My First (Simracing) Car

[Dark Cyphwe]

Yes my friend. GPL, where my true passion for racing simulators began. Thanks to the GPL Preservation Society, I play to this day, just to feel a little of that old, incomparable sensation. It was 1989...

I think thats 1998

 

[Dark Cyphwe]

First sim car was the game night racer on the arcades in about 78. First on a home computer was Test Drive in 87 then first real sim experience was Indy 500 in 90 but then I really got into it for F1GP in 92.

 

[Copef1]

I went to racing school in 1984, and did some lower formula open wheel racing. I was never really a gamer back then. A friend of mine had 3 boys who were in grade school in the 90's, and they talked me into getting a PS1. I bought a mad catz wheel and used to have some ps1 F1 games, and a game called Andretti Racing.

The first real sim I ever owned was GPL. I was walking through a mall in 1998, and saw it in the window of a software store. I didn't own a computer at the time, in fact until that point I had never owned a computer, but I bought GPL, and went out the next day and bought a Compaq computer to play it on. It started everything for me in sim racing. Before I knew it I had wheels, pedals, shifters, every racing game that was even remotely a sim for PC. The fact that I am sitting in a sim rig I built out of gas pipe, with a Sparco racing seat, a bunch of Fanatec wheels, and pedals, and shifter attached to it, and a computer I built myself, specifically for sim racing, attached to everything, shows how much of an addiction it has become.

I can't remember the first GPL car I drove, but it was probably the Ferrari, as I am an American of Italian descent.

 

[Fernando Zart]

Test Drive, DOS, 1987 on my mighty PC XT 4.77Mhz (or 8Mhz when in turbo mode)

 

[Hal Burns]

Grandprix 2 Microprose on my 386sx 25mhz. And im not sure but i think i raced it with a Microsoft sidewinder joystick...

GP2 for me too...on the ripping Pentium 90, Voodoo 3D card and joystick ( which gave me neck and shoulder pain after a long stint....)....my first racing game was Moto Racer...ha ha....I bought the Voodoo card soon after. In GPL, I usually drove the Coventry, then moved up to the Ferrari. I liked the BRM for it's boat like feel and never could handle the Lotus.

 

[bflorezruiz]

Nigth Driver, I think it was called. 70's, Atari. Then, Formula 1 in 1980, for PC.

 

[RobJLee]

My first "simracing car" was the Minarae (supposed to represent the Minardi of that years season (think it was representing 1990?)) in Super Monaco GP on the Amstrad CPC 464 back in the early 90s, probably 1992 whilst I was still in senior school (I left ("graduated") in 1993 so I was about 15 in 1992). Oh the joys of loading from tape...

Throughout my 26 years or so of video gaming I've played tons of racing games, including but not limited to, Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco II, Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix (probably #2 although I'm sure I also played #4), IndyCar Racing (I or II, can't recall which, came in a big white box), the Forza series up to and including #4, the Gran Turismo series, the Codies TOCA series up to and including Race Driver 3 and also GRID 1, the Playstation F1 series, an F1 game on the N64, F1C 99-02, NASCAR Racing '03, couple of rally games (Codies Colin McRae 1&2), pCars 1, AC, Race07 + expansions, F1 2010, 2016 & 2017 and the one's I've stuck with since 2006 - GTR2 and GTL.

I also in recent years tried GPL but it's just too outdated/aged/ancient for me to appreciate it now. I'll probably be playing GTR2 and GTL when they're equally as outdated...

 

[81sc]

Sports Car GT (on windows) is the game I remember playing a lot. I mostly used the 911's or the M3.

 

[BP]

Where it all started is not the question... I've been playing racing titles since 1990. When did the "SIM" branding started is the question. I played all of the games I played using "THE" controller of all the consoles I used. The very first time I used a wheel was in xpand rally. Not even sure if anybody here knows that title. And it was between 2006 to 2008 when I first heard the term "SIM racing"...

Exactly my thinking...been playing racing games since around 1991-92 (little kid then) and I think the very first was probably Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge on the NES by my cousin's house (had to look up the name, could only remember what it lokoed like)...plenty of obviously arcade racing titles after that, with the closest sim-like game being the original Gran Turismo (PSX) in 1998. Whatever car they start you with in the B license test was the first car

First game with a wheel (not counting arcade cabinets) would be Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3 with a G27 (again, first car in B license test was the first).

