Beau Albert on iRacing and why the sim racing scene needs to unite.
This week on Nitro Nights, Indiana meets Beau Albert, a sim racing all-rounder and member of our Stream Team who drives competitively, creates video content and even commentates. So who better to give us a detailed lowdown on the scene today?
Why iRacing?
Despite being only 21 years old, Beau has already achieved what most people only manage in a lifetime. He is involved in all aspects of esports racing across numerous platforms, but it is iRacing that features most predominantly in his life. When asked why it has the edge, Beau reveals that it is the high level of competition that draws him to the platform. In some series such as the 2020 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, the entire field is sometimes separated by only four tenths of a second. This makes the racing some of the most exciting anywhere.
However, Beau also makes the surprising revelation that the Rallycross World Championship is his favorite series on the platform. He describes it as “brutal” and “aggressive” with plenty of passing and crashes, all of which adds up to make it the “perfect esport”, particularly from a spectator’s point of view. Yet there is also a tactical element to the series – competitors need to consider when to use their joker laps and excel on both tarmac and gravel surfaces. It surely acts as an ideal contrast to hours of repetitive precision driving in endurance events!
“Exposure is key in sim racing”
Beau has a lot to say on the age-old argument involving different levels of realism in racing games. He eloquently highlights that although it is easy to knock titles such as Gran Turismo and F1 2020 for not sticking to hardcore realism, they play a crucial role in attracting people to the sport. Growth in simcades then eventually trickles down to the more serious platforms such as iRacing and Assetto Corsa, meaning that sim racing as a whole grows faster. The community shouldn’t divide and argue – it needs to unite and grow as a collective, to ensure that the future is prosperous for the entire sim racing scene.
Afterwards, Indiana and Beau discuss the top social media posts from the week. Then it’s time for the weekly Trackmania challenge! Will he set the leaderboard alight, despite claiming to have “done absolutely nothing” in the game so far? Watch episode 29 of Nitro Nights to find out!
Follow our guest Beau Albert on Twitter and check out his content on his YouTube channel.
