Jack Nicholls looks at how the Visa Vegas eRace is the latest stage in the evolution of competitive virtual racing

When the 10 best sim racers in the world take on the 20 Formula E drivers in the Visa Vegas eRace on January 7, it will mark the next stage in the evolution of sim racing.

While the notion of playing racing games competitively is nothing new – in fact it’s existed in one form or another for 20 years or so – never before has there been such a high-profile event, incorporating professional racing drivers and a million dollar prize fund.

But the event is only possible now because of the development of the simulator software, which allows 20 players to race simultaneously on a highly stable platform that is fair for all and can be properly officiated to the same standards as a real-life event.

While there are a number of games including iRacing and Assetto Corsa that are currently used for top-line sim racing, rFactor2 has been chosen for the Visa Vegas eRace principally for the quality of its physics engine, which means the Formula E mod is as close to driving the all-electric car as it’s possible to get.

The progress that’s been made in simulation software has been staggering. To help explain how it has evolved, Formula E commentator Jack Nicholls – who will be on hand to call the Visa Vegas eRace – takes a trip back through time to revisit five of the key titles that moved the dial in the advancement towards where we are today.

This is not a definitive list – there are many titles which could have earned a place on this list, not least Grand Prix Legends, IndyCar Racing and the NASCAR sim racing game of the mid-2000s – but these are certainly five of the best.

Pole Position, Atari 1982

At a time when consoles mainly featured bat-and-ball style games, and home computers genuinely boasted about having 3.5k of memory, wannabe racing drivers had to head to the arcades to get their kicks.

Pole Position wasn’t the first racing game – the pioneering Gran Trak 10 (the first in the line of the Super Sprint series) has that honour – but it was the first to put the driver behind the car rather than taking a helicopter view of the track, which made it feel like it was realistic.

The action took place around the original Fuji track, with the driver having to avoid fiery explosions caused by clipping a fellow racer, one of the many signs that lined the track or the random, and frequent, patches of oil that dotted the track.

Indycar legend and Formula E commentator Dario Franchitti apparently used to hustle unsuspecting rivals during his youth in Scotland, which is more than enough reason for this arcade legend to cement its place on the list.

Jack says:

It plays a jaunty tune and the engine noise is surprisingly like a V6 turbo, so that’s a positive. And extra points for being Fuji, which in itself is pretty cool.

Sim rating: 1/10

Fun rating: 3/10

Test of time: 1/10

Difficulty: 3/10

Revs, Acornsoft 1984

With home computing booming in the early 1980s, Geoff Crammond produced this ground-breaking racing game for the BBC Micro and Commodore 64. It was revered by those who played it at the time for its super realism.

It took pole position and its clones (Chequered Flag etc) and added the first level of simulation. Using a Formula 3 car as its base racer, Revs allowed the driver to chose the front and rear wing levels in order to find the perfect set-up Silverstone (an expansion pack was subsequently released featuring Brands Hatch, Donington, Oulton Park and Snetterton).

The graphics placed the driver inside of the cockpit and rather than burst int

Jack Nicholls looks at how the Visa Vegas eRace is the latest stage in the evolution of competitive virtual racing

When the 10 best sim racers in the world take on the 20 Formula E drivers in the Visa Vegas eRace on January 7, it will mark the next stage in the evolution of sim racing.

While the notion of playing racing games competitively is nothing new – in fact it’s existed in one form or another for 20 years or so – never before has there been such a high-profile event, incorporating professional racing drivers and a million dollar prize fund.

But the event is only possible now because of the development of the simulator software, which allows 20 players to race simultaneously on a highly stable platform that is fair for all and can be properly officiated to the same standards as a real-life event.

While there are a number of games including iRacing and Assetto Corsa that are currently used for top-line sim racing, rFactor2 has been chosen for the Visa Vegas eRace principally for the quality of its physics engine, which means the Formula E mod is as close to driving the all-electric car as it’s possible to get.

The progress that’s been made in simulation software has been staggering. To help explain how it has evolved, Formula E commentator Jack Nicholls – who will be on hand to call the Visa Vegas eRace – takes a trip back through time to revisit five of the key titles that moved the dial in the advancement towards where we are today.

