The F1 racing sim that delivers chest-crushing realism in your living room.
Born from military technology and turned into a Formula 1 simulator, AXSIM has turned it into a sim for your own home.
Driving through Eau Rouge is usually a mindless throttle-to-the-floor blur in virtual F1 racing. But not this time: I’m being steadily crushed down into the cockpit as the car bottoms out over every bump, fighting to heave it across from the pit wall on the right to the apex on the left.
Airbags in the safety harness squeeze my ribs and chest, as I guide the car up and cresting over Raidillon, the steering column stubbornly resisting as if it’s set in concrete having to be wrestled loose. Stopping is no less effort, with my left leg straining to get enough force into the brake pedal to slow the car down in time, putting a modern driver’s fitness levels into perspective.
It’s quite literally a breathtaking experience to feel the simulated compression in the cockpit. Combined with the feedback from the wheels, pedals and sim suspension, it’s the closest you’ll get to racing at Spa, short of strapping yourself into a single-seater at the circuit.
Read the full article by Jake Williams-Smith at motorsportmagazine.com...