EDITORIAL

SimRacing Magazine
Founded August, 2003
Located in Ontario, Canada
Serving the F1 Virtual World Championship, 24/7

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Ted Cragg
STAFF REPORTER: Matt Maple
TESTS REPORTER: Oliver Woods

*SimRacing Magazine is currently looking for staff writers/contributors and graphics designers. If you are interested in any of these vacancies, please email simracingmagazine@yahoo.ca to discuss in further detail. All applications are welcome and will be considered equally, and there is currently no limit to the number of positions available.*

EDITORIAL 2: BETTER THAN 2002?
September 17, 2003

After a season of strong and consistent performance, punctuated by just enough wins, Mikko Jakonen was crowned GPVWC Champion in 2002. Actually, the crowning came before Japan, as Mikko clinched the title a couple races before the end of the season. It was a good year, with solid driving and much groundwork laid for the future. But as a championship battle, it was very little compared with 2003.

This season we see three drivers going down to the wire. Although SCUM's Shiro Ryong could clinch the title at Indianapolis, he struggled to just 6th at Monza and could be in the same position again at high-powered Indy. Nine points separate Ryong and Jakonen, ten points separate Ryong and Wilkinson. If Shiro can emerge from the United States with an eleven point lead over Jakonen or Wilkinson, he would be champion. Shiro has 3 wins, Mikko and Wilko 4 wins each. Jason Endean, Petri Loukasmaki, and Joe Consiglio are the other race winners this season. Most experts agree though that the odds are, even if it is a nine or even ten point advantage, Ryong won't clinch at the next event and could even be passed in Japan.

So is 2003 better than 2002? Well there's obviously been a hell of a lot of turmoil, and though that is fortunately in the past it has tended to cloud perceptions of this season. But there has always been at least a decent turnout, and that should continue to increase. Ultimately, the competition is closer and whoever wins this year will have to really work hard and earn it. The VWC is fortunate that, despite everything, it has had a season that many other leagues would truly envy.

Ted Cragg
Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL 1: CREATING A COMMON COMMUNITY
August 18, 2003

Despite the multitude of sim-racing leagues in the world today, covering not just the latest version of Grand Prix but also GP3, F12002 and even GP2, there does appear to be an absence of proper coverage of these leagues' activities. Many magazines have come and gone, and some leagues have their own specific press. But what the new SimRacing Magazine aims to do is create a magazine that covers more than just one series, and in so doing hopefully ties the various communities together. The three leagues that I have started my coverage with are the SFO, F1VWC and IGP3Championship. These leagues share more than just catchy abbreviations; they have many of the same teams and drivers and thus a lot in common with each other already. It is my hope that, through SimRacing Magazine, the many members of the three series will realize how much they have in common and share their common interests and enthusiasm.

By focusing on these three series, SimRacing Magazine certainly does not intend to ignore the many other leagues in the world. We will do our best to provide links to as many as possible on our Links page. More than anything, SimRacing Magazine will simply promote and provide free advertising for everything sim-racing related: leagues, teams, drivers, and more. We are aiming for a low-key introduction, figuring out what needs to be covered and how best to accomplish it.

The most important objective however: content! SimRacing Magazine endeavours to provide frequent updates to all of our pages, and these will be announced on the home page. But although we will search out the stories as they arise, SimRacing is also here to provide a forum for you! Our intent is to quickly become the go-to source for the latest news, rumours and updates. So whenever you have a piece of information you wish to share with the community, SimRacing Magazine is your source to promote it! Simply email us at simracingmagazine@yahoo.ca and we will post your story as soon as possible.

The coming weeks will be an exciting time for this new magazine, and I certainly hope that the offline racing community will embrace it and use it to its full extent. The championships are quickly coming down to the wire, and so what better time than now to launch a magazine that will follow all the twists and turns that will no doubt arise!

Ted Cragg
Editor-in-Chief