[ad_1]
It’s safe to assume that many reading this have at some point dreamed of becoming a racing driver.
Unfortunately, motorsport is an expensive and exclusive business, and 99% of us will likely never get the chance to compete. As a result, many of us take to the gaming world in order to satisfy the racing itch.
Sim racing and e-sports have become big business in recent years, and sim racing YouTuber Jimmy Broadbent has been steadily transitioning from virtual to real-world racing – culminating in a sponsored drive in the Nürburgring endurance series in this BMW 330i sports sedan-turned race car.
Can Sim Racing Lead To Real Racing?
Despite being a significant rarity, it’s not unheard of for sim racers to transition into real-world racing. The upcoming Gran Turismo movie tells the story of Jann Mardenborough who became a Nissan factory racing driver through the now-defunct GT Academy.
Jimmy also grew up playing Gran Turismo and says he found a great deal of escapism in various racing games over the years. Jimmy first transitioned from sim to real-world racing in 2019 with karting and then was later given a drive in a Praga R1 race car in 2021.
Jimmy then went on to win the UK Praga Cup in 2022, beating the old Top Gear Stig, Ben Collins, along the way.
Racing on the Nürburgring, however, is a completely different ball game and is widely regarded as the most difficult racetrack in the world with 154 corners spanning 12.8 miles. As a result, Jimmy is racing with fellow YouTuber and Nürburgring veteran Misha Charoudin, as well as arguably the most preeminent Gran Turismo YouTuber and Jimmy’s good friend, Super GT.
How Can You Convert A Street Car Into A Race Car?
The car they are driving is a G20 BMW 330i, entered in the V2 RWD class in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS) – the Nürburgring endurance championship – with the goal to compete in the 2024 Nürburgring 24h.
The 330i is being run by legendary German race outfit Black Falcon and started life as a stock BMW sedan before getting sent to their race shop for modification.
First, the car gets stripped of all the unnecessary weight before a full roll cage and Sparco race seat gets installed in order to increase safety and rigidity. The BMW sedan then gets a race-spec rear differential and driveshafts along with upgraded AP Racing Pro 5000 brakes and Bilstein Evo R racing suspension.
The 330i also gets fitted with a racing dash and wheel as well as a full racing exhaust and upgraded cooling.
The trio take the 330i for some sighting laps around Mendig air base to get the car dialed in with all three saying the car is grippy and easy to drive on the limit. Next up is a full test on the Nürburgring before entering their first NLS race in the next few months.
[ad_2]
Source link