This week’s Sim Racing and Esports News Roundup is very inspirational as it shows how sim racing can introduce even more people to motorsport, especially those who may not have thought it possible to participate. A perfect example of this is the work of Team BRIT, an all-disabled race team that competes both in real world racing and in sim racing. If you are in a wheelchair and think sim racing is not possible because of it, the first two stories in this week’s roundup will explain how you can compete. I also showcase some opportunities for you to graduate from sim racing to the real thing, how to start out in iRacing and more.
- I have said this before but it always amazes me how in motorsport, where there is a will, there is a way and this applies to both real world and sim racing. Team BRIT is an all-disabled race team that competes both in real world racing and in sim racing. They aim to become the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24-hours and they are very clear that they are a real race team. “We are a competitive racing team, not a charity. We race against teams of able-bodied drivers on a totally level playing field, something that no other sport can offer.” Recently, two of the team’s drivers visited the spinal injury unit at the Salisbury Hospital in the UK with two top-of-the-range racing simulators to give the patients a taste of racing. The team has developed the world’s most advanced hand control technology which enables disabled drivers to compete on equal terms against able-bodied drivers. “Drivers Steve Crompton and Tyrone Mathurin gave the patients lessons in how to use the controls and shared their experiences of racing with the team. Steve is a former patient at the hospital having suffered a spinal injury following a car crash and Tyrone has limited use of one side of his body after a motorbike crash which caused brachial plexus injury.”
- If you are curious about the sim rigs that Team BRIT brought to the hospital, they are manufactured by V-Rig in the UK. According to the company: “We are proud to announce that we now sponsor Team BRIT. They were recently at Salisbury Hospital with 2 of our V-RIG S1s, configured for wheelchair use. This configuration enables users in wheelchairs to position themselves ideally for access to the wheel, which has native hand control support, eradicating the need for pedals. Patients from the Spinal Injury Ward were able to take full advantage of our simulators, where they otherwise likely could not on any other sim chassis design.” For those interested in one of their wheelchair configured V-RIG S1s, you can send them an email to sales@vrig.com
- F1 Feeder Series has a great article on the plans of France’s FEED Racing France, a competition to promote the careers of young drivers without the financial investment required to nurture their progress, a program established by F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and ELMS champion Patrick Lemarié. And they would like to get involved in sim racing as part of the process of encouraging sim racers to race in the real world. “Like in karting, there is a real step between e-sport and the real world” says Lemarié. “It’s a really great detection system because it’s open to much more people than in karting, as [there] are less financial constraints. We are really thinking to do some sim-racing selections to have [a] free 5-days training course with us. But we will never think about winning an F4 seat just with a sim-racing competition because we [would] have no idea how they will adapt on track.”
- Road & Track reports that the FIA, the American Rally Association, and the DirtFish rally school have teamed up to help prospective young rally drivers in North America find their path to success through a new program that could propel them to the WRC. “Called the FIA Rally Star program, it’s designed to find skilled drivers through the organization’s officially licensed WRC 9 video game. Specifically, competitors aged 17-26 must set their fastest time on a previously unseen stage, available as downloadable content. They’ll have up to 100 practice sessions before being able to set five timed runs, the fastest of which will be their entry into the event.There are four different challenges in total, taking place from August 27 to October 16. Competitors can compete on their own preferred platform, meaning PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X players are all welcome.”
Starting out in iRacing
- If you are a regular reader of this column, you will know that I post a lot of content from the Coach Dave Academy and I do it for one simple reason, they produce great, useful content for sim racers. Recently they posted some great tips and advice on getting started in iRacing, so I thought I would group some of them together for your convenience.
- In the video above, OverTake looks at why ACC Players struggle with iRacing! (And vice versa).
- The Coach Dave Academy also looks at The Best Sim Racing Wheels for Assetto Corsa Competizione. “The primary doubt we may all have, especially the amateur sim racers, would be how to pick “the right” sim racing wheel. Things are lovely with a controller, and some legends even race with a keyboard (more power to you), but you can only extract the maximum out of yourself with the best means, and a racing wheel helps you achieve precisely that. Here’s why you should consider switching to a racing wheel, and how to choose a Sim Racing Wheel.”
- Stuttcars looks at the example of the 2021 Porsche Vision Gran Turismo to show How Video Games Are Influencing Real World Design. “It would not be surprising if you’ve heard of none of those games, because in the past, they were part of a very niche market. However, there is one game that almost everyone has heard of, either in passing, or as a mainstay in their PlayStation library through all five generations of the console. That game is Gran Turismo, and because of its popularity, it is actually having an effect on real world design language, as well as future vehicles, for many manufacturers through the Vision GT Project. Here’s how.”
- In the video above, the founders of Pagani Automobili and Asetek SimSports, Horacio Pagani and André Eriksen sat down for a conversation. Here they discuss the nature of ‘performance’ and what it takes to achieve it – both when it comes to racing and when designing technology.