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If you want a career in racing today, you need a lot of talent and even more money. Not so in e-sports. Anyone can participate in virtual racing series from Racing Unleashed (Formula 1) or Swiss Simracing (Porsche Cup and Honda TCR).
But this sport has also become more professional. Meanwhile, even prize money can be won in Swiss esports racing series. And the training effort of virtual race drivers can quickly reach several hours a day. By the way, there are even professionals abroad who do nothing but race cars in the simulator. And they make a good living from virtual race victories and real paid bonuses.
F1 also uses these simulators
Former Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn (51) is Managing Director of Racing Unleashed Group, which since 2019 operates F1 simulator race halls in Cham, Kemptthal, Zurich Airport, as well as Munich and Madrid. These high-tech simulators are developed and manufactured in Maranello and cost around CHF 100,000. In turn, they offer the virtual pilot an experience very close to real driving in an F1 car.
But how close are these simulators to reality in reality? We want to get to the bottom of this in Racing Unleashed’s new GT simulator at the Racing Lounge at the Airport Circle. Of course, besides amateur writing, you also need a professional: Swiss touring driver Fredy Barth (43). Since morning traffic is late in Zurich, I first get behind the wheel of the simulator.
Beginner finds it difficult
In terms of esports, I stopped at Mario Kart. When I sit strapped into the simulator and press the accelerator pedal, I get correspondingly awkward. I know the route of the real Austrian Red Bull Ring from test drives, but not the handling of my virtual Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo on the digitized track. And so on the first right turn after the slope, I oversteer and crash into the crash barriers almost uncontrollably. Despite well-meaning tips from former F1 team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, things aren’t getting any better. I get stuck in the gravel bed at almost every corner, and at the end of the first lap I even turn to the entrance of the pit lane instead of the start-finish straight.
It gets so much better when Monisha Kaltenborn puts her VR glasses on my face. The effect is great. Where before my running was a clumsy trick, now I feel one with the environment that looks surprisingly real. I feel like I’m sitting in the cockpit of a real Ferrari. And apparently that also has an impact on my virtual driving style. I finally manage a reasonable line, no longer miss every braking point and peak, and even manage to make a few decent laps.
Professional needs time to get used to
So I’m even more excited to see how the pro racer will behave in the virtual cockpit. Fredy Barth hooked himself up to the simulator for me. As in a real race car, the pedals can be adjusted longitudinally and of course the Ferrari’s setup is still individually adjustable. Barth accepted my settings and quickly walked away. And just after the uphill, it crashes into the crash barriers again very quickly. I can’t help but smile.
But Barth, unlike me, gets used to viewing driving more quickly. But: He also drives the gravel a few times and his comments show that he is not yet completely satisfied with himself. However, it is with the simulator designed by an Italian design agency. “He’s very sensitive. He’s definitely not wrong for ambitious racers. For inexperienced folks,” he looked at me, “but that’s probably pretty tough.” The new steering wheel fits well in the hand, and the ABS simulator and the feedback from the pedals surprises him positively.
VR glasses make everything so much more realistic
Now Fredy Barth is wearing his VR glasses and is completely immersed in the virtual Red Bull Ring. As we move wildly, shift gears, and pedal in the parallel world, we, the audience, hear nothing but the sound of the engine coming from the headphones. Compared to the still quite loud mechanical noise of the old simulators, the prototype of the new GT simulator runs almost completely silently.
It still simulates all movements by shaking, and even the brake light behind the driver’s seat comes on when braking. Fredy Barth is also enthusiastic about simulation with VR glasses. “Everything looks much more real.” This also applies to current lap times. “You don’t really perceive the environment with just the screen.” In conclusion, the race expert sums it up: “It’s incredible how realistic everything feels. Here the driver deteriorates faster than the material.”
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
