Interview with Haydo Berns
Earlier today, we had the pleasure of talking to Haydo Berns, a young Australian looking to make his way into real life endurance racing via simulators including Gran Turismo. In this interview, we discuss his karting career, his future plans, both in CORE and reality, as well as the gigantic Formula One tape collection owned by his family!
Q: “Hello, welcome to CORE! Would you mind starting thisinterview off by telling everyone a little bit about yourself?”
A: “Well I am a 17 year old Australian and I’m proud of it! Motorsport has been in my blood since I was born. I’ve been Sim Racing since I was 4 years old on Gran Turismo 2, so many memories. I raced karts for 3 years but money and the politics of the sport pushed me out of it!”
Q: “Do you come from a family of racers/racing enthusiasts?”
A: “Racing enthusiasts. Dad never had the money or time to start karting when he was young. But we have every F1 race on DVD since around 1985, does that say something? Haha!”
Q: “That's an extremely impressive statistic. How long have you been competing in online events on Gran Turismo?”
A: “Not very long to be honest. I got our wireless modem about 6 months after GT5 came out. So I made some friends and started having more formal championships, but things get in the way, you know? So I backed off a bit and then I joined a Gran Turismo league, and it’s fun. I find it a lot less serious/stressful than iRacing so it's like a break!”
Q: “Are you a regular on iRacing?”
A: “Very much so. I've had it maybe two months now after I got a proper gaming laptop for when I move. I got picked up by a top iRacing GT team from the UK, and I really enjoy it.”
Q: “Your story is now stretching from Simulators into the real world. Could you tell us about your real-world racing adventures?”
A: “Oh man, Haha. So four years ago now I bought my first kart. She was about 10 years old and a bargain. We didn't know anything, and I mean that. I knew how to drive but there is a knack for getting a kart to go quick. So we then bought an engine, etc. and went racing. Over here you have to "Blueprint" the engine to get the maximum out of it. We raced for three meetings without the Blueprint because I was out of money. When we got it done, we were successful almost straight away. I won three events at the end of the year I think and came second in the championship.
Dad said I earned a new kart after getting the old girl to be a rocket so we bought a new kart. Luckily, I was picked up by Master Karting and they took me under their wing. We raced in juniors for a bit with some success and then went to seniors and I had a fairly rough time to say the least. The politics of the sport drove me out of it, inconsistent penalties and the ever growing money factor was the elephant in the room. So we quit, we sold up and now the only thing we have left is my new kart.
Recently, I was on a website where teams advertised for drivers. I'm no stranger to the European motorsport scene, I watch EVERYTHING and VLN is my favourite. I love the Nordschleife with a passion. So I came across class winners looking for a driver. Unfortunately, after some contact the deal never worked out but I kept looking.
The VLN has helped and continue to help me a lot. They gave me teams to contact and told the teams to contact me. However, I have now organised a deal with Rent4Ring Racing to guide me into the professional motorsport world.”
Q: “So how much experience have you had at the 'Ring so far?”
A: “Nothing in real life. I know, it sounds crazy right? After we quit karting in May(ish) 2013 I have been on an intense simulator program for myself. When I'm not competing in online series I'm on the Nordschleife. I know the track like the back of my hand; the curbs, the bumps, the corners. Everything. It's insane, but that’s how I have convinced teams to take the gamble.”
Q: “And do you have a date for your first real-life experience yet?”
A: “Yep! By regulation you have to be 18, so next year I’m moving to England and will be cutting laps at the RCN Testday in March in one of the cars from the team; either a Suzuki Swift or a BMW 125i.”
Q: “Are there any other circuits do you aim to drive or compete on in the future?”
A: “I have no determination to drive on a circuit if that makes sense. I have tracks that I love and tracks that I hate, but if I was to pick one it'd have to be Circuit De Algarve in Portugal.”
Q: “Nice. Moving on to CORE, do you see yourself competing in some of our events in the future?”
A: “Yes, yes and yes again! I had planned to run in the 2015 N24 but the date is edging a bit too close to my move date. It's within the last two months I'm on this side of the globe and if it was a small move then it'd be alright but you can only imagine the complexity of this move to England!”
Q: “Indeed, the move must be challenging. 2015 is going to be a huge year for you from what we've heard today! Any final thoughts for the CORE competitors and followers?”
A: “I'd just say that you should stick with CORE. I haven't even raced in one of the events you guys put up, yet I'd rate the organisation and racing quality as some of the best I have seen on Gran Turismo. With so much effort going into it, I mean, who doesn't want to be on a Livestream that is being commentated and analysed better than some real world teams? That's awesome!”
Thank you to Haydo for his time and answers.
