One of the great things about racing games is that we can use them to create scenarios that never happened in real life – who hasn’t tried to win championships for Minardi or Marussia on the F1 games? Other sims offer slightly more ridiculous options, like using the Suzuki Escudo on Gran Turismo to get a go-kart up to 250mph. Another particular favourite of mine was to set up AI races on the Lienz rally hillclimb course on rFactor using the 1988 F1 cars. It was chaotic entertainment and, whatever pointless fantasies you’ve used racing games for, I guarantee you probably had a blast doing it.
But, when you’re watching a bunch of karts racing around an oval, have you ever actually stopped and wondered what the backstory of just such an event might be?
That’s exactly what Twitter user Tom Arron (@norramot) has done. Using Project Cars 2, Tom has not only created some ridiculous motorsport mashups, but has also taken the angle of them being ‘forgotten events’ that actually happened, complete with the context of just how they came about. Unsurprisingly, they’re absolutely brilliant.
I’m sure you all remember when, in the late ‘80s, a small typo in the regulations led to Group C rather than Group B cars taking part in the Brands Hatch Rallycross Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/X3but26C4d
— Tom Arron (@norramot) March 29, 2020
Let’s cast our minds back to one of the more bizarre complications from the IndyCar/CART split.
For those of you that don’t remember, it was exactly like this.
Wait for it. pic.twitter.com/1oz8WPS9b6
— Tom Arron (@norramot) March 30, 2020
And now for something completely different.
Pictures from the last ‘Bank of Middlewich Freedom 400 powered by Winsford Kebab and Grill’ on the Oulton Park Fosters Circuit.
I really miss NASCAR’s regular visits to picturesque Cheshire. pic.twitter.com/8Xv2QWQoJV
— Tom Arron (@norramot) March 31, 2020
Some of you might not know this.
There was, briefly, a time when the BRSCC considered moving the Formula Ford Festival to Spa-Francorchamps.
Whilst that didn’t ultimately happen, they did hold a ‘Star of Spa’ test event on the original 14km layout.
Rare footage here: pic.twitter.com/jtuqtSJ5Kz
— Tom Arron (@norramot) March 31, 2020
Thrilling race action here from the ‘Livingston Autoparts Indy Fife Hundred powered by SSE’ at Knockhill a few years back.
Tense battle at the front between Simon Pagenaud and Hélio Castroneves whilst local lad Rory Butcher runs a spirited third. pic.twitter.com/jp6EZwOXIS
— Tom Arron (@norramot) March 31, 2020
This really was astonishing.
About 20 years ago, the entire paddock for the Le Mans 24 Hours got stuck in horrendous traffic on the A28 just outside Rouen.
Instead of pressing on, they unloaded the trucks there and then and held the race on the old Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit. pic.twitter.com/mv7iHlHHdM
— Tom Arron (@norramot) April 2, 2020
It’s not well known that Enzo Ferrari often wintered in Dover, or that the Scuderia held special rallycross events at Lydden Hill for him.
Here’s some 1967 330 P4 action featuring Chris Amon, Lorenzo Bandini, Mike Parkes, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Richard Attwood and Tony Chappell. pic.twitter.com/2s2x0tjLdL
— Tom Arron (@norramot) April 2, 2020
Great, aren’t they? This is by no means it, either – check out Tom’s feed for plenty more where these came from. Now excuse me while I’m inspired to go and set up a GT500 race around the Monza oval.
