Dirt iRacer & go-karter Tim Ryan on racing on tarmac and mud

Meet Tim Ryan: Aussie from Perth, 19 year old, teacher in learning, driver of Evolution Racing Team (as teammate of Simon Feigl), and racer on dirt, whether it’s on go-karts or in iRacing.

Can you tell a bit about yourself?
I’m studying to become a teacher, and I try to balance dirt karting, studying and sim racing. I’m probably on the sim too much, which is influencing my studies a little bit.

When I was eight, my dad got me into go-karts, on dirt tracks. Since then I’ve always been racing, and I’ve progressed through the dirt-go kart series, and competed at state and national levels. But I love all forms of motorsports. As an Australian, I’m probably most keen about the V8 Supercars, which I think is one of the most competitive touring car championships in the world.

So, dirt go-karting is really a thing? An actual competition?
Yes, it is, and it’s a typical Australian thing. The go-karts on dirt are great. You’re sliding a lot, and since you only have a rearward brake, the kart is very lose. And I’m always getting dirty, heh.

How did you start with simracing?
On the Playstation 3 I had Gran Turismo 5, and jumped to iRacing in 2012, but it wasn’t until last year that I really took iRacing serious. I joined Evolution Racing Team (ERT), and although I think they took me as a development driver, I’m part of the #28 machine in the World Championship. I spend a lot of time on the technical aspects of racing too, so I also help making the setups. Through ERT I also got in contact with David Williams (VRS coach), and we did some coaching sessions together.

How did that go?
Great. Through the software, David and me were able to pinpoint problems in my driving. My lines were fine, but I was lacking lots of trailbraking, a thing I probably carried over from dirt racing, were it’s absent, so it wasn’t something I naturally did. For road racing I think the braking aspect is the most difficult but also the most important thing, because for most people it causes the most amount of time lost. From the sessions with David I also learned how to use the software on my own. I think I used to be half a second off David’s pace, but now it’s quite close.

What do you love about racing, whether it’s real life, sim, road or dirt?
I love the technical aspect of trying to improve and trying to find the competitive edge over the competition, whether it’s on the car or the driver.

Do you think dirt racing, either in the sim or real life, can benefit from telemetry too?
Yes. Actually, also in real life we use telemetry. Definitely not as advanced as road racers though, but we still monitor laptimes, coupled with RPM and GPS. We can see the lines and work on that.

How are you finding iRacing’s Dirt? And how does it relate to real dirt go-karting?
I’m really enjoying it, and I’m focusing on that a lot. I think it relates really well to real life dirt racing, especially the way the track is dynamically changing. There’s a great slot progression, which is the most important thing in dirt racing. In the sim it feels very natural, and I’m sure it allows me to stay sharp for the real dirt racing too, be more consistent on the weekends.

Do real life Dirt racers have an advantage on other sim racers?
Definitely. I think real life dirt racers are doing really well in iRacing too, I mean last week alone I gained 2k iRating. But I’m sure the sim racers will catch up on us, because it’s a different driving technique which they’ll have to learn.

Is dirt racing useful for road racers too, whether it’s sim or real life?
Absolutely. Dirt racing is really intense, you’re countersteering all the time, everything happens very quickly, and you need to pay a lot of attention. Lots of things require different techniques. Braking isn’t very important, but overtaking for instance, you must time your run out of a corner with a different line, position yourself and get alongside and overtake.

I apply dirt techniques in road races too. I find that when conditions are hot or tyres are wearing out, you’re sliding a lot more with the cars, and my dirt racing experience helps me learn to cope with the track progression and car control. So I think I’m smoother on the road than most people, where I’m always trying to limit the amount of slide through the smooth steering and throttle inputs.

What do you think is the secret to dirt racing?
It sounds simple, but it’s difficult. The most important thing to learn is to know where the grip is. It changes every lap. Races typically start using the inside lines from corners, but as cars use that line, the grip decreases. Your lines, whether it’s early or late apex, will change all the time throughout the race. If you can see where the grip is with your eyes, it helps massively.

