In this episode we had the chance to chat with another Dutch driver, he is currently leading the championship and may be on his way to his first DTR title. I learned he actually lives very close to me and that he loves a good pizza. I still remember Jari’s very first league race, about 2 years ago. Since then he’s taken huge steps from an unexperienced, but fast driver in a lower division to a champion favorite in the top division. Since a while he’s also commentating on races and the viewers really seem to love his firy enthusiasm and passion. Have a read with what Jari had to say.
Welcome Jari!
Let’s start with your name first, how did you get to this username?
Quite an easy one. DRA is the Esports team i currently drive for and my firstname is Jari.
How did you get to your driver number?
96, the year i was born 🙂
A little more personal info about you, how old are you and where do you live?
I’m 25 years old, from the Netherlands and living in a city called ‘Gouda’ in South Holland.
What do you do in life? Work, study or something else
I’m working full time as a Sales Advisor at a Car Dealership where we are selling new Hyundai’s and used cars. Beside work and racing i’d like to go out with the misses and friends.
You are currently leading the championship, do you think you can win it this season?
If my consistency stays this way, i’m definitely aiming to grab that title! Still gonna be a hard task with these fast drivers around me.
Who will be your biggest rival?
There are a lot of fast drivers in this Division who are able to win a race. But consistent wise, i’m going for Shaby. Chalkerz is also one of the quickest, so if he works on his consistency we might have a 3-way title battle which i’m very excited about!
How do you prepare for a league race?
Usually i’ll do 30 mins of TT and create a comfortable setup which suits my driving style. After this i’ll go into Practice mode for 30 mins and see which tyre pressures i would use. Then short quali and 50% race to focus on that consistency in the race.
How did you get into sim racing? And for how long have you been sim racing?
I do remember this! I’ve met Jeroen3205 in an open F1 lobby and he invited me to their PS4 party. Then he asked me if i have ever league raced before and my answer was no. Got invited to the Discord of a league where i have met Bogarovski and some others aswell. That was the time i started league racing, i believe it was July 22, 2020.
What other games do you like to play?
Forza Horizon 5.
Gran Turismo 7.
What was your first console?
PS1
What was your first F1 game?
Formule One 06 on the PS2 (2006)
About real racing, what was the first F1 Grand Prix you watched?
Brazilian GP 2006
Have you ever been to a Formula 1 Grand Prix? When and where if so and what is possibly the next one you will visit?
Yes i’ve been to Monza and Austria.
Who is or are your favourite drivers? And where do you think he or they will end up this season?
Max Verstappen. If his RB’s reliability will improve he can definitely go for another title. But nevertheless, i like Charles aswell. A very good driver who drives with his head and i think they can give us a really good show throughout the season.
Do you also follow other series?
Yes. I follow Indycar with Veekay, F2 with Verschoor and F3.
Back to you on the sim. How do you race? And can you share a picture of how your setup looks?
As a commentator, we’ve seen (and heard) you improve over the last months and drivers really seem to like your style. Is there something you changed or improved on specifically?
I’m just being myself and i’ve always been enthusiastic about racing. If the drivers give me a good show, i’ll just go wild! (I even lost my voice after the Australian GP of Div 2 :P)
But lately i’m preparing myself a bit before the race. Usually takes 15 mins to write down some information. To everyone who wants to take a step into commentating, just go for it! It’s really fun to do and you’ll get better and better when you get experience.
We’ve learned about other drivers’ favourite food, what’s yours?
My favorite food is BBQ Bacon & Chicken Pizza with a lot of Garlic sauce. (I may only eat this when the misses is away ofcourse)
Anything you would like to add?
I want to thank all the organisers for this perfectly organised league. I’ve ran a league myself and know how much free time this takes to have everything running smoothly. Keep up the good work!
