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iRacing World Champion Gets a Shot At the Real Thing
jamie sent in a link to the story of iRacing World Champion Greger Huttu, who caught the attention of the Top Gear guys and got a chance to drive a real Star Mazda racer. iRacing is a realistic driving simulator that recreates the exact physics of race cars and tracks from around the world, and nobody is better than Greger. Top Gear wanted to see how the virtual champion would do with the real thing. Even though he was eventually unable to put up with the physical demands, Greger drove really well.
WTF wants to READ about something like this?
The exact physics? Unlikely.
From what I hear, these simulations break down as your racecar approaches the speed of light. And they didn't even get the Higgs Field right.
They seriously expected me to click through a 12 page slideshow to read a two page article?
Nice story. It was also nice of the photographers to let him clean the vomit off his face and uniform before taking the "victory" picture.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
Did some racing at the local level where I live and can attest to the physical demands needed to race well. I had to do a lot of running and weight lifting to build up my endurance and strength to race well. There are time I came off the race track after a 45 minute race so spent that my arms and upper body would have exhaustion tremors, unable to even operate the release to get out of the seat.
It looks like he doesn't have the stomach for real racing.
[citation needed]
WTF wants to WATCH something like this?
Coming here and showing off with your luck and genes. We can't all be poor AND stupid you know?
You insensitive clod!
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
[citation needed]
If a reputable motoring publication is saying it is the most accurate racing simulator, physics wise, then I think the OP will need to cite his/her sources to be taken seriously.
It doesn't help your argument that you thought it necessary to post as an AC.
Can you provide us with more information?
Citation needed. In particular remember that you need to point to a HOME PC PRODUCT that is more realistic. I would not be surprised if there are specialized systems out there that are more realistic. Larger screens, motion feed back, that kind of thing. However that is rather different than a program that runs on a home computer.
So let's here it then: What for a home user is more accurate than iRacing? I'm just curious mind you, I steer clear of iRacing because it is a simulator, not a game and games are what I'm after.
I would love to do the same experiment with some Counterstrike gamer, just to dispell the myth of "kill training" in those games. While i noticed the virtual reality approaching the real stuff with cars over the years, shooting is still (and luckily) completely unrealistic.
It seems this was a stunning success. The guy had never driven a car anything remotely like an actual race car, he had never flown on a plane or even ridden a roller coaster. Yet he was able to hop into a high performance racecar for the very first time, and have lap times within 3 seconds of the best and handle 100 MPH turns within 10% of experienced drivers' speed. Yeah, he was totally physically out of shape for anything remotely like racing, the temp was over 110 F inside the car, and he threw up. But he didn't wreck after 15 laps. So I'd call this a total success, and does prove, at least to some extent, that experience gained playing games can directly translate to real-world performance, assuming the game simulation is realistic enough.
Better known as 318230.
Yeah, but he's Finnish. That means he was taught to drive properly in real life, even if he never went racing.
Knowing how to properly control a car plus knowing the track inside out means he had a pretty good start point, as proven by the actuality.
Pfft, CoD4 have been doing it for ages.
The ones that come back aren't allowed to talk about it.
He definitely wasn't just given a car and told "have at it". If you RTFA, you'd see that he was put through a slower initial lap to ensure the car (and i presume he) was okay, and that he worked up to 100mph turns over the 15 laps. He was at a place that does 3-day courses in how to drive race cars, so he had professionals there to make sure everything was okay.
He definitely wasn't just given a car and told "have at it". If you RTFA, you'd see that he was put through a slower initial lap to ensure the car (and i presume he) was okay, and that he worked up to 100mph turns over the 15 laps. He was at a place that does 3-day courses in how to drive race cars, so he had professionals there to make sure everything was okay.
You're kidding right? 15 laps and y ou're allowed to do 100km/hr on a bend? 3 days and you're a racing expert? A newb puking in their helment and being permitted to continue on. No wonder people die in the sport.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Now, I want to see what happens when a flight sim buff gets in the cockpit of a real fighter jet.
Will they take off and do acrobatics easily?
After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
100mph. It's actually 160kmh.
I know that you're trying to make me and everyone else here feel better but we all know that it's the same thing.
Fast cars driving in circles on a fake road until one of them goes over a line in the road and then the driver of that car wins. And then they pour champagne all over him.
Alas, many of us here at Slashdot have been cursed at birth with middle-class families and above average IQs.
Driving fast cars in circles, going nowhere... god.. I'm tearing up here... it will remain... just a dream to us.
I'm sorry. I can't talk about this any more. I'm gonna... start crying like a little girl here.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Is it just me, or does this dude resemble Emperor Palpatine in glasses?
You don't have to tell me! Because of GTA I can kill hookers almost like a professional!
Now, I want to see what happens when a flight sim buff gets in the cockpit of a real fighter jet.
Will they take off and do acrobatics easily?
I'm a licensed pilot and a flight sim buff. Some time ago, I had a chance to fly a T-34 Mentor (military trainer, that prior to an AD was legal for aerobatics). I flew the heck out of one in the sim, and then tried it in the real plane to test exactly this theory and to hopefully be more comfortable in some of the really unusual attitudes that aerobatic flying can produce.
