WPR F-19 Special Championship

We are proud to present a short 5 round championship in collaboration with Thrustmaster with our own mod, the WPR-F19 on rFactor 2 starting on Sunday 22nd March. As many knows, our events are always monitored by FIA licensed stewards and race director. We always keep very close to reality and give you the closest experience with realtime weather. As usual the event will be broadcasted and commentated live by the one and only Jake Sparey!

That’s not all! The overall winner will win a TMX FFB Pro Steering Wheel Kit thanks to our partners Thrustmaster! Let’s continue filling the void for Motorsport, thanks to esports!

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Fanatec Clubsport Handbrake V1.5 Review

Final thoughts on the Fanatec Clubsport handbrake version 1.5. Out of the box this handbrake looked and felt like I expected considering the 130.00 price point. The body casement is made from stamped steel. As well as the internal support brackets. The finish on the casement halves was better than I had expected. The internal mechanical bits are made for the most part
from steel. It is a simple yet effective design. The main shaft that the spring is riding on, is a solid steel rod. The action is surprisingly good on the bench. Good heavy spring tension when pulling the lever, and a soft landing on release of the lever provided by the rubber bumper acting as a stop. There is some flex in the mechanism as a whole. But I was not expecting it to have a solid feel. I was also not expecting the unfinished sharp burs that were left on the main levers edges. Not sure how this got through the quality control guys, but it is sharp enough to cut through some dental floss with ease. I did take the time to file down the edge burs, so I would not have any issues working around it. Also, It will probably end up with another sim racer, so I didn’t want them
to have to deal with it. The foam handle feels quite good in use. Not sure about long term durability though. Fanatec has thought of many ways the user may want to mount this handbrake. And
has come up with an overall good compromise design with their solution. I didn’t have any issues getting mounted to my cockpit. Driving this handbrake doesn’t inspire the driver, but it does get
the job done without any complaints. I was able to find a good rhythm with it when driving my rally cross car. The pressure needed to pull the handle was a little less than I was hoping for when testing it before actually driving. Still, enough tension for most I think. Overall, this Clubsport handbrake meets my expectations for one in this price range. Except for the sharp burs on the levers edges, it did everything I needed it to do.

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The Latest Addition To CoRe

CoRe SimRacing is proud to announce their latest addition to the team!

The latest addition to CoRe SimRacing is a 23 years old engineering student who comes from Turku in Finland : Oskari Rinne. Oskari will help CoRe SimRacing in their upcoming leagues and series – he has proven his talent with impressive results in GT3 racing and most recently in the Bathurst 12h and 24h of Daytona. His main focus will remain in GT3 cars and the qualifying for the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup 2022.

Oskari’s first touch with a racing game was Mobil1 Rally Championship that he started playing on a Microsoft Sidewinder racing wheel when he was 4 years old. His first sim racing experience was Live for Speed which he joined in 2011. After a longer break from sim racing in general, Oskari decided by the end of 2018 to subscribe to the iRacing service and committed to run in prestigious events around early 2020. Oskari : “I know CoRe SimRacing from my time in Live For Speed and I know that CoRe is the one of the oldest and respected sim racing organizations out there as well as some of their drivers who are some of the best in the world. My goal in the team is to help us to achieve best possible results – while having fun at the same time!”.

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Sim Coaches P1 Pro Handbrake Review

Final thoughts on the Simcoaches hydraulic handbrake. This handbrake is made in the same way that their pedal set is. CNC’d from billet aluminum. The handbrake  certainly looks good. It uses Wilwood parts for both the master cylinder and slave cylinder. Just like their pedal sets. It also uses a pressure sensor to relay lever position. This is a full sized handbrake. As with any full sized simulator control, It’s size does add to the immersion factor when using it. Simcoaches had two versions of the handbrake. One that integrates with their pedal set, and a stand alone USB plug and play version. I used both in their respective configurations and could not tell the difference between them. There is difference in the feel of the resistance media used. You can use the new stiffer spring that now ships with each handbrake, or the spring washer stack. I like the feel of both options. At the time of this video’s publication I am still trying to decide which I will be using. I have the older version of this handbrake and the newer version in the USB unit. There are some differences between the two. The USB version has the electronics board embedded in the aluminum housing. Just like on the throttle pedal assembly. This should help mitigate EMI interference issues. You will also notice the master cylinder now has an extra area machined into the body’s large mounting flange. Where they drilled and tapped a hole that receives a threaded rod. This acts as an over travel stop. All their new currently shipping pedal sets will have this on the clutch and brake pedals as well There has been an instance where the master cylinder piston rod was pressed so far that it bottomed out in the master cylinder and bent. This was a great time to test Simcoaches customer service commitment. They have a Lifetime warranty on their products. So if you have this issue they will replace the damaged pedal with a new one that has the integrated stop assembly. I liked this hand brake so much I have integrated it with my Simworx sequential shifter where before I was using the very good Heusinkfeld unit. When using the handbrake in my rally configuration I felt like it was a natural analog feeling pull. Of course this adds to the immersion when driving on dirt. Pairing it with my full sized Simworx sequential shifter was a very natural feeling experience. I think most will agree this is a great handbrake in both it’s looks and performance.

