simulator racing Archives

Team Fordzilla’s P1 ultimate virtual racing car turned into a real model

Four months ago, Ford’s Team Fordzilla unveiled a world-first at this year’s gamescom event which was described as ‘the ultimate virtual racing car’. Designed with collaboration between Ford designers and the gaming community, the car was developed under the codename ‘Project P1’. At that time, Ford also announced that it would build a scale model of the P1 concept before the end of the year at its design studios in Germany.

The model has now been completed and was recently unveiled online. While seeing real cars transferred to computer games is commonplace, this is the first-ever time an automaker has brought to life a gamer-collaborated virtual car – yet to be featured in a game – with a physical model. It’s part of its continuing theme of exploring the parallels between the real-world and the virtual one, with learnings from design in the digital world being applied to concepts for reality.

Gamers chose the design features
The journey of the Team Fordzilla P1 racing car started in March this year when gamers were asked to vote on the package and features of the car on Twitter, including seating configuration, engine position and cockpit definition. Nearly a quarter of a million fan votes were submitted throughout the polling process.

The innovative Team Fordzilla P1 racing car features an exterior designed by Arturo Arino and an interior that was the vision of Robert Engelmann, both Ford designers. The car is built around the monocoque structure partially covered by a large, hyper-transparent jet fighter-style canopy, protecting the driver and co-driver. The transparent canopy not only blurs the boundaries between the exterior and the interior but it also emphasises the unique F1-like driving position.

The exterior form is the combination of a sleek GT-like front end with sculped front fenders and extremely sculpted bodyside panels. Twist and floating buttresses visually connect the cockpit with the rear wheels. The rear end is completely exposed and presents the ‘rawness’ of aerodynamics and racing circuits. 21-inch wheels are fitted front and rear, with the front ones sized 315/30 and the rears 355/25.

In the cockpit are LED notification units, keeping the driver and co-driver up-to-date on the track status in their peripheral view. In addition, an integrated screen on the steering wheel enables live data exchange with the team at the pit wall. The whole interior is designed to help the driver to minimize any sort of distraction during the race and heighten the enjoyment of racing.

From CAD to reality in 7 weeks
Team Fordzilla P1 is Ford’s first ever car built digitally without any face-to-face interaction throughout the process. Due to the current pandemic, it was designed by a team who had never met, working remotely – and spread across 5 different countries. It was built in just 7 weeks which is less than half of the time it would normally take. The finished build is a full-size, inside-outside model with extreme proportions and truly unmistakable character.

Being co-created by gamers for gamers, the hypercar features a few special touches that speak to the sim-racing community. On the floor in front of the co-pilot’s seat, there is an AFK (Away From Keyboard) message, a playful reminder that occupants of that seat are away from keyboard. A #levelup graphic acknowledges that gamers and racing drivers aim to better themselves each time they play or race, while a #liftoff graphic is a nod to the lifting off of this race car from a virtual world and transitioning it to the real one.

On the front of the 4731 mm long car, by the lower spoiler, there’s the most important message: a GLHF (Good luck, Have Fun) reminder to every gamer and racing driver to truly have fun and enjoy the ride.

“This project had so many firsts. It was the first fully digital project for us. It was the first car to be designed publicly with full transparency and the first we’ve ever designed remotely with designers located in 5 different countries, some of whom have never met face to face. That we completed it all in less than half of the usual time is a real testament to the team and the passion they had for the project,” said Boris Ferko, Design Manager at Ford of Europe.

Ford forming racing teams in Europe to compete in esports competition [w/VIDEO]

Transfer of technology between real and virtual racing taken to a totally new level

Even before the increased activity in simulator racing this year, BMW Motorsport has been an active participant in the world of virtual racing. Its presence at such online events help to actively promote the industry with innovations in the hardware that forms part of its holistic involvement.

Recently, BMW Motorsport SIM Racing took the transfer of technology between real and virtual racing to a totally new level with three world premieres at its digital BMW SIM event. The BMW M4 GT3, which is set to become the new flagship in the BMW M Customer Racing range of racing cars from 2022, made its debut on the iRacing sim racing platform as a prototype ahead of its first real race outing.

The steering wheel in the BMW M4 GT3 has been developed in cooperation with Fanatec and is the first of its kind to work in both a racing car and a race simulator.

The third global innovation is the concept study of the Fusion SL sim lounge furniture. In just a few simple steps, it can be converted from a designer table into a fully-fledged race simulator.

“With BMW Motorsport SIM Racing, we are following a 360-degree approach. This means that we have our eye on the big picture,” said Rudolf Dittrich, Head of BMW Motorsport SIM Racing. “We have achieved an awful lot in the first year of our involvement. At the same time, we have also identified great potential and, based on that, have decided to continue to focus strongly on hardware developments in 2021, with which we can promote technical innovations and develop new product categories and markets.”

