as well, like, uh, Gran Turismo.

I think Gran Turismo is really good, uh, entry level for many people because, uh, not everybody got, uh, PCs and they just, uh. You know, can buy a [00:10:00] PlayStation and, uh, play it right from the start, and yeah, that’s a great opportunity, definitely. Um, so how did you start your own, uh, team in, uh, Gran Turismo? How did that happen, and, uh, like, how many people you got right now here?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, um, like I say, when GT Sport was my kind of first experience of the GT franchise and I was lucky enough to meet really good friends from it. Um, which obviously my co founder, uh, I call him Midnight, but his real name is Luke. Um, but it’s always that thing when you know someone’s online kind of name, you always refer him to as that.

But, um, we just sat down one day and thought, what can we do to kind of help people that we need? We’re in our position, which is like you want to race with friends, but you also want to be competitive You might not want to do kind of the daily races. Um, you want to kind of start, you know Learning with people and then you might venture into a little bit more kind of other leagues or the dailies Like I say, um, and we [00:11:00] sat down we kind of uh planned Our first season.

It was a learning curve season one because obviously we’d never we’ve been in loads of leagues before but we never held one ourselves So it’s kind of what do people expect from us? What do we expect from people? Obviously we learned a lot for during that season one. Um, and Yeah, like I say, the reason we set up was to bring everyone together, um, through people that we’ve met in other leagues.

Um, obviously I did the, in eSports, the, I think the Winter Cup last year, um, where I raced along kind of Sharon, Sophie, Yvonne, and that was a great experience. And it’s, again, you bring people that you know from other leagues and stuff, uh, together, and it’s a learning, uh, kind of, environment for people that might want tips, tricks.

We have training videos. Pedro, one of our training admin, he likes to really kind of film [00:12:00] the videos where he’s training people on certain tracks, showing them where, you know, um, breaking points are, apexes are, where to accelerate. And people really kind of find that helpful when they’re trying to learn a track on the game, because it can be quite a difficult game to try and get used to, if you’re not, you know, used to.

How the gt7 physics work sometimes it can be in your favor or sometimes they’re really tricky. Um, so It’s just about kind of helping people learn, also having fun and a bit of competitive racing at the same time.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s awesome that you’re doing this, uh, investment from your site to community of Gran Turismo.

Um, I think that’s a good thing about simracing also that when you come in as a newbie here, uh, you got like a bunch of videos on YouTube, you got good, uh, leaks, good, uh Uh, like, uh, teams, uh, which you can join. And, uh, that’s definitely help, uh, sim racing grow at the same time. Um, [00:13:00] so can you tell me what was the biggest challenge, uh, when you started sim racing?

Sarah Hawkie: Um, I’d say for me, it’s the consistency because one lap I’ll be, you know, I’ll feel amazing. I feel like I’ve done a really good lap time and then the next something else will just happen. And I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know where I am on track and I kind of all lose it in that one corner. And for me, I’ve been trying my best to try and, you know, improve that consistency.

And I think it’s the hardest thing because One lap pace, obviously, for qualifying is quite helpful, but when you’re doing a long race, like an hour long, you’ve really got to kind of improve that consistency if you want to fight with the people at the top. And that’s the thing that I think is the most difficult bit for me at the minute, is trying to set that consistent kind of base for me.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm hmm. Yeah, consistency is really hard to Uh, to reach, especially when you’re just starting, and, uh, with a [00:14:00] new car, so you need more time to adapt, to also, uh, like, get used to the car, to the track, uh, so fully understand you. Uh, what is your favorite combo in Gran Turismo? Like, what do you like, uh, drive the most here?

Sarah Hawkie: Probably the group 3 cars, um, that’s the one I’ve probably got the most experience in. Um, I’m a little bit biased. I like driving the Porsche because in real life, that’s one of my favorite cars as well. And obviously, I kind of relate that thing back to Brands Hatch and driving real life Porsches. It, I say the games don’t do Brands Hatch justice because I always say to anybody that I meet, Brands hatch is a lot better in real life.

You can, like you said earlier, you feel kind of the undulations when you go down Paddock Hill, and I’d recommend anyone to go to Brands hatch in real life. But, um, yeah, I’d probably say Brands hatch and a Porsche is my all time favorite, um, combo, but Um, I like just learning different tracks. Um, currently in the season that we’re doing now, [00:15:00] I’m driving the BMW M6.

It’s very difficult when you get that rear end facing the wrong way. Sometimes I put a little bit too much acceleration down and temporarily I’m facing sidewards. Um, but yeah, I just kind of like that practicing, you know, with friends, friends trying to help each other improve. And that’s what we’re Nighthawk Racing at the moment.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Do you prefer sprint races or endurance races? Like, uh, did you ever, uh, do any endurance races with your team? Maybe

Sarah Hawkie: I’d say personally, I’m a little bit better at sprint races. Like I said earlier, I can kind of with that one lap pace. I might be able to. You know do a sprint race better than a feature or an endurance race I think the longest i’ve done is a couple of hours um But our feature race is an hour long and even that I find kind of hard doing, you know, multiple laps a consistent Uh lap time but um, i’d like to obviously give endurance racing a little bit [00:16:00] more of a Kind of an effort from my side because I’ve always kind of my experience is more sprint races So i’m i’m able to kind of you know getting it Into it quickly because I know obviously you’ve not got enough time in a sprint race to kind of climb up the grid Um, I just I like that kind of quick fast paced racing where the kind of endurance side Obviously, it’s a lot more concentration It’s a lot more like I said improving that consistency and that’s kind of i’m at that Kind of pivotal point where I’m nearly there, but I’m not quite there when it comes to endurance racing

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: All right.

