Madison Down

What got you into racing?

I played simulation games from a very early age, from the age of 2 in fact on Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 2 back in 1996. My father used to dabble on PC gaming in the 90s and naturally, I wanted to have a go. From there it really just continued on and here we are today. In amongst that I started karting at the age of 7 and that gave me a true taste of racing and how addictive the challenge of going as fast as possible really is.

As a kid I also visited Oran Park Raceway regularly, it really was where I found my love for car racing. It was my local track and so many good times were had there growing up, such a shame that the place is now a housing estate.

What is your goal for the next 2 years?

From a sim racing point of view, I really want to keep being involved in the Supercars Eseries as long as it continues and win as many races as possible. I am also involved with Sim Racing Coaching Platform Virtual Racing School and am excited to grow with VRS and continue assisting other sim racers in getting the most out of the iRacing Simulation.

From a real world point of view, I want to get back into a racing car once again and find my way back into a National series in Australia.

What is your favourite race track to race on?

I really love racing at Oran Park. It was a place I spent a lot of time at growing up and to have a perfect replica of the circuit in iRacing is really cool, it allows it to continue living in a virtual world which I think is just fantastic. Oran Park as a place wasn't the best facility in the world, but it had character with the tight, undulating, figure eight layout that it had. It was a one of a kind circuit which makes it awesome to drive and always a real stand out in any iRacing series.

Phillip Island is another track I really enjoy. The fast and flowing nature of the circuit is something that suits me as a driver so it is always easy to like a track that suits you and you succeed at! Phillip Island is a track where smoothness and precision are rewarded while also being fantastic track to race with plenty of opportunity to race closely and pass.

What do you love about your Next Level Racing product? How is simulation helping your training?

I can't wait to get my Next Level Racing GT Track set up and good to go! The product looks fantastic and extremely sturdy which fits exactly my needs with the solid pedals and Direct Drive Wheels that are seen by so many top level sim racers these days. A sturdy, no flex frame is what everyone is calling for and the GT Track looks as though it delivers from that aspect.

Simulation is so important for any race driver. I find that using a simulator to practice that whenever I do get the chance to jump into a real race track situation, there is little to no "build up" to speed. I am able to drive straight out of the pits and be straight on the money doing good lap times straight away which I believe is largely down to the amount of laps that I practice in the sim. It has nothing really to do with the learning of tracks for me, it has more to do with speeding up the learning process and the concentration element of racing. By constantly pushing the limits in the sim, you are continually working out the fastest way to get a car around a track no matter the circumstances which in essence is what you are doing in a real world setting.