Sim Racing and Esports News Roundup for September 29, 2022

This week, the Sim Racing and Esports News Roundup has a great selection of inspiration, sim racing news and reviews. For inspiration, Chris Overend discusses how he has spent months perfecting the perfect at home-sim set up that enables disabled racers to sim race at home with the assistance of Team BRIT. I also have news on the second qualifying round for 2023’s International Porsche Esports Series, reviews of new tech from Logitech and Fanatec and much more.

Competitive Sim Racing News

• The International Porsche Esports Series has started its second qualifying round for 2023. “The PESC is one of the most challenging one-make cups on the iRacing simulation platform. In the six-race series, 34 online gamers get the chance to qualify for one of the 15 remaining starting positions in the 2023 PESC. The grid line-up will be determined as follows: The sim racers with the most points from the qualifying series go up against a quartet of wild card drivers and sim racers who concluded the 2022 PESC in positions 16 to 30. The top 15 gamers from last season have already qualified for the fifth edition of the virtual one-make cup. Season five kicks off on 4 February 2023.”

Sim Racing Tech Roundup

• Britcar Trophy driver Chris Overend discusses how he has spent months perfecting the perfect at home-sim set up, based on the Team BRIT hand controls. “I was searching online for adaptive sim solutions, because after I underwent surgery for my hip dysplasia, I couldn’t brake hard enough with my left leg to race competitively. I wasn’t winning anymore and I hated it.”

• The Coach Dave Academy looks at The Best Sim Racing Wheels for Xbox Series X in 2022. “The Xbox racing community is awash with drivers of different skill levels, budgets, taste in racing games and overall needs. Therefore, there is unlikely to be a single best Xbox racing wheel that suits everyone. In this guide, we will outline the best racing wheels for Xbox sim racers from throughout the ranges of Sim Racing equipment brands.”

• In the video above, Traxion reviews the new direct drive Logitech G PRO Wheel & Pedals.

• The videos below are a couple of reviews of Fanatec’s new CSL Elite Pedals V2.

General Sim Racing News

• The Coach Dave Academy tells you everything you need to know about the iRacing Formula iR-04 Series. “Based on a Formula 4 car, the iR-04 is iRacing’s translation of the first step into single-seater racing for many of the most successful names in motorsport. A car that, in real life, drivers as young as 15 can get into and race, the iR-04’s got a level of forgiveness that makes it happy to be pushed right to its limit. Don’t get us wrong though, that doesn’t mean it’s tame. Still possessing the characteristics of a downforce-based single-seater, attack it in the wrong way and it will bite. When set up on the edge, it can be really quite pointy, but our setups can help you find that sweet spot.”

• World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing has launched for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. “Developed by iRacing and Monster Games, the all-new product revolutionizes the dirt racing experience on consoles from the ground up. From an all-new physics model that elevates the realism behind the wheel to a new Career Mode that lets drivers work their way from a local upstart up to a national hero, the official game of the World of Outlaws offers endless hours of fun and excitement for everyone from casual players to the sport’s most hardcore fans.”

• In a recent podcast episode, Traxion explains how Ford and Next Level Racing are pushing sim racing forward. “Cockpit hardware manufacturer Next Level Racing has teamed up with car manufacturer Ford – together, here’s how they aim to grow sim racing and racing esports.”
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• According to Traxion, the Assetto Corsa brand was the number one title for parent Digital Bros Group between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. “The approved fiscal year 2021-2022 Draft Financial Statements from Digital Bros Group’s Board of Directors has unveiled that Assetto Corsa had generated more than €21m in revenue, making it the publisher’s best-selling game over the past 12 months.”

• Motorsports Games is unveiling a series of major news for its Nascar video games. “The video game firm recently announced Nascar Rivals will be launching on Oct. 14 for the Nintendo Switch, followed by a major announcement on Wednesday morning that Nascar 21: Ignition will be updated for the 2022 Nascar Cup Series season. The update will be available to download starting on Oct. 6. Rather than unveiling a new Nascar game, Motorsport Games opted to enable current users to have a free update on the Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series S and X and PC through the Steam store.”