Race simulator could boost Hong Kong motorsports
For adrenaline junkies in search of the ultimate white-knuckle ride, this racing car simulator takes some beating
It's unnerving driving Marchy Lee Ying-kin's Audi R8 LMS around the Shanghai Formula One circuit with the series' reigning champion looking over your shoulder from behind the simulator.
It's a bad start, hitting a wall before even leaving the pits and careering off the track at the first bend. But Lee is here at the new Racing Simulation centre in Wong Chuk Hang to offer assistance.
That seat gives you the feel of the car, not the steering, as people think.
This helps, with instructions to slam down hard on the brake and slow the car down to 100km/h and second gear ahead of the corner. Then it's all the way up to sixth gear and 260km/h on the straight, and a pretty successful beginner's lap.
Lee gives the simulator the thumbs up, but is non-committal on my attempts in the Audi, which bears the livery of Lee's own R8 LMS car - black with red dragons. "I think this is the most high-level simulator you can find. Nothing really comes close to this one," he says.
Racing Simulation is the brainchild of businessman Stephen Luk Wing-tak, who says that with the lack of a racing track in Hong Kong, the venture is aimed at helping promising young drivers, seasoned experts and enthusiastic amateur racers alike hone their skills. The venue also has a gym, showers and a reception room-cum-shop selling racing gear.
Luk says Racing Simulation has already piqued a lot of interest since it opened its doors a month ago. The professional-grade simulator was developed by Cranfield Motorsport Simulation, which is linked to Britain's Cranfield University, and made its name developing pilot training systems.