This is not a definitive list – there are many titles which could have earned a place on this list, not least Grand Prix Legends, IndyCar Racing and the NASCAR sim racing game of the mid-2000s – but these are certainly five of the best.

Pole Position, Atari 1982

At a time when consoles mainly featured bat-and-ball style games, and home computers genuinely boasted about having 3.5k of memory, wannabe racing drivers had to head to the arcades to get their kicks.

Pole Position wasn’t the first racing game – the pioneering Gran Trak 10 (the first in the line of the Super Sprint series) has that honour – but it was the first to put the driver behind the car rather than taking a helicopter view of the track, which made it feel like it was realistic.

The action took place around the original Fuji track, with the driver having to avoid fiery explosions caused by clipping a fellow racer, one of the many signs that lined the track or the random, and frequent, patches of oil that dotted the track.

Indycar legend and Formula E commentator Dario Franchitti apparently used to hustle unsuspecting rivals during his youth in Scotland, which is more than enough reason for this arcade legend to cement its place on the list.

Jack says:

It plays a jaunty tune and the engine noise is surprisingly like a V6 turbo, so that’s a positive. And extra points for being Fuji, which in itself is pretty cool.

Sim rating: 1/10

Fun rating: 3/10

Test of time: 1/10

Difficulty: 3/10

Revs, Acornsoft 1984

With home computing booming in the early 1980s, Geoff Crammond produced this ground-breaking racing game for the BBC Micro and Commodore 64. It was revered by those who played it at the time for its super realism.

It took pole position and its clones (Chequered Flag etc) and added the first level of simulation. Using a Formula 3 car as its base racer, Revs allowed the driver to chose the front and rear wing levels in order to find the perfect set-up Silverstone (an expansion pack was subsequently released featuring Brands Hatch, Donington, Oulton Park and Snetterton).

The graphics placed the driver inside of the cockpit and rather than burst into a ball of flames on impact, the car could actually be tipped into a spin. Sounds great, but very frustrating in reality! The first true sim.

Jack says:

Incredibly frustrating! Having to fire up the ignition, engage the clutch, raise the revs and select first gear every you start, while realistic gets boring. But it’s a clear and significant step forward from Pole Position. Almost unnecessarily nerdy,

Sim rating: 7/10

Fun rating: 1/10

Test of time: 3/10

Difficulty: 10/10

Super Monaco GP, Sega 1989

The world of arcade gaming was reaching its zenith in 1989 when Sega release Super Monaco GP, which placed the driver in a reimagined version of Monaco in a car that featured paddle gearchange behind the steering wheel for the first time and at least gave the impression of taking its links to reality to the next level.

Certainly, it was a huge step forward graphically, with the gorgeous cars of the 1989 season (the best looking F1 cars of all time?) amazingly and accurately recreated.

Despite the seven-speed gearbox(!) it was still ultimately an arcade game, with the driver needing to cross the line in a certain position at each checkpoint to continue. While Sega Rally and Daytona would continue to keep racing fans returning to the end of the pier or smoke-filled seedy little arcade halls for a few more years to come, the shift towards home computing was changing the gaming culture forever…

Jack says:

I can see why it would have been a hit in the arcade, but it’s very limited in terms of a sim although it took the graphics up a notch. It has a very cool cockpit and the other cars make it way more immersive. Good crashes as well.

Sim rating: 2/10

Fun rating: 6/10

Test of time: 4/10

Difficulty: 6/10

Grand Prix 2, MicroProse 1996

Another entry from the godfather of sim racing Geoff Crammond, Grand Prix 2 combined beautiful graphics (using the 1994 F1 season as its base) with a hitherto unimaginable amount of set-up realism.

The amount of customisation meant the player could tailor the difficulty level to suit their ability and ensured that it had literally 100s of hours of playing time.

It stands up remarkably well to the test of time, unlike many of the other entries on this list, which is a testimony to the quality of the product.

Jack says:

Just awesome, really stood the test of time – in fact I’m going to download this for my Mac! A lot of fun, graphics are pretty good for the age and it’s clear to me playing it now why it was a game changer.

