jarno Opmeer has taken the F1 Esports series by storm. In recent years the dutch may have fallen off when it comes to football. However in racing terms they have come to the fore. Not only do they have a current world champion in real life F1 in Max Verstappen. They also boast the world champion in the virtual realm in none other than Jarno Opmeer.
Jarno Opmeer has come to fame in the last two years in the F1 Esports Pro series where he has won the title two years on the spin which came in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 Jarno will be vying for his 3rd title in a row.
This article will be taking a dive into the world of Jarno and seeking to answer the question what makes Jarno Opmeer so good? And how you can take inspiration from his trajectory.
Jarno Opmeer Karting and single seater background
It’s hard to believe that Opmeer is 22, as he seems to have achieved so much at his young age. Jarno’s racing journey started early when he was first exposed to karting at the age 4. He would eventually go on to race Karts aged 7. Jarno came from a Family who had a background in karting through his dad, uncle and grandad. It was age 15 when Jarno would enter the world of single seaters and compete in Formula 4.
Even with such an extensive racing background in driving real cars Jarno emphasises that when sim racing there were still a lot of things that he needed to learn and unlearn. Driving Karts and single seaters is a vastly more different experience than simulation racing purely on the realism alone.
Although Jarno has been crowned two time F1 esports Pro champion he will tell you that incredibly F1 is actually not the game that he performs best on. It is in fact Assets Corsa is where Jarno produces his best racing with F1 coming second.
Practice Makes Perfect
From an early age Jarno always aspired to be an f1 driver and simultaneously whilst competing in various series he would be continuously harnessing his skills in simulation racing.
Jarno explains that practicing has been one of the keys to his success. He explains that the hours put in will reap rewards. However there is a fine balance between practice overkill and under practicing both of which can be detrimental. He suggests that you will therefore need to find the sweet spot that suits you. Jarno also highlights the impact of being in front of a screen for so many hours and the need to be weary of your health. Lastly Jarno refers to having a mindset of being able to love practicing and striving to always be better.
Social Media Success – The Jarno Opmeer brand
Aswell as demonstrating his skills in tournaments and events, Jarno is also making huge waves on social media. To date Jarno has an incredible following on both Twitch and Instagram. On Twitch Jarno has an incredible 214,000 plus followers and a staggering 360,000 plus following on YouTube.
Jarno suggests that he naturally fell into YouTube and saw an opportunity to put his craft and personality in front of people. Something that very few sim racers were doing. Not only does it seem viewers tune in for Jarno’s skills but also his cool, calm and collected personality along with his humour. This seems like Jarno’s secret recipe to his popularity. In addition Jarno has featured on many collabs with other Youtube stars in the racing community with popular channels.
Setbacks that turned into success
A quality of Jarmo’s to highlight is the way in which he handles doubts and setbacks. Although Jarno doesn’t believe he was a naturally talented racer. This suggests that he very much works hard to achieve success. Jarno is honest enough to admit that he was not performing well enough in the season which eventually resulted in him being dropped by Renault.
Even then when Jarno decided to go into sim racing despite feeling he had the talent he failed in his first attempt to qualify for the pro series. Thankfully a window of opportunity arose when he was signed by the Renault team following a trial. In his first season he came 4th before eventually taking his maiden title in the following season.
Those of you reading should not be disheartened. Just because you dont have experience in karting and single seaters does not mean you won’t be a success.
Jarno’s story is unique to him just as your’s is to you. With hard work, dedication and a smidge of luck you too can potentially do great things if you’re wishing to take the path to F1 Esports glory or simply having your own streaming channel.