By: James Howard - Thursday, July 23, 2009
 |
Optical Illusion:
If you stare at this picture for long
enough, you will see David Cater's bike,
Marvin. Marvin is posing a girl from
Hooters.
Photo Taken by Glenn Spake |
In a recent thread in the
iRacing member forums, David Cater was unofficially
voted best driver to race against in iRacing.
David has over 750 starts in his iRacing career with
a total of 219 wins, 178 poles, and 563 top fives.
David, thanks for taking time to talk with me
today. Tell me how you got into iRacing.
Well, I've been sim racing since NASCAR-2.
I progressed through the titles (N3, 2002, and 2003)
to the knock off 2005 version. I heard about
iRacing through the sim grapevine and told one of
the guys that I raced with in the DMP league that it
was okay to include my name in the email list for
the first release of testing. I was lucky
enough to get invited, and here I am.
Cool! So, you have raced with some of the
big boys in the DMP league?
Yes and no. I knew a couple of the guys
that also raced in another league I ran in.
The only time I really raced the best was when I ran
the TSW 500 that came along once every year. I
think I finished eighth or something in the one I
entered.
Well, you're pretty accomplished in iRacing.
I've checked out your stats, do you have a secret?
What makes you one of the better drivers in iRacing?
I don't know about that. Truthfully, I
would place myself just above average. I just
really enjoy making setups. I have been since
NASCAR-3 when I had the Team RCR website. I
just seem to be able to make a setup that can
compete with some of the good guys here. Not
an alien setup by any means, but it holds on.
To be honest, I guess my secret is finding the times
that the aliens are asleep!
|
|
| |
|
Oval |
|
Starts |
632 |
|
Wins |
207 |
|
Top 5's |
509 |
|
Poles |
175 |
|
Avg Start |
3 |
|
Avg Finish |
4 |
|
Total Laps |
32,455 |
|
Laps Led |
9,940 |
|
Avg Incidents |
1.83 |
|
Avg Points |
126 |
|
Win % |
32.75% |
|
Top 5 % |
80.54% |
|
Laps Led % |
30.63% |
|
|
|
|
Road |
|
Starts |
119 |
|
Wins |
12 |
|
Top 5's |
54 |
|
Poles |
3 |
|
Avg Start |
6 |
|
Avg Finish |
7 |
|
Total Laps |
1,932 |
|
Laps Led |
254 |
|
Avg Incidents |
3.45 |
|
Avg Points |
39 |
|
Win % |
10.08% |
|
Top 5 % |
45.38% |
|
Laps Led % |
13.15% |
|
|
Well, you're securely in the iRacing
Pro Series. As of right now you are ranked 171 in the
Top 250. That's a bit more than average! What do
you think about the Pro Series? Are you looking
forward to it at all?
Yes! I think it will be an honor to be in the
first Pro Series no matter what comes of it. Just
being able to see I held one of the first pro licenses is
very cool. That 171, I hope will be better by the end
of the week. I took a hit in SR bad last week but
Stafford is a good track for me and I will run Homestead a
little, getting ready for the Pro Series in the COT.
What are your iRacing goals? What do you want to
accomplish?
Well, I guess I would say the main one seems to have
been accomplished, and that's being considered for something
like this. Just being able to compete with the best in
the world, and since your reputation is really all you have
in a community like this, having a reputation that most of
the sim world respects is about all I can ask. When I
hear that one of my setups helped someone win or improve a
time, or getting asked to do something like this, then I
would say that is my goal.
Well, you were 'unofficially' voted the best iRacing
driver to race with. How does it feel to be one that
everyone seems to enjoy racing with?
That's very cool. That good driver thread... I
must admit I do check it from time to time. It's
really cool to see someone go to the trouble to post a reply
and it has my name in it. that and getting my 200th
Late Model win is probably my most gratifying
accomplishments to date.
What are your likes and dislikes of iRacing? What
do you love, and what do you wish they would just finally
fix?Not sure if I have the time to list the likes, just
about everything is what I would say are my likes. My
biggest dislike, I guess I would have to say is in the
garage. The tire model and shock package is something
I really wish would get worked on. Being able to
accurately adjust my setups to what the tires are telling me
and having compression and rebound in the shocks is a big
thing for me. Then, I'd also like to be able to see
the smoke from other cars.
