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INTRODUCTION Racing cockpits used to be very expensive and thus only a handful of people were able to afford this kind of luxury in their gaming experience. But in the last few years we have seen quite a few products that are specifically made for the everyday “consumer”. With its price at $299, Virtual Racing Chassis certainly is not going to break the bank of the average sim-racer. If you think that racing behind a desk in an office chair is fun, then just wait until you take this baby for a drive! Bob Earl designs the Virtual Racing Chassis. Bob has a 30 year career as a Road Racing Driver and Instructor and has raced in all sorts of racing series ranging from GT cars to Formula Ford. He made the VRC with one goal in mind – to simulate the driving position in a real racecar. TOOL TIME One day I got a call from the local airport that a big, 25 kilos package is waiting for me. The box was a little over 1 meter long and around half a meter wide. It was no problem for me to pick it up alone and put it into the car. Before I go through the assembly process let me just mention, that VRC always comes fully assembled. It was only taken apart for me to lower the shipping costs since it had to travel all the way over the pond. I know it’s a bit strange for me to write about putting it together but it’s just that this will give you an idea on how easy and brilliant VRC really is. As I arrived home, I started unpacking. All the parts were packed neatly and wrapped into plastic bubble wrap. I went quickly through the assembly instructions and began putting things together. Basically you just put part A into part B, tighten the screw and you are done. Good thing is that the screws that allow you to adjust the length of the assembly are done in such a way, that you don’t have to use any tools. You just grab the handle, unscrew it, adjust and screw it back. Bottom line is that putting it together was so easy, even my grandma could do it in five minutes. With the chassis all together the last task of assembly is mounting the seat. The support is made out of fibreglass and dressed in leather with foam inside for staying comfortable during those long endurance races. Next on the to do list were pedals and steering wheel. The Steering Plate is 25cm wide, 15cm long and 0.4cm thick with a hard foam pad for wheel stability. With so many wheels on the market and so many different mounting mechanisms, Bob came up with some special parts to make it all work (for detailed list of wheels check this link - https://bobearlracing.com/features_compatibility.htm). To prevent pedals from moving around I had to apply self-adhesive Velcro strips on both the chassis and the pedals unit. And once you put them together, they won’t move an inch, yet you can always remove the unit if you wish to do so. If you are one of the lucky owners of the Logitech G25 wheel you have nothing to worry about. VRC comes with holes drilled for the pedals and wheel plus the 6mm bolts are supplied with the instructions. You can also buy a G25 shifter mount separately. Inside the package you will also find Velcro straps, which will help you keep cables neat and organized. With cables secured to the chassis all that was left to do was to put the footrest next to the pedals and I was ready to burn rubber. Another nice feature is that VRC doesn’t have a single sharp edge where you could injure yourself and thus makes it safe for the home use.TESTING I was thinking about what would be the best way to test this rig and I decided to organize a small tournament in my basement. I connected the computer to my projector, calibrated the wheel and installed RACE 07. Then I invited four of my friends and their girlfriends so we ended up with five couples. We agreed to test our skills in hotlap mode and the couple with quickest average time would win. So I hop in, do my warm up lap and my qualifying lap. Next is my girlfriend’s turn. I jump out, she jumps in, adjusts the position of the pedals and she’s racing in less than 30 seconds. How is that for a super fast pitstop? We continued switching drivers until everyone had their turn in the cockpit. I was really pleasantly surprised by the speed and ease with which the VRC can be fine tuned to every person’s specific needs. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, tall or small, chubby or thin. VRC has it all covered. Since VRC simulates real racing position and most of us aren’t used to this, I decided to do some long races and see how my body would respond. None of us had any problems doing small amount of laps but we all know how quickly racing can turn into agony if you are doing a 200 lapper at Charlotte and your behind starts to hurt on lap 50. I was actually more concerned with the comfort of my legs after a long race. When I started using the VRC it felt odd having my legs stretched so far forward but after a while you don’t even notice it. It has been quite a while since I have participated in some serious racing so my stamina level wasn’t all that great. I completed the one hour plus race without any problems (apart from a few crashes and spins) or any discomfort. After you are done with racing, VRC can be compressed to 120cm tall x 53cm x 53cm when stood on end for easy storage. CONCLUSION So what is the bottom line you ask. To put it simply, VRC is an adjustable, sturdy and affordable racing simulator that will improve everyone’s racing experience. Sure it helps if you have a projector, 3m diagonal projection screen, and 5.1 surround speakers but even if you just own a crappy 15” CRT monitor, it will bring your racing to another level. With a price of $299, I think every “serious” sim-racer should be able to own one. Virtual Racing Chassis Homepage: https://www.bobearlracing.com/ Bob Earl Racing: https://www.bobearlracing.com/ |
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| Author: Mad Dog Miller | 21-10-2009 |
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I've had one of these for about a year and a half along with the optional flat screen stand holding a 32" display. It's is a great racing cockpit and has help up remarkably well over time. I did add a "geriatric" doughnut cusion under the seat pad of mine and have spent as long as 12 hour stints in it enduro racing with no butt fatigue! Remarkable. I can't do that in my real race car! I'm using a Fanatec Turbo S wheel and ClubSport Pedals on my rig and if it only had hydraulics it would actually be very close to being in a real car. I did drill out my steering wheel plate to mount the wheel with 4 6mm screws and it's rock solid even when using the H pattern shifter mounted on the wheel gearshift rails and there is ample clearance between my leg and the shifter body and can be mounted either left or right of the wheel. I hghly recommend this racing cockpit as a low cost entry in to proper sim racng. Bob Earl is a great guy to talk to and has a hgh qualty product on offer here. |
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