So, uh, I hope that in the future maybe you’re going to do some endurance races, uh, because they are so exciting Because you’re working with a team and it’s always a pleasure Yeah, especially when you You know, maybe racing with your friends or just racing with faster people because you’re learning a lot from them as well.

Uh, so that’s always a great opportunity. Uh, can you tell me what is your current, uh, setup looks like [00:17:00] for some racing? Like what, what will you use in pedals?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah. Uh, well, I recently bought a, a play seat evolution one. I was on just an office chair with a kind of a wheel and pedal stand. Uh, but I’ve.

Managed to find a secondhand one that was quite local to me and currently I only have a logitech g29 but i’m i’m trying to save up to like a other fanatech or kind of a One of the new kind of logitech or frost master models, but they’re very expensive and And they have to work a lot of events to be able to afford one of them at the minute

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, I think so many people started with, uh, like G27, G29.

I personally started with G27, uh, during pandemic, had only a single screen. Uh, so moved to the D recently. Uh, so yeah, everything in the future, don’t worry about equipment. I think you just have to focus on practice and on races, on your driving skills, first of all, and then think about equipment because even some [00:18:00] pro, some racers, uh, they.

Running with G27, G29, so yeah. Um, I think that, uh, Setup overall not really important, like, it’s important, but, uh, More important, your driving skills, definitely. Um, let’s talk about, uh, how do you feel, like, To be female sim racer in the Gran Turismo community, how they treat you, uh, because, uh, Me as a sim racer in the iRacing, I’m feeling quite comfortable and, uh, community on Twitch really welcome to me.

Well, sometimes you meet some toxic people, but they’re just like one, two people and the rest of the community absolutely amazing and, uh, welcome everybody.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, like yourself, I think kind of on Twitch and kind of when you Especially in eSports, obviously, it kind of empowers women and we all kind of stick together in a way.

Um, I’ve always had a [00:19:00] positive experience on Twitch. Uh, not so much on kind of GT7 when you’re racing, you know, random people in the world. I have had the occasional, you know, What are you doing here? Why are you racing? You know the stereo the stereotypical thing that they want to say to a woman like, you know Go and you know, push a pram or something.

I’ve had that before and that was quite shocking. I was like, okay, um, all right but yeah Kind of a stereotypical kind of comments Uh across on the game when they don’t really know obviously the person behind the steering wheel But i’ve got to say on twitch and uh on social media in general. I’ve had quite a positive I guess relationship with it.

Um, but I’d say on the game itself when you’re not with friends and you’re trying to improve just, you know, by doing kind of those daily races or racing random, that’s when it becomes a little bit, um, I’d say a little bit more kind of, I don’t want to say sexist, but in a way, obviously, sometimes when you’re, [00:20:00] say, the only women, the only woman racing in that lobby, then.

It’s almost you put a little bit of a target because they’re like obviously that’s one thing that they’ve noticed and that’s one thing that they can comment on but most of the time they’re not actually commenting on like how I’ve done in a race or like if I if they if I’ve beaten them and you know they don’t say congratulations or anything like that but um all in all I’ve had I’d say More positive kind of experience negative, but you always unfortunately with anything you get that kind of one person that wants to comment But yeah, I’d say positive and negative Yeah, I I don’t like it when those comments appear I kind of try and shrug it off, but sometimes it will get to me a little bit My friends will know on the twitch side whenever I’ve been Kind of streaming and one of those comments have come up.

I’ve tried to ignore it not going to give it the attention But yeah, I try and shrug it under the carpet because I I don’t [00:21:00] feel like in this day and age Especially they need to comment about that. Uh, it’s more obviously if they said I was a really bad driver then I’d I’d be like, okay, uh, i’ll try better but when they kind of bring, you know that you’re a woman Uh in this I don’t think it’s really deserved in that respect

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, you know, some people just, uh, don’t change, so, uh, you just, uh, you know, like, uh, have to accept, like, uh, they exist here, and, uh, sometimes they are part of the communities, like in shooters and gaming and sim racing as well, um, the funnest thing which happened with me in iRacing, uh, I was driving ovals, and, uh, ovals, uh, a little bit more, uh, You know, like, who’s powerful man and all this stuff.

Uh, so not a lot of girls driving here, uh, compared to road races. And, uh, they just, uh, started to laugh that, uh, I’m a 12 years old, uh, uh, kid, a boy. [00:22:00] And I, I said to, to them, like, I’m a girl and they like, Oh, I’m sorry. And you know, just. It was really funny. Uh, so yeah, you know, most of the time, uh, community really friendly and, uh, people supporting you, people, uh, so happy for you, uh, for wins and, uh, for good races and trying to support you when you got, uh, like some crashes and bad racing.

Um, do you see that, uh, actually some racing community changed for the years, like you started during pandemic and, uh, how do you see a community right now? So maybe they have. Like more friendly to girls, uh, also for this times.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I think that’s a good question. I think when I started, it was kind of that initial, like.

It was probably more apparent back then, uh, the comments of, like, being a woman and racing and, like, what are you doing? But through the years, I think it’s got, it’s got better. There’s less comments and less comments. It’s kind of like you say, more about kind of empowering, you know, women, uh, sim [00:23:00] racing in motorsport.

