iRacer Profile: Tomaz Bastos
June 1st, 2013 by Jaime Baker
A wise man once said “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” Since winning the 2013 S1 Division 3 Cadillac Cup title, life — in the form of completing his studies in agronomy — has happened to Tomaz Bastos. So if you were expecting him to pick-up where he left off (winning six of 15 races to beat Marcos Morros Josa and Alessandro Costa to the D3 Caddy title) in the Cadillac CTS-V’s new arena — the iRacing.com Global Challenge, you would be disappointed.
Although Tomaz hasn’t raced much — indeed at all — since April, he’s hardly been inactive. The Carioca has been using his free time to practice in the Williams-Toyota FW31 . . . with some help from his brother Pedro Gabriel who is looking to qualify for the iRacing.com Road Pro Series. So once life settles down a bit for Tomaz Bastos, look for him to re-new his passion for sim-racing . . . and for his name to re-appear near the top of the stats sheets.
Q: How long have you been sim racing?
A: Since when I subscribed to iRacing in April 2012, so I have about one year on sim-racing.
Q: What attracted you to iRacing?
A: My brother Pedro Gabriel was the one who attracted me to iRacing. He registered in iRacing in 2010 and at the time I played FPS games, but gradually he was convincing me about the qualities of iRacing and I became a fan of this racing simulator
Q: What are favorite iRacing cars/tracks?
A: My favorite car in iRacing is the Cadillac and the track is Spa-Francorchamps.
Q: What do you like most about iRacing?
A: The competitive atmosphere and the fact that we race on laser-scanned tracks.
Q: What would you change about iRacing?
A: What I would change I believe is already being done, which is to improve the tire model and the damage model.
Q: How many hours a week do you spend on iRacing?
A; About 5-10 per week.
Q: Tell us about the paint schemes on your helmet/car(s).
A; My helmet’s painting was inspired on the Ayrton Senna’s helmet and the car I used to drive (the Cadillac) is my team’s paint, Fusion Motorsport, made by the Brazilian iRacer Sergio Roda Junior.
Q: What other sim racing activities (Forza, Gran Turismo, rFactor, etc.) do you enjoy?
A; I have rFactor 2, Game Stock Car and others installed on my computer, but the only racing simulator that I use is iRacing.
Q: What are your favorite video games?
A; I used to play America’s Army 2, but now I’m only in iRacing.
Q: Do you do any real world racing? Has iRacing been of any benefit?
A: Unfortunately, I don’t.
Q: What is your most memorable iRacing moment?
A: When I won my division in Cadillac Cup and received an email from Sean Siff saying that I have won the grand prize of a signed Cadillac replica racing helmet for this achievement.
“I won my division in Cadillac Cup and received an email from Sean Siff saying that I have won the grand prize of a signed Cadillac replica racing helmet for this achievement.”
Q: What is the iRacing moment you’d love to forget?
A: The times that I ended up with somebody else’s race.
Q: What car/track would you like to see iRacing add to the service?
A: As a F1 fan I would like to see Monaco, even knowing it’s quite difficult, and one of the 2013 F1 cars, with KERS and DRS.
Q: What person, living or dead do you most admire?
A: In the world of motorsport I would say Ayrton Senna.
Q: What’s your favorite real world racing series?
A: I like F1 and now I’m really enjoying the Pirelli World Challenge.
Q: Name the title of the most recent book you read.
A: Jardim das Aflições, written by Olavo de Carvalho.
Q: Name of your favorite movie/TV show?
A: Homeland.
Q: How many of your close friends are iRacing members?
A: None of them.
Q: Has competing with iRacers all around the world influenced your opinions/outlook on life/world events? How?
A: Actually, no.