Oscar Mangan’s Remarkable Transition from Sim Racer to Sandero

Across the world of motorsport, the number of drivers transitioning from being a ‘sim racer,’ to being a ‘real world racer’ is rapidly increasing. What initially seemed to be a bit of a phase, fuelled by the success of drivers such as Isack Hadjar and Jann Mardenborough, has formed into a genuine path for talent to reach the top. Sim Racing is still a relatively new concept in Ireland. It really is as simple as it sounds. It is racing, but on a simulator. Online platforms such as iRacing and Assetto Corsa allow race fans across the world to drive any car, around any track, any time they want. The pipeline of sim racer to real world racer is slowly emerging on our island, with a lot of talent transitioning across, especially in single seater racing. The majority of sim racing events take place in single seater cars, such as Formula 1, and the even more popular choices of Formula 3 and Formula 4. This creates a natural love for the open cockpit style of competition. Now we introduce the main protagonist of this story and the outlier in the transition. Dubliner Oscar Mangan. Ireland’s number one sim racer and highest rated driver on the iRacing platform.

Mangan has dominated both Irish and international sim racing competitions for years, and is world renowned for his performances in endurance racing events. Mangan is a multiple time champion in the Motorsport.ie sponsored RTA Virtual Motorsport as well as winning multiple large scale events for Altius Esports across the years. However it was not the bright lights of GT3’s or the hybrid powered Hypercar’s that caught Mangan’s eye when planning a move to race a real car. It was a Dacia Sandero. Mangan began his journey of competing in the Dacia Sandero Rally Challenge when he purchased his Sandero in November of 2024. Four months later, himself and co-driver Elva Roe, were ready to tackle what Oscar described as a “totally new discipline.” Oscar was delighted with the warm welcome to the rally world when jumping into the car for the first time. “When you tell people your background is mostly from sim racing, they acknowledge it as legitimate foundation. If you said that ten years ago, you’d be laughed out of the service park because it was seen as just video games.”

When Mangan lifted the clutch of his 1.2L powered machine in Longford on the 2nd of March, he had not just taken a big step for himself, but for sim racers across the country, becoming another virtual racer to transition to the stages rather than the races. Mangan is a born winner, so it didn’t come as a surprise when he was right on pace in the ‘O’Farrell County.’ He was fighting for a podium until an unfortunate off in SS6 turned a day of promise into a day of recovery. Round 2 in Kerry definitely went better. Mangan and Roe crossed the line 4th overall, and 3rd amongst the championship contenders. Points on the board, and a solid run of form to head into the Cavan Stages at the end of May, but Mangan wanted more, saying how he “was really disappointed after the first two rounds.” Now, as we reflect just days after that very event in Cavan, it will have a special place in Irish sim racing history as the official location of Mangan’s transition from sim racer to rally driver. He was on it from the offset, navigating the changing weather conditions beautifully to find himself 6.2 seconds off the lead with one stage to go. Mangan channeled his inner demon. A demon that has haunted sim racers for the good part of seven years now. When races come close towards the business end, Mangan shines brightest amongst the rest. That is usually in the sim rig, but now it’s in the front seat of a Dacia. He clawed back time across the final kilometers and didn’t just win, he won by a whopping 10.3 seconds, taking his first overall win in the Dacia Sandero Rally Challenge. An unbelievable feat for Mangan, and a proud moment for him, his family and friends.

Mangan is a lot happier leaving Cavan than Longford and Kerry. “It’s definitely a feeling of vindication after the dust has settled. I’d describe myself as quietly pleased. You can celebrate the day of, but very quickly it’s all focus on reviewing onboards, notes, the car and then the next rally. After getting the win, my thoughts are now that we can do this, let’s push on.” Criticism of sim racing is certainly fair, but there is no argument that it produces talent. Mangan may be the best in the virtual car, but he certainly won’t be the last young talent to make the jump. The future is very bright for virtual racers, and even brighter for Oscar Mangan.

Evan Dalton

Header Image: Oscar Mangan and Elva Roe at the Circuit of Kerry – Photographed by SJM Rallying