Especially, obviously, these days, you’ve got kind of more, kind of, uh, I’ll call them influencers, but role models in motorsport and sim racing that you can look up to that are women. Um, obviously. I’d say kind of more than a few years ago There wasn’t those role models that people could kind of look up to but i’d say now There’s definitely a lot more kind of female role models in the you know, the sim racing and motorsport World and that’s why I think obviously more there’s less and less comments and kind of more like I say people supporting each other um, I did have a Going into real life.

I did have a funny experience that I just remembered when I was supercar instructing Where I was um Instructing this man. He was, I think, he was a little bit older. I’d say probably 60 to 70 age range and we were behind another car. And normally at that point otherwise I’d kind of review how, you know, fast [00:24:00] they’re going.

If we got enough room to overtake because on some of the tracks they put kind of man made chicanes where you’ve got to try and, you know. Get the customers through safely. It tests their driving skills a little bit when you’ve got kind of more the I’d say an easier track Um, but we were around Lydden Hill, which is kind of like a rallying track here, uh in the UK Um, we’re behind another car.

We’re following it for about a lap Because they weren’t giving us enough space to overtake. So I was just saying, you know, off a little bit off the accelerator, we’ll keep behind them and then we’ll overtake on the next straight. And I think he completely forgot in his head, but he said, Oh, women drivers.

And I just looked at him. It was like, okay, he looked at me. And I think he realized he was like, Oh, I’m really sorry. That wasn’t meant to you. I was like, okay, that better not have been because he was going quite fast at that point. I didn’t need to really give him any kind of tuition, a little bit.

Because obviously people that age, they think [00:25:00] they can drive amazingly when most of the time they’ve picked up bad habits. So I was trying to kind of comment on those bad habits. But yeah, I found that funny because it was that kind of moment of realisation when he looked at me and he was like I’m really sorry that I said that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Well, that’s the best moment which could happen, actually.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I laugh about it to this day, because I don’t think he meant it, but obviously he had that initial thought, and I was like, oh, okay.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s a really funny moment which you had. Also, how do you compare the sim racing to real life? Uh, as you drove cars in real life and in Gran Turismo.

So, uh, what do you think, uh, how close in racing to real life, uh, racing experience?

Sarah Hawkie: Um, I’d probably say a little bit if I was on more kind of ACC or I racing a little bit more than the. It’s more kind of realistic, I think, those games in [00:26:00] general. I think, obviously, GT7 kind of borders that sim racing slash arcade game.

Because, obviously, it’s not, probably, it’s not one of the most realistic ones out there. But, especially, you know, for tracks that I’ve never been to before, if they’re on the game, then I will give it, you know, more attention. I will go for a few laps, kind of, or watch, like, say, some YouTube videos of other people driving around that track in a game to kind of gauge.

where people break or where people kind of find that speed. Um, I think it helps in that respect when, like I say, when I’ve not been to a track or driven it myself, I will give it kind of a five, ten minutes trying to, trying to learn it. Um, but I’d probably say for me, I think ACC and iRacing are kind of the games on the market or the sim racing games on the market that really have that kind of more realistic feel and probably, uh, would kind of translate to More speed in real life.

Obviously you’ve got the max staffs, the landowner, Norris. Mm-hmm . You know, um, [00:27:00] driving on I racing when they’re not, you know, traveling around the world with F1. And obviously I think they find it helpful to kind of keep that competitive edge when they’re not racing. Mm-hmm .

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, and I absolutely agree with you.

So, I mean, racing and I race, uh, some open wheelers, uh, before, uh, definitely can tell that, uh, form four is really close to what, uh. You feel in real life, uh, in terms like force feedback and how a car also feels on track. I can’t tell about the other cars because I didn’t drive them in real life, but I really like Porsche Cup in iRacing.

It’s so cool to drive. Um, so yeah, I hope you’re going to get the opportunity in the future to jump into iRacing, jump maybe into ACC and AC Evo. Kind of interesting as well in terms of, uh, how car feels on a track and, uh, feedback as well. So I really like it, uh, personally. Um, don’t know if you tried it, [00:28:00] uh, but it looks, uh, really promising right now, even on, uh, started.

the start of the early access.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I’ve not tried the Evo. I’ve tried ACC before. Um, but like, yeah, I’ve kind of been interested in watching, you know, other people play Evo and kind of, it looks pretty interesting, like you say, and hopefully I get the chance to have a, an experience on it soon. I think, obviously, I’ve got a lot of wish lists.

You know items on my wishlist like a pc kind of a more built up rig Um, that’s kind of my goals i’m trying to work towards because I do want to make that kind of transition from you know console gaming to you know Proper sim racing and kind of more, I’d say more time that I could set aside to practice and kind of, um, try and expand my, my skills on that a little bit more.

Um, as well, obviously real life, I want to try and go for my race license, hopefully this year. Um, if not next year, cause I want to [00:29:00] make that jump from kind of supercar instructing to then instructing kind of inspiring or trying to inspire, um, you know, the next generation of racing drivers. Yeah. Um, and that’s what I try, I’m trying to make my job into.

It’s very hard trying to make that transition from kind of a self employed supercar driving instructor to then, you know, trying to teach racing drivers, um, you know, in, in different cars. That’s, that’s where I want to be, but that’s quite far away from me at the minute.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So I understand you want to be also like racing drivers instructor, yes, or do you want to maybe race in real life some series like in I think in UK you got a lot of racing series which are absolutely great and competitive as well

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I would, I would never say no to having an opportunity to race.

