FORMER Limestone Coast driver Scott Pye has swapped his state-of-the-art race car for a simulator, as the Supercars Championship drivers push the limits in the on-going All Stars Eseries.
The Anzac Day weekend was supposed to be the fourth round of the original 2020 season.
However, the worldwide spread of COVID-19 froze the 14-round calendar and instead of swapping paint at 300-plus kph, drivers have been going door-to-door in the virtual world.
Every Wednesday night, the Supercars stars have been driving on the iRacing platform, with four rounds already completed.
Currently sitting in 19th position in the overall standings, Pye has enjoyed the chance to keep racing during these challenging times.
“I am enjoying it,” he said.
“Honestly to still drive something and have a bit of a laugh is really good.
“I think Supercars has done an amazing job at putting this on and being proactive under the current circumstances.
“It is a great opportunity for us to still put on a show for the fans.”
Remarkably the 30-year-old never had any previous simulator experience before the series.
He said driving the cars online is much different to the real world.
“I have been doing it for about a month now and the cars are different to drive,” Pye said.
“It still has a steering wheel and three pedals, so that is the same.
“But in terms of how you drive the car and manipulate it to find speed is very different.”
For some drivers such as Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen who have been sim racing for years, the transition has been seamless, but for newcomers like Pye, the concept has proven to be more of a learning curve.
The Dewalt Racing pilot has been using a spotter to assist him in the heat of the battle.
He said the freedom the game offers has produced some close racing and allowed fans to get closer to their favourite drivers.
“We are seeing closer times than you might even see in real life because the testing is unlimited,” Pye said.
“At Bathurst, van Gisbergen and McLaughlin were stand outs, but from there back, there was just a 10th (of a second) separating over 10 cars.
“I have been streaming it on Twitch, which has created access the fans never had before.”
The Eseries has also allowed Australia’s premier motorsport category to grow around the world.
The platform has given the some of the world’s top drivers the unexpected chance to race a Supercar in a competitive environment.
Eight-time Grand Prix winner and international superstar Max Verstappen joined the party in round two followed by Australia’s only Indianapolis 500 victor Will Power.
Former back-to-back Supercars champion Marcos Ambrose raced at the same track – Watkins Glen – he won a NASCAR Cup race at in round four, as did American stock car racer Joey Logano.
Pye said this has been the most exciting element of the Eseries.
“The coolest part is bringing all of these international drivers in as wildcards,” he said.
“It is another area where Supercars has done an amazing job in boosting the profile of our sport.
Despite the pandemic Pye has maintained his relentless schedule away from the race track.
He works full time running a media business and continues to train with vigour.
Pye said it has been nice to stay busy, but is missing the thrill of the “real thing”.
“I am still working full time in the media business that I run, so we are still quite busy doing that and I am still physically training which has been really good,” he said.
“But unfortunately we cant drive a car, so we are kind of sidelined.
“We are all competitive and want to get back into the real thing.”
The 2020 season marked a new chapter in Pye’s Supercars career.
After spending his last six years at two of the championship’s most successful teams in DJR Team Penske and Walkinshaw Andretti United, the man with 223 race starts to his name made the jump to the smaller Team 18 operation.
The Charlie Schwerkolt owned outfit has expanded to two cars for the first time this year and despite a tricky opening round in Adelaide where the Dewalt racing driver scored 15th and a DNF, Pye has enjoyed his new environment.
“It has been a great change,” Pye said.
“Walkinshaw was very personal and family orientated, but going into Team 18 has been a breath of fresh air.
“I have loved every moment of it and Charlie is a pretty inspiring guy.
“He is one of the hardest workers I have ever known and is probably one of the only guys in pit lane who delivers on everything he promises.
“The first round was tricky with a component failure that was not actually one of our parts.
“So I am hanging to get back into the real thing and really excited to work with this group.”
Pye spent many years growing up around the Limestone Coast and the Melbourne-based driver said it will always be place he remembers fondly.
“I was there for a very pivotal part of my life and I love the place,” he said.
“I have got some friends there and actually my dad is buried in Mount Gambier, so I come back to visit the grave as much as I can.
“It is sort of a tradition for me when I drive up to the Adelaide 500 every year to stop and visit him.
“Mount Gambier is always going to have a special place in my heart.”