Granted, a T-34 isn't a fighter jet, but it's as close as anybody with a realistic budget can get.
I was able to perform nearly all of the maneuvers that I'd practiced in the sim and other then a headache afterwords was also quite pleased with the outcome. Pleased enough that I flew it subsequently.
To answer your question directly, I wouldn't suggest someone with only sim experience trying to fly without proper training. I also wouldn't advocate trying aerobatics without a proper aircraft, some solid previous real world training in recoveries and a parachute. All of that being said, YES, sim experience definitely translates to the real world up to the point that you have the balls to test it.
it looks as though a zombie is driving the car.
I cant help but snicker at that. I havent seen an accurate game engine that could handle anything at all like real physics. like a sword falling onto its blade and spinning abuot. And I remember when I picked up that one guy's brain, which proceeded to orbit me. Did you know that even in a windy enivornment, quills fall just as fast as iron ore? Its weieeird.
And yet, he put in lap times within 3 seconds of a professional racer, and didn't hurt anybody.
There seems to be a theory of life that nobody should be allowed to do anything if they haven't been hand-trained by a professional. How did anything get started? Do stuff. Do stuff for yourself. Think through the risks, consider all of the angles possible, and then bloody well do impressive things.
You think everyone that is going to fly a remote-controlled airplane should go through an instructor? Did you drop a sippy cup on your toe as a child? Go design and build some potato cannons, or hack together an electric vehicle from parts, or build your own garage. As much as I am a nanny-state hugging liberal, at some point the only person responsible for your life is you.
The ______ Agenda
Top gear is about pictures: they usually have fantastic pictures of cars.
Alas, for this story text matters.
And yet, he put in lap times within 3 seconds of a professional racer, and didn't hurt anybody.
Yes, but I still say that with his only training being a simulator he's lucky not to have killed anyone.
There seems to be a theory of life that nobody should be allowed to do anything if they haven't been hand-trained by a professional. How did anything get started?
There is a difference between doing something for the first time and doing something exceedingly dangerous to yourself and others without having the good sense to build up the skill. That is the difference between the Wright Brothers and some idiot that straps on wings and jumps off a cliff: Careful buildup and calculated risks.
Do stuff. Do stuff for yourself. Think through the risks, consider all of the angles possible, and then bloody well do impressive things.
Thinking through the risks isn't enough. 1 in 1000 people might get away with it and be considered rock stars. The other 999 will be up for Darwin awards. If you're going to build up to doing something new and revolutionary, you do it sanely and in small steps if you want to have a chance. If someone's already done that for you, you learn from them.
You think everyone that is going to fly a remote-controlled airplane should go through an instructor?
Given that it's the law in most places, HELL YES!
Did you drop a sippy cup on your toe as a child?
Sure. And so has my son. I don't give him knives to play with though.
Go design and build some potato cannons, or hack together an electric vehicle from parts, or build your own garage. As much as I am a nanny-state hugging liberal, at some point the only person responsible for your life is you.
And what happens when your potato canon or electric vehicle mame or kill someone? You don't live in a vacuum. Some things like playing with mains electricity, building weapons and driving 1 tonne vehicles OUGHT to be regulated.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
I did a corporate skip barber 2 day even, and we were hitting 120MPH at the end of the first day in open wheel cars, with none of us ever being in a race car.
The F1 teams are using the Racer.nl codebase to train their drivers in the off season. I would hold that to be the highest standard. I'm not sure what this online racing sim uses as their codebase. It wouldn't suprise me if they both use the same codebase.
moox. for a new generation.
UFC legend Randy Couture is 47 and still beating up other elite athletes. I'm 38 and I spent the last year getting back in shape. I allowed myself to get out of shape over the years and now I'm back to a 30" waste with a six pack after a modest exercise program.
For a guy who doesn't work out, Greger doesn't look half bad. What that means is that if you put him on a conditioning program, he would have a good athletic body in a year. I'd be interested in seeing how well this guy does after he addresses his physical inadequacies.
...the best real drivers take a whack at iRacing?
Their they're doing there hair.
... an Apple product? Clearly, we are approaching Dec 21 2012 quite fast.
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
A: He trained in a simulator more extensively than probably anyone else around, so he has the theory.
B: He drives a normal car, so he has the physical side of things.
C: He did these 15 laps at a training facility, with training, under professional supervision anyway. They thought he was good to go. They're not going to risk a million-dollar vehicle on a lark.
A potato cannon isn't going to maim anyone other than the operator, unless you point the damned thing at someone. Then it is basically a thrown rock. An electric vehicle doesn't need to be 1 tonne. The electric vehicle I built weighs about 50 pounds, has an 8 mile range, and isn't any more dangerous on a road than a cyclist.
