Sim Racing Association of Singapore celebrates International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8th as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. This year’s theme emphasizes equity. Equity recognizes that each individual has different circumstances and allocates resources and opportunities differently to reach an equal outcome. With this understanding, we hope to resolve the infrequent participation of women in Sim-Racing and motorsports interests in general.
In this short Q&A, Catherine Hsueh, Research Fellow in NUS Neuroscience and PhD in Engineering, enthusiastically professes her passion for rally racing* and shares her journey and her aspirations for inclusiveness in sim-racing.
*Rally Racing – the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), pits drivers, co-drivers, and production-based cars against some of the most brutal and unforgiving terrain. Each rally features several point-to-point stages where drivers battle one at a time to complete as quickly as possible. A co-driver reads detailed pace notes that explain the hazards ahead.
SRA : Do you follow any real-life Motorsports? Any favourite driver?
Catherine : I usually watch World Rally Championship. Sometimes I also watch Extreme E and World Rallycross Championship. Michele mouton is a legend and my favourite. For younger drivers I also like Cristina Gutierrez who won Extreme E last year with Sebastien Loeb.
SRA : What was the background to starting sim-racing?
Catherine : Actually, I knew very little about motorsports before. At the very beginning, I was playing Euro Truck Simulator 2. I was so attracted that I bought a Logitech wheel to drive my Scania. Then one day some crazy thoughts came to my mind: why don’t try simracing since I already got a wheel? I was not expecting much since I did not follow any motorsports at that time. I tried Dirt 4 and it was just amazing. For a beginner it’s very challenging to keep the car on the road without crashing into rocks and bushes. This exciting driving experience intrigued me and that’s how I started simracing.
SRA : Which genre of sim-racing is your favourite? sprint races, rally, drift, ovals etc
Catherine : Still a big fan of rally. I usually play Dirt Rally 2 and Richard Burns Rally. I love the feeling of driving on unfamiliar tracks with potential danger such as hidden rocks at the roadside and unseen corners. One moment you are driving so smooth, then the next moment you lose control and start to roll. Even after I improved my rally skills and know how to control the car and drive safely, I tend to drive aggressively since I enjoy the risks. I always laugh when I have a big roll.
SRA : Has your gaming equipment evolved since you first began the eSport?
Catherine : Of course. I started with Logitech G923. It was good enough for driving trucks but the torque is too low for racing. I upgraded to a direct drive for better driving experience. At that time there were already a lot of choices in direct drive and I chose Fanatec for convenience. After I switched to direct drive and load cell pedals, I found I also need a handbrake for tight hairpins. Buttons only have on and off and are also hard to find when you move your hands around on the steering wheel. Finally, I bought triple monitors to improve my view. It’s kind of helpful in judging the distance between my car and the obstacles at the roadside. Single monitor feels like a game but triple monitors feel like a real car.
SRA : Do you think the merits of sim-racing is equally attractive to women as it is for men? What can the eSport do to attract more women participation?
Catherine : Some of my female friends tried my equipment and most of them think it was fun. And for me, simracing is safe and comfortable. Adjustable torque and pedal pressure can fit anyone so female players like me don’t need to worry about their physical strength. Compare with real motorsports, simracing is more friendly for female players to try out. However, the publicity for simracing is still not enough. Some of my female friends follow motorsports like F1 but they just don’t know simracing. It might be better if we can hold more events for the public to experience simracing. Another problem is that a community dominated by male players also reduces the will of female players to join. If we can organise something like a female league, it will be much easier for female players to join simracing.
