Ulysse Delsaux takes a look back at the eNASCAR International iRacing Invite to give his insight on how well he performed against Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fellow NASCAR drivers from all around the world.
The eNASCAR International iRacing Invite exhibition event provided its competitors with the opportunity to race against drivers from various NASCAR categories all across the world, including the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
One of the drivers invited to take part in the International Invite is SpeedHouse Racing’s Ulysse Delsaux. The 2018 EuroNASCAR 2 champion performed strongly, finishing the two-race event as the highest placing EuroNASCAR driver in eighth place out of 25 drivers.
Speaking to us in an exclusive interview, Delsaux admitted that he didn’t expect to be racing alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was also invited as one of the representatives for the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I didn’t expect to race against Dale Jr.,” admitted Delsaux. “It’s also pleasant to race with the Americans, Mexicans and Brazilians that came from other NASCAR categories for this event. It’s always fun to be part of this kind of event and I had to thank the eNASCAR organizers for the invitation.”
Delsaux and Dale Jr. were grouped together in the LA Coliseum heat races. The 26-year old Frenchman beat the NASCAR legend in the 12-lap heat race to advance to the Feature, where he finished tenth after running as high as fifth in the dramatic 40-lap race.
“As for the two races, at the Coliseum, after a third place at Heat 1, I was hit at the beginning of the race,” said the Frenchman on the race at the virtual LA Coliseum.
“However, it was only the start, so I made my way up while being consistent to the finish line and seize the opportunities [whenever we can]. Unfortunately on the last lap, I got hit again when I was P5, but I told myself that we had to finish the race.”
The event then moved to the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, a track that Delsaux is very familiar with thanks to his years of experience racing the track that hosted the yearly American SpeedFest round.
His experience certainly paid off as he kept his head cool and avoided possible mistakes and collisions that caught out many drivers, including fellow countryman Paul Jouffreau.
“Brands Hatch Indy is always a real challenge whether in the real or virtual as the track is very narrow and difficult to overtake,” explained Delsaux on the Indy Circuit.
“It’s a bit like a semi oval and like in an oval track, to get the best results you have to go ahead, seize the opportunities, stay constant and not make a mistake on this kind of track.”
Delsaux ended his insight by noting how games like iRacing have helped him to prepare for race weekends.
His love for video games in general, coupled with modern sim racing games’ capability to accurately recreate elements of real life motorsport, has allowed him to use gaming as a platform to train and improve his capabilities on the track..
“In addition to iRacing, I also participate in other car simulation platforms such as Assetto Corsa,” said Delsaux.
“Sim racing is a way to visualize the track before coming to ride in real life on a track and training mentally. Video games are an area that I have loved since I was a child and like many people, I also grew up with video games like Halo.”
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