A typical full day of testing at a circuit costs anywhere between £300 to £600. Granted, getting all the equipment to run your own simulator can appear to be quite expensive, particularly if you are looking at purchasing some high-end hardware.īut when you consider how much it costs to participate in a test day at a track, sim racing starts to look like a more appealing option. Well, there are four key points to consider: Costįirstly, let’s look at the cost factor. So, the current crop of simulators is the most realistic that we have ever seen and you may end up racing against a real life driver, but you may ask why you should take notice when you could either be out on track for real or spectating? Why spend your time locked away indoors when you could be out gaining real world experience?
Highly competitive in nature, users get the opportunity to race against some of the best in the world, as well as real life drivers, who can be found online across the various platforms.į1 drivers Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim and DTM driver Daniel Juncadella are all active sim racers, and there are many more who regularly compete online.
When you combine high specification simulation software with the ability to pit your skills against others in an online environment, this is where simracing (or eSports) comes in. You can also experience these highly advanced simulators from the comfort of your own home.
However, this is not to say that simulator software is strictly limited to professional teams with big budgets and fancy workshops. They have now developed to the point that they are now considered an essential tool by many leading motorsport teams from F1 through to WEC and V8 Supercars. All of which adds up to provide the most realistic representation of driving a race car as possible.ĭue to the nature of their accuracy, simulators tend to demand far more from the user in terms of focus, skill and ability, which makes them much more specialist than their mainstream driving game cousins. Today’s simulation software has now advanced to the point where they include advanced tyre models with slip angle and sidewall deflection physics, detailed suspension geometry and tracks which are accurate to 1cm due to laser scanning technology. Designed to replicate real world physics variables such as tyre grip, traction, suspension geometry, aerodynamics and more, a simulator creates the most accurate representation of driving dynamics possible. They can be enjoyed via the use of game pads, keyboards or even steering wheel and pedal sets through the use of driving aids to make them accessible for users of all abilities.Ī racing simulator, however, takes the idea of driving a car to a much more in-depth and serious level. The kind of games where you choose your favourite car and race it on either a track or road, maybe crash into a couple of other cars, road signs or other obstacles and everyone involved has an enjoyable time. Well, quite simply, racing games were designed to provide entertainment in a fun, pick-up-and-play sort of manner. In fact, you can trace their heritage back to 1989, but what is the difference between a racing game and a simulator? What is Sim Racing?Īffectionately known by those in the industry as “ Sim racing” ( Sim ulated Racing), it holds much more relevance in the world of motorsport today than ever before.Īlthough this may appear to be a relatively new thing, the art of creating racing simulators has been around for many years.
But surely this is just a bunch of kids playing video games, right? Well, actually, its roots go much deeper than that. The rise of what is being labelled as “eSports” has become a worldwide movement, even to the point of Formula 1 creating an official eSports competition involving most of the teams from the real-life championship. If you have been keeping up to date with the latest news from the world of motorsport, you may have noticed something a little bit different which has crept into the headlines.