Screen to Speed: Alex Goldschmidt

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to Screen to Speed, powered by Init eSports. In this podcast, we dive into the journeys of remarkable individuals making waves in sim racing and bridging the virtual with the real. From the thrill of digital circuits to the roar of real life racetracks, we explore the passion, dedication, and innovation that drives the world of motor sports.

We’ll hear from athletes, creators, and pioneers sharing their stories, insights, and the powerful ways sim racing is connecting communities and creating pathways into motor sports. So buckle up screen to speed starts now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Hi, everyone. Welcome to any talks. Uh, happy see everybody here. We didn’t, uh, have any talks long time. Uh, first of all, want to, uh, say that we got [00:01:00] Alex, uh, Goldschmidt with us today. Welcome, Alex.

Alex Goldschmidt: Hi, Lou. Hi everybody. Uh, good to be on. Thanks for the invitation and really looking forward to a good chat over the, the next few minutes or so.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. Thank you so much for being here with us. Uh, guys, want to remind you that, uh, for screen to speed, we’re going to have upcoming event on April 19th, uh, with Sned and informal one 600. So if you’re interested to watch this race, uh, with us. So please, uh, follow the channel and, uh, let’s start Alex. Uh, so how did your love for racing first start?

Like was it car or like you watched some races or something else?

Alex Goldschmidt: Um, I go back to, I’m, I’m gonna really show my age here, Lou. Uh, I go back to the mid 1980s. Um, my dad and a few of his friends were big petrolhead and we got the opportu, well, myself and my best friend at school at the time, we ended up going to Brands Hatch, and this was back in the day when Formula One had pre-qualifying.

We missed pre-qualifying by [00:02:00] 20 minutes. Ended up watching Formula forward, uh, from then. Dad made it a usual thing. I think the first Grand Prix we watched together was the iconic 1988 Monte Carno Grand Prix when Sena was trying to lap frost, put it in the, uh, in the barriers just before the tunnel. But it was that sense of, um, how Aton drove the car.

Like he, it was like it was his tango partner on the dance floor. It just captivated me, the sound, the noise, the, just the visceral nature of motorsport. And then I became a really, really big fan. We, we were watching as many Grand Prix as we could, depending on what the family was doing. And, uh, it just went on from there.

Uh, after every single, you know, like four one was part of my life, uh, the best part of two decades. And then I. Started enjoying other motor sports. So like sports cars, feeders, single seaters, uh, single seaters. Uh, DTM was another one. Um. That I really got into. And [00:03:00] then most recently, in the last decade, you know, ims, a world sports, uh, you know, the World Endurance Championship and, and there’s so much more motor sport out there to, to really enjoy.

And I’ve become a lover of all, all things that’s got an engine note and burns tires, burns fuel, and provides great racing.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So you’re really passionate about racing all the noises and all the stuff that’s really cool. So I think we all, uh, we hear, uh, all really like, uh, that in racing. Definitely. Uh, do you remember the first time you realized like that.

Really your thing. So not like you like watching races and, uh mm-hmm. You know, go for events. Uh, you realize that you, uh, can jump into industry and be in it.

Alex Goldschmidt: Um, I sort of got an itch that I wanted to scratch back in the late two thousands, so like 2008, 2009. And I wanted to be like the best F1 reporter going, you know, formula One was what I [00:04:00] really, really loved, and it was, it was like at that level a little bit higher than everything else.

Um, so I got in touch with some people. Um, I didn’t really have any experience, uh, but my mom always told me that when I was younger, she said. You found it, uh, that I would find it better to communicate on, uh, a pen and a piece of paper rather than speaking to people. And through that I made some connections with, say, a pop culture website that needed a, uh, a motor sports writer.

I then ended up going through multiple different websites, um, whereby it was voluntary work so you weren’t getting paid for what you loved doing. Uh, and it was then when I got to like 2015 where commentary became on my radar. Mm-hmm. And I got the opportunity to do some voluntary work on, uh, downforce radio.

Uh, a channel that was founded by a good friend who was still a good friend to this stage. Jake Sanson and I ended up doing the [00:05:00] four hours of funk up, ran Hatch indie. We had every single chaotic situation. We had multiple safety cars. We had. Slippery surface flags. The weather came in 30 minutes before the end of the race and we were red flagged with 90 seconds to go.

’cause the Rangers went completely ballistic. And then I thought after that I just went, you know what? I’d rather do the commentary because you’re able to provide your personality, but also. Tell the story the way that you see it mm-hmm. To the general viewers or listeners out there. And so I got bitten by the bug and commentary is now my livelihood.

I I, I travel around so many places I. I think I did 80,000 kilometers worth of travel last year, 43 flights, and that’s every single kilometer measure. So from like driving to the airport, flying in the plane to a location, I think my longest trip last year was London Heathrow to [00:06:00] Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to commentate at the Sang karting circuit.

