Sponsored: Sim racers, content creators, community members and customers – all have the chance to take part in a trackday through SimXPro’s Prodigy Program.
Taking sim racing talent and placing them behind the wheel of real-world race cars is nothing new.
Look at the former World’s Fastest Gamer reality TV series or countless sim-to-real virtual racing championships.
However, generally, these have been about finding the quickest, or objectively best, sim racer. The elites, if you will.
But just because you aren’t the next James Baldwin or Tim Heinemann, doesn’t mean you can’t be capable on track.
There is another way – SimXPro’s Prodigy Program. A fresh initiative from the breakthrough sim racing equipment manufacturer.
“When I look at old competitions, you either need to be an alien to win or get the opportunity to drive,” explains SimXPro CEO Johan Akkerman.
“Alternatively, you’re very well connected, very rich, very fast, or a combination of these three things.
“So we want to give SimXPro Pro customers an opportunity to drive on track and also content creators. We’re trying to find a solution where if someone wants it badly enough, they can get it.”
The aim of the Prodigy Program is to take “average Joes” and provide them with trackday experiences, a racing licence and eventually, some will be part of an endurance racing outfit.
Akkerman is leading the Dutch sim racing equipment manufacturer’s resurgence, but is also well-versed in motorsport competition.
He’s previously competed in a modified BMW E30 3-Series, and for 2025, raced in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup, claiming a top-10 championship finish and a podium at Zandvoort.
He now wants others to experience that leap from sim to motorsport, but in a pragmatic and achievable way. There’s no promise of turning you into the next Le Mans winner.
“There will be opportunities to drive a real race car, get a racing license and enjoy not only sim racing, but also the real thing,” he continues.
“It doesn’t have to be expensive in a Porsche 911 GT3, for example. We’re trying to keep things relatively cool without having to break the bank.
“It’s going to be track day experiences, and then hopefully something like VLN participation, as in six or seven months we’re going to put together the team for endurance races.”
Get involved
Sounds great, right? But how do you get involved?
Well, one very simple way is to sign up for SimXPro’s email newsletter.
“I was honestly surprised because we started with a modest amount of people on our mailing list. Now, after a couple of months, it’s very healthy.”
However, that’s only part of it – there’s an affiliate program element, too. Big or small content creators, hardware experts, race organisers or community members, those who use SimXPro affiliate links could receive perks.
It starts with the ‘Dreamer’ level, with a 5% commission on sales, €10 store credit after your first sale and a sticker pack, and rises through five levels to ‘Legend’ status, with 15% commission, a sim setup of your choice and an all-access track experience.
All levels are in the mix for the Prodigy Program’s track experiences.
“Some people say ‘It’s an affiliation program’, and they’re correct,” explains Akkerman.
“It is an affiliation program, with us looking for ambassadors who support the brand. If you make sure that we sell more products because we stand behind it, and you stand behind it, then you’ll get a chance to drive a car on track.
“Simple as that.
“You don’t need to be fast, you don’t need to be well-connected – just put in effort. If we see that you are putting in effort, you get an invitation to do a track day. And then we could invite you to do more track days after that.”
Ready to drive your dream? The SimXPro Prodigy Program is now open for applications.