And lastly, what’s your focus on?
My focus is to maintain my Pro license on the road side, and when iRacing starts a Dirt World Championship, I’m pretty sure that’s where I want to quality and compete at the highest level in.

The real & virtual Formula Renault 2.0 and Brad Dias’ racing life

Untitled-1Having recently signed with reigning Asian Formula Renault champions BlackArts Racing for the 2017 season, the twenty year old Brad Dias from India is making progress on the motorsport ladder. He’s also an avid simracer, being coached through VRS by Martti Pietilä.

Brad, you’re from Goa, India. From a European perspective, motorsport culture doesn’t seem as dominant as over here. There was the Indian Grand Prix, we had drivers like Karthikeyan and Chandhok, but now everything seems settled down again. Was it difficult for you to get started?
There are plenty of affordable four-stroke karts and tracks to be found, which is where I started too. I moved onto a small league, and the national rotax max championship after that. Last year I moved into cars, as I was awarded a scholarship to do a full season in the Indian MRF Formula Ford 1600 Championship. But it’s true that there isn’t a lot of grassroot motorsports in India, which is why many Indians, like me, are going abroad to race in higher classes. Motorsport is one of many things that is growing in India, but it will take time.

Brad onboard of the Formula Renault 2.0.
Brad onboard of the Formula Renault 2.0.

Now you’re in Hong Kong, readying for the Asian Formula Renault series. How’s iRacing
helping with that?
I’m practicing the same techniques and skills which you need on the real track. In iRacing, whatever good habits you pick up also apply in real racing. iRacing has the Formula Renault, which is nearly identical except for the tyre I’m racing with. I’m also practising a lot with the Skip Barber, which because it’s slower, I tend to better analyse my driving style. Another benefit is that it helps me become more adaptable with my driving.

I really wish I could go back and have started sim racing years ago, when I started racing in real life. I think my progress would have been even better.

How’s the VRS telemetry software helping?
I use it all the time. I’m comparing my own laps to each other, and to the datapacks, because those are the laptimes I’m striving to achieve. I’ve been working with Martti (Pietilä), and he’s helping me with setups, fuel levels, and to figure out where I can progress. I think if you understand where or why you’re losing time, you can apply what you’ve learned to real life. Right now, my focus is mainly on getting faster by improving car control and consistency. I can see what it takes to go fast, but putting it together without making big mistakes on the sim, that’s a real challenge.

Sidequestion here, why do you love racing?
Hmm (pause). That’s actually a difficult question. I think why I like it so much is that you can always search for more. You never stop improving. To never be perfect is both interesting and humbling. The great thing about racing, is that it works in various ways in your life. To succeed in motorsport, you need to be physically fit, especially in a real car. You need to work well with people, also in a top sim racing team. Racing teaches you many life skills, I think it even teaches you to be a better person. Apart from the speed and adrenaline, that’s probably the biggest motivation for me. Competition means you’re always pushing for more. Racing others, that’s the best part.

Exiting the pits.

And this applies to both simulator racing and real life racing?
Yes, it’s very much the same – that’s why I’ve taken to iRacing. I really enjoy it. Apart from the lack of physical demands, I couldn’t ask for something better at home.

Are there differences?
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Right now, I feel sim racing is so competitive. And what I really like is that there’s no excuses. In real racing it’s really easy to blame the car, and other factors. But you don’t really have that in sim racing. It’s completely down to the driver. That’s why I love sim racing. In real racing, the adrenaline is really there. You’re sometimes inches away from having a crash, always striving to be on the limit. That’s the most exciting part of real racing

Looking long-term, what’s on your mind?
My focus is on my racing career in real life. I’d like to continue the progress I’ve been making, and this year my goal is to win the championship, and to move from Formula Renault to Formula Three next year. And from there to keep moving up the motorsport ladder.