The BMW M4 GT3 steering wheel
BMW Motorsport has collaborated with sim racing hardware producer, Fanatec, to develop a steering wheel for the M4 GT3 that can be used in both a real racing car and a race simulator> It’s technology transfer which has never been seen before in motor racing. Absolutely no modifications are required for it to be used in the racing car.

The carbonfibre steering wheel has a typical motorsport design, with illuminated buttons and magnetic, dual-action shift paddles also made of carbonfibre. The fact that the hybrid steering wheel perfectly fulfils both roles was demonstrated emphatically by BMW works driver Philipp Eng at BMW SIM Live. He entered the stage in the real M4 GT3, emerged holding the steering wheel, inserted it into the simulator, and promptly completed a number of laps in the car’s virtual counterpart.

Extensive tests allow the BMW Motorsport engineers to constantly monitor the durability of the steering wheel in real racing situations. It will be available from Fanatec in the first half of 2021.

“The first time I heard of the idea to design the BMW M4 GT3 steering wheel to be compatible with a simulator, I was flabbergasted – because I was thrilled by the concept from the word go,” said Eng. “You have to take your hat off to the pioneering role that BMW Motorsport and Fanatec have taken on here, and to the courage to implement a project of this kind.”

“Compared to the steering wheel in the BMW M6 GT3, for example, the new wheel has extremely good ergonomics. It is very comfortable to hold. You can tell that real professionals have been at work in every area,” he added.

BMW M4 GT3 prototype on iRacing
As with the M8 GTE and M4 GT4 before it, BMW Motorsport has worked very closely with popular sim racing platform iRacing over the past few months in order to integrate the BMW M4 GT3 as faithfully as possible in the simulation.

The difference this time is that the car is being used as a test car on iRacing even as it is being developed. As such, the sim racers can follow the development together with BMW Motorsport, and can help drive the development forward until the final version is available on iRacing and to real motor racing customers later in 2021.

At the same time as the real car is being developed, BMW Motorsport engineers have provided their colleagues at iRacing with CAD data and photos as a reference, which they can then use as a basis when programming and designing the virtual M4 GT3. In an additional data package, iRacing received all the information on the driving dynamics of the racing car. In total, over 70 GB of data has already been exchanged. The common goal: to recreate the actual driving dynamics as realistically as possible.

Philipp Eng was impressed by how successfully this had been achieved when he took the virtual M4 GT3 for a spin for the first time on the simulator at BMW SIM Live. “I find it extremely cool that the BMW M4 GT3 has been introduced on iRacing parallel to its actual development. After all, I am not only a thoroughbred racing driver, but also a thoroughbred sim racer,” said Eng, who, as an alpha tester for iRacing, plays a role in ensuring that the handling of the car is as close as possible to reality.

Fusion SL concept furniture
Sim racing is growing in popularity all over the world. As such, the number of users building comprehensively-equipped rigs at home is also growing. At BMW Motorsport, this raised the question of how to integrate these rigs in everyday life. Together with BMW Designworks and furniture manufacturer Sedus, they have come up with a solution. The concept study is called “Fusion SL” – a unique combination of sim racing rig and lounge furniture.

The idea was to develop a piece of furniture that would save space and could be aesthetically integrated into a modern living environment. It can be converted into a rig in just a few simple steps, but which is otherwise folded down to serve as a desk, coffee table or seat, thus making ‘boost’ and ‘ease’ concepts that can be experienced not only in the car, but also in the living room.

To implement the project, the engineering quality of BMW Motorsport, design expertise of Michael Scully and his BMW Designworks team, and the production performance of Sedus came together. “The Fusion SL concept combines the best of two worlds,” said Scully. “It is not necessarily intended to replace the high-end sim rigs used by professionals. Our goal was rather to make sim racing and the hardware required attractive for new target groups – and, to be honest, their fellow occupants.”

“It is not easy to strike the right balance between the necessary stability, portability, flat profile, torsional rigidity and a visual impression that will bring the piece of furniture out of the cellar and into the living room, as many of these aspects contradict each other. However, design is all about overcoming these challenges,” explained Ernst Holzapfel, Head of Marketing at Sedus Stoll AG.

The Fusion SL concept can be the perfect home office for sim racers. The Wooom chair is its perfect partner. One minute you can be relaxing comfortably in it, the next it offers you everything you would expect from a good racing seat, with its sporty seating position and good lateral support, thanks to the padding provided.

