The Inspiring Journey Of Malaysia's Fastest Sim Racer And His Two SUKMA Gold Medals
An outstanding talent and a testament that sim racing is not just a hobby, but a serious pursuit.
By Syazwan Bahri — 06 Sep 2024, 03:11 PM
Sim racing has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years
In fact, its newfound popularity has earned it a spot in the esports category of the prestigious 2024 SUKMA Games in Sarawak.
One person has gone above and beyond in the sim racing category, bringing home two gold medals and making his contingent proud. Aside from his successes in SUKMA, he has also competed against rivals from across the globe in various races. Despite his skill on the simulator, he has also proven his worth on the real-life track.
This is the story of 21-year-old Mikael Hakimi — better known as Mika Hakimi — and SAYS was fortunate enough to catch some of his time and get to know him better.Mika discovered his passion for speed at a young age
"My dad used to work for PETRONAS and went to many F1 races. I have always been passionate about racing since I was a kid, but I never had the funds to do anything about it," said Mika when interviewed by SAYS.
"When the Nissan GT Academy became a thing, that's when I realised I should try and get serious with sim racing because it could be my breakthrough," he added.
According to Mika, sim racing requires dedication and practice to master
When asked about the learning curve for sim racing, Mika said that the sport requires a lot of focus.
"Drivers who dedicate a lot of focus and attention to it will see themselves fly up that ladder really quickly. Racing is a very mentally demanding sport. Drivers with the right mindset will often learn exponentially quicker."
For Mika, though, it took a lot of practice.
"I spent a lot of time practising. But the key difference here is that I always put myself in positions to be around drivers who are much better than I am, so that I can learn as much as possible to improve," he said when asked about how he honed his skills.
"Not only do I join competitions that are tough, but I also have a lot of experience racing for teams with really top drivers as my teammates."
He kicked off his professional sim racing career after meeting the people behind Blue Steel Racing
Mika explained that his current team, Blue Steel Racing (BSR), played a crucial role in pointing him in the right direction.
"I have always wanted to join competitions but never knew how. BSR helped me get into competitions and even funded them to start."
"They helped me break into some competitions, which really started it all. I went on to find sponsors on my own and created campaigns to turn it into a more professional thing," he added.
We also had the chance to delve into Mika's sim racing setup
Mika shared that his favourite sim racing game to work with is rFactor 2 as it provides the best feel for simulation.
His setup consists of high-end equipment that he earned through his winnings or sponsorships. Check out the list of hardware that Mika is running:
- Moza R16 wheelbase
- Moza GS steering wheel
- Heusinkveld Sprint pedals
- Next Level Racing F-GT racing seat
Despite the high-end equipment, Mika believes that equipment is only part of sim racing
After seeing his rather impressive setup, we were curious if owning a top-tier sim racing setup could make someone faster. Here's what Mika has to say about it:
"Absolutely not! Put me on an entry-level Logitech G27 and I will be fast. Put me on a G27 three years ago and I would be slow," he emphasied."The only thing that would make a significant difference are the pedals and the monitor. That's because the differences between a low-level and a mid-level pedal are huge. Anything else doesn't significantly improve performance."
Mika also took the opportunity to share some of his achievements in his sim racing career
"My most significant achievement is being the only Malaysian to receive the Rolex Fastest Lap Award at the 2023 Le Mans Virtual 24 Hours race.
"It's one of the biggest sim racing competitions out there, and I was able to get a really good prize for setting the fastest lap of the race."
Aside from the coveted Rolex Fastest Lap Award, Mika also bagged two gold medals at the recent SUKMA Games for Wilayah Persekutuan in sim racing, winning both the Time Attack and Single Race categories.
We also asked if Mika had ever raced in real life
Spoiler alert: He's as good in real-life racing as he is in the simulator.
Toyota Malaysia noticed his talents and skills and took him on board a rookie programme of six drivers, where they selected four of Malaysia's best karters and two sim racers.
Thankfully, Mika's extensive experience in sim racing helped him on the track."Racing simulators are very realistic nowadays. You have to learn a lot about weight transfer and vehicle dynamics to understand how to go fast. These are the knowledge that you can apply and carry over to the real world," he said.
Lastly, Mika shared some of his insights to aspiring sim racers
"Always find ways to improve. Improve your life. Exercise more often, go on jogs, and start a workout routine. Take yourself seriously, even if no one else will," he said.
"That's why I am one of the best. I am a sim racer who trains like a Formula 1 driver. There is some science behind that. Your body will perform differently when you train it like this. When you get in the sim, your mind will be fresher to improve. After all, work for the job you want, not for the job you have, right?"
