Can sim racers advance into real world motor racing?

Thomas Hinss

Aussie Commentator and Writer
Nissan GT Academy Florian Strauss.jpg

This is a question which has been discussed many times before, however recent events have brought it back into the spotlight. With the recent victory at the 12 hours of Bathurst with a team made up primarily of former sim racers, what does this mean for all of you dedicated sim racers out there getting into real world racing?


The short answer: In more ways than one and possibly on a bigger scale too. This has shown that it is possible for people who sim race to get into real world motorsport and achieve success. With racing simulator games becoming more and more advanced, the chances of this sort of thing becoming common place continues to grow.

This recent milestone has also brought the existence and importance of sim racing to a wider audience, something which has been one of the major problems sim racing has had. It is a very niche and specific hobby which has been steadily growing in public knowledge as time has passed.

More and more real world racing drivers are using sim racing to keep their talents up to scratch. This sort of interaction between the traditionally trained race drivers and the sim racers (some of whom have been sim racing for many years) is something which I think is vital to promoting sim racing as a valid form of entry into real world racing.

The growth in coverage of sim racings leagues with live broadcasts and the professionalism which has been shown of these presentations is another factor which only helps to further sim racing knowledge to the general public, as well as real world racing teams and sponsors. The viewership of these broadcasts is still quite small however, certainly when compared to the number of viewers' real world racing events are able to obtain.

Despite this, the recent milestone is definitely a major step in the right direction. These drivers who only started real world racing a year ago, managed to beat (very convincingly I might add) a field full of drivers who have many years of experience through traditional means of rising through the motor racing ranks. Sim racing replacing the traditional route of advancement is still up for debate, however achievements like this help to reaffirm its growing importance and links to real world motor racing.
 
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It is possible, but a simple driving skills is not enough, also physics has to be really good, 4 time iRacing World Champion Greger Huttu is one good example, he's fast but his physics not work in the real world so if you still dreaming so start running, and do it today !!!
 
Why would they want to advance in real world racing? Isnt Sim racing enough as an experience? Thats why most of us still hang on to our Logitech G27s and Thrustmasters ;-) We dont want real racing.
 
Why would they want to advance in real world racing? Isnt Sim racing enough as an experience? Thats why most of us still hang on to our Logitech G27s and Thrustmasters ;-) We dont want real racing.
I dunno, if I ever get enough disposable income to go real racing, I will definitely snap up the chance.

Sim Racing is good for learning racing skills such as racing lines and overtaking. But most stuff cannot be learned infront of a screen.
 
Yes I very much think so. Simracers generally might be engaged in practices considered to be more difficult then being behind the wheel of a race car in real life. While these difficult to drive sim cars may not be the most representative of a real life experience they do make for a good training tool. We have a guy like Gregger Huttu who spent most of his young life sim racing and then without any Real Life Driving experience able to post respectful laps and have an accurate opinion that the RL car was easier to drive then it's virtual counterpart.
 
Why would they want to advance in real world racing? Isnt Sim racing enough as an experience? Thats why most of us still hang on to our Logitech G27s and Thrustmasters ;-) We dont want real racing.

My advice would be to take your car and go do a track day. Doesnt matter what car you drive, you'll have an amazing time and will see how much getting into racing would be. I'm not talking about one of those 'experience' days where you get to try a DB9 at 3/4 throttle and limited to speed and have an instructor with you. Sim racing is great fun, competitive and gives you a great sense of feeling when you finish in the top 5. But couple that with doing a real life track day where you get a massive hit of dopamine and great satisfaction with competing with real people there on the day and their cars is on another level. Getting up being a car thats worth five times as much as keeping up with them to the point they wave you passed and them come speak to you in the pits about your car and compliment you on your driving is a much much better feeling then finishing in the top 5 of any sim racing game. Now take all that and include a podium finish in real life in a real race with real fans and you can pretty much times it by a million...........
 
Interesting topic. I was looking at something similar to this last night actually on one of the R3E threads. I posted a video on another thread about this too...

I done a track day at Castle Combe last year in my crappy Ford Ka, and after a bit of tuition from the instructors, got on quite well after a few laps with his advice. I wasn't fantastic, but not bad either. I transfer the same advice into the sim and I just don't FEEL as fast. At least that's how I feel.

I guess there really isn't a substitute for real track time. On a different note, didn't Esteban Gutierrez do a lot of simracing. Things obviously worked for him :thumbsup:
 
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I done a track day at Castle Combe last year in my crappy Ford Ka, and after a bit of tuition from the instructors, got on quite well after a few laps with his advice. I wasn't fantastic, but not bad either. I transfer the same advice into the sim and I just don't FEEL as fast. At least that's how I feel.