AMR-C01 – the ultimate racing simulator from Aston Martin

Season 3 of Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship to run throughout September

Although this year has seen virtual racing or digital motorsports take a big leap in popularity due to the lockdowns that prevented real-world racing to take place, the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship has actually been running earlier. In fact, two seasons have been run and next month will see the third season.

Racing events throughout September
The 2020 championship will start off with a series of qualifying rounds, followed by a semi-final and finally, a 4-race format Grand Final. There will be 4 online qualifying rounds (limited to 180 participants per round) which will be run over two consecutive weekends from September 3 and 4 and September 12 and 13.

The virtual track for qualifying will be the 4.5-km Fuji International Speedway in Japan with racers using a GR Supra RZ. UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT), the organisers, expect up to 720 participants this year.

Simulator racing — *The racers use Thrustmaster T-GT hardware and race on Playstation’s Gran Turismo platform.*

The top 20 fastest drivers will then advance to the semi-final to be held on September 26. This will be held at UMWT’s headquarters complex in Shah Alam, Selangor. The semi-final will involve two individual races held in Japan. The first is a 22-lap race at the Kyoto Driving Park behind the wheel of a TS050 Hybrid prototype sportscar and later, a Dallara Super Formula SF19 around the 5.8-km Suzuka Circuit in an 18-lap battle.

The 10 fastest drivers will enter the final challenge Grand Final on September 27 at the same venue. Besides the Grand Prize of RM20,000, there are cash prizes of RM10,000, RM7,000, RM5,500, RM4,500 for the other 4 overall winners. Cash prizes of between RM4,000 and RM2,000 also await those who finish in 6^th to 10th positions. RM500 each will also be given out to those who finish in 11th to 20th positions.

The most lucrative online racing series
Racers will also stand a chance to win additional cash prizes in the form of RM450, RM200 and RM100 awarded to the first, second and third place winners at each of the 4 Grand Final races. This makes the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship one of the most lucrative and rewarding online racing series locally.

2018 Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship — *The Grand Final of the first Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship in 2018.*

The Grand Final will have 4 gruelling races with points awarded for every round. Race 1 will see drivers competing in a GR Supra RZ at the Autodrome Lago Maggiore circuit in Italy (15 laps). Race 2 will be at the Autopolis Racing Course Japan in a FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo (18 laps). Race 3 will put the driver behind the wheel of a TS050 Hybrid sportscar at Circuit de la Sarthe in France (10 laps). The fourth and final race will take place at the 13.6-km Belgium Spa- Francorchamps circuit with a Toyota-powered Dallara Super Formula SF19 (18 laps).

Season 3 of the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship will also feature a special 10-lap exhibition race involving racers and celebrities who competed in the Toyota Vios Challenge and Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival. The racing drivers will go participate in a 10-lap race behind the wheel of a GR Supra Racing Concept racing car at the 4.5-km Fuji International Speedway while celebrities will drive a TS050 Hybrid sportscar in a 17-lap race at the Tokyo Expressway.

First ever regional championship
The top three racers will also earn the honour of representing Malaysia in the first ever GR Supra GT Cup Asia 2020 regional e-motorsports competition organized by Toyota Motor Asia Pacific in October 2020. The GR Supra GT Cup Asia 2020 will see competitors from Malaysia competing against the best from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and India.

“The race must go on, amidst a post-pandemic era and in the new norm. While physical motor racing involving Toyota is not expected to return until the first quarter of 2021, the past 5 months presented UMWT with the perfect opportunity to advance our virtual racing activities and to bring the GAZOO racing spirit and motorsports to the masses,” said Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama.

Interest keeps growing in Malaysia
UMWT is the first and still the only Malaysian car company to be associated with the fast-growing e-sports activities, contributing to the growing interest in online simulator racing in the country. According to Ravindran K., President of UMWT, the number of participants who competed in the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship grew to 657 in 2019 from 400 when the series was first introduced in 2018.

2019 Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship — *Grand Final of the second season in 2019 at the Pavilion KL.*

Incidentally, 2018 was also the year when the FIA (the world motorsport governing body) recognised simulator racing and certified it as Digital Motor Sport.

“Online racing, particularly the growing interest in Simulator Racing, has exponentially grown, more evidently over the last 5 months, and it has successfully attracted both real-world racers and virtual racers,” Mr. Ravindran said, adding that some 300,000 viewers are expected to tune in to the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship live streamed online races this year.

For more information on the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship and to register to compete, visit www.toyota.com.my.