And that was about a good 18,000 kilometers travel there and back with a stop off in Doha. On each journey, so, mm-hmm. It was, um, it’s crazy how chaotic my life has been at weekends. But the good thing is I’ve got a very, very close family and it’s always nice to come back home and sleep in your own bed when you’ve been away for three to four days and you’re just like that.

I just need the comforts of home.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. Uh, let’s talk a little bit about your travels. Uh, do you remember any. Pan things, uh, which happened also. Uh, good to know that you visited, uh, Sipan. I race here a lot of times, uh, with formal BMW, then with formal war, um, just in love with the circuits. Uh, conditions are tough, but, uh mm-hmm.

Sipan is, is great one. Um.

Alex Goldschmidt: Yeah. Um, funny travel stories. Actually, most recently, [00:07:00] uh, we’re talking probably within the last month, if anyone might remember that London Heathrow was shut down due to the, the sub power station. Three miles south bursting into flames. Uh, well I was due to, I was due to fly to Brussels to go to Kati Dian in southern Belgium, right off the Franco Belgian border.

So there’s been no notifications on my smartphone, no notifications on the N 25 leading to e throw. And I rock up to the car park and they go, uh, the barrier’s up. So like, instantly you think, what’s going on here? And they said, um, he throws clothes today.

Like this. And I go, what are, are you kidding me? I, I’ve got a business trip. And like, he looked me up and down. He said, you didn’t like look, look like you’re going on business. I said, am a motor sports commentator? Come on. I said, don’t judge appearances by, by the, by the cover. You know? Um, and so I said, well, what’s the [00:08:00] situation?

Oh, well, the. The, the, the parking provider will get in touch with you. Obviously your flight provider will get in touch with you, which I have to give shout out to British Airways. They were absolutely spot on. Um, flight was canceled and I was able to reboot my flights for another time. So. The good thing is being in the southeast of the United Kingdom, you are not that far away from the Euro tunnel.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: So, and this is like 20 past five in the morning, Luke, and I’ve just gone. Right. The only way I, so I looked on flights for Gatwick direct to Brussels. None. Lutin none. Stan Stanzi, no. Uh, London City Airport. No. And I went, okay. Right. The only way I can do this is, uh. I’ve gotta book the Euro tunnel and rebook the flights for another time.

So, which luckily enough, I had an event mm-hmm. To the same location two weeks later. So there I was at seven o’clock in the morning booking euro tunnel, uh, [00:09:00] Euro tunnel, uh, crossings to and from Bruss, uh, to and from Cali. And I was communicating with my assistant. She’d gotten up early because my. Um, my nephew Austin, who’s the apple of our eye here, um, he’s five years old, he’s turning six in August.

He’s fully autistic, nonverbal, um, and is very, very sensory sensitive. So like, say noise, light, um, sudden sounds, um, sudden movement even. Um, she’d kept my sister up a little bit during the night from about three until five that morning, and I said, right, okay, I need to book the Euro tunnel ticket. She said, well, you’ve gotta do the work.

You’ve gotta do it, so just get it done. I then had to stop off at the local, local, um, cast spares place to pick up a first aid kit. ’cause that was the only thing I was missing. So I had the, the high visibility vest, the hazard triangle, the bulb kit. Um, and then the first aid kit was the only thing I [00:10:00] needed, and I think I drove about 1400 kilometers in total there and back and all these, mm-hmm.

Surrounding mileage. Um, so that was, um, that was a, my most recent, uh, funny experience. Other things that have happened to me, um, I’ve had higher car companies, major higher car companies actually say we’ve run out of vehicles. Like literally you are having, then you have to find another provider and then you find that provider’s more expensive, yada, yada, yada.

So it’s like minor things, but it, when I got to Marburg, um, I spoke with a couple of the team. They said, how are you feeling? And I just started laughing and they said, why? What’s happened? And I went. If I tell you the journey that I’ve had just now, you’d probably tell me to go away and just say, shut up.

That’s not true. Um, and we just all had a laugh, uh, over dinner and a drink over it. So that has been, [00:11:00] I think, the most, um, in terms of funny travel stories. Uh, the, there was also one in 2020. I’m just trying to think now. Uh, 2023, I was due to go over to the Bahrain International Carting circuit, uh, for work for Rotax, and I get a phone call the week before I’m due to fly.

Oh, uh, what’s your availability like? And it was the dates for the week after and I said, well, you realize I’m in Bahrain. Um, so then. Uh, the deal, the, the agreement was made pretty, pretty quickly within 48 hours of the initial discussion. And then I remember having to wait three hours because the flight for, for British Airways to London, Heathrow from Bahrain was delayed.

So there I was on my smartphone watching Motorsport TV for about three hours waiting until I could check my bag in. But the, the, the recent travel to, to Belgium, I think is the worst sort of [00:12:00] problematic. Journey, but you just have to, it’s, it comes with the territory. It’s first world problems as the hashtag suggests.

