How sim racing helps when expensive track time is limited is one of the topics covered in this week’s Sim Racing Roundup. You will hear from a sim manufacturer and NASCAR driver making the case. I also have the latest tech reviews, news and much more!
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
In a conversation with Barney Hassell, Head of Vehicle Dynamics at Virtex Simulation, Hassell explains that while track time is limited, simulation isn’t which is why it has become such a necessary part of the motorsport landscape.
“Teams in F2, F3, GT, or endurance all face constraints: limited tyres, limited time, travel costs. Simulation helps solve those problems efficiently. The only difference is that, until recently, access to that quality of simulation has been out of reach.”
Sim-racing today plays a huge role in keeping drivers sharp when there’s a lack of opportunity to hit the track physically. Christopher Bell became the latest in NASCAR to highlight that point, joining a multitude of stars from the world of motorsports. He explains to The Sports Rush how sim racing helps NASCAR drivers amid rising on-track costs.
“Like practice is just hard, it’s time-consuming, and it’s expensive in our industry. So, for me, and I’m sure that every sim racer, it’s a cheap alternative that keeps you in the seat and you’re not getting that feel that you have in the race car, but you’re still getting the visuals. And you’re still getting that racing IQ, uh, even if you’re racing online.”
Driver’s Lab karting sims are now live at the Dubai Kartdrome. Jump in, test your skills, and experience the thrill of racing with Drivers Lab. See you on the grid!
Daniel Morad takes a first look at iRacing’s new GT4 Cars and offers his feedback in the video above.
“I just got my hands on the new iRacing GT4 update, and wow… it feels completely different. In this video, I’m giving you my first impressions on the new update and sharing my honest opinions. I’ll walk you through my first impressions, the changes in handling and balance, and give you some setup advice from my perspective as a GT driver. If you’re into GT4 racing or just love sim updates, you’re going to want to see how this one drives.”
Joe Soltysik, Head of Esports at Red Bull Racing, spoke to Andrew Wade of The Engineer Jobs about the narrowing gap between racing simulation and reality, and the opportunities this brings for engineers. “Given the costs, dangers, emissions and infrastructure inherent to the real thing, it’s little wonder that motorsport simulations are so popular, dating back almost as far as video games themselves.”
The lines between virtual and real have blurred. Sim racing is the proof of concept: precise, relentless, intense. “What once looked like a game is now a serious sport. With authentic race feeling, professional-grade hardware and a level of precision that’ll make even seasoned pros break a sweat. So how close is Sim Racing to the real thing?
Spoiler: Closer than you’d think.” While a bit of an advertorial, Racing Unleashed explains why.
Box This Lap looks at sim racing as a mirror of real racing. “After watching Formula 2 at Monza, I walked away feeling that sims sometimes look more civilized than the real track. Sounds odd, but I think we crash less than they do. And that’s saying something.”
Competitive Sim Racing News
- Gran Turismo World Series Berlin Campaigns Announced: Bonus Cars & Up To 2,000,000cr (GT Planet)
- Matt Caruana earns Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series title; splits victory lane at COTA with Ayden Young (Skip Barber)
- This Week in iRacing | September 9 to September 15, 2025 (iRacing)
- iRacing 2025 Season 4 is HERE! (iRacing)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
Here Driven DynamiX show their 1:1 mapping (true to life) of simulated vehicle orientation to motion platform pose on a DDX Prime motion simulator.
In order:
Laguna Seca – Corkscrew
Spa – Eau Rouge
Daytona
Nürburgring
Graphs show vehicle telemetry from sim/game, commanded motion platform pose, and sensor measured motion platform pose.
Minimal delay (single-digit milliseconds) and faithful re-creation of the simulated vehicle enable a natural driving feel similar to reality. Weight transfer is accurately reproduced for every class of vehicle automatically, with no canned effects or manual user profile setups.
- I tried out the new Turtle Beach Racer at Gamescom 2025, and I think it shines as a casual-friendly wireless racing wheel option (Tech Radar)
- Thrustmaster announced the new T248R (Box This Lap)
- Nacon’s first attempt at sim racing hardware is so good that I’m not sure it’s charging enough for it (Games Radar)
- Simucube unveils ‘2-in1’ Co-Pedal, offering clutch and throttle functions (Traxion)
- This amazing Logitech deal chucks in a free gear shift and racing gloves along with the TrueForce sim-racing wheel — and that’s not even counting the hefty 56% discount on the DE9 shifter and G923 wheel (Tom’s Hardware)
- Turtle Beach is taking the fight to Logi and Thrustmaster with a new modular sim racing wheel that only costs $449 (Games Radar)
- Both Nacon and Fanatec have lowered the price of their cheapest simracing-kits (Game Reactor)
General Sim Racing News
- Inside Denver’s new F1 Arcade – full of racing simulators, exposed brick and … Blucifer cocktails? (Denver Gazette)
- Best PC Racing Sim Games, Ranked (Operation Sports)
- Assetto Corsa EVO set for 2025 Ferrari F1 car and Monza (Traxion)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
