What is Sim Racing And How Do I Get Started?

Simulation racing, known better as ‘sim racing’ inside the community, is the concept of virtual races taking place on simulated software.

While that may look intimidating on the surface, the “simulated” part refers to the accuracy of the variables being mimicked by the cars in the software. Arcade-style racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed and others are geared more towards a pick-up-and-play approach.

Sim racing, however, focuses much more on the driver’s need to understand variables such as tyre temperatures, suspension geometry, and the ability to feel how a car is reacting across the tarmac in different situations, like rain.

As a result of this enhanced realism, sim racing sits in a unique niche where the skills between virtual and reality are, arguably, the most transferable of any video game. They’re so accurate that many real-world motorsport teams (Ferrari, Mercedes and others) use simulators to train their drivers before they’re physically present at the real tracks.

“Simulators are for racing drivers what treadmills are for runners. It’s not quite the real thing… but you’re still running.”

The questions of why sim racing is so popular and why it’s so competitive trace back to the same roots:

• Cost – Compared to real-world racing, simulators are extraordinarily cheap (yes even the most expensive ones). As you’ll see in our guides, you can build a capable setup without the spare tyres, crash repairs, or the travel to experience the world’s greatest racetracks. That lower barrier means a bigger community, and a much stronger talent pool.
• Time – The time investment to reach a competitive standard is comparatively small. Where a real F1 driver logs thousands of hours, sim racing’s adjustable rulesets, identical car performance, reduced damage, and rating systems, mean most people can race wheel-to-wheel against similarly matched drivers in a fraction of the time. Come home from work, jump on, and feel the spoils of victory.
• Community – With such an expansive community – huge in both numbers and geography – there’s a group for every kind of racing. Whether you want to emulate Senna in classic F1 cars, dart through the forests of Finland in a rally car, or race hypercars in IMSA, there are like-minded people who’ll join you on track.
• The boom – Sim racing went through a super-boom during COVID-19, a golden three-year period that never really receded. People picked it up for the first time, real-world pros installed rigs at home to keep racing, and many turned a hobby into a full-time job.

Sim racing may look like a cutthroat market where only the best survive. It couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a place where anyone with an interest in cars and racing can come together and race the world’s best machinery, against the best people, on the best tracks on earth, from the confort of their home.

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Getting Started in Sim Racing

So, whether you’ve seen Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in a simulator, or seen James Baldwin and Jimmy Broadbent transition to real world from sim and fancy doing the same, or you just want to drive the cars of your motorsport heroes, this guide should help you get started. It can feel like there’s so much to work out, but follow this guide and you won’t get overwhelmed.

Work Out What You Want to Race

A quick search of “racing simulators” brings up a plethora of choices. Sim racing is now in the fortunate position where you can drive just about any car you’d like. Before you dive in, ask yourself:

• What kind of cars do I want to drive?
• What motorsport do I enjoy watching? (F1 / Le Mans / GT / Rally?)
• Do I want a subscription model or a one-off purchase?
• Do I already own a console or a PC?

Your Choices

PlayStation – Gran Turismo 7 offers the widest range of content, while the official F1 game and EA Sports WRC cover those specific appetites. Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) lends itself closest to the pure-sim end and, with crossplay, is a strong starting point for anyone aiming at competitive esports.

Xbox – Again, F1, EA Sports WRC and ACC (with crossplay) are all here, and Forza Motorsport gives you an Xbox alternative to Gran Turismo if you want a fun, competitive edge.

PC – The widest range of all. Everything above, plus:

• Assetto Corsa – still one of the largest varieties of cars and tracks in all of sim racing, with a huge modding community still active.
• Assetto Corsa EVO – the long-awaited successor to the original, now in early access and building fast. Coach Dave supports it with weekly setups for the official Daily Racing schedule.
• Assetto Corsa Competizione – the SRO-backed GT3 simulator, built with real teams and drivers. Super competitive, super rewarding.
• Le Mans Ultimate – the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship, bringing Hypercar, LMP2, LMP3 and LMGT3 racing to life. Coach Dave is its official setup partner.
• iRacing – the largest online sim racing platform in the world, on a monthly subscription with a free base selection of cars and tracks, plus a world-class ranked and rating system.
• Automobilista 2 (AMS2) – a brilliant, feel-first sim with a broad car and track roster and a passionate community.
• Assetto Corsa Rally – stage rally done properly, if darting through forests with a co-driver in your ear is your thing.
• rFactor 2 and RaceRoom – deep, community-driven sims; RaceRoom in particular offers plenty of free content as a friendly introduction.

