When we first came across Forgetful (with a capital ‘I’ at the end) it was in the middle of an 8-hour endurance race he was hosting. We were intrigued by someone who, while most of us were struggling with finding time to race online for 8 hours a week, wanted to do it 8 hours (and more) at a sitting. Oh, we’d noticed his posts on the PSN forums, where he came across as a living encyclopedia of the GT franchise, and his, shall we say “forceful”, style of discussion. His insight and knowledge of GT5P, and earlier versions, set him apart from the rest of the field, as did his racing ability. ForgetfuI is a past champion of the TPRA Points Series, having finished atop the field last August. So, add “skilled” to “knowledgeable”. We were somewhat aware that he was an influential participant in the world of online racing. For proof, sort kudo’d posters on PSN for any time span within the past year. ForgetfuI’s name appears at or near the top of every list. To learn more, we caught a flight out of Atlanta bound for Vancouver, British Columbia. From there, we hired a guide for the cross-land trek in search of Kamloops, home to this month’s subject. We are pleased to present: the ForgetfuI Interview.

TP: Thanks for taking the time to do this. Just how far north are we?

ForgetfuI: Just in from the northern coast (of British Columbia), and just south of the southern Alaska border.

TP: Were you born here?

ForgetfuI: No, that would be that would be Terrace , B.C., a beautiful little gem of a town. I'm stake my claim as the most northern born member of the TPRA, unless we have any Alaskans... or Eskimos. But I grew up in Kamloops.

TP: And what do your friends call you?

ForgetfuI: Steve.

TP: I imagine the winters can get brutal here.

ForgetfuI: I left my mountains for a few years, and toiled in the oil fields of the Flatlands of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Those are brutal winters.

TP: But you came to your senses?

ForgetfuI: I missed my Mountains, and came back to my home. The Mountains provide a nice insulation from the wind, keeping the temperature up, and the winters easier to handle. Some winters, we don't even have snow on the ground, as the temperature here in the valley bottom stays around, and slightly above freezing. Some years we do get good, cold winters, with lots of snow too, but here in Kamloops we can also get really hot summers. It's known for the broad range of annual temperatures. *-40 to +40 in the same year is possible.

*Centigrade. It’s Canada, eh? Google it.

TP: What do folks do for a living up here?

Forgetful: I’ve been a salesman at a Ford dealership. Former coil tubing operator/driver. Former delivery driver and luggage chucker at Greyhound. Former bottle chucker at a Bottle Return Depot. Currently, I’m a bong salesman

TP: Married? Family?

ForgetfuI: No, and no.

TP: What’s your background in gaming?

ForgetfuI: I had a Nintendo at 6. Graduated to the Sega Genesis, then to the PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS3. Played a lot of shooters (can't stand First Person Shooters) and sports games. Football, Hockey, Golf, Baseball... Fan of the Metal Gear franchise. I’ve finished all of them. I was a regular NFS buyer, but GT blew that franchise away, and I have played GT1-5P as my substitute for access to real motor sports. It has been my favorite game for almost a decade.

TP: And your real life driving/racing experience?

ForgetfuI: I was/am a professionally trained Commercial Driver, driving big rigs. Legal license holder, with a few speeding tickets, despite some past, youth induced stupidity. I once tipped an '84 VW Jetta onto its side rallying down a dirt road, while still on my learner’s license.

My motor sports history lies in 6 years of competitive RC car racing. On Road, off-road, and even on carpet indoors. Pan cars, Touring cars, buggies and trucks. Mostly electric, 1/10th scale and some 1/12th scale. Competed in 4 Canadian National events, in several classes. Personal best finish in a National event was a 3rd overall in the Mini Class.

TP: How about interests beyond online gaming?

ForgetfuI: Healthy debate. Real motor sports. Athletic sports. Politics. Current Events. My 3 year old female Labrador Retriever, Sage. Friends and family, and a good time.

TP: What should we know about you?

ForgetfuI: My current occupation(s) should tell you what you need to know. Despite my tenacity at the PlayStation forums, I'm easy going. I get along with everyone, and I am a very understanding, reasonable person. I'm a car nut, and my undying dream is to one day pilot a real live race car around a track, in the heat of battle.

TP: There's often a story behind usernames. How did you arrive at ForgetfuI?