Um, and it is what it is. It’s just part and parcel of it. You just have to roll with punches. And if you’re gonna be running a little bit behind you just tell the organizers saying, look, this is the situation. I’ll be with you soon as I can.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. Well, we got a really, uh, busy life and a lot of adventures in it.

Definitely.

Alex Goldschmidt: Yes, that’s, that. That’s very, very true, Lou. I mean, um, yeah, it’s 43 flights last year, I think already we’re, we’re now what coming up to. I’ve got three. Oh, well, um, just for you folks out there that do follow me on socials, I’ve got Super GT Motorsport TV for Saturday and Sunday, Porsche Switzerland, Saturday all day Dutch, uh, Dutch karting championship season over the in Bergham.

So I think probably by [00:13:00] the time I get home at about midnight on Monday morning, I’ll have done just 5,000 kilometers worth of traveling alone that weekend.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: So, yeah, it’s really hard to be a commentator for motor sports events. Definitely.

Alex Goldschmidt: Yeah. It, it, it is, especially when you are, you are one person that’s, uh, in demand. I mean, especially with the, uh, the carting because the week next weekend I do the first round of the German car championship. Fun enough, inbo, which means I’ve got flights of Brussels again.

Mm-hmm. Heath. Don’t let me down. Please don’t let me down. So it’s, it’s the case. You have to be on a bit of a wing and a prayer. Like I say, Lou, it’s just, um, you roll with the punches, but there’s, apart from the travel, there’s just so much more involved in, in being a commentator. You are, you are constantly researching and like, like for instance, this is my Bible.

This goes everywhere with me and it’s got all my notes that I’ve spent the last. Like literally [00:14:00] entry. Well, from, from what people can see, there’s like entry lists. I’ve got notes underneath. Mm-hmm. I’ve got track maps, um, championship standings. Like literally that has taken me multiple conversations to sort out, because people might say, oh yeah, well, you know, all this information as a commentator.

Yes, but you’ve got to be fully prepared. And if you can’t get the information before the event, if you are there the day before or two days before, you can try and find the drivers, um, and speak to them and say, right. Okay. I dunno much about your past history. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself in the next couple of minutes?

And then what you also need.

A good old note because, well, just in case with a pen. I mean, I never go, I never leave home with any, without any of that. It’s just, um, part and parcel of of, of being in this industry. [00:15:00]

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: You know, definitely if you got different events, like you said, you got Porsche, you got carting and, uh, different drivers completely in this series.

Uh, so you need to be up to date every time and yeah, that’s good that you got this folder and you’re well prepared every time. That’s great. Uh, can you tell me what’s your favorite, uh, part about, uh, mentating outside of, uh, travels, some funny, uh, situations which happened with you?

Alex Goldschmidt: Um, to be honest with you, I think the, one of the biggest things for me is.

When you travel, uh, this is aligned with the travel side of it. When you meet people in the paddock and you get to know not just the driver, but you get to meet the people that work with the driver, like the engineer, the mechanic

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: mm-hmm. The

Alex Goldschmidt: team boss. You get to, you get to spend time with people. And uh, that’s the thing, as a commentator, you are the person that is the voice of that.

Championship or one [00:16:00] of the voices of that championship. So you’ve got to be a little bit, uh, on the mic. You could be a bit more of an extrovert, a bit more outgoing with your personality. Uh, but you’ve got to be that people person. You’ve gotta be that, you know, professional, but you still have that positive mental attitude.

And, and that’s one of the biggest things that I love about real life motor sport. Um. Is the, the, the, the people that you work with as part of the organization, the people that you meet. And it’s not just the teams and the drivers, it’s also the families.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: You know, let’s say younger sister, younger brother, elder sister, elder brother, mum, dad, grandparents.

Um, I’ve, I’ve had it where four generations were in the same paddock at one time. So you had daughter

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: Racing driver, mom. Grandmother. And then because of the, well, because of the, the [00:17:00] genetics in the family, from what I was told, the great grandmother was there as well. Wow. Uh, which was, which was mind blowing.

Um, but it’s, it’s more the case of it is about the people and it is about the, you know, when everything’s calmed down on the track loop, it’s more the case of, it’s the, the ambiance, the atmosphere. Like everyone has just gone. Right, the racing’s done. Time to chill out, get to know people. Uh, and there’s been times when families or teams have invited me out for dinner and I’ve accepted because I.

You wanna make sure that, okay, yes, people might say, well, you are, you might just be freeloading. No, it’s, it’s about the spirits of community. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s sim racing or real life, there is a big community aspect about what we do. And you cannot, you cannot deny that because we’re all part of the [00:18:00] human condition.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s really true. So this is exactly what I really like about sim racing and, uh, doing my streams on Twitch, uh, and I racing community as well. That’s all about people who into this industry and, uh, all my streams also, I’m all the time happy to see them and, uh, they all got, uh, different stories in their lives, but we connect here, uh, with some racing with, uh, streams and, and that’s a really good thing.

