Sim Racing Revisited

[[AK]Hylander]

I know a couple of you were asking for info about racing sims, and possibly getting into it, so now that I'm no longer under an NDA from the Beta Test, I thought I would post some info about iRacing. It's by far the most intense simulation I've ever run.

iRacing was started by Dave Kaemmer (Sierra/Papyrus - Indy Car, NASCAR Racing series, Grand Prix Legends, etc) and John Henry (Part owner of the Boston Red Sox.) However, it's not for the 'casual' gamer or *clears throat* Console racer, and only driving view available is in cockpit. No roof riders. The physics are very advanced and you need to develop and learn about setting up a car properly and the basics of car dynamics. iRacing is not about a particular car, as it's completely modular, and it's not inexpensive. It's a racing "system" if you will. You have to pay for a subscription which gets you started (I paid $156 for the year but you can get monthly, 3 months, 6months as well), but as you advance you will have to purchase additional vehicles and tracks which have all been laser scanned and modeled. They run $15 - $25 each depending on the car and track. Many tracks have multiple configuration - For example, Daytona you get the Oval, Road Course, etc. You have everything from the entry cars, Legends for ovals and Pontiac Solstice (Swae!) for your road course license. But there are also currently Late Model stocks, Skip Barber RT2000, Formula Mazda, Radicals, SK Modifieds, USAC Silver Crown, with Sprint Cars and Spec Racer Fords coming soon and many others on the way. In the video below, you can see Dave Kaemmer working on what looks like a Craftsman Truck.

On any given night during the BETA, I was racing with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr, and Michael McDowell from NASCAR along with Justin Wilson from the Champcar and now Indy Car series, along with John Henry. There were also some European racers and motorcycle racers involved in the beta. I raced and voice chatted with John Henry quite a bit and is a hell of a nice guy / down to earth for being worth about $860 million. (I know Beast doesn't want to hear that being a Yankees fan ) He's put about $18mill into the development so far.

Anyways, if interested - you can PM me or email me. We just left BETA yesterday, and it's a staggered roll-out meaning that new customers are by invite only. At this time I am all out of invites (We were given 10 each and I had a waiting list) but I'm sure there will be more in the coming weeks.

Here is a very good intro to the service from Sim Racing Tonight

And a few others:

Late Model in car at South Boston

Radical at Virginia (VIR)

SK Modified at Stafford - Great watch if you want to see how the physics are and the dynamic interaction.

Solstice Race at Limerock - I personally hate the in car steering wheel and turn it off. I have one in front of me, don't need one on the screen.

USAC Silver Crown

[[AK]Brorlis]

I've been watching this since you told me about it months ago. I had no idea you were in the beta test. I've been wanting to get into SIM racing for sometime now. I think this one is probably going to be the one game that pushes me over the edge to finally do it.

[[AK]Hylander]

I've been watching this since you told me about it months ago. I had no idea you were in the beta test.

That's good! It means I met my NDA requirements.

I've been wanting to get into SIM racing for sometime now. I think this one is probably going to be the one game that pushes me over the edge to finally do it.

Ugh.. there you go. You mention SIM racing and then say "the one GAME".

[[AK]Brorlis]

Ugh.. there you go. You mention SIM racing and then say "the one GAME".

O.k. that was habit. I know Sim racing is much more than a game but somehow the nascars and the others just weren't doing anything for me. However, running scoring, progress on skill, and an absolutely amazing experience sounds more than tempting.

[[AK]Brorlis]

So on that note do you have a wheel that you suggest. I'm not looking for a walmart special but I'm not looking to spend $500 either.

I'm debating on picking up a G25 but wanted some "expert" advice before I did

[[AK]Hylander]

So on that note do you have a wheel that you suggest. I'm not looking for a walmart special but I'm not looking to spend $500 either.

I'm debating on picking up a G25 but wanted some "expert" advice before I did

The G25 is the way to go. I have one, and a vast majority of racers on iRacing use them as well. There is a couple of reasons.

1) Force Feedback in iRacing is very good

2) iRacing models the full steering range of the car it's modeling. So having a wheel with 900 degrees of rotation allows you to have a 1:1 ratio with the car you're driving based on it's actual steering ratio. If you didn't have a wheel with 900 degrees of rotation, iRacing would have to adjust and the steering curve would not be linear and the further you turned the wheel, the faster the tires would turn in an exaggerated manner and you'll be less smooth, precise, and accurate with your steering inputs.

3) For roughtly $250.00, you get a solid wheel and pretty good shifter unit. The pedals are pretty good, but I really want to get a set of these which can be used with any wheel, even the G25:



But they are about $600. But they are awesome with a cell construction with up to about 80-90lbs of pressure for the brake pedal which allows for alot of realism and more consistency with brake modulation to prevent lock-ups. You can also adjust the spacing between pedals in case you want to set it up to heel and toe, etc. It's a "luxury", as the G25 pedals are very good.

[[AK]Sonic Boom]

...but why couldn't a serious SIM racer just get an old crashed or otherwise unusable tub and add your own sensors to the major controls?

I know it would be a helluva project for a novice, but for me, a guy who's built race cars for decades, it's a whole lot easier than building a real race car. The damn thing doesn't even have to run, and you never have to repair crash damage...

I thought of using my old Swift DB-1 FF chassis as a sim racing unit probably 20 years ago. The new big screen monitors are so incredible now that the idea is actually feasible.

My point is this, carbon fiber cars are crashed all the time. At real racing speeds, (Meaning Indy Cars. No, NASCAR doesn't count as real speed.) even a light hit at 220 mph can render a tub unrepairable. So why not use those for games?

Hell, you could probably scrounge them out of dumpsters in the Indinapolis area with a few phone calls. I'm pretty sure it's HAZMAT, so you might get all the free cracked tubs you want, as long as you make the telephone calls and agree to take the damn things away for them. Crazy thing is that people might pay more for a custom SIM from a trashed tub that belonged to someone famous or was crashed in a memorable race.

Let me know what you think, I have 20 years of winning race car ideas in my head and am willing to share.

[[AK]Hylander]

...but why couldn't a serious SIM racer just get an old crashed or otherwise unusable tub and add your own sensors to the major controls?

It's been done - sort of. There are a ton of commercial and home made cockpits out there. But using the existing controls would not be worth the hassle as it would be much simpler to modify existing sets to fit that tub or car.

There are alot of companies out there using half a F1 tub, or even old complete vehicles and putting the monitor in the windshield, etc.

Although most sim racers who want a cockpit build something like this:

[[AK]Bribo]

Although most sim racers who want a cockpit build something like this:

Be kind of fun to "drive" my gryphon around on that thing.

[[AK]Brorlis]

Although most sim racers who want a cockpit build something like this:

O.k. Thats just Sweet ! Maybe I can turn my woodworking hobby into something cool for a change.