from far, far away; "Hi"

Hi guys, i think i'm gonna introduce myself. I seem to be on a path to getting addicted to the one thing that "no one else" does in a 1000 mile radius, which is the (mainly Australian) V8 series.

I'm Dries Nys (sounds like Drees Nice in English), i'm 30 something and i'm from Belgium. I've always had the dream of being a racing driver and sim racing has come to a level that's much closer to the real thing as i would have believed a couple years ago. I have to admit that i was a strong believer in GT5 (on release) being the closest to the real thing, but that was of course before i learned about iracing. I've been a member for half a year now and despite having all other "sims", i don't think i'll switch to anything else. Although there were some days in iracing that i wished there was an alternative that would live up to being the most expensive software in it's niche.

But if i would have to explain to a 4 year younger version of myself how much i now enjoy this, i would laugh at myself, hard and i would be called a "freaky nerd"

I bought all road tracks & some cars in iracing (Ruf, McLaren, Z4, star mazda, Ford GT) but till today, i still don't race anything official besides the adv mazda's. I want to be a consistent driver first, with a decent pace. The only series i have participated in are those advanced mazda's and those i'll probably keep running. I had some pretty decent overall standings so far. But the chance to abuse your pedals and H-shifter is one of the big reasons i enjoy that series so much.
But from everything i drove, i'm the least attracted to the most popular series. I'm a sucker for no aids, so i loved the c-spec way more once i discovered it and never thought there would be something more pleasing to drive, till i did my first laps without crashing with the holden. Last week i was really showing signs of addictive behaviours on Phillip Island, i'm sure. I did only 2 races so far, those were in week 13 and i'm was very happy from those results. Don't think Oran will become one of my favourites. I guess something very difficult yet very rewarding is more my thing than the more generic GT3 racing (imo)

Ever since i discovered the GT5 with FFB wheel i've been working on my DIY rig  (with very average skills) and at the moment it's in a "growing stage";
I made the monitor mount / dashboard-ish thing only a week ago to replace a very tiny wheelmount. The extra "shelf" is there to stay after testing and liking it's use. The speakers on top are mounted for testing but i kinda like the position and i might make 2 decent mounts for them today. I also mounted the subwoofer right above my knees/feet earlier today and that things definitively staying there. Awesome V8 stationary growl - feel :-). After i've given my speakers a fixed place, i'll paint everything. And the frame is next, it's gonna be a more closed heavier "unit" eventually.  Oh yeah, my seat is my best rig purchase by far and i got it for 70€ (fully adjustable ex-audi leather seat)




I also made a few paints with Coreldraw which is very fun to do, so far only one V8 paint;


One of the best tracks! My attempt to lap/heel&toë guide