Definitely. Um. Do you have a race, uh, which, uh, you’ve called that you will never forget in your, uh, commentary career?

Alex Goldschmidt: Um, well, as the surname suggests, ladies and gentlemen, I act, I’m actually, uh, I’m part German by descent. Uh, my grandfather was born in the suburbs of Bergen, Berlin, uh, not too far away from the Alexander Platz and the Belling Temple Health Airport, which is now, uh, used predominantly for Formula E.

Uh, [00:19:00] 2023, uh, I was the circuit commentator for the circuit experience for Formula E for that round of the championship and completely in German. I was commentating the whole weekend on every free practice session, qualifying and both races, and just to think that, um, I was only 25 minutes away by taxi.

From the place where my grandfather was born was quite a seminal and quite an emotional moment. Luke and I remember our broadcast director, uh, Del Brown, he said, Alex, for the final time this weekend, well done. You may stand down. So, um, I, uh, I, I basically, I cried by I, my tear ducks dry for about five minutes.

Mm-hmm. Just because of the realization of how. From my grandfather Habb, who passed away when I was five. He legally immigrated to the [00:20:00] United Kingdom before the Second World War and had to go to the local constabulary in London every six months with a document called the Aliens Order, where they would interview him, ask him where he is been, what he is been doing, and then they would stamp the book and say, okay, you’re good for another six months.

And to have that. Where you’ve got grandfather to father to son, uh, to son.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. And

Alex Goldschmidt: having that sort of full circle, I, I got really emotional and like people could see that my eyes were like red. Mm-hmm. Not, not on the pupils or anything, but like the, like my tear ducts were dry, my face was bright red and they, they, they wondered why.

And so I told them and they went, that’s just really, really awesome. And it, and it was quite nice because, um, I. Oh God. Yeah. Now, now I’ve reminded myself of another bad journey home and it was funny enough, it was that weekend, but, uh, I’ll give you the version of that in a second. But it was, it was just like.

People connected on that emotional level. Mm-hmm. [00:21:00] And, and that again, goes to that community side of things. But that weekend, Berlin had an air, uh, had a airport strike at Berlin Brandenburg. So I had to take the train to Hamburg, got delayed by an hour and half, leaving Ha Hamburg hub, bun Hor, got to the hotel at one in the morning, thought okay, his flight’s at six 30.

I’ll get up at, I’ll get up at like four 30 and have a shower. My alarm woke me up at five o’clock and I just went. Ah, I’ve gotta get through security and I made it by last call. Uh, and then I was quite happy to get back to home, uh, to UK soil at London Gatwick, even though I’d flown from E. But yeah, it, it that, that to me, um, is the most emotional moment.

I will, I. Never forget at all.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think it, it’s really good to, you know, return back to places, uh, would give you some emotions and you share this emotions with other people. And also that makes, uh, like easier situation by the end, [00:22:00] uh, for you. So it’s really cool. Mm-hmm. Definitely. Um, let’s pick about, uh, formal EA little bit so I know that you’re doing some commentary on them.

Um, so tell me more about this.

Alex Goldschmidt: Well, it was, um, I. It was, uh, I’m, I’m part of the Loudspeaker Agency, which is run by Gemma Scott and Louise Beckett. Two women that have made their careers as presenters and pit lane reporters in Motorsport most nightly GT World Challenge, powered by AWS for Gemma. And Louise Beckett was the Pit Lane report and for the World Endurance Championship, uh, for the World Feed, um, for many, many years.

And, um, about five years ago, uh, they set up a loudspeaker agency, which is to help other talent get the opportunity. To, uh, commentate or present or be involved within, not just Motorsport, but other sports beside it. ’cause some of the commentators that I know, such as Chris McCarthy, who’s just become the, uh, world Feed [00:23:00] commentator for FIA Formula two, following in the footsteps of Alex Jakes.

Um, Chris was their first ever client, and I’ve known Chris since 2017. He was the one that gave me my start in this business as a commentator. Um. Ha records racing saying that’s convenient. I’m heading to Miami. Yeah. Miami on Saturday for Formula E. Have to give a shout out to my good buddy who’s now the World Feed commentator, Tom Brooks.

Um, it’s quite funny how a lot of people that I know in the industry that are going, you know, that are making these stride strides forward, are now getting that recognition. Um, so for me, I, I just was, uh, I got contacted by Gemma, I think it was late 2020. Two or early 2023 and she said, you, you are being shortlisted for the Formula E gig in Berlin.

Two weeks before the event I got the call, I was, uh, sitting down having dinner with my family and I’ve seen her number and I’ve gone, I need to answer this. And they said, is it what we think it is? I said, now we find [00:24:00] out. So I walked away from the table and she said, yeah, you got the gig. Mm-hmm. It’s the only time I’ve done for me to read commentary, but um.

