News
Digital world aids in new model transition
Reigning GT Trophy winner Brad Schumacher has turned to the digital world to complete testing in his newer specification Audi R8 LMS GT3, which will spearhead his transition to GT Championship this year.
Work continues on the Audi he debuted at Bathurst last year to upgrade it to Championship specification ahead of this season, but while this is taking place Schumacher is doing work on the sim to prepare for ahead of a test next week.
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“The beautiful thing about the simulator world is there are technical engineers, who set-up just about any factory built and delivered race car you can buy across the world,” Schumacher explained.
“When I was driving the Audi R8 GT3 LMS Ultra, obviously that was what I was practicing in on the simulator before we’d head to the circuit.
“When I bought the newer specification Audi, I was able to load that up and get into the seat to get a feel for it. It is interesting how the different characteristics of the different models in real life is mimicked in the simulator software as well.”
Schumacher owns I-Sim Simulators, one of only two Australian made and owned companies featuring full motion set-ups. The product has been sold to serious competitors as well as ‘man cave enthusiasts’ and even Schumacher’s on-track rivals.
“When we designed the simulators, we really put the emphasis to making it as comparable to real life as possible and ultimately that is what our product is all about,” Schumacher emphasised.
“For me, I believe motion really brings that connectivity and realism, which provides great feedback through the simulator.”
Realism comes not only through the car, but also effort has gone into replicating every detail of particular tracks around the world.
“A lot of circuits have been laser scanned to feature all the lumps and bumps in the exact same spots as the actual track,” Schumacher explained.
Schumacher credits his impressive season last year to the preparation completed on the simulator.
By the way, Schumacher Motorsport has advertised for a part-time apprentice to join its team at a multitude of events. Check its Facebook page for details.