Every once in a while, a project comes up that makes us want to drop everything and dive right in. This is one of those projects.
The Red Bull High Performance Center, located just down the freeway from us, gave us a call to build a very special Motion Pro II – one that would be a replica of a Rallycross car. This simulator will be used as part of Red Bull’s High Performance Program, which is sort of an incubator for athletes to improve their performance.
To create this special racing simulator, CXC Simulations worked with Andreas Eriksson of Olsbergs MSE, designer and builder of dozens of championship-winning RallyCross cars and the constructor of the Civic Red Bull Global Rallycross race car driven by Sebastien Eriksson and Joni Wiman.
To accurately simulate the cockpit, several elements of Red Bull’s Rallycross racer were incorporated into the Motion Pro II including the Recaro Full Containment racing seat, sequential shifter and handbrake mechanism. But not only was it important to utilize the same vital components, but accurately replicating their location within the cockpit was equally important. Using engineering plans provided by Olsbergs MSE, the placement of the wheel, seat, pedals, shifter and handbrake is exactly the same in the Red Bull Motion Pro II as in the race car. The simulator is topped with a custom 75” Panoramic screen system and will utilize rallycross-specific software.
To aid in driver training, the simulator will also be equipped with CXC’s Coaching System, which includes real-time telemetry and eye-tracking technology – allowing instructors to provide real-time feedback to the Red Bull athletes.
With the placement figured out, the team worked to accurately replicate the feel and feedback of each of those instruments. When RallyCross drivers step into this machine, they will feel right at home. However, this Motion Pro II will be primarily used by athletes of a different kind at the Red Bull High Performance Center in Santa Monica, California.
“The overall program design is aimed at de-mystifying talent by researching and actively supporting the development of individuals and teams within Red Bull’s network of world-class performers in sport, culture, and business,” said Andy Walshe, Red Bull High Performance Director. “The CXC Simulations Motion Pro II provides the insight to further the success of our top talent and delivers a practical framework to help extend the application of those lessons across the broader portfolio of performance support for the company.”
Having developed this simulator for Red Bull, we can now also offer the same RallyCross setup to interested customers. It provides a very different and unique driving experience.