One of the funniest things, one of the funniest stories there, I got the brightest, um, you know, like where you get these mo, you know, these really, really brightly colored like, uh, Caribbean style hoodies. Well, I had the one that maybe looked like I’d come from Barbados only and needed a tan on my face and it had formulary and pink letters.

And one of the things that was happening was that after qualifying one of the presenters, either Toby or Kayana would come into the, the Porter cabin. Which is literally just off the start, finish rate and asked me, well, you know, what a great qualifying, and then I was getting, I was, I’d like, I’d become a mini celebrity.

I was like, thinking why are, why aren’t people in, uh, interested in, you know, like say Nico Miller or maybe even Daniel Apt, who is mm-hmm testing the new Gen three car I said. Why am I getting, uh, and then I end up on [00:25:00] someone’s Instagram story and my picture with them is above Daniel, uh, Danny Fiat of all people mm-hmm.

Who was doing the young driver test the following week in Berlin. And I was like, thinking. This is really, really crazy. And then the amount of comments for people that had actually been there either on the Saturday or the Sunday, they either messaged me personally and said, thanks for, thanks for doing such a great job.

Really enjoyed your commentary. Hopefully you’re back next year. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. Um, but you know, you have to take these opportunities whilst you get the chance.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, sure. I, I think that was great experience for you anyway. And, uh, would like to ask you, because you mentioned, uh, before that you like about racing and motorsport, the sound of engine and all this stuff.

So what do you think overall about, uh, electric racing and, uh, we would have a future and maybe we’ll go on to see like more serious, uh. Like this.

Alex Goldschmidt: Well, based on 25 years of [00:26:00] automotive experience, I was in the auto industry until September 1st, 2020. I think electric is part of the future. It is not the complete solution.

Uh, you’re seeing championships like DTM, uh, super, GT over in Japan, rot on sustainable fuels, you know, so they’re using these CNFs, which are carbon neutral fuels. You are seeing total energies. For instance, for the crowd, for, for the 24 hours of spa and for the world, you know, like part fuel partners are now going into sustainable fuels, like say Total energies for the 24 hours of Lamar.

The, they, they did, they, they did something which I thought was quite quirky, but actually was a quite good marketing ploy. They did the total energies based their sustainable fuel on, uh, wine grape residues.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: And then they did, uh, then they had the 24 hours of Lamar Virtual powered by Total Energy Energies energy bars, which [00:27:00] were made from the same residues.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: So you can see that how, uh, the, the technological advances we are, we. Uh, I’m looking at electric as a, as as a partial solution. Fuel cell technology is so underrated. It is obscene, uh, I mean like Hyundai with the IX 35 fuel cell vehicle back in late 2000 tens. Then they came out with the, the nexo, which was the second generation of it, BMW with the ix, uh, with the X five.

They’ve had like multiple. Uh, hydrogen fuel cell cars being trialed by companies. Um, carbon neutral fuels definitely the way to go. If Porsche can set, spend over 150 million Euros mm-hmm. On a planted Chile to keep the nine 11 they halo car alive. Well, you could be damn sure that other fuel partners like, say, shell, like, say total.

Um, so, you know, [00:28:00] all the big brands I think have. You know, yes, they’ve drilled for so many years, but it’s now, it’s their time to help keep internal combustion engine cars on the road. We, it is. I think it’s just that they’re from when, like say people were saying we are gonna be net zero by. Formula.

Formula One is a perfect example. They wanna be carbon neutral by 2030.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: Not all of their production team is on site at the circuits. They’re located at FOM headquarters in Biggin Hill. Like say Chris McCarthy, Alex Brandle, some of the other commentators, they will go to Biggin Hill. They will not be flown on site because that CO2 being pumped into the air by more people flying.

And it’s easier on the environment. You know, a hundred percent sustainable fuels will be coming in I think for 2026. And now you are seeing a lot more motorsports [00:29:00] are doing it. So if the motorsport industry can do it, why can’t the automotive industry

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: See behind, see past the end of their, is my honest opinion as a, having been a professional, I saw so much technology.

Like say when, if anyone might remember the old Mark four golf GT TDIs with, what was the Pomper Doer Direct injection diesel technology, which revolutionized the market. Um, that, that was, that was a, a fantastic technology. It’s only Euro six emissions that basically said Volkswagen you can’t do, or Euro five Volkswagen couldn’t do it anymore.

But I think it’s, it’s more the case of motorsport can lead the way for automotive. Mm-hmm. And we see that with the technological advances at the mall. Especially with the the LMDH cars, we now see there’s a varying amount of solutions, different power plants, like a twin turbo V eight, and the Lamborghini squatter.

