Simulators sharpen racing skills

Terry Goodkind is best known for his No. 1 New York Times best-selling epic fantasy novels that compose the "Sword of Truth" collection, so it's not much of a stretch to imagine the author and Boulder City resident savoring the opportunity to explore his own dreams and passions.

Beyond the mystical kingdoms of Westland, D'Hara and Midlands, and the quest of protagonist Richard Cypher to defeat oppressors, Goodkind admits his involvement in car racing inspires his writing.

"I want to be the best at everything, no matter what it is … writing or racing a car," said Goodkind, who says he was born with the "racing gene." Goodkind asserts that racing provides much-needed relaxation and diversion, however, writing and racing are similar in that the limits of both activities are merely bound by one's own ability.

A few years ago, Goodkind purchased a powerful Radical sports-racing car, similar in appearance to the open-cockpit vehicles driven in endurance races like the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans. When he can, Goodkind laps and races the car in Pahrump at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, but that isn't always practical when you're dedicated to writing 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

So, when he can't get to the race track, Goodkind heads down the starry carpeted stairs from his office to his workout room. Exercise equipment lines the walls and yoga mats adorn the floors, but it's the unique piece of machinery in the closest corner that looks like it's more sweet than sweat.

Purchased about a year ago, one of Goodkind's favorite at-home distractions is his VirtualGT racing simulator, complete with the company's Advanced Motion System, high-fidelity three-dimensional surround sound, upgraded three-screen visuals and four-point vibration transducers all contained in a sporty chassis.

Like the dedication it takes to write one of his novels, Goodkind researched simulators for about a year before deciding on the VirtualGT.

"This unit made the most sense," said Goodkind, whose simulator was the first to include the company's motion system. "This is about as close as you can get to the real thing. It's most enjoyable and an astounding thing."

The VirtualGT racing simulator is a complete unit, according to Virtual-E Corporation President and CEO Paul Stary. "Complete means everything required is included and integrated. In addition, every upgrade and option fits every unit we sell, so our customers can upgrade at any time and not have to worry about obsolescence."

Stary, whose mission is to address both the racing and entertainment markets, admits there's a lot of competition in the racing simulator industry, but what sets the VirtualGT apart is its accuracy.

"We understand and include the specific effects that create a solid illusion," Stary said. "Nothing is artificial or exaggerated. It's not about the number or level of these effects, but about the balance."

Feeling a bit under the weather, Goodkind gladly allowed a guest to climb aboard his VirtualGT. Fitted with the same racing seat used in his Radical race car, the steering wheel, gauges and pedals are all race-car right. Stary loads an open-wheel formula car at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (a 2.4-mile,15-turn road course in Lexington, Ohio) for our driver, who immediately spins the car off course in the second turn.

"That's another thing I like about a simulator," remarked Goodkind, whose favorite track to drive is, of course, Spring Mountain. "When you (spin or crash) in real life, it's going to be expensive."

For our test driver, Stary turned on all of the driving aids to demonstrate how virtually anyone, regardless of age or experience, can experience the thrill of racing. Gradually, he put our driver back in full control and into a stock car at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In this mode, as in all the others, the user can change gear ratios and make tire and suspension adjustments.

After our driver completed a couple of warm-up laps, Stary programmed a simulated race with 12 other cars. As a spectator, the sound and visual was impressive. Our guest driver was even more astonished by the simulator's realistic movements and responsiveness through the steering wheel, gas and brake pedals.

With his background and experience as an audio and electronic engineer, Stary designed VirtualGT's custom system to not just play loud and clean, but to recreate the feeling of driving a race car at speed.

"The psychology and science of sound is extremely subtle," Stary explained. "If you introduce something that's artificial into a simulation, no matter how minor and no matter how many things you get right, your attention is always drawn to the one that's wrong."

The VirtualGT simulator is also unique, Stary said, because it fits so well in a customer's home, just like a piece of art or furniture.

"There's a lot of detail in the lightweight but strong birch plywood frame, more than 1,000 pieces of hardware, a powerful gaming PC, 10 circuit boards and 13 audio transducers. About 1/8-mile of wiring is concealed within the chassis, some hidden inside braided hydraulic hoses that act as flexible conduits."

Since 2003, Stary's company has delivered more than 470 units to private and commercial customers, including about six units in the Las Vegas area (two are located at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch). Stary noted, however, that multiple units can be connected for head-to-head racing. In fact, with a few software settings, users can even recreate a 24-hour race that runs through a "virtual" day and night, but completes is just 24 minutes of real time.

Depending on upgrades, options and shipping method, the VirtualGT racing simulator is priced from $17,995 to more than $40,000. With that, customers get complete service and support, according to Stary. That includes on-site installation and set-up as well as remote support with online technical intervention and software updates.

Virtual E Corporation is located in Costa Mesa, Calif. For more information, call 888-366-9205 or visit www.virtual-gt.com.