Page 130 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

What’s the science

behind racing

simulators? These high-tech simulators
are almost as good as the
real thing

e have all played on driving simulators three planes to sense yaw, pitch and roll. As a (26-foot) screen and have a projection and

in arcades or on games consoles at person’s body is moved about, tiny hair cells in resolution rate five times faster than that of a
Whome, but what was once a bit of fun is the vestibule and semi-circular canals stimulate multiplex cinema, offering razor-sharp and,
now a serious business – and a crucial part of a the vestibular nerve, helping the brain to crucially, time-accurate images of the circuit
professional racing driver’s preparation for any interpret nerve impulses resulting from these that is being tested.
major competition. six primary movements. This all means simulators are a great way to
The science behind these sophisticated This is where the genius of new driving get much needed practice on a circuit ahead of a
modern-day race simulators lies within the simulators come in: the movements of the race – particularly if it’s a track that the driver
human vestibular system, which comprises the simulator are designed to arouse a driver’s has never visited before – and all done in
small canals and bones in the inner ear. The vestibular nerves, creating a driving experience familiar surroundings despite never actually
utricle and saccule organs in the vestibular that’s more true-to-life. As well as a real and sitting in a car. The accuracy of the facility means
system help humans detect linear acceleration working dashboard, the simulator is fi tted with that time spent in the simulator is very nearly as
in three directions: vertical (for example, pedals that are hydraulically weighted the same good as doing the time in the cockpit itself,
gravity), lateral (sway), and longitudinal (surges as the car they’re testing, and it’s the same for ensuring that the driver can enter a race buoyed
forward or backwards). In addition, three the power steering ‘feel’ too. As for the graphics, by as much experience behind the wheel
fl uid-filled semi-circular canals are oriented in they are displayed on a huge eight-metre as possible.

The lifestyle of a
pro racing driver

You may think there’s little else to the job of a
professional racing driver than simply pulling up
to the starting line and completing numerous laps
of a circuit, but as Porsche’s World Endurance
Championship driver Nick Tandy tells us, you have
to be ‘race fit’ to be able to pilot a modern race car.

With cars even more powerful and capable of
pulling high g-forces through every twist and turn
of a race, the driver needs to be mentally and

physically fit enough to handle these constraints on
the body, particularly in an endurance race such as
the Le Mans 24 Hours.
As such, pro drivers have intense fi tness regimes
and strict diet plans, with performance training to
help improve reaction times and their
acclimatisation to extreme heat. It doesn’t end
there, either: tactics are an important part of
professional racing and drivers work hard to be
attuned to the best setups of their car and driving
style in all conditions, during every stage of a race. Drivers need to be physically fit to withstand intense forces on the track

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How It Works