Across the 63, you’ve got the four liter. Uh, now this is an interesting bit of information. I didn’t [00:30:00] know this until I found out about the spec of the car, the B-M-W-M-V eight hybrid. The engine that’s in it is the original four liter V eight that’s now got two turbo chargers on it, and it’s the engine that powered the original returning BMWM three when BMW made its return to the DTM in the early 2000 and tens.

So there are solutions to every problem and I, I think that these, you know, the governments in some respects have. Try to, try to look into their crystal ball that’s obviously broken and go, well, okay, we, we need to make sure all cars are, you know, uh, all new cars are electrified, fully electrified by 2035.

That will never happen. Mm-hmm. Because the amount of r and d, the amount of development, the time crunch that the, the manufacturers are under. You know, and that’s why you are seeing Mercedes going away from the two [00:31:00] liter four cylinder turbo charge C 63. They’re bringing back the V eights. So you are now seeing that government, government forcing restrictions on manufacturers are hurting the reputations of said manufacturers.

I don’t, and. I’m glad that they are bringing back the v eights. It’s what Falta bark is known for. So I think t the automotive industry with the help of their motorsport arms can really progress the technologies further. And if Motorsport can develop tech, uh, get like say l and DH cars on the road in a couple of years, who’s not to say they can help accelerate the r and d programs.

Of their automotive cousins, like say at Munich for BMW. Stu Guard for Mercedes-Benz. English stuff. For Audi and so on and so forth. There is a i I think that if you let the motor sport arms help the development race, we’d be along a lot better than we would be now at this point. [00:32:00]

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, I think I agree with you because, uh, all the best technologies we can test like in motor sports and then apply them to, um, like normal cars and, uh, I kind of agree that uh, electric cars not only one solution so we can, um.

Use different options, uh, for this to make mm-hmm. Environment better. And it’s also to have, uh, like opportunity for people to choose, uh, what the best for them. Uh, because not, not really, uh, all people are crazy about all electric cars and, uh, they can be a little bit hard to travel, uh, by. Long distance.

Uh, that’s still a problem, I think. Uh, so yeah, I think that you, that you’re on point with this. Definitely.

Alex Goldschmidt: I, I think also coming on to, you know, in some respects trying to, I. Look at my own carbon footprint. You know, I do. I uh, I do drive a lot. I do fly a [00:33:00] lot, but most recently, um, I’ve actually been embracing using electric vehicles as higher cars.

Um, when you’ve got, like, say the Polestar two, the Polestar three, you look at what BMW’s now doing with the I five. Um, I, um. I think it was January, late January of this year, I was going to a carting event, and six actually also upgraded me for no additional cost. So I like books. Uh, I think it was the IX one, which is their entry level SUV electric vehicle.

Mm-hmm. And then I’m waiting for, ’cause this, I think this is, yeah, this is another thing that happened this year. We had a problem where Belgian air traffic control was, uh, the compute, the main mainframe computer had, um. Bone gasket and shut down. So, uh, I looked and I ended up in A-B-M-W-I five E Drive 40 M Sport Touring, which had 340 brake horsepower rear wheel drive.

I. But it had a range of [00:34:00] about 480 kilometers.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: Which, for a car that weighs nearly two tons is pretty good. I think it’s just that when cars, like the Nissan Leaf came back, came out when Carlos go, was in charge of rental in Nissan and, and tried to spearhead the electric rev vehicle revolution. The technology wasn’t at that point where we could say, yes, you can do 10 to 80%.

In 20 minutes, and that will give you 300 kilometers of range, meaning that if you are 210 kilometers away, you know you’ve got that window. Mm-hmm. Back then, electric vehicles were probably, if you were lucky, getting a hundred, 110 kilometers from a full choice, full state of charge, which in my money is about 7 62 to 72 miles.

Per, per full charge. But now the technology is accelerating to the point where Tesla is not gonna be the big power player. The, the automotive big [00:35:00] brands are catching up.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: And it’s just about finding all these alternatives. I think it’s just, but I, and I actually enjoy, I’ll be honest with you, I love any kind of motor sport.

Even Formula E, when they went gen, now they’ve gone Gen four, four wheel drive. Can do nearly 200 plus miles an hour on a city street.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: Now you’ve captured my attention, but now I’m worried as sort like thinking. Does Formula E have to move away from city circuits? Uh, from City Street circuits to actual tracks?

Um. That’s the big hurdle that, that I think they’ve, they’ve gotta overcome extreme E the rally cross series has now become extreme HH standing for hydrogen. So there are people that are willing, like, uh, Alejandro a gag. He is the biggest catalyst. For this revolutionary change in motor sport. Mm-hmm. And when Lucas Degrassi was the first test, you know, Lucas Degrassi has been a part of Formula E from [00:36:00] day one.

