The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the most important sports car races in the world. As America’s answer to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it kicks off the international sports car racing calendar on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway and attracts teams and drivers from all over the world. Naturally, everyone here at CXC Simulations watched this year’s race and we were delighted to see our client Ed Brown, and the Tequila Patron ESM team, score the overall victory in dramatic fashion.

“Honestly, I don’t know if it’s really set in that we won at Daytona,” Brown told us after the race. “We had such a tough season in 2015. To win at Daytona is simply a dream come true.”

Brown, who began racing 12 years ago and made his professional racing debut in 2009, found CXC Simulations and the Motion Pro II when he began searching for the best available racing simulator. Having the ability to routinely practice on CXC Simulations’ Motion Pro II has become a huge asset for Brown. As a Pro-Am driver competing against professional racers in both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Brown is constantly looking to improve his driving skills.

 

“There is a big challenge for the amateur drivers, especially in the WEC, with the yellow flag rules and how they have been rating silver-rated drivers,” said Brown. “You just have to practice as much as possible, and that’s where my CXC Simulations Motion Pro II comes into play. We are only allowed so much testing by the rules, so having the ability to drive on the sim helps a lot.”

Brown has made time on his Motion Pro II a part of his normal race preparation routine. That routine also includes weight lifting and cardio work – both of which are important for racing a high-downforce car such as the Honda-powered Ligier JSP2 that Brown drove to victory at Daytona along with co-drivers Pipo Derani, Johannes van Overbeek and Scott Sharp.

Being able to practice on an accurate representation of upcoming tracks is helpful with challenging circuits such as Daytona International Speedway and Sebring Raceway, where Brown and the Tequila Patron ESM team will compete next.

 

“I use iRacing on my CXC Simulations Motion Pro II and it is very, very good,” said Brown. “That’s especially true at Sebring where you can feel all of the bumps in turns 1 and 17. Because both of those corners are so demanding, I use the simulator a lot to get used to getting back to the throttle. It is fantastic to not only learn new tracks, but also to refresh you on tracks you’ve been to before. But, more and more, I use it to work on what I perceive to be my weaknesses.”

Brown, and the Tequila Patron ESM team, will be competing in next week’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.