I think I want to make that transition, um, [00:30:00] at some point, give racing a go and kind of support like the instructing and instructing race drivers. on the side. Um, but it’s just, um, budgeting and sponsorships at the minute. I’m not, I need to learn a little bit more about that and kind of like how to approach, uh, sponsorships, um, if I want to kind of make a real go for it.

Um, that’s the bit that at the moment I’m kind of finding the hardest is obviously driving. If you’ve got a lot of driving skills, that’s one thing, but obviously you’ve got then think of it as kind of more of a business opportunity. For yourself and the companies that you’re trying to approach and I’m trying to make you know Trying to learn that a bit at the minute But I like I say I would never say no to to racing in real life and at some point Hopefully, um, i’d like to lose a little bit of weight before that as well because obviously I want to put myself in kind of the best position possible Uh, while I have the opportunity.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s awesome that I got, uh, these dreams and, [00:31:00] uh, actually got a good plan, uh, to reach all this. Uh, hopefully you’ll get racing, uh, license in the future. Yeah. Um, what do you think? How, uh, can we encourage, uh, more girls, uh, to To jump into some racing and, uh, racing as well, um, like, you know, we all trying definitely like I’m doing streaming and, uh, just people coming and they’re like, oh, like girls racing.

Yeah. Uh, so what’s, uh, can be done in your opinion?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I agree with you kind of being a On online platforms, especially these days, obviously everyone’s kind of got a mobile phone or a laptop or a tablet if they’re seeing, you know females in this industry And you know, they’re sitting behind the screens thinking well, I might want to do that myself obviously kind of people like, you know ourselves in e sports, obviously They can contact them if they’re at that point where they’re not quite sure which route to go down What they don’t know what to you know, sim [00:32:00] racing equipment to buy or something like that Or if they, they really want to give it a go, they’ve got people like ourselves that they can just have a, you know, a chill chat with and say, um, I want to maybe give this a go.

What should I do? What do you recommend? Because obviously we’ve all kind of got our, our things, our mistakes that maybe when we started out, we would do differently. And obviously saying that to someone, you could say, I did it this way. But on the road I found I had, you know, a couple of mistakes. I would recommend maybe going for this first um, because I know myself obviously like um, Like I said earlier, obviously i’m quite I say entry level sim racing at the minute But i’d say, you know, it’s a great place to start You’ll build a lot of friendships um, and you’ll kind of get that community feel and then when you’re ready to make that jump and you feel like You want to make that jump into kind of more professional sim racing like iRacing ACC, um, obviously the different kind of championships, like I know Porsche, [00:33:00] they have a big, uh, iRacing, uh, Porsche Cup, obviously, um, where you can actually win, you know, real money out of it as well.

Um, and obviously that’s kind of, to someone that’s behind a screen and they’re not kind of sure which way to go down, that might be something that they want to try in the future. Um, I’d say doing a lot of research I think has helped as well, because, like I say, when I first started out. I think it was that point where a lot of other girls were trying to get into it as well.

Um, and I think Innit Esports you know, um, valuable place. They’re empowering women and to see that, obviously, from where I started, like I said earlier, where a few comments were said here and there, where Innit Esports, you know, really kind of empower women. You know, we’re talking about issues. We’re talking about You know recommendations and stuff like that for people that want to get into those kind of, you know Real life racing or sim racing.

So I think we’re on the right [00:34:00] step. Um And, like I say, I’d hope with some of the things, some of the experiences I had, I could help someone else. Because, you don’t kind of see a lot of women making that jump, um, to sim racing from, from sim racing to, like, In real life racing. I’ve seen a lot more recently make kind of that big jump Um, but it’s just the kind of the sponsorships the money aspect I always thought that you know, maybe it’s a silly part of my brain where I thought oh, you know sim racing is Not cheap, but it’s like, it’s kind of easy to access.

And whenever I tripped at the first hurdle, shall we say, I was like, Oh, you know, I’ll get my race license. I’m gonna go and try and compete in something. Then it was like, Oh, my race license is this much. You know, the track experience is this much. And you’ve got to kind of add all of them up. And it is a very expensive kind of, um, career to go down.

[00:35:00] And obviously the first couple of years when you’re trying out, there will be kind of a lot of expenses, a lot of learning, um, Yeah, I’d say just help someone else. It would just be kind of being online, being honest about it as well, um, and giving recommendations where possible. And just being there, you know, if they’ve got any struggles or any questions that they want to ask, being kind of that person that they can ask and you can give that honest feedback to them.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, as you said, uh, Enita sports, uh, doing real good stuff for women, uh, in sim racing and, uh, in, in racing as well. Uh, so we got, uh, good, uh, championships and, uh, on different platforms. And, uh, here’s a good community with, uh, with girls and, uh, good people overall. And I think that sim racing is a good base, uh, to start with.

Uh, as you said, it’s, uh, like more open. It’s, uh, in my opinion, more. Uh, compared to real life racing for sure, because [00:36:00] real life racing, uh, so expensive to get in and, uh, you definitely need a big budget on the start just to spend on practice sessions and to get into consistent lap times and, uh, do all this stuff.

And I’m pretty sure that social media can help, uh, because when I did, uh, formulas I had on the Instagram and I. Had no clue about streaming and all this stuff. Um, and right now I see that, uh, streaming gave me a lot of, um, good contacts and, uh, good people, uh, supporting me, uh, free my way in simracing content creation, and that’s a good thing.

