Sim racer turned professional race driver Suellio Almeida climbed to the second step of the podium this past weekend at the Dubai Autodrome, during an unscheduled first outing in the Gulf Radical Cup. The content creator is a Canadian sim racing champion, driver coach and best-selling author, and now has real-world podium finishes to his name on two continents.
The opportunity to race in the Middle East came after a stellar debut for the Canada-based Brazilian in the Radical Cup North America opener at Sebring Raceway over the March 1-3, where he earned a fourth-place result in race one, battled hard for a podium finish in race two before falling to seventh, and earned his first career Radical Cup podium with a third-place result in race three.
Almeida’s real-world racing career has been fast-tracked this year following the 30-year-old’s purchase of a Radical SR3 XXR and his commitment to racing in Radical’s North American series. Joining the RySpec Racing Team, Almeida has quickly learned and adapted to the real-life experience progressing with each on-track session.
“The experience in Dubai was a dream. I had my biggest challenge so far in my racing career — to get into an endurance race, at night, in a different car, with no practice. It was a right-hand drive, and I had never driven a right-hand drive before,” explained Almeida. “Also, being a slightly older SR3 XX model, the brakes were different, the throttle was different, and I had to adapt to all these things on lap one of the actual race. It was quite a challenge. By the end of the race, I wasn’t aware of the result, so by the time I arrived at the pit and saw the team celebrating, it felt surreal. I will never forget that feeling!”
Almeida’s exploits in Dubai will be chronicled in an upcoming video to be published on his YouTube channel, which also offers guides and training videos for drivers of all skill levels, virtual and real world.
“Podiums lead to experiences and learning from me even while I coach others. Every new idea that sparks from my coaching or racing experience becomes a new lesson on my course,” Almeida said. “‘The Motor Racing Checklist 2.0’ is a collection of a lifetime of research, coaching, practice, reflection, and hard work. My promise for The Motor Racing Checklist is that you will become a better racing driver than you could ever imagine. Learn with my experience and that of thousands of my students and avoid bad habits to reach the top efficiently.”
With two podiums in a row, at Sebring and Dubai, Almeida now turns his focus to the second round of the Radical Cup North America at Barber Motorsports Park where he hopes to keep the podium streak alive in front of an IndyCar crowd. The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix takes place April 25-28.
Almeida also hopes to return to the United Arab Emirates later in the year for the Radical World Finals at Yas Marina Circuit, Nov. 7-10.
To learn more about Suellio Almeida visit www.SuellioAlmeida.ca, www.TheMotorRacingCoach.com or his YouTube page HERE.
Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at radicalcupnorthamerica.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.