And EVERYONE should understand mains electricity. The worst you're likely to do is short out your own building, as those things are pretty well insulated from eachother. You could also set fire to something, but you're standing right there, hopefully with an extinguisher handy. Also, you could theoretically bridge across your heart, though with 110 in the US that's not all that common, or you could leave underprotected wiring and rot out your wall plates. But electrical rot generally comes from not knowing about your electrical system, rather than doing your own work. And ignorance of electricity is going to cause you far more problems down the road. A relative refuses to allow me to fix one of her lamps, as she's afraid that the electricity mains boogyman is going to eat me. Yet she has put off getting a professional electrician in for so long that the roof support beam it is built into is basically hollow.
I was a bit shocked the first time I realized that the local archery club allowed anyone to come in off the street and just fire bows at a wall without professional training. But what are you going to do, backfire? The same thing is true of the local gun range. They have rules around safe handling that anyone can understand, but you don't need to be certified to just go in and try things out.
Do you *need* safety training to use, say, a light electric RC plane? No, though you'll probably accidentally destroy 1/2 dozen of the things while learning. And you'll be responsible for anything destroyed in the process.
It just seems like there is a pervasive professionalization of private life these days. "Don't do X! Let a professional handle it!" There are some areas where this is valuable advice. But not all, and probably not most. If you're going to be a full, rounded human being, you've got to be one of the people who leads in the creation of new things. That means understanding how things work, and that means not allowing irrational fears to overtake learning.
The ______ Agenda
This might be as close as I have ever seen to "The Last Starfighter" in real life. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597
Interesting. What aspects of their driving cause you such concern?
Btw,odd moderation on this thread!
Sorry that's here-say.
I think some of the F1 team (williams, HRT) are using RFactor PRO with a whole bunch of their own custom plugins for engine / aero / tyre.
So your claim of racer.nl being used by "F1 teams" is just that, a claim.
Currently iRacing is indeed the most realistic simulation available on the market. As in, available to you or me.
That was the joke you missed, starting couple of posts up.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Elevator riding.
It is a controlled abstraction of climbing a mountain in a car.
It is very similar to racing cars, only it is even more competitive as driver's weight, length of arms and the lack of ass (so as not to get it stuck in the door while rushing in to the "cockpit"), speed and skill at pressing the desired floor are HUGE factors in who will win.
Plus it has a sudden death mode.
It's when they race down with their cockpits unhooked and brakes disabled.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
I figure iRacing, Racer.nl and RFactor are all among the best of the best. Which is the very best, I can't say, I'd need to have plenty of experience with all of them, but the fact that iRacing is in the spotlight while the others are little-known is thanks to iRacing's online experience and marketing muscle.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
One of the top US UAV pilots is 20-something and was a gaming fiend...someone else told me in another discussion and I couldn't beleive it, but they got me a source...I can't find the discussion now, I'm pretty sure I mentioned "last starfighter" in the post.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
You think everyone that is going to fly a remote-controlled airplane should go through an instructor?
Given that it's the law in most places, HELL YES!
LOLWUT?
I don't know of anywhere that just flying an RC plane legally requires instruction. I've flown all kinds of RC aircraft with no instruction whatsoever (only lots of simulator time, which with today's highly crash-resistant fly-by-wire RC aircraft, you could probably go without).
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
LOLWUT?
I don't know of anywhere that just flying an RC plane legally requires instruction. I've flown all kinds of RC aircraft with no instruction whatsoever (only lots of simulator time, which with today's highly crash-resistant fly-by-wire RC aircraft, you could probably go without).
Where are you from? Check out the rules for your local modelling body. In a lot of places you're suppose to have your bronze wings to fly solo and your gold wings before you do public displays. That means you've been tested by a qualified instruction.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
I'm not sure what this online racing sim uses as their codebase. It wouldn't suprise me if they both use the same codebase.
IRacing is led by Dave Kaemmer of Papyrus fame, and iRacing uses the NASCAR Racing 2003 code base.
And if you're interested in how in-depth the sim is aiming to be, here's a fantastic video on the upcoming tire model that Dave is developing currently. Basically, he's not aware if anyone else has tried to model a tire the same way, using physical model predictions, rather than curve fits to test data.
Write your representatives! Repeal the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics!
You are (generally) incorrect. Of the two (generally accepted) sim racers, iRacing is the better of the two (rFactor being the other).
I know Greger from racing with him online as far back as 1997. He's a legend. If HE backs iRacing (along with the the Dave Kaemmerer guy, sp?, who has devoted his life to that sim engine, pun intended), then I'm pretty sure there's nothing better.
You're kidding right? 15 laps and y ou're allowed to do 100km/hr on a bend? 3 days and you're a racing expert?
Well, 3 days, plus totally dominating the online racing world since at least 1997. And it was 100mph, not kph. AND 100mph is pretty slow in racing terms.
120mph in a Skip Barber open-wheeler feels like 35 mph in our street cars...zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
The Mazda car he was in is really easy to drive, and 100 mph is very slow (relatively speaking). Even had he wrecked, he most likely would have walked away unhurt at those low speeds. The biggest danger is indeed the last corner, because it is downhill then bottoms out right at the apex and throws you towards the concrete pit wall. The only real escalation of risk is when you add a second through 20th competitor on the track and they start running INTO each other.