ForgetfuI: Well, the ‘I’ at the end was a compromise when I got my PSN id, for the PS3. (Someone else was using the conventional spelling.) My original experience with online gaming was being heavily involved in a SoCom clan, starting in the PS2 days. I teamed up with a clan that was using the kids books, “The Mr. Men“, as the source for their IDs. They carried the [Mr.] tag for their clan ID. When I was invited, and I read the list of available names, Forgetful jumped off the list as the most appropriate name for me. When it's right, it's right. I've used Forgetful for all of my IDs ever since.

TP: MaineiacMoose often mentions you in regard to the formation of TPRA. What’s the relationship there?

ForgetfuI: First off, the TPRA is MaineiacMoose, and Moose is the TPRA. His devotion to providing a healthy league environment, and his constant dedication, has carried great momentum despite very limited resources. It was his scrappy attitude that got the league off the ground, through the turmoil of the early days, and conflicts with opposing ideology. I was a believer (and co-collaborator) early on.

TP: Can you share a highlight from those early days?

ForgetfuI: One of my proudest moments was when we were able to stand proudly behind some of our fastest competitors, as they took top prize after top prize in the official contests put on for GT5 Prologue. Gar went to LA, and met Tanner Foust, rmk, imfaster and msgt won some prize packs, and these guy's names were on our score sheets week in and week out.

TP: And from those early competitions came?

ForgetfuI: Now, there's ridiculously fun racing, every night of the week. This can't be stopped now!

TP: You also founded your own organization: Tell us about PKR. (Peace Keeper Racing)

ForgetfuI: The birth of PKR is rooted in my interest in Endurance racing. At the time, league racing was running smoothly, and the TS server was populated every night. I was getting really comfortable with some of my new friends, and the ideas for what would be the ACd'E, Automobile Club d’Endrunace, (sic) series were floating around in my head. But, before I launched the races, I wanted to have a solid team to run with.

TP: So, you started looking for teammates?

ForgetfuI: It was only natural that I buddied up with my fellow Canadians, Jim (Jimmy1971) and Kart (legendary tuner, Kartracer). Two guys who I know are consistently quick, and who are all around good guys. Typical Canadians. Of course, any Canadian knows our military forces are usually involved more in Peace Keeping than actual conflicts, but are well trained and quite capable. So it seemed to fit our team persona. The alternate interpretation comes from the Peace Keeper Missile because sometimes, at the forums, I blow s**t up.

TP: You seem to have an unusual amount of knowledge about the inner workings of GT5P, the whole GT series for that matter. How’d that come about?

ForgetfuI: I've been playing GT since the beginning, and I grew up in the video game generation. My other obsession is racing. Cars, specifically. So, GT just floats to the top. I take my time with things. I go through every option in the menu. I read the manual. I check the website. It doesn't always come easy.

TP: Any racing heroes?

ForgetfuI: Well, I grew up watching Michael Schumacher dominate the world, so he always tops my list of favorite drivers. I was also subjected to the brutality that was the late '90s BTCC (British Touring Car Championship). That league, at the time, was my constant reference for a perfect racing experience.

TP: And outside of racing?

ForgetfuI: Outside of racing, I'm a general sports fan; sports of all kinds. I played football and rugby, so those two stand out as my favorite field sports. I tend to shy away from preferring any one team or athlete, as I like to appreciate the human effort, team mentality, and joy of sport. But I love me some Indianapolis Colts, Vancouver Canucks and B.C. Lions.

TP: How about within the game? Any favorite cars?

ForgetfuI: I kind of have the same attitude about cars. I'm not fanatical about any one company, especially in conflict against another. But I love me some Ferraris and Corvettes.

TP: Predict the future. What do you see when GT5 comes out?

ForgetfuI: We'll get our full on private rooms, and we will race hard, everywhere and anywhere. There will be classes and leagues and divisions and so on. There will be NASCAR nuts, and rally hounds. Touring car crazies, and formula fans. All running under the banner of the TPRA. I really look forward to running LMP/Group C/GT1 class cars, down the Mulsanne straight (on the Circuit de la Sarthe), with all of my favorite GT buddies. Those cars are designed for that track, and I love running them there. Doing so in the heat of real battle really gets my juices flowing.

TP: And finally, what about TPRA? Where is that headed?

ForgetfuI: The TPRA is headed for legitimacy.

With that, we bid our farewells. I went outside where my guide had been waiting patiently with our horses. As I tucked my notebook into the saddlebag I asked, “How long to get back to Vancouver? I’ve got a 5 o’clock flight out and a deadline to meet.” He squinted, looking around at the menacing clouds banking up against the mountains surrounding this beautiful valley. “I don’t know, sir. Looks like snow. 2 days?” I was reminded of Moose as I looked down at my fingers: “Whaaaaat?”