He was the first employee that a gag wanted him on board. They knew each other very well, and people laughed at formulary. I don’t see people laughing now. And now we’re in, I think it’s season 11 and they’re off to Miami. It’s, it’s always about the doubt, the naysayers, and just carry on your own path. And that’s exactly what Alejandro gag and so many other people have done.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, definitely world, uh, changing and, uh, good alternatives to have. Uh, that’s a great thing. Definitely. I also noticed that I, we, we got a lot of, uh, electric cars, uh, outside, uh, and um. It’s, it’s great. It’s great. And, uh, good to see that formal e finally, um, you know, taken the reputation from people and people really enjoy, uh, racing this cars and that.

That’s great. Um, I really like about formal E. That’s, uh, I think they running the same chassis. I [00:37:00] really like series like this, uh, like IndyCar for example. Uh, because I think that drivers can show their skills, uh, here. Of course, formula One is good in its own way, uh, with all this, um, you know, fights between teams and, uh, engineers.

It’s really cool also. But, uh, as a driver, I really like Sirius, where you can show your driving skills.

Alex Goldschmidt: I, I, I think that’s also another thing that, um, is very much overlooked these days. Um. It’s just a case of, um, showcasing talent rather than needing a budget. Mm-hmm. Um, so it’s, uh, it’s just one of those things where I.

You just have to sort of like, say back in the seventies, back in the eighties, drivers got drives because they, they earned it or they were picked up. Now it’s all about academies. And [00:38:00] I can understand motor sport is a business. We’re in a very, very different time. Things have evolved so quickly. Um. And now I would rather see drivers given the benefit of the doubt through what they’ve achieved, rather than how much money they have to bring to the table.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, absolutely Agree with you in this. And, uh, let’s move on and speak about your own podcast. I know that you’re doing it. Uh, so tell me more about, uh, how you want to start your own podcast. What actually lead you to this?

Alex Goldschmidt: Um, well, my podcast, uh, which is on my own YouTube channel, is called Commentators Corner.

Uh, it’s to give an insight of the personalities behind the people who have certain roles within the industry. So from commentators, presenters, uh, driver, coaches, drivers, uh, personalities, let’s say. And it’s more to, you know, uh, it’s a bit of a, more of an anecdotal podcast, if you will. [00:39:00] Um. And it’s, it’s about finding about characters, about people, um, talking about the community and talking funny stories going off on tangents.

And I think the longest episode was with my good friend Adam Weller, which was about the best part of nearly two hours we were talking for. But it was one of those conversations where you just had to let it flow. Um, it is available on YouTube, so if you go to youtube.com at Alex Gold. You should find me.

Um, and then it’s available on, I’m now doing, uh, the vid, well, the video version is not only on YouTube, but now on Spotify, uh, it’s on Apple Podcasts. And, um, I’m really enjoying doing something whereby I get to speak to people that I know or people who, I dunno in the industry, find out about them. A bit like what you people do here at, at eSports with the unit talks, it’s really, really good to.

Find [00:40:00] out about, um, different personalities, different individuals.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah. That’s, uh, why we got this, uh, podcast to show people who’s in motor sports, uh, who can. Inspire people to jump into this industry and be a part of it. Definitely. Um, can you tell me what’s different, uh, for you and what’s the preparation for you?

Um, like, uh, what’s different, uh, with commentary and, uh, with podcasts? So, uh, what are you doing differently for this one

Alex Goldschmidt: podcast is basically let it flow. Just get the guest I, I, I think you can. You can have a set line of questioning, but it doesn’t make the podcast feel natural. Mm-hmm. In my, in my eyes, I, I look at it rather than, rather than quantity.

I look at qua quality and you’re talking about the personality of the individual? Individual, sorry, trying to get my words out right. Sorry. I, I know, I know we’re gonna be short on time in a second because I’ve got a [00:41:00] sim racing broadcast to do very shortly. Um, but it’s basically let the conversation flow, but with the commentary is.

Have so much information that your mind is, uh, is swamped by it, but it helps you to do your job right. And it’s a famous saying here in the United Kingdom, and I know quite a few people will, uh. Will, will definitely be on the, the, the same wavelength as me, which is called the seven Ps. Piss pull preparation promotes piss pull performance.

And I stand by that mantra every single time because if I don’t prepare, I don’t feel I’ve done enough to make sure that my job is safe. Mm-hmm. Um, commentary is a cutthroat business. Um, a lot of us are, are good friends, but we are all out for a specific goal. Um, I look at my, my commentary career so far that I’ve, [00:42:00] I, I’ve been very, very fortunate to work with some great people.

I continue to work with some great people, and there’s other people that I’ve, I’ve worked, I mean, I’ve got to know Steffi Bow really, really well, and I love her. You know, let’s just roll with it. Um, and, and that’s how my podcast is. It is basically on, it’s now based more on her mantra of what she said to me, uh mm-hmm When we finally met in person.

