The Biggest Race of their Sim Racing Career.
Hull-based eSports team Black Diamond is getting ready for the biggest race of their sim racing career. They will take on one of the toughest races in the world: iRacing’s 24 Hours of Daytona. Overtake Motorsport sat for a chat with CEO and team founder Toby Burn.
Twitter; @TBD_eSport
A Chat With the Black and Gold
Q: Has the fact that you’ll be participating in one of the biggest races in the world sank in yet? How’s the team feeling?
A: I think it’s a huge opportunity for our drivers as well as ourselves. We’ve been in the sim racing world for a long time but this is the first event of this scale for them, it’s really a huge opportunity for us to prove ourselves and show the rest of the sim-racing world that we are ready for the big stage.
Q: What’s your biggest challenge as a team ahead of the race?
A: There are a lot of challenges that come with a 24-hour race, the race may be on a simulator but is still very mentally and physically demanding. I would say overall preparation if we were to put it under an umbrella. Everything from organising stints to doing full race stint sims. A lot of work has gone into this.
Q: Obviously, traditional drivers travel to Florida. How do you guys adapt to the time change being on the other side of the world?
A: Thankfully that’s the advantage of this being an online event, the event time is the same for everyone so we don’t have to worry about things like jet-lag. although you have to remember this is still a crazy long event where some drivers will be waking up at 3 AM in the morning for their stints. It may not be the real world thing but it’s still very demanding for us.
Q: What’s next for Black Diamond in regards to racing after the 24 hours?
A: We have already proven ourselves in other categories such as Gran Turismo and F1. However, in the iRacing front, the Daytona 24 is just the start for us. We fully intend on competing in all major endurance events this year, beyond that, you will likely see us announce entries in championships in due course.
Q: Is there anything you’d like to say to Overtake Motrosport’s readers?
A: I’d like to say thank you to everybody who took the time to read this article. we’re very eager to do well in this event and your support means a huge deal to us. We hope to see you there and we hope to do all the readers proud!
A Brief History of Success
Twitter: @TBD_eSport
BDT is an up-and-coming team that despite only registering in 2017, has already gathered a few accomplishments. Most notably, as Burn mentioned, they’ve found success on Grand Turismo Sport winning the VRC STCC Championship. They’ve also dipped their toes in the arcade racing world and are the defending two-time AOR Rocket League champions.
As The Green Flag Approaches…
Black Diamond has already had several laps under their belts and will take part in the GT3 Class with a BMW M4. The team announced their all-British driver lineup this Wednesday. Craig “Evanzo”, Symon Chester, Matt Snook, and Collin Mcallister will be in charge of taking their German car around the Daytona Road Course.
Here is the moment you have all been waiting for!
We're very happy to confirm our line up for the #iracing Daytona 24 Hour!
??@evanzo7
??@symonchester
??Matt Snook
??@SKULLTBDWe have high hopes for this squad, Wish them luck!
? – @WaterIsFake_ #DiamondInTheRough pic.twitter.com/4KyeZp9wc4
— Team Black Diamond (@TBD_eSport) January 21, 2021
You can follow their ride through one of America’s most iconic speedways here on Overtake Motorsport from January 22nd to the 24th.
Feature Image: @TBD_eSport
