Virtual Reality iRacing Simulation Shows Real-World Engineering Benefits

A month into the substitution of online virtual racing for on-track real racing is producing some unexpected dividends, as drivers and engineers are uncovering ways to leverage iRacing simulation to prepare for their return to racing. Team Penske Indycar driver Simon Pagenaud was effusive about iRacing following his second consecutive virtual victory over his colleagues during a simulated race on the oval track at Japan’s Twin Ring Motegi circuit.

It was a win achieved significantly thanks to reigning Indy 500 champ Pagenaud and his race engineer, Ben Bretzman, employing the optimal strategy for the timing of pit stops for fresh virtual tires and fuel. “I get a lot of help from Ben Bretzman, my race engineer, on the strategies,” Pagenaud said in the post-race interview. “As you can see, he is doing a great job with pit stops.”

It is hard for the driver to make such strategic decisions on the fly because of the stress of the racing, he said. “It is so stressful because you’re still lacking a lot of feedback,” Pagenaud observed, referring to the lack of seat-of-the-pants feel for the car’s motion while driving the simulator. “So I’m relearning another way to race. But I tell you, it is the same behavior for every driver out there.”