Sim rating: 8/10

Fun rating: 10/10

Test of time: 8/10

Difficulty: 5/10

rFactor, Image Space Inc 2005

A defining moment in the world of sim racing came with the release of rFactor. There are numerous reasons for this: the integrity of the physics engine and the ability for the game to be modded by independent developers among them.

It became the de facto piece of software for real world racing teams to use for their in-house simulators too, so its credentials are impeccable.

The graphics are starting to show their age now, but the game plays and feels as fresh as ever, and the ability to race people from all over the world remains its trump card. A classic. All future sims will owe a debt of gratitude to rFactor.

Jack says:

It’s hard, but not in the same way as Revs. It is still absolutely fine today although the graphics are a bit dated. It’s not so much fun to play on your own, but that’s not the point, it was the modding and the community that supported it that makes this the ultimate racing sim.

Sim rating: 10/10

Fun rating: 8/10

Test of time: 10/10

Difficulty: 10/10

o a ball of flames on impact, the car could actually be tipped into a spin. Sounds great, but very frustrating in reality! The first true sim.

Jack says:

Incredibly frustrating! Having to fire up the ignition, engage the clutch, raise the revs and select first gear every you start, while realistic gets boring. But it’s a clear and significant step forward from Pole Position. Almost unnecessarily nerdy,

Sim rating: 7/10

Fun rating: 1/10

Test of time: 3/10

Difficulty: 10/10

Super Monaco GP, Sega 1989

The world of arcade gaming was reaching its zenith in 1989 when Sega release Super Monaco GP, which placed the driver in a reimagined version of Monaco in a car that featured paddle gearchange behind the steering wheel for the first time and at least gave the impression of taking its links to reality to the next level.

Certainly, it was a huge step forward graphically, with the gorgeous cars of the 1989 season (the best looking F1 cars of all time?) amazingly and accurately recreated.

Despite the seven-speed gearbox(!) it was still ultimately an arcade game, with the driver needing to cross the line in a certain position at each checkpoint to continue. While Sega Rally and Daytona would continue to keep racing fans returning to the end of the pier or smoke-filled seedy little arcade halls for a few more years to come, the shift towards home computing was changing the gaming culture forever…

Jack says:

I can see why it would have been a hit in the arcade, but it’s very limited in terms of a sim although it took the graphics up a notch. It has a very cool cockpit and the other cars make it way more immersive. Good crashes as well.

Sim rating: 2/10

Fun rating: 6/10

Test of time: 4/10

Difficulty: 6/10

Grand Prix 2, MicroProse 1996

Another entry from the godfather of sim racing Geoff Crammond, Grand Prix 2 combined beautiful graphics (using the 1994 F1 season as its base) with a hitherto unimaginable amount of set-up realism.

The amount of customisation meant the player could tailor the difficulty level to suit their ability and ensured that it had literally 100s of hours of playing time.

It stands up remarkably well to the test of time, unlike many of the other entries on this list, which is a testimony to the quality of the product.

Jack says:

Just awesome, really stood the test of time – in fact I’m going to download this for my Mac! A lot of fun, graphics are pretty good for the age and it’s clear to me playing it now why it was a game changer.

Sim rating: 8/10

Fun rating: 10/10

Test of time: 8/10

Difficulty: 5/10

rFactor, Image Space Inc 2005

A defining moment in the world of sim racing came with the release of rFactor. There are numerous reasons for this: the integrity of the physics engine and the ability for the game to be modded by independent developers among them.

It became the de facto piece of software for real world racing teams to use for their in-house simulators too, so its credentials are impeccable.

The graphics are starting to show their age now, but the game plays and feels as fresh as ever, and the ability to race people from all over the world remains its trump card. A classic. All future sims will owe a debt of gratitude to rFactor.

Jack says:

It’s hard, but not in the same way as Revs. It is still absolutely fine today although the graphics are a bit dated. It’s not so much fun to play on your own, but that’s not the point, it was the modding and the community that supported it that makes this the ultimate racing sim.

Sim rating: 10/10

Fun rating: 8/10

Test of time: 10/10

Difficulty: 10/10