Puretech Racing is a British company with ambitious plans to create a new sport – networked simulator racing.
From their first centre near Gatwick Airport, with 10 industry-spec machines, they hope to expand and make motorsport accessible to everyone by fusing high technology with, eventually, a real-world racing team.
Brits on Pole was invited to the launch of the centre to try out the system and interview some of the team that developed it and are making it available to professional drivers and ordinary members of the public alike.
Coverage in-depth
- The Puretech challenge – it’s only a game if you want it to be
- “Racing’s got to change – the age of just watching it on the television is dead,” says Puretech creative director Tim Ball as he introduces his company’s system of ultra-realistic networked race simulators. “But we don’t want to replace it – we want to enhance it.” Find out what the system can offer the ordinary racing fan who fancies finding out what the pro drivers experience.
- How one man’s racing fix could spark a whole new sport
- If Puretech is to succeed in its ambition of inventing the new sport of competitive simulator racing, it’s essential that the experience offered matches the company’s ambition. Here we look at the technology behind the system, and why it works for professional drivers.
- Bone-shaking and thrilling in about equal measure
- “For a moment, as the race began, everything went just perfectly. Slow get-aways by the two cars starting on the front row allowed me to shoot the gap between them and hare off into the distance.” Brits on Pole’s Andy reviews the racing experience.
To have a go yourself, see the Puretech website here. There are two levels of activity for non-members, the test session at £15 or the longer race experience at £35. Members may additionally book open practice and league/championship race sessions.
And this isn’t us – but this brilliant video from the day by WRC presenter Neil Cole shows what it was like to be there.