Is Sim Racing Realistic? It doesn’t matter! Here’s why.
If you’ve ever muttered “well that wouldn’t happen in real life” as you went spinning into the tire wall the last time you drove the sim, you could be partially right…
But you’re missing the point.
Racing is a man/machine sport.
The goals in racing can be boiled down to two primary objectives: Car performance and Driver performance.
Both will have a critical impact on lap time performance. Further, the two should work in tandem to find that “flow” state where optimal performance and relative ease is hidden.
The mindset of the driver should always be to wheel the vehicle around the track as quickly as they can.
In this process, the driver should develop an understanding of where the car is weak, and where it could use more front/rear grip at a given moment.
Let’s talk about car performance. When making a setup change, consideration should be given first whether the car should conform to the driver’s needs or the driver should conform to the car’s needs. One is often better than the other.
Regardless, the goal of car set up is two things: Maximizing Grip and finding the Ideal balance of Front/Rear Grip
Let’s talk more about driver performance. Really, maximum driver performance can be defined as the ideal series of inputs to the car at precisely the right time over the course of the lap. The trick is knowing what these inputs are and when is the perfect time to make them. Now begins the true quest and where things get complicated…
And THAT is the point of this article. Going fast is just that – a QUEST.
Its trial and error, is science and theory, it’s thinking both inside and outside the box. Learning what makes a driver and vehicle go around a squiggly track just a little quicker is the name of the game.
Which brings me to my point.
Sim racing doesn’t HAVE to be perfectly realistic to be a great tool to practice the stuff that really makes good track drivers.
Let me be clear, the physics of iRacing in particular are phenomenal and best in the sim business in my opinion.
The sim and real life are in fact close enough that there is a correlation in the techniques a driver would use to progress.
Some of the subtle details are different, sure, acknowledged.
The bigger picture is that the very SPIRIT of racing is answering the question “how do I go faster” and sim racing is what really challenges how the track driver approaches going faster and allows them to practice this in a risk free environment.
Speaking of which, I am now offering private, custom sim coaching using the iRacing platform. This is tailored to real life track drivers looking to use the sim as a tool to get faster and more confident in real life. It is not necessarily for those looking to get really good at iRacing (There is a slight difference.)