So on like on Twitch, on YouTube, you can find a good community and, uh, audience and as well, uh, people who can be interested. in you and probably push you from sim racing to real life racing in the future. So yeah, and speaking about streaming and [00:37:00] especially podcasting, we got podcasts here. How did you start this?

And can you tell me more about your podcast first? What is it about?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, of course. Um, I was gonna go back to the lockdown again. That’s when I really kind of Explored a little bit more about it on Twitch because obviously we had a lot of time to kind of sit around and play games or, you know, sim racing and I thought Oh, what’s Twitch?

What is it all about? Uh, I’ve kind of heard people talking about it. I’ve never really, I never really went on it or watched much of it. But when I did, I was kind of, it opened up a whole nother kind of world of social media where, you know, you’re, you’re live streaming, you’re having people talk to you, and at the same time, you know, you’re not talking to them face to face, but you feel like you’re talking to them face to face on a stream.

Because uh, you’ve got kind of those supportive people that are watching you, you know They’re asking you questions. They’re kind of rooting for you when you’re racing or you’re [00:38:00] playing a game So through streaming i’ve made quite a lot of friendships I’d say quite a lot of my best friends are people that i’ve met through twitch, which obviously i’m very grateful for for that Um, but I I think I started off actually Not playing a racing game just playing some random kind of Um, kind of Call of Duty, stuff like that, and then I found GT Sport, um, and then I went on to GT7, and that’s when, at the time, I explored a little bit more, kind of, sim racing games, or kind of, arcade y games, um, and Yeah, I then found out there’s a kind of a really big community when it comes to, you know, uh, GT Sport and GT7 in particular.

And, um, again, when I started doing that, um, I got obviously, like I said earlier, a few people were just like, you know, not much to do about it. But when I found that kind of supportive base and my supportive friends. I really tried to give streaming [00:39:00] a lot more attention and Um, I started a kind of a podcast with my friend Who’s also the friend that I set up nighthawk racing with where we just simply watch the formula one talk about it a little bit Um, as we’re watching it and kind of give our, you know, thoughts and feelings, our opinions and obviously at the same time, we’d have people talking to us about, you know, their favorite drivers, their favorite circuits, and we noticed that people kind of like that interaction when they’re watching, you know, their favorite sport, we’re watching our favorite sport.

You get kind of a passionate people kind of speaking about their favorite subjects. You can sometimes obviously you can ignite a little bit of debate when it comes to when you say something about a driver and they might not agree or they might agree with you but give a slightly different opinion.

Obviously there’s a lot of debate that goes back and forwards. Um, We haven’t done that last year because of the supercar stuff. It’s very based on like a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, [00:40:00] so unfortunately last year we couldn’t do as much. Um, but nowadays we’re kind of, we’re always talking about, you know, motorsport in general and, um, we kind of transitioned from The podcast into more of the championship stuff, but I’d like to kind of give it a go at some point and I haven’t streamed for about, I’d say two to three months now.

I had a little bit of kind of a health scare, but last year I, um, got anemic and I didn’t feel very well and kind of, I lost that confidence. I’d like to kind of build it up again, uh, as I’m feeling a little bit better now, but, um, yeah, I miss streaming. I will get back to it at some point, like I say, um, But I found out that actually playing alongside my mum We play gt, uh gta, which is obviously gta is kind of like a A character that goes around you can do different missions and stuff like that And because obviously she gamed on [00:41:00] previous kind of playstations bringing her back to the Like the ps5 showing her the controls people find that quite funny because obviously you’re watching my mom try and explore a game She might not know the controls.

So i’m sat next to her going do this. The person’s right in front of you quick, you know um, and sometimes it’s quite funny when you you know, she accidentally, you know gets the wrong person or Um something like that. I found that quite funny But like I say I haven’t streamed for quite a few months, but I will go back to it

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that would be awesome to see you back online, definitely.

Uh, yeah, streaming can be hard, so you need that confidence, and sometimes you can be a little bit shy. So when I started streaming, I was, like, a little bit shy, close. Uh, but right now I’m feeling, like, comfortable and confident. But every time, you know, when you’re starting the first stream after a little break, like, you had two, three days off, you’re, like, streaming, uh, starting from the scratch, like, you’re getting nervous a little bit.

So yeah, that definitely can be a thing. [00:42:00] And, uh, that’s cool that your mom actually sharing your passion to some racing and also, uh, trying it together with you. That’s awesome.

Sarah Hawkie: I say try, she’s, she’s not, sometimes when I say break, break, break, she’ll press the wrong, the wrong pedal and she’ll end up flying into a bar or something, but it’s quite funny watching her do it.

But, um, yeah, I think like you, I was quite shy when I started and once I kind of found that confidence and the people that were supporting me on the other end of the screen, that’s when I’ve kind of, I kind of delved a little bit more into streaming and I got a little bit more confidence. Um, but like you say, when you take a quite a big break that I have, trying to build up that confidence again when you’ve not done it for quite a while.

Kind of like driving or, you know, motorsport in general, when you’ve not done it for a while and you jump back into it, it’s always that nerve wracking. Am I as good as what I used to be? You know, have I not practiced? Um, so yeah, um, I was a little bit nervous before today, but I kind of just remembered, you know, just calm down, you know.[00:43:00]

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: It’s okay. You know, we all get nervous when we get in online or with the stream with all this stuff and we’re like recording the videos and doing such a stuff. So it’s absolutely fine. Like that’s a part of this. It’s okay. Can you tell me about your Insta community? And also, I know that you’re part of, uh, Ravencom’s team.

