'Real' racing in the showroom

Nestled in the Performance Motorsports corner of the showroom, the unmistakable sound of an F1 engine at full trot permeates the usually serene showroom. It is until you’re seated in the ‘hot seat’ that you fully appreciate the immersive experience the simulator offers especially with the speakers blasting just behind your ears.

Every subtle nuances of the real car has been recorded digitally and is replicated on the simulator through extremely complex mathematical algorithms. This tells the six hydraulic actuators attached to the seat exactly how much pitch, yaw and roll to apply in any given situation to replicate the real-world physics faithfully. Cruden claims the simulator is within 2% of real-world physics which is not far from the truth.

In our test, every violent acceleration and deceleration of the F1 car definitely felt real. So real in fact that after just 10 minutes, I was all but spent. The intense concentration necessary to keep the car on the road is no different from driving the real thing. Coupled to that, those not used to the six axis motion will experience vertigo like yours truly. The plush lounge built around the Cruden simulator suddenly made sense as I rested to regain my equilibrium.

This is just the first step in getting their BMW customers more involved with the brand’s racing heritage. The Performance Motorsports Circle will be organizing BMW Driving Experience programs, track days at Sepang and bi-monthly breakfast drives.

Those who have purchased a BMW directly from Performance Motors and are interested can sign up with the Performance Motorsports Circle.

Credits: Story by Benjamin G. Kline, Photos by Performance Motors Limited