The CXC Simulations Motion Pro II represents the bleeding edge of racing simulator technology, but on this project, our goal was to target an analog driving experience.
What our client had in mind was a simulator that would be a practice tool for his vintage Porsche 911 which he uses in historic rallying – which uses a traditional transmission, handbrake, and no driver aids to compete on loose surfaces.
Our Special Projects division set about integrating a gated H-pattern shifter and hydraulic handbrake into a Motion Pro II. Placed in the same location as the real car, they were both tuned for the same feel and action of a vintage 911. For the driving model, we opted for Dirt Rally 2 which happens to feature a Porsche 911 that is very similar to our customer’s real-life car.
“All of these elements work together to create an experience as close as possible to his 911, and to enable him to practice any time he wants,” said Chris Considine, Founder and CEO of CXC Simulations.
We called upon former Porsche factory driver Patrick Long, who has also built vintage Porsche 911 rally vehicles, to step into the simulator and help us fine-tune the package before it was delivered to our customer.
“Simulators tend to be used to replicate a racing experience, to learn a new track, or to acclimate to a new vehicle,” said Patrick. “It ends up being about using the ‘machine’ to get your mind and body ready for something that is new. But this sim is trying to do something different, in using all of the digital tricks to replicate an analog experience. And an older 911 on a rally stage is as raw and analog an experience as you can get. The details have to be right – the touch points have to feel like an old 911, and you have to be able to perceive the changes in the loose surface. This setup really matches the software and hardware to give you a full experience.”
If you have a unique driving situation you would like to experience in a simulator, get in touch with us today.