Steering: the gap between simulation and reality is narrowing

14 May 2019 | News

Similar timings, precise driving and tuning, virtual championships: simulations are becoming increasingly better at recreating the driver experience.

As video games evolve, racing simulations are becoming more and more realistic. This is a godsend for fans of the many motor sport game franchises, who can faithfully slip into the shoes of professional drivers. They themselves use these simulations, which have become indispensable working tools in recent years.

"I learned the circuits through play".

" It's a life-size training session. For Romain Monti, a Blancpain GT Series driver, the simulator is essential. He practices with Asseto Corsa, one of the reference games today in which the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of his team is present. As well as benefiting from his car, the simulation allowed him to discover tracks on which he had never driven before. " I learned several tracks thanks to the game, like the Hungaroring, Barcelona or Brand Hatch. It's great. The "game" allows him to get his bearings and save a lot of time. The economic impact is also considerable, compared to a real training session with the rental of a circuit and the transport of cars.

But despite all the usefulness they bring, these simulations have and will always have their limits. We don't have the impression of speed ," explains Romain Monti, " so we are much less apprehensive and have fewer physical sensations. The times are no less realistic. To prove it, the driver has published a video (above) in which he compares two laps on the Monza circuit: one real, and one played on Asseto Corsa. " At the end, there is a tenth of a difference," he says.

"The golden age of simulation

Before coming to train in this way, it was a passion for video games that drew Romain Monti to the simulation: "I started at school with a Logitech G25 steering wheel on GTR2," he explains. When it was released in 2006, the game was well received by the critics. A third opus, which has been planned for years, could be released this year... And compete with well-known games such as the timeless Grand Turismo, Project Cars or Forza Motorsport, the latter being more arcade-oriented.

As proof of the evolutions, F1 is investing with the creation of of an ESport championship. This year, the game DiRT Rally should also benefit from official competitions... An analysis published at the beginning of 2019 even speaks of " the golden age of the racing simulation ". It would therefore not be surprising, in the years to come, to see drivers from virtual competition emerge at the top level.