Hopefully, uh, uh, Steffi, we get to catch up very, very soon. So chow, uh, over to California. Um, it’s more, it’s more the case of the podcast needs to be a living, breathing entity. And if you strangle that with. Predetermined questions, which I did for the first 15 episodes, and I just went, it doesn’t feel, you know, when you just get that, that, that feeling of the pit of your stomach where it doesn’t feel right.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: And that’s exactly what I felt. Um, there is one person that everyone will [00:43:00] know in the sim racing commentary space, uh, George Morgan. Um, he’s the only guest that I’ve interviewed twice, and it was mainly I wanted to, uh, I had a rebrand of the show, so new graphics, new look, and I thought, right, who can I bring on?

That was one of my original guests, and we talk about what’s changed since that interview and now mm-hmm. And George. Wonderful, wonderful guy. Absolutely passionate. Um, and he, he was up for it. And it was, it was, I mean, I looked back between after I’d recorded that episode, uploaded it, premiered it. I looked at the first episode and I just went, I.

Just look how far you, Alex, not anybody else. You, through passion, through grit, determination, have managed to get this podcast to where it is now.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Mm-hmm.

Alex Goldschmidt: And now I’m looking at thinking, [00:44:00] okay, so I’ve done another further revision of the graphics that where I’m talking to my guests. Um, it just makes so much more sense.

And I’m looking at other ways in which, okay. How can I, how can I change it up? And I’m, I love the format because it just means it’s completely 100% natural. It’s not forced, and it’s my podcast. Mm-hmm. And no one can take that away from me, which is, which is one of the wonderful things.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, that’s, uh, good that you mentioned.

You can have a look on yourself, uh, like on four first, uh, videos, which you made. And it’s really cool opportunity actually to have, uh, because, uh, sometimes I watch my first dreams and also like, oh, you’ve come really long way to where you are now, so it’s really cool.

Alex Goldschmidt: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Uh, I, I couldn’t agree more.

And, um, yeah, I’m still, uh, still commentating on sim racing. Like I said, uh, in about 10 minutes time, I’ve got a [00:45:00] bit, we’re going live with the radicals at Suzuka. Mm-hmm. Um, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, Lou, I think, uh, I need to skid out because, uh, my producer’s call, uh, trying to call me as we speak.

Bless him. Okay. But it’s. I’ve got one bit of advice for you people out there that want to do commentary. Um, from my perspective, make sure that you work hard, but you enjoy every single step of the journey because if you don’t enjoy it, you’re gonna be basically falling flat on your face. If you don’t have, you know, the, if you don’t have the relevant.

Know how, in how to get into this industry. Find one of us, talk to one of us, see how we can help. I’ve given, um, I mean as of you’ll, you’ll know this lady as well, Lou Ash, van Deley. [00:46:00] She came to me and asked me for advice, which then led onto the SRO job in the United States. She came to me for a, for, and I said, Ash.

If you know what you’re worth, go and get what you’re worth. It’s like a famous saying from Rocky Balbo. From Rocky Balbo in one of his movies. And when you have to look at these monologues, they’re actually quite powerful. But there’s also a very, very interesting answer that David Croft lead commentator for Skyport F1, said to me when I interviewed him at the Autosport Show, which is never give anyone a reason to tell you no.

He started from hospital radio, and now he’s been in Formula One as the lead commentator for Sky Sports for the best part of over two decades alongside Martin Brule. And if that’s not, uh, a way of saying, don’t let people tell you no. Mm-hmm. David Croft is the epitome of that.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Yeah, I [00:47:00] think main thing, just to be passionate to what you’re doing and uh, this is what will lead you and motivate you to go forward and improve, uh, like step by step and go to the future.

Uh, so yeah.

Alex Goldschmidt: Yeah, ex exactly. Um, so really I have to say, Lou, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Uh, Johnny you here on, on Init talks and, uh, yeah. Um, I’m. I’m just looking forward to what, not just in eSports, but also uh, screen to speed. Uh, it’s gonna be doing obviously a lot coming up, uh, so I’ll be keeping my eyes on it and, uh, don’t worry, you’ve definitely got a cheerleader in this corner here in the United Kingdom.

Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya: Okay, I’ll thank you so much for being here. It was a pleasure to talk with you and, uh, also get a lot of, uh, new things. Uh, for myself. Uh, guys, thank you so much for watching any talks. Uh, don’t forget the 19th of April. We’ll have events on Init eSport channel and we’ll see you next time. Thank you so much.

Bye.[00:48:00]

Crew Chief Brad: Innate eSports focuses on sim racing events in digital tournaments. They bring eSports content to fans and sponsorship opportunities to brands while maximizing audience reach across multiple sports industries and platforms. Innate eSports is a woman-led company where diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is in their DNA and their platform aims to combat bullying and cheating to help make the eSports world as safe and fair as possible to learn more.

Be sure to log on to www.initesports.gg or follow them on social media at init eSports. Join their discord, check out their YouTube channel or follow their live content via switch.

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