Uh, what are you doing in this team? Like, are you a driver? And, uh, actually let’s talk about your plans for this year in Simracing and in content creation as well.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, so, uh, Razor and Comms, it’s, John’s the guy behind it, um, he kind of more focuses on providing commentary for racing, um, he usually does, I think, ACC, so that was kind of my first delve into ACC a little bit more when he offered me, uh, kind of a job.

a role alongside him as kind of a co commentator on these races, um, he really taught me a lot about kind of, you know, [00:44:00] talking about people that are racing, what cars they’re driving, you know, talking a little bit more about the things that people don’t realize, trying to convey to people, you know, they may be driving, what, how are they driving, what are they driving like if you see when it’s wet conditions, you see people drive obviously a little bit slower because they’re trying to be a little bit more careful, but.

Trying to be, you know, as fast as they can, trying to, you know, talk to people about different techniques and providing that kind of commentary, but also a driver’s perspective at the same time. Um, and like I say, he, he was very valuable in the kind of teaching me that commentary side, and that’s what I kind of use, uh, for the Nighthawk race, and when we do the commentary for those races, I kind of use a bit of tips and tricks that he taught me.

I haven’t been able to do any commentary with Raven for quite a while, but I recommend anyone. watching Raven. He’s, uh, very passionate about commentary, kind of like, uh, you know, the Moray Walkers and stuff like that. He’s very, very passionate about it. [00:45:00] Um, and intercommunity, um, that’s a slightly different, I said that, well, my friend set it up, uh, during lockdown and then decided to give it to me, and obviously then I took over, but the aim of it, is to what was to and still is to bring kind of people together on Instagram, um, normally about kind of talking about car stuff.

So some people in the car community, especially in the UK, they like to kind of modify the cars a little bit. So you may have someone, you know, with their first car that wants to maybe change the wheels, paint the wheels a different color, put some body kits on it. And obviously. They can ask someone in the community, have you done this?

Did you find, you know, using a certain product better than another one? So it provides that kind of back to back conversation between people. And especially in lockdown, I noticed that it really brought people closer together, because like I said earlier, The world just kind of shut down. [00:46:00] It was a tough time for literally everybody in the world.

We didn’t know kind of what to do. So the the next best thing was to talk online, you know, Skype, FaceTime, trying to see your friends through a screen. Uh, so that’s kind of the What I kind of thought with that is that the car community doesn’t have to die because obviously no one’s Going out with their cars to to meet and talk in person.

We can still do it, but just online Um, so the page kind of started off as people getting to know people showing people Other people their cars, you know giving a personal fact about them Some people don’t always like to give kind of you know a fact about themselves. That’s not car related um, but we try and kind of Show people’s cars and the person behind the driving wheel as I say to get to know both people So we like to kind of do profiles on them.

So you may have I don’t know Someone with a Ford Fiesta you learn a little bit about them because they say oh they do tap dancing [00:47:00] so you can kind of Tapping a little bit more to that non cath fact, get to know the person a little bit more and then that’s obviously when People start to open up a little bit because they feel a little bit more comfortable They’re given, you know a fact about themselves that they don’t normally or wouldn’t normally in a conversation So it again it opens up conversations between people which is often the hardest bit kind of trying to start that conversation.

Sometimes, you know, you might get a frosty reception, but sometimes they kind of warm up to you a little bit, and then they start talking to you about other things, you know, projects with the cars, projects for their, you know, their ongoing. kind of projects that they’ve got going on and yeah, I’ve got some, I’ve got some plans for that.

Um, especially car shows in the UK, kind of car meets has got, I’d say a little bit, I don’t know the right word to say it, but the, it’s not very welcomed as such. Cause obviously you think six people meeting in a car, [00:48:00] an old lady might come by and say that’s antisocial behavior because you know, people are sitting in their cars and they’re all in a group and.

That old lady might think it’s quite, you know, threatening. There are people in their nice cars just sitting together. So it’s kind of, like I said earlier, frosty reception when it comes to cars, especially with older generations. But organized car shows, when you go into like Brands Hatch, it’s a good place.

They always try and Put on car shows for us, you know car enthusiasts Um, and we take our cars to those shows show off our our babies as I call them Because obviously we put a lot of time effort money into kind of cleaning and making our cars look You know the best that they can so other people, you know Take pictures and kind of again start the conversation of I like your car and then you can say I like your car, too Uh, and again, it’s just about building kind of Friends in that community because it can be quite hard, but it can be quite also an isolating world when you’re not sure [00:49:00] where to go Um, so that’s why I try and provide kind of communities in like sim racing or the car world that people if they’re feeling a little bit lonely or they feel like they need kind of a place to meet friends meet people then I try and provide that kind of Place for someone to go to.

About myself, I, I’m at that stage where I’m not quite sure what steps to take next. I’ve got a lot of kind of plans running around in my head and um, you know, stuff written down. But I’d say, at some point I’d, I’d like to go and get that race licence because it opens kind of the key. To the rest of the plans I want to do, but it’s just about kind of learning a bit more about motorsport in general, kind of budgeting, uh, sponsorships, what kind of the first road to go down because.

