Can someone go from sim racing to F1? As this week’s edition of the Sim Racing Roundup demonstrates, that time will come sooner than we think. Inside you will find examples of sim racers doing incredible things in real life racing with advice on how they did it. I also have the latest competitive and general sim racing news and tech reviews plus details on Honda’s amazing new driver in the loop simulator. All this and more in this week’s edition of the Sim Racing Roundup on Motorsport Prospects. Its sim racing news for racers not gamers.
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Traxion looks at how sim racing helped prepare race driver James Baldwin for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I felt more competitive than I’ve ever felt behind the wheel during the test, and I think it’s because I’ve joined Mercedes and its esports team,” he explains. “It has a very data-heavy approach to its drivers. Thanks to that, I know more about myself as a driver; what I do well, what I don’t do well and what I should do sometimes.
The iRacing website explains how eNASCAR stars capitalizing on real world racing opportunities.
With folks like Daniel Morad earning another Rolex at Daytona, William Byron winning the Daytona 500, Ayhancan Guven scoring a Bathurst 12 victory, Jimmy Broadbent and Steve Alvarez Brown sharing a Nurburgring victory in the GT4 ranks, and perhaps one of the greatest sim racing to reality stories in Rajah Caruth scoring his first career NASCAR win at Las Vegas, these sim racing success stories continue to pile up, and it’s only June. There’s also that Team Redline iRacer, Max Verstappen, who was a part of the winning top split team for the Nurburgring 24 hour special event on the same weekend he won a Formula 1 Grand Prix last month.
This all bodes well for our top-level drivers in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing series, many of whom continue to look for their big break in the real-world ranks. There are many different drivers at different stages of their real-world racing careers, each impressive in their own right.
Sim to Reality: eNASCAR stars capitalizing on real world racing opportunities
Box This Lap has an excellent article on how Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson views sim racing.
Lawson’s experience with sim racing is personal and profound. He recalls a track day in New Zealand with a friend who had only done Esports. To his amazement, his friend exhibited a natural feel for the car’s dynamics, skills honed entirely through sim racing. This firsthand encounter highlighted the significant potential of virtual racing to develop real-world driving skills.
Despite this, Lawson believes that while sim racing will produce more drivers capable of transitioning to real-world racing, it will not surpass traditional routes like go-karting. He explains that real-world racing will always be an essential part of the sport. However, the skills and insights gained from sim racing are invaluable, particularly given the limited opportunities for on-track testing outside of race weekends.
Liam Lawson: Bridging the Gap Between Sim Racing and Formula 1
In a recent YouTube post by Enzo Mucci explaining how he will be working with drivers in a sim for 6 hours that day, a commenter asked the following question. I am posting the question and Enzo’s response verbatim as it is an important point regarding the value of sim racing, especially to young drivers.
Q: How vital would you say sim-racing is for drivers, both aspiring and already experienced? I’ve heard that sims have a hard time replicating the senses needed to drive at the capacity of a real car. Is that true?
Enzo Mucci: Sims will never replicate the fear factor and realism but they are becoming more and more vital now because F1 junior programs and manufacturers are evaluating drivers on their sims before they let them near their real cars. It really impresses top teams if you are good in a sim.
Planet F1 looks at the racing career of the current leader of the British F4 Championship, Deagen Fairclough and how he has parlayed sim racing to real world racing success.
“I’m very fortunate and sim racing has helped me get to the position I am in now,” Fairclough told media including PlanetF1.com in the prestigious Royal Automobile Club in Central London. “It’s [a step] on the way up the motorsport ladder that everyone wants to achieve and [has] dreams of getting to F1. You can push your limits on the simulators because obviously there’s no damage fees, you don’t injure yourself. You’re just sat at home, in the warmth and in a dressing gown. I spend many hours on the simulator to help me in preparations for my race weekends.”
Here are two articles on Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) USA’s latest generation of driver in the loop (DIL) simulator which is installed at its Indianapolis operations center. A great read to understand how these sims are used for driver training in the Indy 500.
- Honda’s Pro IndyCar Racing Sim Gave Me a New Level of Respect for the Indy 500 (Road & Track)
- Latest DIL simulator unveiled by Honda Racing Corporation (PMW)
Competitive Sim Racing News
- Ferrari’s Esports Series returns with a LAN final for 2024 (Traxion)
- Check out the upcoming races in the Ferrari Esports Series 2024 (Ferrari)
- Porsche works team finishes third in the ESL R1 team ranking (Porsche)
- 750MC’s Sim Championship will return later in the year for a second run
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
Here is a roundup of the latest sim racing tech news, reviews, and recommendations from around the world
- New Heusinkveld Rest Pedal takes the strain out of sim racing (Traxion)
- June 2024 Sim Racing PC Build (Box This Lap)
- Moza R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals Review (IGN)
General Sim Racing News
- Top Gear drives the Dynisma DMG, the world’s most realistic (and expensive) driving simulator (Top Gear)
- Grid Finder launches sim racing livery marketplace (Traxion)
- Authentic Simulation unveils fully licensed track and car mods for Assetto Corsa (Traxion)
- Behind the Scenes of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’s Creation – Developer Interview (Traxion)
- Asetek Faces Market Challenges (Box This Lap)
- Sim Racing: Feel the 24 Hours of Le Mans from Home in 2024 (Box This Lap)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former 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.