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Sim Lab Vario Vesa Monitor Mount Kit Review

Final thoughts on the Vario Vesa Mount Kit from the guys at Sim Lab. As someone who has been running a triple monitor setup for a long time. I know it can be a fight to get all three of them perfectly lined up the way you want them to. So, I was very interested in getting my hands on this new adjustable monitor mount system from Sim Lab. There are a fair bit of parts that make up the mounts assembly. All of these parts had a good finish on them. The red anodized brackets give this mount a nice contrast when compared to the black flat plates that are used for mounting to the
monitor and the profile on the monitor stand. Assembling one of these brackets was not complicated. I was able to get them completed in no time at all. They have several available adjustments
on them. You can move the monitor laterally, vertically, and you can adjust the angle as it faces you. Using the vertical adjustment screws, you can also can’t the monitor to compensate for any sag the profile arm may have in it. The Vario brakets also make it very easy to attach your monitors to you stands profile sections. The monitor just drops in to the U shaped red bracket, and you adjust from there. I was able to get my monitors as close to perfectly aligned as possible when dealing with the less than perfectly straight plastic casements you find on most monitors available today. I do like the engineering that SimLab has put into the Vario mounts. It is complicated in the way it works, but easy to actually use. It’s such a good result, Sim Lab has a patent pending on this design
to protect all the hard work that went into its development. If you have a triple monitor setup and want to get those panels lined up as perfectly as you possible can. I would be taking a long hard look at this solution from Sim Lab.

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PT Actuator 6DOF Conversion Review

Final thoughts on the 6DOF upgrade kit from the guys at PT Actuator. I have been running my 5DOF PT Actuator system for over a year now. I’ve been pleased with the motion experience that it delivers. But now it’s time to make my system a true 6DOF
platform. All the parts required to assemble the kit were present. This is a time consuming conversion having to almost completely disassembly the motion system assembly. The first thing I did was install the very heavy solid steel guide bars across the middle of the bottom frame. Then move the bearing pivot assembly from the front of the frame to the middle of the frame. Which required installation of the greaseless linear bearings. Once that was sorted it was time to install the front Traction Loss actuator.
After that was completed, I installed the new Servo Drive in to the new longer Servo Drive case with the other Drives. Once I had the cables sorted and had tested the new actuator it was time to begin the reassembly process. Once all the actuators were back in their original position it was time to test everything for proper operation. Once that was sorted, I was able to finish the complete re-assembly. I used the latest version of the Sim Racing Studios tuning software. I had been using Simtools to run this system for a long time and was not sure what to expect from the SRS app. If you are currently using Simtools to control your PT Actuator motion system you are in for a treat with the SRS software. Much more user friendly. And easier to understand what effect a setting has on your motion. I was able to get up and running straight away. And tune a good setup for every vehicle I have driven to date. I don’t have everything dialed in perfectly yet. But I am not far away from it. But then again I am very picky about how my cockpit moves in simulation. I was tweaking my Simtools settings for a couple of months before I was satisfied it was the best I could get it. If you have a PT Actuator system, and are using Simtools you should do yourself a favor and get the SRS software. The performance of the new sway element is good. Unfortunately there are few driving simulations or games that support the Front Traction loss element in their telemetry feeds. SRS has overcome this limitation by taking existing data that is
available and creating their own effect to action the Front TL actuator. I did have to tweak it a bit for my taste, but I can feel a sway element that is not there in the 5DOF motion I had before. Hopefully iRacing and other driving simulations will get busy making the needed information available in their telemetry feeds. Until then, I don’t have any issues with the sway I am experiencing now. Because of this current state of affairs you do have to ask yourself if all this work to get your 5DOF system changed to a true 6DOF system is worth the effort that you have seen here. Of course if you ordered your PT Actuator motion system in the 6DOF configuration, you don’t have to worry about this.

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DNLS 2021 Season Review

CoRe SimRacing ends 2020-2021 DNLS season with three 2nd-place championship results!

It was a radical turnaround for motorsports in 2020 due to COVID-19 – but definitely a great opportunity to digitally remaster the Nürburgring Endurance Series and provide another season of exciting high-tier esports racing and action. A mixture of well-known real-life drivers and esports sim-racers decided to gather together to virtually blast through the Eifel for top-class Nürburgring endurance trophies in partnership with Vodafone, Goodyear and many more.