Find Out Where You Want to Race

Once you know your sim, ask yourself:

• What kind of cars and series do I want to race?
• How serious do I want the rules and regulations to be?
• Do I want officially sanctioned racing, or is a casual race fine?

These aren’t restrictive – you might want competitive racing in one car, and a relaxed experience in another. A great place to find leagues and communities is our own platform, SimGrid – a tailor-made platform for sim racing with over 3,000 communities hosting daily and weekly events across LMU, AC, ACC, AC Evo, AMS2, rF2, RaceRoom, F1, GT7, iRacing and more.

SimGrid is also the official technical partner for both Le Mans Ultimate and Assetto Corsa EVO, helping build and run the online racing portals that bring competitive racing to the front of both sims. And if you’re on console racing ACC, SimGrid Seasons offers ranked daily racing with multiple competitions to climb.

What Sim Racing Hardware Should I Buy?

Finding the balance between cost and quality can be tricky – you’ll need a rig, a wheel, pedals and a few peripherals, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We recommend buying from our partners and trusted companies we’ve worked with, who offer some of the best equipment in the business with the warranty and support to protect you:

• Asetek SimSports – award-winning direct-drive wheel bases and pedals. As a bonus, your Coach Dave Delta subscription gets you a 10% discount on Asetek products.
• Race Anywhere – the place to get all your sim racing equipment with worldwide shipping.
• Lovely SimRacing (Lovely Dash) – superb dashboards and displays to complete your cockpit.

Racing wheels

The humble racing wheel has changed dramatically, with direct-drive technology now the standard for serious feel. Wheels and bases divide into gear-driven, belt-driven and direct-drive, describing how force feedback is transferred from the game to your hands. In such a saturated market, our guide to the best direct-drive wheel bases will point you the right way. Combine a direct-drive base with a top-end wheel and you’re well on your way to the real thing.

Racing pedals

Pedals are where precision lives – confidence on the throttle, brake and clutch is everything, and modern sets get remarkably close to a real racecar. A good set helps enormously with trail braking and throttle modulation. Our Sim Racing Pedals Buyers Guide covers the best options available.

Racing rigs

A solid rig gets the most out of your wheel and pedals, keeps everything sturdy under load, and puts you in the optimal, comfortable driving position. Whatever your budget, we’ve got you – from the best cheap sim racing rigs to the best rigs on the market when money’s no object.

Racing gloves

The final piece, and more useful than you’d think. Gloves protect your wheel’s materials (like suede) and protect you from blisters and rubbing, so you can focus on the race. See our guide to the best gloves in sim racing.

How to Get Better in Sim Racing

For most new sim racers, being fastest doesn’t come instantly. Like any skill, it takes time, patience and dedication. When it comes to improvement, don’t fixate on the gap to the aliens – focus on how much you’ve gained, how you can feel the car more, and the things that once seemed impossible. It’s as much a mental game as a physical one.

Routines, routines, routines

Motorsport is mentally draining – ask any driver about the focus required on the limit. So set aside real time to learn and develop. Before you even jump in, think about what you want from the session. Learning a tricky sequence of corners? Understanding how ride heights affect the car? The biggest mistake is pounding laps with no reference for whether you’re improving.

You can always seek professional help. With coaching from Coach Dave Academy, you get world-class guidance from professional drivers and sim racers – improving your lap time, consistency and racecraft in as little as one hour. It’s tailored to your sim and transfers across titles.

Build a routine and you’re already ahead of the field. Don’t be afraid of regular breaks, either – burnout on one element is real, and stepping away often gives you the space to reflect and improve. Most sims run regular races on a schedule, so allocate time to work on a specific skill and finish with a race. You’ll be surprised how quickly it clicks. And don’t be disheartened if progress takes days or weeks – instant results are rare, but good coaching speeds the process right up.

Data Is Your New Best Friend

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Setup IQ, AI Coaching, Telemetry Data, Leaderboards, Never Lift and Video Analysis - all in Delta for Le Mans Ultimate, iRacing, ACC and AC Evo. Everything you need to win and get faster as a driver in one subscription.

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The beauty of a simulator is that you can, in most cases, get real-time or post-session telemetry of your data. It can look like complex graphs and numbers, but it’s invaluable for understanding your driving. Consistency, smoothness and confidence are the keys, and if your data looks scrambled, your driving style is usually the reason.

