Sim Racing is a rather trivial hobby in a lot of peoples’ minds. Some people just consider it as playing pretend, or “burning money on toys when you could purchase a real car”, but many people truly enjoy the hobby, myself included.

I started Sim Racing early, at age 6, with NASCAR Racing 1999 Edition. Granted, I didn’t have a wheel, or even a controller. I was just content with attempting to play with a keyboard, and admittedly stuffing Jeff Gordon’s car into the wall countless times. Ever since I had my first exposure, I was hooked on racing, and on racing video games.

Then, in 2014 I landed what was (in my mind) my dream job, blogging for one of the largest sites in the industry: Inside Sim Racing. In my mind, I was able to share my love of racing with the world, and I enjoyed it! In October, I was faced with a crossroads, to either become the next Co-Host of Inside Sim Racing, or possibly attempt a solo effort. I chose the latter of the two. Despite leaving on arguably not-so-good terms, I still hold an immense respect for Inside Sim Racing, and all that they have done for the community. Darin and John are doing a great service to the community, and have really found a solid place in the community.

I went public with Sim Racing Paddock on January 7th, 2015. While I was off to a strong start, times got pretty tough, especially towards the middle half of 2015. This past year was a considerably rough year for myself and my family, and it honestly sent me spiraling into a depression. Around halfway through 2015, I lost my drive (pun somewhat intended) for the site, and it landed on the back burner for me. I sincerely do apologize for leaving the community in the dark, and for neglecting my responsibility to the community.

These past two months have started to see an upswing for me. I have had a lot of friends supporting me through this, and have been encouraging me to return to the site, and the hobby that I love. Two weeks ago, I finally convinced myself to fire up some sims, which I hadn’t done in a long time. It really did help remind me of my love for racing, and love for the hobby. One combination that really put a smile on my face was the McLaren M23 at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, which my best friend and I were racing on, just hours after his watching “Rush” for the first time!

Now, the big question remains, what does this mean for the website? One year has passed since I first launched the site, and I’m back, and plans are in place to make the site even better than ever! Sim Racing Paddock is a website not only for myself, but also will be for the community. I have big plans for the site, that hopefully will make it into a great “home” for racers, to hang out, set up races, and maybe learn something new. There are also things in the works that will hopefully bring Sim Racing Paddock to a new level, bringing new things to the table.

To all of you reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me, and I hope we will all see great things coming with the site.

-William