More online racing events coming from UMW Toyota Motor

More online racing events coming from UMW Toyota Motor

During the period of the Movement Control Order when all public activities in Malaysia came to a standstill, motorsports enthusiasts were saddened that not only could they not attend their favourite events but there was also nothing to watch. However, a number of carmakers decided to go racing online and even sent their professional racing drivers to compete in events that were watched globally.

In Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) held the Toyota GAZOO Racing Online Challenge between April 23 April and May 21, bringing racing excitement to everyone who had to stay at home around the country. The company was the first and is still the only auto brand in Malaysia to become involved in esports, as it is known. In total, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Online Challenge offered prize monies amounting to RM7,500 over the 5 rounds.

Following that successful event, which attracted gamers as young as 6 years old, a second phase will be held on July 12 which will see the top challengers in the first phase compete in a final showdown of the fastest sim-racers in the country.

The Online Challenge Finals will be a mini-championship of 4 rounds, each featuring iconic racing cars – including the Playstation Gran Turismo-exclusive Toyota GT86 Group B Rally Car. The sim-racers will challenge each other around some of the world’s iconic circuits, including the Red Bull Ring and Autodromo De Interlagos.

“The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the physical aspect of motor racing but there is no reason why the spirit of competition cannot continue virtually. GAZOO Racing is a philosophy that extends beyond the racing track and that was precisely why we pursued an online presence,” said Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama.

Mr. Takeyama, who is also Deputy Chairman of UMWT, said that the Toyota GAZOO Racing Online Challenge is also a natural extension to the company’s existing Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship. “It underlines the company’s commitment to not only bring motorsports to the masses but to make it more accessible and affordable,” he explained.

The third edition of the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship will be held between August and September this year (dates and race formats to be announced soon).

In addition, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific (TMAP) will also be organizing the first-ever GR Supra GT Cup Asia 2020 regional esports competition in October 2020. This event will see qualifying rounds being held in Malaysia (through the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship), Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and India from July to September to select the top three virtual racers who will represent their respective nations at the regional finale.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities, the result of which has seen esports and virtual racing propelled to the forefront at an unprecedented scale. The timely introduction of a regional event will certainly fuel Toyota’s momentum of pursuing an aggressive esports agenda in Malaysia,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

“Simulator racing has had a profound impact on Malaysian esports, appealing to both gamers and racing drivers proving that it is an excellent conduit between the virtual and physical realms in motor racing,” he added. “As an automotive brand, Toyota in Malaysia is today in a position of strength being in the forefront of both spectra – with a strong virtual racing presence.”

Mr. Ravindran said that these initiatives solidified Toyota’s commitment to bring motorsports to the masses, promoting the GAZOO Racing philosophy that embodies performance and excellence, besides introducing to the market its new range of specialty models that wear the GR badge.

Toyota Vios Challenge — *Toyota’s esports activities complement the real-life one-make Vios Challenge which has been successfully run for three seasons.*

Click here for other news and articles about Toyota.

Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational rallycross series is on this Saturday

With real-world motor racing on hold, simulator racing is beginning to see increased involvement from carmakers. The latest is Subaru of America which has a sponsorship with iRacing, the leader in PC simulator racing, to field the Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational rallycross series.

A world-class field of drivers from a variety of racing disciplines – rally, rallycross, Indycar, NASCAR, motocross, Formula Drift and more – will compete alongside esports pros in a 6-round championship series held entirely online and starting from this Friday (Saturday in Malaysia). The drivers will compete for a US$10,000 (around RM43,350) purse to be donated to charity on their behalf.

Subaru Motorsports USA will field a 3-car line-up featuring the team’s full-time stage rally drivers: 5-time national rally champion and action sports icon, Travis Pastrana, and mountain bike legend and rising rally talent Brandon Semenuk.

They will be joined by 4-time U.S. rallycross champion Scott Speed, making his competitive rallycross return after a 2019 season cut short by injury, and fresh off a podium finish in last weekend’s iRacing Indycar Challenge round. Subaru rallycross star Chris Atkinson will also participate in a Team Yokohama WRX STI, and several other all-star drivers will compete in the WRX STI rallycross Supercar as independent entries.

“With so many people staying at home and missing racing, now is the perfect time to try new things in esports,” said Pastrana. “For this series, we’re going to bring together some of the biggest names from different types of racing and put them on virtual rallycross tracks with dirt, tarmac and jumps. It’s going to be a blast, and I can’t wait to see what happens!”

Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational events will be begin at 6 pm Eastern Time in America each Friday (6 am Saturday in Malaysia), and will be streamed across iRacing’s social media platforms. Fans can also watch via live streaming simulcasts on the Subaru Motorsports USA Facebook page and the pages of other competitors, teams and sponsors. Additional events may be considered as schedules permit.

The expanding universe of eSports

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