This is exactly what Coach Dave Delta is built for. Delta is your personal performance engineer, working across ACC, Assetto Corsa EVO, Le Mans Ultimate, iRacing, AMS2 and GT7. It gives you:

• Auto Insights – AI coaching that tells you exactly how to brake, steer and exit each corner better
• Video Analysis – your telemetry, video and now audio synced together, so you can see and hear exactly what happened on a lap
• Setup IQ – take any setup in LMU & ACC and have it automatically tuned to your driving style
• Pro setups – prepared by the best in the business for you to be fast
• Leaderboards – compare against leading drivers and pro reference laps, and find seconds every lap
• Deep telemetry tools – for you to analyse in fine detail what your driving is doing 

If you interpret your data properly – or let Delta do the heavy lifting – you’ll improve faster than you thought possible.

Sim Racing vs Real Life: Does Sim Racing Make You a Better Driver?

The beauty of sim racing is that it’s arguably the most transferable form of competitive gaming there is. For many, the end goal is to enter real motorsport, and if you find yourself in that position, it’s important to approach it the right way.

Set the right targets

Just as you did when you first started, treat this step realistically. You’re unlikely to be handed an F1 test off the back of the F1 game, but a GT3 test is far more feasible given the associated costs. So aim at competitions where real prizes are achievable. A few examples:

• ACC used to host the SRO Esports Series, where factory teams offer their sim drivers test days or paid drives
• rFactor 2 has offered Formula E series winners test days in real Formula E cars
• RaceRoom has run “Road to DTM” competitions with a real DTM drive on the line
• iRacing hosts the Porsche Esports Supercup and eNASCAR series, with large prize pools and real teams watching for talent

Connections build the bridge

The second key to transferring skills is the problem everyone in motorsport faces: budget. Results on a simulator indicate performance, but money moves things forward. The good news is that sim racing is full of people who share your passion, giving you a great starting point to find partners. 

The “sim-to-real” story is still rare, but some have done it – and interestingly, many of the fastest sim drivers came from real racing, ran out of budget, and now make a career on the sim instead. Reach out to people in your leagues and teams; you never know who might support your journey.

Probably the biggest advocate for sim racing right now has been Max Verstappen – he has an entire esports team dedicated in finding the best talent in the industry, and his drivers transfer over to real life, the most succesful is probably Chris Lulham, who went from sim to real life and regularly races in the GT World Challenge for Team Verstappen.

Do the prep work – not just virtually

As you prepare for a real test, make sure you’re physically and mentally fit. Simulators can replicate the physical forces on your body (strong direct drive wheelbases and heavy load cell brake pedals, but not g-forces), and you won’t get those cockpit temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, or the constant lateral and longitudinal strain you feel throwing a real car around.

You’ll see why proper strength training matters for this if you ever got the chance. Focus on four areas, alongside regular training and a balanced diet:

• Cardiovascular training – for proper oxygen use during a stint.
• Core strength – to combat G-forces and for firm brake application.
• Flexibility – to reduce injury risk in an accident.
• Cognitive training – to concentrate longer, analyse faster, and predict what’s coming.

On mental training, the key area is memory. When you turn into a corner, your brain instinctively knows how much brake and steering to apply and where to place the car. By training memory and reaction, you widen the range of scenarios your brain can recall instantly – a slide, a hit, a surprise – which is exactly what you’ll face in the real world. The first time you roll out of the pitlane, your senses will be overloaded; the prep work lets you relax, focus and enjoy it.

Becoming a Pro Sim Racer

The “road to pro” is the end goal for many drivers. With the surge of investment in esports, working full-time in a simulator is a genuine possibility, as the likes of Team Verstappen, Coanada, Williams, Ferrari, and Mercedes Esports have shown. “Pro” is ambiguous, but you should ultimately be aiming for:

• Competing in high-level competitions regularly
• Being paid by a team and/or sponsors to represent them

There’s really no ceiling. Sign to a team and you’ll have regular income, expenses and support, but sponsor restrictions. Go solo and you keep your freedom but face a harder climb to find backing. Either way, to get on the radar of top teams, compete at the highest level of your sim and perform. That evidences you’re worth the investment (and investment, albeit in yourself, is the key term).

Once you’ve built a competitive CV, present yourself professionally on social media – clean, consistent, and growing, because reach is what many companies use to measure your value. Then approach brands already inside sim racing, tell them your story, and show how your audience can help them. That’s the heart of every sponsorship, and with the right approach it can generate the support you need.