New Partnership: Cranfield Simulation

I’m very excited to announce a new partnership with Cranfield Simulation, a global leader in fully immersive sustained motion cueing simulators. Founded in 1997, they are a department within Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Limited (CAeS) and are renowned for supplying g-cueing products to the world’s military simulators, to date they have produced simulators for aircraft such as the Typhoon, Tornado, F-18, F-16 and Harrier.

Having delivered 130 systems to 21 different Armed Forces for over 30 years and achieving a unique 2 million hours of simulator operation… we are in a unique position to utilise this experience within the motorsport industry.

Their highly experienced team of engineers possess the technical capabilities to provide customers with services to innovate, design, manufacture, build & integrate complete simulation solutions. Current products accurately reproduce a realistic driving experience utilising proven technology adopted by F1, F2, GT, LMP and NASCAR teams as well as road car manufacturers and
individuals.

Stepping into the Michelin Le Mans Cup in LMP3 this year is undoubtedly a big move up in terms of the racing I’ve done to date, and as always I’m taking preparation and training very seriously. Having the opportunity to train on a simulator is a big advantage for any driver, test days are not cheap and there is also the added cost and time involved in flying out to Europe, as all of this year’s calendar is based on the mainland.

I’ve tried a great variety of sims over the past few years, all the way from the simple PS4 & Logitech G29 I have at home (£350 all in with a seat) to Cranfield’s top of the range sim which costs £120k in ultimate spec. The growth of eSports has been relentless, and you see some pretty impressive setups in spare bedrooms these days, as with most things in life it’s a question of budget (Cranfield can build you one from £10k upwards). While you can get a good idea for the layout of a circuit on a basic system (the PS4 is simple but gives you this), once you want to start learning about a particular car’s dynamics you need to up the quality, the obvious way to go is VR. The cabin architecture of a modern LMP car gives quite compromised vision as you have two large A pillars blocking your view, which can be difficult replicate with a projector. VR allows you to ‘look around’ the cockpit, and Cranfield’s setup even allows you to move the position of your head (normally fixed to a set pivot in other systems I’ve tried) by using a sensor so you can look ‘around’ a pillar by craning your neck. The sense of realism is incredible, literally night & day, but it get’s better.

G-cueing is the use of air bags placed in the seat & belts (to create tension under breaking) that inflate to simulate the feeling or G force, it’s similar to the concept deployed in a G-suit worn by fighter pilots to constrict their blood flow in high G manoeuvres, it stops blackouts by preventing the blood pooling in the legs. They are triggered as you corner, it’s very clever and effectively tricks your brain into thinking you’re being pushed into the seat.

I grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot and I was obsessed with anything to do with planes, so it’s fascinating using & understanding technology that I spent my youth reading about.

When combined with full motion (the seat even slides forwards under breaking), the combination of all these systems working in perfect unison is just a revelation. It’s by far the most cohesive and effective system I’ve tried to date, and it’s helping me prepare for the year ahead, I’ve only driven on one of the tracks we’ll race at (Spa) so arriving on the button and ready to go is a massive psychological advantage.

To add to all of this, Cranfield have a number of systems on offer, including a Kart sim that has to be the most fun and addictive thing I’ve used since I first played on a Gameboy! Karting is fantastic for working on vision and getting you looking further through the corner. When you have a completely unrestricted view you can do this easily, but in an LMP car it’s a lot harder. Jumping onto the Kart setup midway through a session, I immediately found that I was turning my head more once I got back in the LMP3 sim and using the side windows to spot my apex much earlier on the approach to a corner. As you can tell, I’m a big fan as I don’t know of another simulator company that can offer this range of equipment under one roof.

If you’re interested in using the facilities at Cranfield, you can contact them here, and be sure to mention GoCharlie :D