How a racing sim prepared me to drive the 2024 Nissan GT-R and the all-new Nissan Z

Nissan Philippines recently invited us to test the 2024 Nissan GT-R and the all-new 2024 Nissan Z at the Clark International Speedway (CIS).

It's their two newest sports cars to enter the Philippine market.

But aside from the usual rack test, the Japanese automaker also had a racing simulator available for us to get familiar with virtual versions of their vehicles before we took them out on the track.

Think of it like the Gran Turismo movie, where Jann Mardenborough became a pro racing driver because of a racing simulator as part of the GT Academy. Still, I already had some racing experience in this case, but not for CIS.

Also read: FIRST DRIVE IMPRESSIONS: 2024 Nissan Z: Its evolution into a Gran Tourer

Previous track experience

Just as a disclaimer, I don’t have enough track time on CIS to comfortably push a car to its limits. 

I have more experience tackling the Batangas Racing Circuit, where I feel more comfortable pushing a lower horsepower car as I've had more seat time racing my Honda Jazz GK.

I also have more experience tackling gymkhana or autocross courses, which run at lower speeds. However, these are just as complicated as driving on the track because the weight balancing, turning and braking happen much more quickly.

The sim rig

As I have very little seat time going around CIS, I was fortunate enough to be put into the sim rig first before I took out the 2024 Nissan GT-R and all-new Nissan Z onto the track. 

We used Asetto Corsa, a popular racing simulator you can easily buy and modify from Steam, to get some seat time before we hit the track with the real cars.

However, we had to use the Nissan 370Z model instead of the all-new Nissan Z. This still came in handy as I also had to drive the 370Z anyway.

A key component to ensure that a sim rig correctly simulates the real thing is to have the right equipment. Nissan Philippines Inc. picked the right team for the job.

They had Sim2 Premier on-site with their Sim Magic equipment that included a direct drive steering wheel and a three-axis simulator rig.

For those who don’t know, a direct drive sim wheel gives you an experience as close to the real thing as possible thanks to the technology it offers. It lets you feel what the car is doing virtually as if it were the car in real life.

The three-axis simulator rig was also a big help, as it let you feel things that you normally wouldn't feel from racing games like simulated weight shifts.

On to the real thing

With the help of the sim rig, I could scout off the track in a safe environment and push the virtual cars to the limit without having to pay millions of pesos if I did crash.

It allowed me to get a general feel of what real-life cars would do and some valuable seat time to familiarize myself with the track and how the cars would handle it.

And once I did get to drive the actual Nissan 370Z and the 2024 Nissan GT-R, it wasn’t a jarring experience. The information I learned on the sim rig translated well into the real world.

Of course, actual seat time with these vehicles is the best way to get a feel for them. But with the limited time available, the sim rig was a great complement. 

Should more brands do this?

Unlike nearly the entire AutoFun Philippines team, not every motoring journalist races.

As such, having a simulated run before tackling the track can benefit all those who try it. It's a great way to warm up before the real deal and a good way to have some fun on the side.

What you learn from the simulators is information that you can apply in real life, which is a game changer if you really want to test out and push a vehicle to its limits and back safely.

I think other brands should do something like this, especially if they want people to track and test their car in a safe environment.

Sure, it's not the real thing and you will be missing certain aspects of the drive, such as G-forces, but it's an excellent way to quickly get the drivers familiar with their cars and their brand in a safe space.

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