Racing Immersion On A Whole New Level

Subtitle:Dive Into The Hot Seat Through Racing Simulation

The thrill of driving a racecar around a track can only truly be experienced by engaging in the act itself – getting seat time at one of the countless circuits around the globe. Such an activity overwhelms the senses with sights, smells, sounds and speed. Such an activity cannot be replicated.

And yet, in a way, it can. Technology has not quite evolved far enough to truly put us in the driver’s seat without climbing into a car, but we’re getting very, very close.

Enter racing simulation. These interactive setups virtually drop a user into the seat of a race car, where they can have the time of their life from the safety and comfort of their own home, or perhaps even develop skills that will further their professional racing career. Virtual racing is no longer exclusive to recreation. As the technology continues to improve, simulators are increasingly becoming an accepted method of training for the pros.

“Professional drivers from virtually every series in the world, including IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Series and the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge, use simulation as part of the their training and preparations,” explains Kevin Bobbitt, Director of Marketing & Communications for iRacing. “Using iRacing in particular can prepare a driver for a track they have never visited, or one they haven’t been to for some time. All of our tracks are laser scanned which means they are millimeter accurate. Every bump, curb and crack in the pavement is modeled so accurately drivers are able to practice as much as they want on the same virtual track they will be racing on.”

Most iRacing users drive with fairly simple wheel and pedal setups from the comfort of their couch or kitchen table. However, to get the most out of such capable software, it can be paired with impressive hardware. There are simulators that help drivers and teams achieve development goals that were previously impossible. These high-tech simulation rigs that can fit the custom needs of a driver or team.

Simulators at this level feature actual racing seats, wraparound screens, usable dashboards, complex hydraulics systems to help recreate the driving experience and even virtual reality headsets. “When you step up to a motion simulator like something from CXC Simulations, it adds to the immersion,” Bobbitt adds. The question is, does it all work?

Yes, it does work. 

A big bump at Sebring International Raceway is not simply felt through a controller in an accurate location. The seat jostles you, the software tells the rear tires to lose traction and the steering wheel tries to break free from your grip as the rear end begins to step out.

Navigating the Corkscrew at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca does not only present an accurate three-story descent on the display. As you cross the crest, your seat pitches forward and the restraints tighten to give the drop an accurate accompanying sensation.

Rounding the Carousel at Road America is not just a matter of turning the wheel smoothly to the right. You have to hang on and modulate your throttle and steering inputs very carefully, all the while feeling the car trying to swap ends.

However, there’s so much more to these systems than circuit navigation. “The toolsets are not just learning tracks,” explains Chris Considine, owner of CXC Simulations. “It’s well beyond that – it’s race craft, working the mind like it’s a muscle and building through repetition.”

Driving fast is much more than using the proper pedals and turning the wheel. Multiple skills can be developed outside of an actual race car, such as where a driver is looking. These setups are able to track a driver’s eyes and provide an icon for a coach to view where they are looking.

“You can see them look to the apex, look to the exit, are they too focused on the data shift points? Are they distracted? All sorts of things. That can also tell you how attentive they are. And these are quantifiable results. A driving coach can see errors live and provide real-time feedback, as well as showing a replay of the video afterwards.”

A team’s engineers can benefit from simulation as well.  iRacing works with manufacturers to produce accurate digital recreations of the actual racecars driven by the pros. For example, “iRacing has modeled the Chevrolet C7 Corvette Daytona Prototype and several drivers that race in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship,” Bobbitt adds. “Combining a digital replica of your race car, a laser scanned track and a motion simulator and you are as close to driving the real thing as possible.”

“The thing about racing on tracks with cars is that it’s filled with variables. Tire temps and wear, brake fade, fuel burn, rubber on the track. Marbles, time of day, it all factors in,” Considine explains. “What engineers are doing is constantly chasing setup, trying to keep up with all of those variables as they’re happening.”

Simulators are able to pair with iRacing and export accurate telemetry from a session with their car and apply it to the real world, though it isn’t perfect.

“Just because a setup was good last year doesn’t mean that it will be golden this year – that just means that it is a good starting point,” Considine says. “And that’s what setups developed in simulations are too. But you can play with setups that you would never experiment with in real life.”