Having finished 31st in the race of 35 in the first virtual race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson hired a tutor to help him improve in using the iRacing rig.
Furthermore, the seven-time champ said that racing simulation in IndyCar is more difficult than NASCAR. He said:
I feel like there are two hurdles for me to get over in the IndyCar rig. One, the nuances of the sim, and two, just the real experience to know what you’re looking for.
Comparing the difference in IndyCar’s speed to NASCAR’s, the driver said:
At Watkins Glen, [IndyCar is] probably 15 to 20 seconds faster a lap there in a real car from one to the other,” Johnson said comparing IndyCar’s speed to NASCAR’s. “So braking points, carrying speed through the bus stop, carrying speed through the corner — that all changes so much.
So, considering his lack of knowledge of the use of iRacing rigs, Jimmie Johnson hired a tutor to help him cope with the technical difficulties. He explained:
The level of knowledge you need about computers is incredible.
Every day last week, I was up until midnight, one in the morning, going to school and having a tutor literally teach me how to run and operate things at the right level, so I can be competitive, let alone even drive the thing. Driving has its own challengings. So that part’s started off as fun, and then of course, my competitive spirit kicked in and now it’s frustrating.
Johnson also shed some light on his openness to perform a NASCAR-IndyCar double in the future.
My interest [in IndyCar] is there,” Johnson said. “It has been for a long time. The ovals I don’t have an interest in doing in this stage of life. I just really don’t. So I’m open to a double if the right situation happened.