When you get your race license, obviously, then you’ve, it opens up a whole world of like, what category do you want to race? You know, what’s your [00:50:00] budget? How much sponsorship do you need? Um, then when you want to go for your Arts Instructors course, you have to have completed a certain amount of racing to then go for that course.

At that point, it’s again another outlay of money where you have to go and Kind of find a racing school which can provide that course of becoming an ARDS instructor and then at that point is when you can kind of teach racing drivers or kind of experienced day people the track and obviously you’ve got a qualification behind you that you can say, you know, you know how to race cars, you know how to drive cars, you know how to show people around this, uh, this track, but it’s quite a big jump.

And like I say, um, I think obviously That’s a long way off for me at the moment, but hopefully not too far off, maybe by the end of the year, hopefully.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: All right, uh, so wish you good luck in your future plans, uh, hopefully. Once again, I’m going to tell this, uh, that you’re going to get your racing license and, uh, we’ll, [00:51:00] um, go to one step forward, uh, within racing.

Um, we’d like to know about, uh, car community in, uh, in UK actually, uh, because we’ve been talking about with, uh, other guests. Uh, let it be about, uh, car culture in, uh, Thailand because she visited, uh, Van Gogh recently and, uh, been talking about also car community here in Kazakhstan. So here are people, uh, really, uh, crazy about BMWs and I think JDM culture is really popular as well.

Uh, so what is the most popular, uh, in, in UK for you? Like maybe JDM or BMWs, maybe something else.

Sarah Hawkie: I’d say it’s very similar. Um, the BMWs have got a lot of following over here, kind of that German cars as well, like Volkswagen and, uh, kind of Porsche and those sort of cars. It’s got a big kind of following in the UK.

I’d say also the JDM, you kind of got your different kind of sub [00:52:00] groups of the, the car culture, but it all kind of brings you together. Um, so the, yeah, the JDM culture is quite big here as well. uh, BMWs. I’d say, I hear you’ve kind of got your, kind of, I don’t know what the right group would be cool to call them, but I call them boy racers.

They kind of buy, you know, the um, you know, older cars, kind of mod them up, and you’re hearing from about a mile away because the exhaust is so loud, but um, They kind of buy, kind of, cheaper cars to, to then mod up, um, and that’s why I call them the, the boy racers because they’re always kind of in car parks revving their cars up, um, but yeah, I’d say BMW and JDM, but, um, I’d say it’s usually German versus Jap here, uh, in terms of kind of cars, I’d say they’re equally as big.

Um, but yeah, I, I’m more kind of the German cars myself. I own a Volkswagen, uh, Sirocco R. [00:53:00] So I’m kind of more on the German side, but also I’ve got a lot of friends that, you know, like the the Japanese cars, kind of, um, you know, modding them up. Um, yeah, I’m trying to think of any other cars that are popular here.

I’d say it’s, I’d say it’s similar to kind of, like you said. BMWs and JDMs. They kind of rule the car culture.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, it seems like it’s, uh, like the same trend on all planets. Yeah, kind of like, it’s really funny because, you know, GDM is so crazy. We actually, uh, get a lot of Uh, cars here in Kazakhstan from Japan in like two thousands.

And, uh, here are so many cool projects, uh, which people running like so many Subarus, so many Mark two Toyota’s and, uh, yeah, and BMW, one of the biggest, uh, community we got here. So the gods, you know, really old BMW is modern BMWs and, uh, yeah, that’s really cool. Uh, so what [00:54:00] about, uh, Cars, uh, like Lotus or something else because, uh, you know, when I worked as a, um, racing instructor, uh, we had, uh, good community with, uh, some esprits, uh, they had some elite Lotus Elise and, uh, I think TTSR or something like this.

So they’ve been really crazy about all this, uh, British cars. And I still remember this beautiful Lotus esprit and, uh, you know, Emerald green color. It was really cool.

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I’ve got to say they’re pretty cool. You don’t actually see that many kind of lotuses on the roads in the UK anymore. Uh, you see a few and obviously then you really appreciate how, kind of, when you see one.

Because like I said, there’s not many on the roads at the minute. Um, I know, obviously, kind of, Jaguar recently in the the news, especially they kind of went through that Controversy with their new logo, you know, some people really liked it. Some people really hated it um, [00:55:00] obviously they’re kind of waiting for that new car reveal to see if they kind of really love it, but the Kind of the old jags, especially they’re very kind of popular with uh I’d say probably the older generations, because obviously they’re a bit more kind of popular, um, back especially when like my mum and dad, um, grew up.

I think also at the time, um, kind of, I’d say, I’m trying to think of more British brands that, I’d say they’re not as popular over here as what they used to be. But you still kind of appreciate them when you see them, uh, especially kind of like they say the, the TVRs and the Lotuses. I don’t know if it might be just a Britain thing, but I don’t think we appreciate them as much as we probably should.

Uh, we kind of more appreciate, like I said, the BMWs and the JDMs. Um, so yeah, I mean, I, I like the, you know, the old Jags and stuff. Um, but yeah. [00:56:00] We should probably like our own cars a little bit more, but we don’t really, we just kind of, like you say, choose to kind of import cars in or kind of go for different cars.

I don’t know if it’s obviously because our government don’t give them enough funding anymore. Um, especially obviously, I think our government at the moment are trying to bring in more kind of electric cars. So you’ve got different kind of. Car brands trying to start up but they don’t quite get the the funding kind of the support from from our government to really You know make a big dent in the car market.

