Interview with Peter Duke – Former Formula Opel Racer

Before joining DDK in February 2025, Peter Duke spent his early career racing in the competitive Formula Opel series during the 1990s. Today, he brings that real-world experience, discipline and race craft into the world of sim racing. We sat down with Peter for a short chat about his journey and the role he plays within DDK.

Q: Peter, many people don’t know you raced Formula Opel in the 90s. What brought you to sim racing?

What brought me to sim racing is the love I have for motorsport. It was only in February 2024 that I saw top racing drivers on sim rigs and started to explore it. I quickly realised this was a major deal, so I managed to purchase a sim rig and I’ve loved racing ever since. It will never replace the feeling of driving at 140-plus mph, the G-forces and everything that comes with it but it really does bring the adrenaline and competitive side back.

Q: What do you enjoy most about DDK Racing Team?

From the start, DDK Racing Team has been a wealth of information and help to me. When I started sim racing, I didn’t know a lot about iRacing, setups, etc. But having the experience of the team behind me has been amazing.

Q: Do you bring your real-world experience into the sim?

Yes, I do bring real-world experience. For example, racing lines, braking, understanding understeer and oversteer, I knew all these elements naturally. Garage 61 telemetry is also very important in sim racing and I was fortunate enough to be able to read the graphs easily; we had the same sort of telemetry in our Formula cars.

Q: What’s the biggest difference between real open-wheel racing and iRacing?

The biggest difference for me is the danger element. You simply can’t take the chances in real racing that some drivers take in sim racing. Firstly, you would be putting your life and the lives of your fellow drivers in danger and you wouldn’t keep your sponsors for long either. There’s also the physical feeling of how the car responds, the oversteer, understeer and everything in between. In sim racing, you see it rather than feel the car’s movements like you do when you’re seated in the real car.

Q: Any goals you’re chasing with DDK this season?

My first goal is to try my best in every race, if you give your best, that’s all you can ask for. Secondly, I’d like to reach a higher iRating someday. But for me, the most important goal is to enjoy it. That’s why I sim race.

A big thank you to Peter for taking the time to share his story and insights with us. We’re proud to have him in DDK and we look forward to seeing his continued impact both on and off the virtual track.