This one is for the Fast & Furious Fan club, who want to feel like Dominic Toretto.
Sim-Racing: The unknown realm of racing-based games and esports
The beginner’s guide to the racing genre titles and esports events
You just built your dream rig, and now it’s time to put it to the test by doing some hard work. You want to do stuff that puts your creativity, agility, flexibility, and other abilities to the test. And luckily, you went down memory lane when you played all those racing games and flexed your driving skills and car collection with those decals, rims, and whatnot. You crave action in your life by watching and feeling the speed, the adrenaline rush, and your gut instincts and self-belief rather than others whose definition of action includes guns blazing, wall-climbing, obstacle jumping, bangs, and blasts.
Well then, if that’s the kind of description about you, I’ve got just the thing for you. Behold, the next generation of gaming and esports: SIM-RACING!!
But before you get your hopes way too high on nitrox, full disclosure: this will be more than what you expected (and more than what you didn’t). So I suggest you fasten up your seatbelts because this will be one hell of a ride!!
So Sim-Racing, also known as, Simulated-Racing, is a type of gaming genre where a certain amount of amateur and professional racing gamers participate in a racing event with a similar format existing in a real-world car-race event. Now, like every other game and gaming genre, it has a lot to be considered, from rules and regulations to governing bodies, from Sim-Racing titles to Sim-Racing gear, from types of races to types of racers and whatnot. Keeping that in mind, we’re going to start the exploration with the golden words of the shrunken head of the wizard bus (only Legends will get the reference):
Let’s start with the general rules and regulations to get you ready on the start line. As an amateur or professional, real or virtual racer, you must be aware of flags. Flags are the visual cues that help racers maintain their ride and the overall decorum of the track. They are of various types depending on the event it denotes. Here’s a screenshot for further reference:
Although flags and signals are essential when it comes to racing in the real world, and any violations of these cues result in penalties, in Sim-Racing, they are a little less critical as much focus is on the basic track etiquettes.
The most commonly used sentence: “Stay within your limits.” is something every real-world and Sim-racer couldn’t agree more with. Certain types of limits need to be respected at all costs. From speed to track perimeter, a racer must consider a particular line in life and racetrack that shouldn’t be crossed, although exceptions can be found in some areas where a little leniency is provided at some turns.
You also have to remember that Sim-Racing, like any other sports event, requires you to respect your and other racer’s boundaries. The best example can be witnessed in the form of overtaking. Specific rules need to be considered when overtaking other competing vehicles. Ensure you provide ample space for other drivers to race and overtake when the situation demands. Additionally, a certain amount of information on speed limits, track lengths, surface type, pit stops, and more would add to your knowledge base and act as real-time data that you could use to your advantage as a racer.
To start your Sim-Racing journey, you must know your choice of racing title. There are so many Sim-Racing titles that a beginner might get overwhelmed with the number of choices. Each choice represents the type of car class, the budget, and the learning curve to get around them.
- If you want to know the industry standards, you can’t go wrong with options such as iRacing & Assetto Corsa Competizione.
- If you’re looking to enter the realm of Sim-Racing as a beginner, it turns out that Project Cars 2 & RaceRoom are the options you should be looking forward to.
- Rally racing is as hardcore as it gets, but if you think you’ve got what it takes to be the ranger of every terrain, then WRC 10 & DIRT Rally 2.0 should be your best options.
- Other options for Sim-Racing include RFactor 2, Forza Motorsport 7, F1 2019 & Gran Turismo 7.
Now let’s get you hooked up with your classes. Sim-Racing is a race event where different types of cars, based on their type of chassis, engine, and terrain, compete against all odds to be the first that touches the finish line. There are several car classes that you need to be aware of. Formula-1 & Minor Formulas are the form factor of cars that you could consider if you want to explore high-speed single-seater cars.
The most popular format of Sim-Racing currently is the Gran Turismo (GT) cars. The GT cars usually exist in GT3, GT4 & Porsche Cup formats. Touring cars is the next category you would like to consider, especially as a beginner. Touring cars are straightforward to learn and handle.
Rally cars are something that many experts advise not to start with as a beginner due to their instability, speed & acceleration. You can see them in formats like R1, R2, and R3. Further tips, such as driving and practicing Rally cars on tarmac surfaces instead of natural terrain, are advised if you want to get your hands on the Rally machines. There are many other classes, but they’re not quite popular in the community.
A soldier is as good as the gear he carries to the battlefield, and it applies the same to a Sim-Racer. A soldier and a racer must trust his team, his team, his instincts, and the gear he has trained with. Only then will be a scope present for great results rather than good results.
This is where companies like Logitech G, Thrustmaster, and many more come into play, where they help to provide state-of-the-art equipment for Sim-Racing. Equipment like a Cockpit, Chair, Steering wheel, Wheelbases, Pedals, Gear shifter for manual shifting, PC or Console, and a comprehensive monitor or multiple monitors are essential to begin your journey as a Sim-Racer.
You can’t exactly be a Sim-Racer with Mouse & Keyboard or Controller only, and the reason is simple, you can’t match the control you have on a steering wheel to what you have on a Controller or Keyboard.
Now I have been chattering for so long, and then you ask a question: “Dude, you’ve been talking over and over about this Sim-Racing and all, but are there any legit professionals who play this sport?! Does this have any esports scene in India and overseas just like other esports titles like Valorant, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Mobile, which are much more established due to their outreach?”
Well, your questions are legit, so as much as it may surprise you, there are many players in this genre; some are actual racers in the real world, while some specialize in Sim-Racing only. Overseas, we have undisputed legends like Lando Norris, William Byron & Felipe Drugovich. In the Indian subcontinent, we have a new generation of champions like Mohammed Ibrahim, Davlish Singh & Manu Puri. These have contributed a lot in bringing recognition across the globe in the world of Sim-Racing.
Within these past few years, there has been a list of Sim-Racing esports events, and they have generated a lot of revenue which definitely cannot be ignored. The Codemasters ‘Versus Ultra event for games such as DIRT Rally 2.0 and the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Super Cup in the iRacing Simulator title are examples of events overseas.
In India, the IR esports team has contributed to recent racing events such as the Indian E-Racing championship & Volkswagen Virtual Racing Championship. The prize pool for Sim-Racing esports events ranges from $2500 to 1 million USD, which makes it a potential realm of gaming and esports that is worth exploring.
With all that in-depth guide, I think it’s high time that our Indian gaming and esports community should indulge and savor Sim-Racing and provide the opportunities and recognition it deserves. And what’s more, another reason you could explore Sim-Racing is that many people who are bad at driving (just like me, ha-ha LOL!!) have been known to develop the muscle memory and the instincts of a professional car driver and have later on transitioned from just a simulation to a real-world driving experience.