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VNM Shifter V1 Review

Final thoughts on the VNM Shifter V1. These are manufactured at a small shop in Vietnam. Out of the box, it has a very solid feel to it. The case is made from aluminum that has nicely done anodization on both the outside and inside. It comes with two shifting knobs. One for H-Pattern duties and one for sequential use. There is an adjustable knob mounting unit that allows you to
adjust the height of the shifter knobs. It is secured to the shaft by two opposing set screws. You want to make sure you get these tight to prevent slippage during hard shifting use. This shifter comes with a 7 speed gate and sequential gate. They do have an 8 speed and 6 speed gate available as an add-on product. The gates have ramps cut into them to help guide the shaft to the proper gate. The shifting mechanism is made from CNC aluminum. It is a complex looking piece of kit that gives the impression of a high quality build. It uses sealed bearings at crucial pivot points. There is a tension adjustment element that uses a spring tensioned ball bearing riding on a nylon plate with indentations to simulate shifting gears. The good news continues with the electronics solution that I found. A custom circuit board that looks to be well done. There are contactless switches which should give a long life cycle. I was able to find a good mounting solution using the included dual clamp system. Resulting in a very solid mount. Which is what you need to really tell how a shifter performs under pressure. During H pattern shifting I found I had to adjust the tensioner screw to its maximum range to get the feeling I wanted during shifting. I found it easy to get up to speed with this shifter. The gate spacing felt familiar and allowed me to make shifts with minimal error from the start. And never missing shifts soon thereafter. In sequential mode it didn’t feel like I was turning a selector shaft, but it did have enough pressure available in the spring tensioned ball bearing to get the job done. I think it’s H pattern performance felt better. I did hammer on this shifter for a few hours worth of driving. And it never gave the impression of weakness. It’s solid all metal construction came into play here. At a current price of 200.00 plus shipping, I believe the VNM Shifter punches a bit above its weight. Currently, to purchase this shifter you will need to join VNM’s Facebook group. Or, go to their Discord server and inquire. VNM is working on completing their website sometime in March. Overall I liked using this shifter. And when considering the price point, I would give this one a serious look.

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SimCoaches P1 Pedal Set Review

As soon as you open the box you, you are greeted by gleaming CNC’d aluminum bits. Once I had them out and on the test bench it was easy to see attention to detail is the theme for these
pedals construction. Every edge I could find had chamfering on it. The pedal levers themselves look more like pieces of art than a pedal lever. The pedal faces are made from 3/8″ thick aluminum plate with a nice radius on them for smooth action under foot. The finish on the pedal faces is very smooth. Almost too smooth when it came to using the brake pedal with proper
racing shoes. But only when I was using the pedals in heel and toe mode. It would be nice if Simcoaches include some grip tape material for those who want to use it. I also like the way Simcoaches has integrated the Bodnar controller board inside the metal casing used in the throttle. This helps mitigate EMI interference if you have Direct drive wheel or a motor driven motion
system. All pedal manufacturers should be doing this. Unfortunately most of them don’t. The throttle pedal was at first a bit finicky to get it to the feel that I preferred. But once you realize that
changing one setting affects the others, you learn to predict how changing a setting will affect the rest of pedals throw and feel. The brake pedal which has a 1000psi pressure sensor, was easy to adjust, and I was able to get it to where I could threshold and trail brake with good consistency. The Clutch pedal, that has a 500psi pressure sensor, did have a good hydraulic feel to it along its available travel. But like most clutch pedals I have tested that feel fades away once you are using it in heel and toe fashion. It was easy to mount the pedals to their shiny baseplate. There is
plenty of lateral space available for those that like to left foot brake in comfort. Although I would like to see some way to adjust the heel plate height to accommodate those drivers with smaller
feet. I wear a us size 9 shoe and didn’t have any problems reaching the pedal faces. But would have like to have the pedal faces a tad lower where my foot lands on them. Now these are
hydraulic pedals, but I always like to point out that you should not expect them to feel like a real cars hydraulic system. There is just too many elements of a real system missing. Still, they do feel different from load cell based pedal sets. The important thing is to have a pressure based brake pedal for best braking consistency. Overall, these pedals do deliver the goods when it comes to everyday sim racing duties. And there are arguably the best looking pedal set I have ever reviewed here at the SRG. At the 1750.00 price point I wouldn’t expect anything less.

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Prosimu P5MP With P1-X Cockpit Mounted

Final thoughts on the Prosimu P5MP Cockpit Mounting system. When I did my original review of Prosimu’s P5MP platform with their T1000 cockpit mounted, I was thinking of way to get a P1-X cockpit mounted to it. I imagined that it would only enhance the driving experience you get with the P5MP system. When I asked Prosimu about me doing this, I was happy to find that they have their own custom mounting system available. So no custom bracket fabrication needed on my part. The welded all metal brackets have the same powder coated finish that
the rest of the P5MP platform has. Which makes them an aesthetically pleasing add on. They come with all the hardware bits you will need to get a P1-X cockpit properly mounted. Just for fun I also used some of P5MP’s mounting points to add some additional corner brackets. Now the P1-X cockpit is a noticeably heavier cockpit setup than Prosimu’s T1000. But it also brings a higher level of stiffness to the ride. When driving the P5MP with my P1-X attached I could not detect any degradation to its performance. Which was really not surprising considering that the PRS 200 actuators are rated to maintain their 280mm per second speed and 2G’s of acceleration up to 193KG per actuator. As you might imagine I did notice a different driving experience with the P1-X mounted. Which only enhanced the already great driving experience you get when running this motion system. When you purchase the P5MP
motion system from Prosimu it will ship with four of the 168mm brackets and two of the 350mm brackets. So no extra charge to get your cockpit mounted.

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