Sim racing is driving a racing game that tries to simulate real motorsport as accurately as possible, usually with a steering wheel and pedals instead of a controller. Fuel use, tire wear and grip, damage and car setup all matter, so the skills look a lot like real racing. You can do it at home, online against other people, at a sim center, or at an event on a rig someone else brings.
What Makes It "Sim" Racing
The standard definition is racing software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. That separates it from arcade racing games, which bend physics to keep the action moving. A sim like Assetto Corsa models details such as tire flat spots and heat cycles and uses laser-scanned tracks.
Does skill in a sim reflect real driving skill? A 2017 study in PLoS One compared seven racing drivers with ten non-racing drivers in a racing simulator. The racing drivers set faster lap times and drove a more optimal racing line, while the two groups did not differ on general reaction-time and tracking tests. The skills a sim rewards are racing-specific ones.
Basic Terminology
- Racing line: the path through a corner that lets you carry the most speed.
- Apex: the point on the inside of a corner the car passes closest to.
- Hot lap: a single flying lap for time, as in qualifying.
- Force feedback (FFB): the wheel pushing back to tell you what the tires are doing.
- Load-cell brake: a pedal that measures pressure rather than travel.
- DOF (degrees of freedom): how many ways a motion platform can move the seat, such as pitch, roll and heave.
- Trail braking: keeping some brake on into the corner and releasing it gradually.
Our glossary covers more terms.
Car Types You Will Meet
- Road cars: the easiest place to start; heavier, softer and more forgiving.
- GT cars: race versions of sports cars, such as GT3, with more grip and downforce.
- Open-wheel cars: single-seaters such as Formula cars, light, fast and sensitive to setup.
- Stock cars: heavy oval racers built around drafting.
- Rally and drift cars: built for sliding on loose or tarmac surfaces.
Assetto Corsa, for example, lists officially licensed cars from Abarth, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Pagani, Porsche and others. See our cars and tracks pages for what is on our rigs.
Track Etiquette
Online racing has rules much like real racing. In iRacing's official sporting code, a blue flag with a diagonal yellow stripe tells you faster cars are approaching. The faster car is responsible for overtaking safely, the slower car should hold a consistent line, and a car being lapped should make every reasonable effort to allow a safe pass. The short version: be predictable, do not swerve to defend against a car lapping you, and do not rejoin the track in front of traffic after a spin.
iRacing also uses a license and safety rating system: everyone starts with a Rookie license and a safety rating of 2.5, which drops with incidents such as going off track, spinning or contact. To move up to Class D as a rookie you need 2 races or 4 time trials and a safety rating over 3.0. Clean driving is rewarded before speed.
How to Get Your First Laps In
- Start slow: pick a road car on a track you know, and turn on driving aids. Assetto Corsa has gamer, racer and pro assist profiles.
- Learn one track: repeat the same circuit until braking points feel natural.
- Brake in a straight line first: add trail braking once you are consistent.
- Chase consistency, then speed: ten clean laps teach more than one fast lap with a spin.
- Race people when you are ready: online services and leagues match you with drivers of similar skill.
Sim Racing as a Sport
At the top level, sim racing is an esport. The F1 Sim Racing World Championship has sim racers represent official F1 teams on identical simulators, with qualifying and races on virtual versions of real Grand Prix circuits.
Try It Without Buying Anything
The easiest way to try a high-end setup is in person. Our sister venue Shift Arcade Miami offers walk-in sim racing, and SimsForHire brings rigs to corporate events, private parties and brand activations. Full-motion rigs are $2,750 per rig per day, with a $2,000 event minimum, plus tax and insurance. We also sell and lease simulators. Call (754) 228-5654 or send an inquiry.