While Declan Fraser heads to Sandown to share a car with Peter Xiberras in a real-world endurance race, Jayden Ojeda has a very different co-driving assignment this weekend, and he’s made no apologies for who he chose.
Ojeda is pairing with PremiAir Racing engineer Andrew Gilliam for the Logitech G Pro Invitational Series’ virtual Bathurst 1000 on iRacing. The sim racing series uses Gen3 Supercars, and Gilliam currently leads the standings. When the Enduro Cup portion of the season came around, Gilliam called on his driver to share the entry.
Xiberras had also invited Ojeda to join him at Sandown, but his driver had already committed.
“I know Pete employs me, but Gilly is the one who makes the car fast,” Ojeda said. “I need to make sure Gilly keeps making the car fast for all of us at PremiAir Racing!”
The pairing has already contested two virtual enduros, finishing third at Phillip Island before a tougher run at Sandown where the virtual kerb physics proved a challenge for the newcomer.
For Ojeda, the transition from real-world racing to iRacing requires a deliberate mindset shift.
“It’s different from reality,” he explained. “Sure it’s a Supercar still, but the tyre model makes it a very different style of driving. In the Supercar, you feel like you’re having to make all the time on the brakes, whereas on iRacing, you feel like you have to under-drive the brakes to make the corner flow well.
“It’s using different senses as well, so you’re sort of trying to disconnect what you’re actually hardwired to do most of the time. But it’s nice to do it with Gilly and just really focus on trying to do something different.”
For Gilliam, who was joined by Shane van Gisbergen in the same series last year, having Ojeda in the virtual seat goes beyond weekend competition. He sees direct benefits for their working relationship at PremiAir Racing.
“It’s just the rapport to begin,” Gilliam said. “But it’s also the way we communicate and the chance for me to put myself in the driver’s shoes as well. We take that foundation of understanding each other to a whole other level when we both get to drive.
“When something happens, you can always link it back to a real-life experience; you’re always building on what you’ve learned together. I’m absolutely loving being able to sim race with him.”
The virtual Bathurst 1000 runs this weekend, with practice, qualifying and a Top 15 Shootout on Saturday evening from 6:00 pm, followed by a warm-up at 8:15 am Sunday and the race starting at 11:30 am. The race will be broadcast live on Speedcafe’s Facebook page.
The pair will run from their own simulators and communicate via Discord during the event, including driver changes.
“I just come into the pit, stop the car, exit the car, and then he jumps in from his sim,” Ojeda explained.
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