Sue Stockdale speaks with Mark Fletcher, the owner of Altitude Esports, about what led him to forming and leading an esports racing team. Mark shares his deep-rooted passion for racing, influenced by his father's racing background and their combined foray into model car racing. He explains how the team was founded from personal loss and a desire to create a community. The conversation also touches on Mark's engagement with Sports 2000 racing, integrating his virtual racing skills into real-world mechanics, and the supportive family-like environment within the racing community.<br /><br /><b>About Mark Fletcher</b><br />Mark Fletcher is 36 years old and lives in Worcestershire, England. He is the owner of Altitude Esports, an iRacing esports team and SimFly Driver Development. Mark has a passion for most sports, and in his spare time runs, plays golf, and mechanic for a Sports 2000 race team. He enjoys travelling and exploring new places. <br /><br /><a href="https://accesstoinspiration.org/our-team/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Altitude eSports</a> is a media partner of Access to Inspiration podcast.<br /><br /><b>Connect with Mark and Altitude Esports</b> via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AltitudeEsports" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/altitudeesports" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitch.</a><br /><br /><b>Key Quotes</b><br /><ul><li><i>There are paid professionals who earn more than I do in my day job and they are racing on a simulator</i></li><li><i>It's not just a day out for lads and dads</i></li><li><i>We have exactly the same infrastructure as you would for a real race</i></li><li><i>We can simulate in the SIM everything that the real world will throw at you</i></li><li><i>Find your way to remember these people who have passed and make them still part of your life every day</i></li><li><i>Every time that the car touches the track, its like I remember mum</i></li></ul><b>Time Stamps</b><br />02:28 What is eSports Racing?<br />03:19 The Competitiveness of eSports<br />04:20 Formation of Altitude eSports<br />07:47 Challenges and Personal Motivations<br />10:47 Team Dynamics and Recruitment<br />21:08 Balancing Real and Virtual Racing<br />28:19 Getting Started with Sim Racing<br /><br /><b>Connect with Access to Inspiration</b>: <a href="https://www.twitter.com/accessinspirat1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/accesstoinspiration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accesstoinspiration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/access-to-inspiration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn </a><br /><br />If you are enjoying this podcast -<a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/accesstoinspiration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Buy Me A Coffee</a> and leave us a message to help us continue producing quality audio content for our listeners.<br /><br />Sound Editor: Matias de Ezcurra<br />Producer: Sue Stockdale <br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/access-to-inspiration--4156820/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/access-to-inspiration--4156820/support</a>.
