Max Siegl: “I am a big fan of Radicals in real life and like the virtual one a lot!”

Max recently joined the Radical Championships on iRacing. We talked about his rookie-season and learned about his classic trackday cars.

Sandro: As of now it looks like you will make it to the World Finals. Happy with your season so far?

Max: To be quite honest, I don’t think this is going to happen this season, as I will be in Europe for a few weeks and miss several races. So far, I have had some ups and downs but generally I am happy because the racing is very competitive, fair and I have had some very entertaining battles. I see my rookie season mostly as preparation for the next one, when I want to leverage my full potential.

Sandro: How do you prepare for our races?

Max: Not like I would like to. With work, kids and other responsibilities, I usually only find two hours for practice on Monday and then pretty much hop on the practice session on Sunday. Luckily, I know most of the tracks pretty well, so I just have to continue building my understanding of the SR10. It is a great car but at the limit it can present you with some challenges you need to be prepared for.

Sandro: How did you get into simracing?

Max: Thanks to my dad, I have been a racing nut since I was a little kid. In my twenties I toyed around a little with Gran Turismo and an improvised rig, but when Covid hit I decided it was time to give this another try and then it escalated quickly. From using one of the Stokke chairs of my kids and a cheap PC, I rather quickly went into a fully blown Sim setup.

The rig

Sandro: What have been your best moments in simracing so far?

Max: I’d say racing against real racing drivers, like Alonso, Barrichello, Doohan and so on. That was definitely a highlight. I also really enjoy endurance races and wish I could do more of that.

Sandro: Do you have any experience with real life racing?

Max: Some. I did some karting (Rotax Max 125) and try to do regular track days with my classic cars.

Sandro: Which cars are these?

Max: An Alfa GTV6 (1981) and a Lotus Elan (1970). The first one I have since I am 18, the Lotus I got in Michigan. This thing is so fun and yet it’s over 50 years old. Colin Chapman really was a genius.

Sandro: What do you think about how the SR10 evolved since it came to iRacing?

Max: I have only been driving this car since this season. I have always been a big fan of Radicals in real life and I also like the virtual version a lot.

Sandro: Apart from the Radical, where can we expect to meet you on track?

Max: Definitely at track days, either in the US or Europe. In iRacing I would do more of GT3 Endurance racing, Ferrari GT3 and Miata Cup, if time allowed. 

Sandro: What do you envision for the future of your simracing career? Are there any goals you pursue?

Max: My next goal is to do well in Radical Sim Racing and to push my iRating over 3k. I have been very close a few times but from more than a 100 races in 2021, I am down to around 30 per year and then you really need to strategize and be smart about which race you sign up for. Something where I could have been a bit more disciplined in the past 🙂

Sandro: All the best for that, and thanks for taking the time!


PERSONAL

  • Located: Detroit, US
  • Instagram: Link
  • Equipment: Sim Lab Rig, Simucube Wheelbase, Simagic Pedal Set

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