First universally accepted sim was Automobilista in 2016, again with a G27. Being a big Senna fan at that point, first car was the Formula Classic (Mclaren MP4/4) with no assists. BIG mistake

 

[Philipp Koch]

uhm well i dont know that anymore D: thats almost 20 years ago i think

 

[roadyroad]

I think my first sim was papyrus' indycar, using a thustmaster formula t2, quickly followed by grand prix 2, indycar 2, nascar racing. I think I've almost just raced on long beach and laguna seca in indycar racing, and both still are ones of my favourite tracks today. Grand prix 2 (where I only used the ferrari) still holds a special place in my memory because in the box there was a useful manual with driving techniques and setups guides, and setup recommendation for each track. Best manual for a racing game ever.

 

[Omer Said]

My first love was TOCA 2. (Not the later released TOCA 2 Race Driver) Driving in the rain and fog was so immersive for me as a young kid. Still open it up and play from time to time these days.

My first car was Honda Accord. Later became my favorite.

 

[Gaëtan Legastelois]

I think first real simulation it was "Indycar 500" from papyrus, 1989 on a 286sx (what I loved this game). I don't think car (or motor bike) game I was played before was real simulator like "Grand prix circuit" or "Vroom"

Indycar 500

Grand prix circuit

 

[Urlauber]

Grandprix 2 Microprose on my 386sx 25mhz. And im not sure but i think i raced it with a Microsoft sidewinder joystick...

I think you're mixing something up. GP2 wouldn't run on a 386, if I remember correctly you needed some kind of Pentium minimum. That's where I started, with a joystick, too

 

[straiton]

can't recall exactly, but started mid 90's with Nascar,Indycar2 and GP2 all around the same time.Had a P100 and a voodoo2.Bought a GrandPrix wheel, with the accelerator and brake on the actual wheel, was ok once used to it.Later modded it with my own pedals with optical sensors, and changed the steering to optical too.Bought a Thrusty RGT when that died, still going today.
When GPL came out in '98, played that a fair bit, eventually bought a Rendition 2100 vid card specifically for it.
Been through most of the others,TOCA,GTR2,GTR Evo,GT Legends,Nascar3,Nascar2002,Nascar2003,SODA (by Papyrus,look it up),RBR,LFS, Automobilista(AMS), Dirt Rally.
Only one's i drive now are AMS,LFS,GPL still,Nascar2003, and GTR2(historic mods mainly, although AMS historics are better) and RBR and Dirt Rally

 

[Carlo Meller]

microprose grand prix on my old amiga 500,then gp legends...gtr2 gtlegends and race07 and now assetto corsa.
gp legends the most challenging sim i ever played.

 

[FJBH10]

Vintage Formula Vee mod for rFactor! I later discovered GPL about 12 years late(!) and it's still tied with rFactor as my favourite sim.

PS. GEM died for me recently and can't find a fix so far... I have a self-made 1956 season pack I made for the '55 mod but I'm afraid to uninstall GEM in case I break my '56 mod, first world problems!

 

[manu68]

I think it was GP2, or maybe F1racing from Ubisoft .
Not sure of anything, it was a long time ago
Then I purchased Grand prix legends immediately when it has been released (1998 ?), but I could not make it run on my PC at that time (not compatible with AMD CPU). I let it some years on my desk, until I could get a pentium and make the game run. what a schock !

Grand prix legends is my main simulation game so far, with probably thousands hours of training and racing in leagues .
I don't race anymore for a question of time, and just practise simracing as a hobby instead of a sport , but even if the new simulations are awesome, nothing could replace for me the old good moments I had then with my friends at F1legends.net (which always exists ).
Of course I always launch Grand Prix legends regularly, but I love netkar pro and assetto corsa too.

First computer ever, Amstrad CPC464 ! Fantastic machine at that time.

 

[Antonio Castagna]

Jeoff Crammond's Microprose gp1.

When was that? 1991?

Same for me

 

[De la Sarthe 08]

Celica rally car - Sega Rally on Sega Saturn