Who says virtual reality is just for relaxing or a meager escape zone? So much so, that it can make the participants quit or retire early to shift their attention on actual matters. If you are confused, ask any esports driver. These virtual reality professionals are the e-NASCOM racing series drivers. Recently, the workload of actual mundane life is starting to get the better of their virtual professional roles, and many of them have announced early retirements from the e-tracks.
The Concerning Cause
The e-sports drivers include those born in late the 1990s and 2000s. This means these on-screen sports professionals are actually balancing their gaming routine with college lectures and high school classes. Before logging into the simulated world of virtual racetracks in the evening, they have to manage all the school and work obligations on a daily basis. For the 40 drivers from the field of e-NASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, this stressful mundane balancing is becoming a hindrance to compete at sim-racing’s highest level.
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon, the 24 years old successful sim racer from St. Louis has been balancing his college and the e-NASCAR series life so far. But the pro-series winner recently announced that this 2021 season would be his last top-level NASCAR sim racing for now. Though he didn’t use the word ‘retire’ directly, he admitted that he is unsure whether he would be able to come back to the virtual track in the coming five years.
Commitment v/s Dream
The age-old tussle between professional commitment and following a passion is present here too! A meteorology major in real-life, Lyon is passionate about everything related to the weather and wants to go storm-chasing someday. But like a true professional, he has never set aside his commitment to esports. But the demanding schedule of the Coke series has made him realize that he is going to run out of time and lose the actual life opportunities present out there. So between chasing cars on screen, and chasing his dream of life, Lyon has chosen the latter, and without any regret.
His Amazing Formula One Career Earns Lewis Hamilton a Knighthood
Formula One driver and 7-time world championship winner, Lewis Hamilton, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during 2021 New Year Honors. British Formula One driver received this honor for his exceptional career and his work in combating racism, and was recommended for knighthood by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in November.
A Stellar Formula One Career
Lewis Hamilton is a British race driver that started his career driving for McLaren from 2007 until 2012 and for Mercedes from 2013 to the present day. He has won seven World Drivers’ championship titles, four of which were consecutive wins, equaling the legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher. Hamilton is currently Formula One’s most successful driver with 95 wins overall. His incredible career had earned him a knighthood and the title Sir in 2021, making him the fourth F1 driver to receive this honor, alongside Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, and Stirling Moss.
Racial Justice Activism
In addition to his F1 career, Hamilton is also a prominent activist and philanthropist. As a strong advocate against racism, Hamilton took the knee before every race he took part in during 2020 in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement and wore T-shirts bearing that slogan. Hamilton criticizes the lack of diversity in Formula One and has set up the Hamilton Commission with the Royal Academy of Engineering. The ultimate goal of this commission is increasing diversity in motorsports by engaging more young people of color in technology, engineering, science, and mathematics.
Lewis Hamilton Has No Plans of Retiring
The accomplished driver’s career goes on as he has not announced any retirement plans at this time. It’s quite possible that Hamilton may yet set new records for F1 in upcoming seasons. His other ventures include music, which the driver claims was a big passion of his since he was very young. F1 star also launched a clothing line in 2019, TOMMYXLEWIS, alongside designer Tommy Hilfiger.