The GT Cup Series is using sim racing to develop race drivers, and you will find out how in this week’s Sim Racing Roundup. I also have details on Motorsport UK’s kart sim partnership, how racing simulators could play a key role in expanding opportunities for women in motorsport and more.
Overview
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Shaping the Future of Young Drivers: The GT Cup Series Talent Camp
The GT Cup Series is proud to support initiatives that develop young motorsport talent in Slovakia. One of their partner teams, Racing Trevor, was also involved in the project, providing professional racing simulator technology for the esports segment of the Talent Camp. In addition, the team brought a GT3 race car to the program, giving participants the opportunity to experience real-world chassis setup and understand how vehicle dynamics and mechanical adjustments translate from simulator work to a professional racing environment, under the guidance of experienced engineers and mechanics.
Full details on the program, including a full report on the camp can be found here.
Motorsport UK and KartSim Collaborate to Enhance Kart Academy Driver Development
Motorsport UK is proud to collaborate with KartSim for the 2026 season, strengthening the development opportunities available to drivers within the Motorsport UK Kart Academy program.
As part of the agreement, KartSim will deliver a dedicated driver coaching simulation session at its specialist facility, alongside providing its mobile KartSim Simulator Van for a full day at Motorsport UK’s Bicester headquarters. These sessions will give Academy drivers access to industry-leading simulation technology and professional coaching, supporting their development both on and off the track.
The Motorsport UK Kart Academy 2026 cohort comprises seven talented karters, aged 14 to 16, who are currently competing at British Kart Championships (BKC) level, with some now making the transition into circuit racing. The program is designed to equip drivers with the technical, physical and mental skills needed to progress through the motorsport pathway.
The KartSim sessions will focus on key areas of driver development, including vision training, live telemetry analysis, racing lines and kart positioning, posture and body positioning, and overall driving technique. By combining expert coaching with advanced simulation technology, drivers will gain valuable insights that can be applied directly to their on-track performance.
More details on the program can be found here.
Women in F1: Widen The Net
Jim Bowie explores how racing simulators could play a key role in expanding opportunities for women in motorsport. While initiatives like F1 Academy provide valuable support for drivers who have already reached Formula 4, Bowie argues that the real challenge lies much earlier in the pipeline. Sim racing has the potential to lower barriers to entry, helping uncover talented female drivers who may never have had the opportunity to begin a traditional karting career.
Read his full post here as he expands on the idea.
Antonelli’s ‘Secret Weapon’ Revealed As F1 Title Leader Turns To Championship-Winning Simulator
Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli has revealed a new secret weapon in his fight for the 2026 world title, and it is not hidden inside the Mercedes garage.The young Italian has installed a bespoke Formula Pro simulator at his home, built by British simulator specialists Cool Performance and configured to replicate his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One car with near-exact precision. Full details can be found here and here.
SimCraft Announces Technical Partnership with Abel Motorsports, Deploying APEX 6 Simulator for 2026 INDY NXT Program
SimCraft has announced its support of Abel Motorsports as the team expands its race preparation and engineering capabilities for the 2026 season and beyond. As part of the collaboration, Abel Motorsports will take delivery of SimCraft’s flagship APEX 6 GT professional full motion racing simulator to support driver training, setup development, and engineering workflows for the team’s engineers and chief mechanic.
The APEX 6 GT system is SimCraft’s most advanced driver-in-the-loop (DIL) platform, designed to deliver high-fidelity motion cueing and repeatable vehicle dynamics for driver development and technical evaluation. The system provides teams with a cost-approachable alternative to the multimillion-dollar DIL simulators historically required at the factory level. The system will be integrated into Abel Motorsports’ preparation program to enhance simulator-based testing, driver adaptation, and pre-event readiness.
This article explains why Abel Motorsports chose a SimCraft APEX 6 GT full motion racing simulator over seven-figure OEM systems for INDY NXT driver development and engineering.
Prepare for Your Next Race Weekend Like Never Before with Virtex
The Virtex Driver Preparation & Development program is open for bookings. Built around SIM-L and the DMG-S platform from our partner Dynisma, it is designed specifically for driver-side work: race craft, reference laps, and building familiarity with a car or circuit ahead of track time, rather than the setup and correlation work SIM-X is used for. You can reserve here.
The Mille Miglia Opens a New Era for Gran Turismo and Toyota
The historic 1000 Miglia has taken an unexpected step toward the future without abandoning its heritage. The 2026 edition became the setting for the 1000 Miglia Gran Turismo Experience, an initiative created through a collaboration between Polyphony Digital and the organizers of the Italian event that allowed sports cars built after 1957 to participate officially for the first time.
Box This Lap has all the details here.
Sim Racing This Month
The August 2026 issues of both Racecar Engineering and Race Tech magazines have two articles of interest to race drivers interested in sim racing development.
The Racecar Engineering August 2026 issue features ab article called “Simulators… no longer for the few.” The Augist 2026 issue of Race Tech features an article called “KEEPING IT REAL: Chris Pickering visits motion simulator specialist Dynisma to hear from CEO Ash Warne how the company’s products can benefit everyone from Formula 1 down to grassroots.”
You can pick up your issue of Racecar Engineering here and Race Tech here.
Competitive Sim Racing News
- DTM eSports Championship Entries Now Open (DTM)
- Sim racer Brandon Leigh releases his autobiography (Brandon Leigh)
- Porsche Esports Supercup Explained (Porsche)
- Porsche Esports Supercup: The Regional Championships kick off in style (Porsche)
- FIA Launches Call for Proposal for FIA Esports Championships (FIA)
- Automobile Association of Bangladesh honors six sim racers, announces bigger NESRC 3.0 (The Business Standard)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
Sim Racing Tips For The Middle Aged Sim Racer
In this video, Steel River Sims discusses Sim Racing and how the host has improved his experience over the years.
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
- Is Corsair Gaming (CRSR) Falling Behind As Premium Sim Racing Partnerships Steer The Market Narrative? (Simply Wallstreet)
- Does the Fanatec QR2 Upgrade Fix GT DD Pro Disconnection Issues? (Box This Lap)
- Simagic Zeus Series review: Bang for buck is worth the extra work (Traxion)
General Sim Racing News
- The history of Pikes Peak Hillclimb in sim racing, and why it’s currently missing (Traxion)
- iRacing and INDYCAR Announce Name, Logo and Launch Plan for Highly Anticipated Standalone INDYCAR Game (iRacing)
- IndyCar video game delayed until 2027 (Motorsport Week)
- This Week in iRacing | July 14th to July 20th, 2026 (iRacing)
- iRacing set to increase subscription costs (Traxion)
- Hands-on: Assetto Corsa EVO’s VR update is a welcome improvement (Traxion)
- Assetto Corsa Rally: is this the ultimate modern rally simulator? (Box This Lap)
- Race the F1 2026 Belgian GP at home: Best Assetto Corsa mods for this weekend (Box This Lap)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. 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.