What's at the top of your list of things you would like
to see in iRacing? A car? Track? Something else?
I am an oval guy, so we already have just about
everything I would like to see. New Hampshire is one
of my favorite tracks, so it was cool with it came out.
Getting the rest of the Cup tracks - and Greenville-Pickens
and Hickory Speedways if I could be selfish!
What is your most embarrassing sim racing moment?
Wow, there's been so man! I guess anytime I make a
stupid mistake that hurts someone else's race. For
example, it seems like every time Tyler Hudson and I race
together one of us is getting the chrome horn. Anytime
I misjudge a corner or get a little closer to someone that
causes them to lose spots really bothers me. It goes
back to the respect thing I guess.
What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a sim
racer?
Biggest strength, I think is probably not letting
someone behind me bother me - depending on who it is of
course - I won't even look in the mirror while I'm racing.
This way I don't let them dictate how I drive my line, they
will pass me or wreck me. My weakness, I guess is
really trying to keep myself calm. I have to
constantly tell myself to calm down so I hit my marks and
don't over drive the corners.
What's the best piece of advise you can offer to a new
sim racer?
To remember two things, patience and respect.
Understand that the guys on the front page of the iRating
stats are not there by luck. They are the best sim
racers in the world. So, not being able to keep up
with them is okay, as long as you have the second thing -
respect. That's the most important thing of all of
this. We don't get paid money, so how your fellow
racers view you is all you have. Getting respect back
after losing it is a lot harder than just keeping it from
the start. I would much rather tell someone that
wreck's me that it was okay, even though I am mad and
cussing to myself, even though I say things I regret
sometimes.
1 - Who is your favorite
real world driver?
After Richard Petty, not any one person. I
do listen to Jr. on the radio just because of
iRacing - and cutting up with TJ in the Late Model
cars.
2 - If you could trade places with any one person
for one day, who would it be, and why?
(Laughing) Man, probably Howard Stern.
Have you seen his wife? Come on.
3 - What is your real life dream car?
Two of them. A build '69 Camaro SS and the
Dodge Viper.
4 - When you're not sim racing, what are you
doing?
Oh that's easy, riding Marvin. My 2000
springer softail custom H-D. Painted purple
with Marvin the Martian on the tank and fenders 222
purple lights chromed out to the hilt. I have
been a biker since birth, so that Harley is life.
5 - Who's the coolest person you've ever met?
That would have to be either Hulk Hogan or Chick
Norris.
6 - What's the best Christmas gift you've ever
received?
Man, that's a tough one. I guess a
Christmas bikini calendar that has my Harley in it.
My brother gave it to me a couple of years ago.
(Laughing) Man, that's sad, I don't get a lot of
stuff huh?
7 - Giving a rough average, how many total hours
have you spent sim racing (either racing,
practicing, surfing websites or forums, etc.)?
Being a truck driver, and gone three or four
days a week it comes in bunches. So, I guess
about two to three hours a day. If you do it
real time, I am gone from Sunday afternoon till
Wednesday morning. Then I spend a lot of my
home time Thursday through Sunday morning working on
sets so it would average out to be about two to
three hours per day.
8 - Would you wreck someone to win a race?
(Laughing) No. Not on purpose. Q:
What if they knocked you out of the way in turn one,
and you had the opportunity to get them back in turn
three? I would not try to spin them.
If they are good enough to do a good bump and run,
that is great, I tip my hat to them. I think
that is cool racing. But, I have no problem
moving them on the next corner. I race them as
they race me. Respect still is top priority
though, no matter what. Sometimes you have to
take the high road, it comes back to you later.
9 - Would you trade in your sim steering wheel
for a real one?
Without hesitation. That is one thing I
know in my hard I could be good at. I have
driven 80,000 pound rigs, inches off a truck in
front of me at over 100mph in Texas night trains -
and loved it! Crazy, yes... but loved it!
If I had the slightest chance, absolutely.
10 - Estimate how much money you have spent in
iRacing? And how much you've spent in sim
racing total (including wheel and computer).
I would say definitely over $5,000.
Thank you so much David for sitting down and
taking the time to talk with me. I wish you
all the success in the world out there on the track!
Thanks for having me bud. This is a very
cool thing you're doing. Good luck with it.
Comments made in this
article are solely those of the interviewee, not
those of iRacerStaff.com. |
|
|
