Porsche sim racing
The drivers wait, sitting nervously, eyes fixed firmly on the gantry ahead. One light. Two lights. Three. Four. Eventually, the lights go out and away we go.
This is racing, but not as you know it. I’m fully immersed in my environment, the scenery appears photo-realistic, the 992 GT3 Cup I’m in control of looks and behaves exactly like the real thing, while ahead, behind and alongside are real-life rivals. My nerves are genuine.
And yet, real this is not. Am I sat in a Porsche 911 racing car on the starting grid at Silverstone? No, I’m at home, snug in a simulator, racing virtually against tough eSports competition from around the world. Welcome to sim racing – one of the most exciting developments entry-level motorsport has yet seen. And, since the lockdowns of 2020, it’s a huge growth area with which anyone can get involved. Via Esports Carrera Cup GB, TAG Heuer Esports Supercup and more, Porsche itself is heavily invested.
As a child of the 1980s, I grew up in the arcade racing simulation era with video game classics like. In the 1990s, the genre migrated to consoles with a glut of Formula One, touring car and GT racing titles, but in 1997 the milestone was released for was a game-changer – no pun intended. It gave rise to a new era of titles with improved graphics and, importantly, fresh levels of driving realism.
