If you ever played Papyrus’ seminal Grand Prix Legends then you’ve read his name. Rich began working as a tester on NASCAR Racing (1994) and was with Papyrus at the end. In this interview, published in 2022, we discuss his time at the legendary studio and the design of Grand Prix Legends, including initial feelings of hurt at not being asked to join iRacing.
As a direct ancestor of iRacing, the ‘Grand Prix Legends engine’ had multiple stock car racing false starts, before eventually releasing as NASCAR Racing 4. The original NASCAR 3, cancelled and replaced by one that used NASCAR 2’s engine, is barely remembered.
Originally released on PC in 1999 and followed up by a Dreamcast release in 2000, Spirit of Speed 1937 was an attempt to capture the infancy of motor racing before World War II.
It included 15 vehicles and nine tracks all selected from the period. While the PC version was more favorably received this game is also notable for its title of “worst video game of 2000” on Dreamcast.