When F1 2009 won't do, try the $191K Cruden Hexatech simulator

by Jonathon Ramsey

From: http://www.autoblog.com/

We give thumbs up to Cruden's reason for building a $191,500 F1 simulator: "Snooker rooms, swimming pools, gyms and cinemas have been done." So there. If you're over waiting for Codemasters to release F1 2009 on a real platform, or waiting for GT5 to ever show up and you have enough money to buy an SLS AMG and several weeks of track time, the Hexatech is waiting for you.

The fully-suspended system can be tailored to provide feedback based on the chassis setup, wheelbase and track, tire and suspension settings, drive train (engine, gearbox, differentials), aero loading, aero draft (slip streaming), steering, brakes and driver aids such as traction control, ABS, and more. It even has seat belt tensioners. And it isn't just for F1: the sim does NASCAR, WRC, and 24-Hour racing, too. Three 42-inch screens, or a projector and a room with at least a 10-foot ceiling will keep you in the action.

If you want one but you don't have that kind of dosh, there's still time to make a wish and be extra nice before Santa makes his final decision. Or you could ask Ferrari if you can borrow theirs...

[Source: F1 Fanatic]

Nascar Underground (Advert)

http://foxsportsdesign.com/2009/01/nascar-underground/

Maybe it’s the speed, maybe it’s the power, or maybe it’s just the ear-splitting noise, but something about tackling a
new NASCAR project always inspires a lot of really interesting and fun ideas for us to dive into, and this year was no
exception. We’d been poking around with the idea of showing a world from underneath for a while, and Creative Director
Mark Simmons had been talking with Madrid visual effects house La huella about a collaboration that would take us
underground for a ten-second network ID.

“The underground idea wasn’t really going to work as an ID, but we loved the concept as a possibility for our College
Football package,” said Robert Gottlieb; Fox Sports Marketing SVP/Creative Director. “But the College Football timeline
was too tight, so Mark and La huella FX changed gears and started adapting the concept to NASCAR.”

The live-action scenes were filmed by Simmons in LA while La huella’s 3D team was off and running back in Madrid.
“This was one of the more difficult shoots we’ve ever undertaken,” said Simmons. “Safely suspending actors 14 feet
off the ground on a glass floor was a huge logistical problem.”