Spotlight on… – Omer Kinay

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The man behind the wheel: a short interview with Sim Racing System racers. Let’s know a little more of the guys that are always one place ahead.

Would you briefly introduce yourself for the site’s readers?
Hi, all! I’m Ömer from Turkey. I’m 28 and I have been living in Canada since 2017. Currently, I am doing a PhD in Industrial Engineering and I specialize on optimization. I am an enthusiast of anything than can move on wheels since I was a little child.

What’s your racing wheel?
I have an old and faithful Logitech Driving Force GT.

Which are your favourite simracing games?
Right now, it’s Assetto Corsa thanks to its awesome mods (and modders) and free access to majority of the quality content.

Favourite car(s)?
Pretty much all FWD or 4WD touring cars in simracing. In real life, BMW M3 E36 is my favourite car.

Favourite track(s)?
I had to think this one hard. I guess it’s Suzuka.

“I am an enthusiast of anything than can move on wheels since I was a little child.”

Since when are you playing simracing games?
I discovered the simracing world in 2007. I got in love with the feel of the idle running engine on my first force-feedback wheel.

Which was your first racing game ever?
Does Midtown Madness count? 😊 In terms of sim, it’s GTR 2.

How do you prepare for a race and/or a championship?
At first, I take the championship car to a track that is short, simple but has a variety of corner types (e.g., Silverstone National). I try to understand and evaluate its behavior and I come up with a baseline setup. Each week, I take the car to the corresponding championship track a couple of days before its start and fine tune the setup based on that track’s characteristics. After a couple of hotlapping sessions to find the limit, I try to get some consistency dialed in by doing some 20-25min stints near the limit.

Are you good in setupping cars? 🙂
It depends… For FWD and 4WD cars I can do a good job. But for open-wheelers or overpowered RWD cars, I am not very good at it. I consider the process of searching the “perfect setup” as an opportunity to understand and connect with the car. I believe that even if you cannot come up with perfect setup for a car, the time that you devoted to trying out various configurations will always pay off.

Do you race in real life too?
Apart from some local karting races that I did when I was at high school, no. I picked up cycling in 2015 and have been racing bikes since 2017. We hit the race tracks like MoSport Park sometimes.

“The time that you devoted to trying out various configurations will always pay off”

What you do like and what you don’t like in SRS races?
I like the endeavour for creating a clean racing environment but for me the real gem is sharing the fun and experience with others. I had some thrilling races here that I won’t forget even only in 2 months that I have been using SRS. I cannot recall any decent race that I did on a public server for AC.

Which are your strongest and your weakest points in racing?
One of my strongest points is to be able to stay calm and focused during the race. When I am racing with FWD cars, this translates to consistency and that’s what helps me to win races. I also shine on slow sectors and hairpins. My weakest point is definitely doing overtakes. I am generally driving very conservatively while racing right behind someone.

How would you define your racing style?
In two words, I’d say smooth and gentle. It’s one of the reasons that I am not really good at driving RWDs. I hate to do those mini wheel corrections or use countersteering.