I'm the same, i think its to overall feel you get in a real car which gives you a better understanding on how the car is moving. I'd say i'm pretty fast on track in my car, enough so that I can keep up with the bigger boys and had a BRDC instructor tell me I need to join a race series. Yet I normally finish mid table online in AC and Race07 etc.. I think when I'm on track I go into my own little bubble and concentrate more and with all the feedback you get etc. you just feel faster when in reality you probably aren't but how excited and how it feels just makes it feel it.
 
Why would they want to advance in real world racing? Isnt Sim racing enough as an experience? Thats why most of us still hang on to our Logitech G27s and Thrustmasters ;-) We dont want real racing.
I want real racing ;) For me the only reason to do sim racing is to simulate real racing because I never had the chance/connection and money to get involved in real racing...
 
He did, and was impressively fast.

Was he consistently near the front of the grid in all of his sim races? If so, and if you look at his lap times in the Sauber, it proves (to me at least), that sim racing is only really helpful for practicing techniques and may help you find a racing line, if you're getting a track day on a track which has had the sim treatment. They won't necessarily make you faster in reality.

Took me sooo long to learn that :O_o:

@Georg Winter - "I want real racing ;) For me the only reason to do sim racing is to simulate real racing because I never had the chance/connection and money to get involved in real racing..."

Connections aren't actually as hard to find as you may think. Just go to your nearest race track on one of their test/track days and talk to teams or the circuit instructors. They're bound to give you a good starting point.

Sponsorship on the other hand is insanely difficult....
 
Those guys clearely are the exception. They were driving a super Nissan and they
do have lots of raw talent. Sim racing follows the basic principles of actual racing, but
they are nothing alike. As noted above, real-life racing is much much harder, that is
why so a few people do it. It's not just a matter of physique and reflexes, it also has to
do wtih talent and preception, something not vital when playing a mere videogame.
Ofcourse, racing is still a sport not easily accessible, at least not at its top tiers,
thus many talented people do not have the chance to race, let alone drive at the top level.
 
@Georg Winter - "I want real racing ;) For me the only reason to do sim racing is to simulate real racing because I never had the chance/connection and money to get involved in real racing..."

Connections aren't actually as hard to find as you may think. Just go to your nearest race track on one of their test/track days and talk to teams or the circuit instructors. They're bound to give you a good starting point.

Sponsorship on the other hand is insanely difficult....
The most near race tracks are Nurburgring and Hockenheim for me and they are still around 600-700km away ;)
 
The most near race tracks are Nurburgring and Hockenheim for me and they are still around 600-700km away ;)

Ah. I can see your plight...

Those guys clearely are the exception. They were driving a super Nissan and they
do have lots of raw talent. Sim racing follows the basic principles of actual racing, but
they are nothing alike. As noted above, real-life racing is much much harder, that is
why so a few people do it.
It's not just a matter of physique and reflexes, it also has to
do wtih talent and preception, something not vital when playing a mere videogame.
Ofcourse, racing is still a sport not easily accessible, at least not at its top tiers,
thus many talented people do not have the chance to race, let alone drive at the top level.

I would disagree with that statement to be honest. I've heard stories from someone else on this forum (I forgot who) who mentioned something about real life ADAC drivers finding the R3E ADAC series hard to drive, almost to the point where if they were really that difficult in reality, they wouldn't want to drive them.

As for the perception part you mentioned, I think that if anything, perception is equally important, just in a different way. Take the FOV for example. Most peoples FOV's are totally unrealistic and yet it plays a massive part in immersion and finding your line.

Empty Box says it best... And it kind of explains why I'm quite slow.

I think you're correct with the last sentence though. Cost is the biggest factor in taking part in motorsport
 
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You guys got it so wrong. Sim racing is perfect for racers, just put on your oculus rift, hit the throttle and boom, no chance to get killed or kill someone, no chance to get hurt. Its perfect and you know it.
Reality is for someone with a huge bucket of money and balls.
Racedepartment stands for people like us - sim-racers, who are not afraid to admit it "we dont want reality whatsoever." I mean if we really want reality why do we bother buying the sim stuff, wheels and various games-simulators? I know I could take a car and go to a track, but I dont want to. Because simulation is what drives sim racers, and reality is for people with no skills and bunch of money. Am i right?
 
Well, Nissan GT Academy showing us that they can. And they are hell good! Agree simracing can't prepare you completely, but the basics are undisputable.
 

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