Mm

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: hmm I understand this. Uh, thanks for correcting me with, uh, TVR. Uh, it’s, uh, you know, it’s really a small manufacturer, actually. And, uh, I saw one car. It was, uh, like, in beautiful purple color. It was really beautiful inside with, uh, aluminum, uh, desk and all this stuff. It was really cool to see. Yeah.

They’re so beautiful. Um, do you have any plans for [00:57:00] your Volkswagen, uh, Scirocco? Like maybe you would like to take a part in some car shows or something like this

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, I would I would love to definitely take it to some more car shows this year Unfortunately last year with work and stuff whenever they were on a weekend.

I’d always be working and below I can’t go to the the car shows that I love. Um I’m trying to really this year kind of go back into more going to car shows maybe going to some Some race meetings with it. Um I’d like to probably When a few friends want to go but kind of take it over to the Nuremberg ring, kind of go on a really kind of big road trip.

I’ve never been to Wales or Scotland but I’d love to do the, you know, those very kind of beautiful road trips where you step off on the way, get some pictures. Um, I’d say the car itself, I kind of bought it already. Kind of modded to to my taste so it has kind of bigger breaks on it um some body kits bits Probably [00:58:00] more delve into more of the power side eventually, but i’m kind of happy how it is at the minute Um, i’ve probably got a few plans of kind of Trying to mod or trying to change up a little bit of how it looks but um, yeah, I kind of I had a another Volkswagen beforehand a little polo that I bought, you know with nothing on I started from scratch on that one and kind of Modified it.

Um as I went and I really kind of enjoyed that process of you know, putting a splitter on a side skirt, you know a diffuser exhaust and kind of really teaches you how you know, these brands make their cars and how they can Especially, you know, it’s open to adaptation when you buy a car you want to make it to your liking And I really enjoy that kind of process of making it my own Um, i’d say i’m not quite there.

It was just for okay Like I said, I bought it with kind of someone else doing it up and i’m still in that process of making it my own But um, yeah, I love I love [00:59:00] my uh my little wall. Um, I shouldn’t, I probably should drive it a little bit more than I should, but I’ve kind of like, I’ve got to that stage where I just love it so much.

I’m just like, I don’t want to hurt you. Like, I told you to stay there, look pretty.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, you know, it truly is one of my favorite Volkswagen’s ever. And it’s so beautiful, actually really sad that they stopped to Make them, uh, so we don’t have any new models of, uh, Sirocco. It’s really, really sad, uh, but this, uh, like second generation, it looks really beautiful.

I love it personally. So yeah, wish you good luck with your, uh, Volkswagen. So probably we’re going to see you in some car shows as well. Um, So the last one will be what is your advice to girls and to women who would like to dive into some racing and to racing and maybe be a part of the some car shows?

Sarah Hawkie: Yeah, obviously, I’d say that there is [01:00:00] platforms out there that you can kind of reach out and discuss, you know, potential ideas, kind of what you You think you want to get into and like I said earlier some people may give you recommendations as to start with this work up to this Um, and along the way maybe learn about kind of different processes that go on behind the scene um, I definitely I would tell people as well just to to give it a go the I think the worst thing is kind of thinking about it and I know from myself I tend to overthink about things and when I get around to actually doing it It’s not as bad as what I initially thought so i’d always try and recommend someone to just you know just give it a go if it’s not just just dipping your toes in you know a little tester that’s better than not doing it and then at that time you you know if you like or if you don’t um so i’d always say if you want to give something a go just do it um you might be really scared but once you’ve done it it’s not as scary as you think um and that’s what my kind of parents have always taught [01:01:00] me that at least give it a go once you know try your best if you don’t like it after you’ve done it Then you don’t have to do it again.

But if you love it, then you’ll see you then kind of go back to the planning board. You think, all right, how can I do more of this? What do I need to buy? What do I need to learn? So yeah, I’d, I’d say try and find a kind of a community or, you know, some friendships as well that like similar things. So you can always kind of support each other going through that process.

And yeah, just, just give it a go once. And there’s loads of, you know, women out there that want to support each other, want to support, you know, new people coming in, trying to, you know, uplift them, and show you that it’s not as a bad place as what you might have thought of. And like I said earlier, there’s people, especially on the other side of the screen, that hopefully can either be role models or inspire someone to do it.

Uh, and like I said, I think it’s good that there’s a lot [01:02:00] more kind of women, especially in real motorsport, like kind of the F1 Academy, um, the Iron Dames especially, they’re kind of ones that I think, well, if they can do it, well, other people can do it, like myself, um, It’s just obviously that jump and sometimes you just have to make that jump to realize that it’s something you really love doing and that you wanna continue doing.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s, uh, great advice from your side. Like, just give it a go. And if you don’t like it, you can stop, uh, like some racing or uh, racing and, uh, maybe if you like it, you can continue and you always, uh, can find people who’s going to support you. We’ve got a bunch of communities, uh, a lot of different like social medias.

And, um, also I think people can follow Ineedisports and, uh, jump into some screen to speed races, uh, on different platforms as well. So, yeah. And, uh, Sarah, thank you so much for talking with me. It was a [01:03:00] pleasure. Uh, you’re amazing. We wish you good luck to your future with some racing and racing. Uh, and, uh, thank you so much guys for watching.

Sarah Hawkie: Thank you so much for having me and uh, yeah, you’re amazing too. Thank you. Bye bye guys.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: See you.

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