My off topic useless opinion:
We probably can be competitive with a gamepad, but what's the point?
Before having a wheel, I was avoiding all sims, "I'll try them when I'll have a wheel". I have even stopped playing to racing games for a while before having a wheel to wait for the wheel to enjoy those games as they should be.
Since I have a wheel:
- I don't want to play ever again to any racing game (except the ones made for a gamepad like mario kart or trackmania) without a wheel. If I can't configure properly my wheel with a game, I just don't play to it (and I can take many hours to make it work properly).
- I want to try (and complete if I appreciate them) most if not all good racing games with analog support since Out Run, even the ones I've completed with a gamepad (I've completed GT1 on emulator with a CSL Elite a few months ago, and it was surprisingly good!)
Playing with a wheel brought me back the envy and the smile I had when I was young when playing and the eagerness to play when I'm not playing, something I have sadly a bit lost with age.
For me, playing to a racing game with a gamepad is a complete waste, the feeling is so much better with a wheel, even with games without FFB, as long as we can get a linear analog steering. And of course it's even more true with a sim where you feel everything in the wheel, which is so fun.
So obviously, I can't understand people who play to sims with a gamepad, even an old and cheap $20 used wheel attached on the desk is way better.