Start your race centre with us
Come and test!
Start a Centre
There is something primal in wanting to beat the next man that keeps us coming back. When the winning really matters we call it war, when it doesn’t, it’s fun – right?
In our experience, grown-ups racing hovers somewhere between the two. Either way, we are dealing with potent emotions and experience.
A centre that really works requires two elements; firstly great people and secondly great hardware. Lack quality in either and it will be an uphill battle.
Exceptional Simulators
PTR works seamlessly with sister company BRD (the simulator manufacturer) to create pioneering simulator solutions tailored to you. Every bit of 20+ years’ experience designing, building and operating our simulators means we can deliver the solution that works for you.
Simulation is as much an art as a science, the aim being to have the driver believe what they are doing is real. Our simulators enable the driver to engage more quickly and more fully, resulting in better racing and a purer experience.
Experience It
You’d expect us to claim we have the best simulator technology, the motorsport industry agreed with us in 2010. What we hope is that you will be sufficiently interested to test our simulators and give us your vote too.
Our factory in West Sussex, 10 miles or so from Gatwick Airport has at least one system set aside for demonstration. You can take as long as you like, we have refreshments, 24 hour access and can order pizza – no excuses!
Technology
Motion Technology
All degrees of freedom are not created equally. Layering is where it’s at – What you need to know.
Laminar Motion Technology™
- Higher Frequencies = more responsive
- Lower Profile = more venue options + safer
- Less Weight + regenerative braking = less energy consumed
- Less Energy consumed = happy greens + happy accountant
Visual Technology
Great simulation requires the tightest coordination of many critical but distinct elements delivered as realistically as possible to the brain. The more information we feed it in the right way, the more it works with us to increase immersion. Get an element wrong or out of sync and the brain won’t play the game.
So we decided to rid ourselves of the bezels, one, or in this case, three less things to stop your brain believing what it is seeing.
Race Technology
For a Race Centre customer there are 3 main elements to the race software technology
- tRaction – Our real time racing software
- Race Control – Coordinates all the simulators, starts/stops races, rescue drivers from the gravel trap and controls the safety features from a single screen. The brain of the operation.
- TV Director – Allows you to be in the hot seat. Now you too can experience the ire of spectators by cutting from the imminent crash to follow the race leader! But you can assuage the crowd with an immediate replay. A surprisingly important bit of the overall experience.
Team
Nik Ball
I have always been driven to create new things whether in Lego as a kid (still do with my 2 sons!), a custom kart for Down’s children as a teenager or motion system for racing drivers. I was well grounded into the world of automotive engineering at Ricardo designing bike engines for Aprilia to V6’s for GM, having left the studies of aircraft at Bath University. My transition from real to simulated cars was aided following a visit to the Yoda of simulation one summer in Pebble Beach. Me the ways of simulation from its earliest beginnings he showed. This gentleman was the head of simulation at NASA Ames, working on the jet packs as used by James Bond!
Simon Ball
“Surely it should be better than this?” is my usual default position! Motorsport can be done better, it needs democratising and revolutionising and simulation is the means. My role is strategist in the mission. My now distant background is finance/insurance. Since then I have travelled the world managing simulator and other events and seen first-hand the universal appeal of motorsport made accessible.
Tim Ball
Our technology has come an awfully long way since I integrated the gutted electronics of a joystick into a scrap aluminium and papier-mache steering wheel and pedals and plugged them into my Amiga computer. I did it then to help me get into racing, now it is about bringing racing to people.
Testimonials
BRD’s unique take on simulator development found favour with the Awards judging panel. Jonas Jarlmark from KEO Racing was one of those to recognise its merits. “Ten years ago, simulators were either institutional installations with a multi-million dollar price tag, or a computer and a joystick,” he said. “Now, a serious formula team can use them for driver practice on unknown tracks, or to help in driver selection and development.” Professional Motorsport World – Best Technology in Motorsport – Award Citation
Professional Motorsport World Awards
On behalf of everyone here at BMW, I would like to thank you for all your help and support in the creation of the highly successful BMW X3 Simulator…The [leads generated were] a fantastic result for the project …. and we look forward to working with you again in the future.
BMW (UK) Ltd
