Students Hit the Road with Self-Made Racing Simulator

Ready. Set. Go! The twelve-member PC Club, which meets once a week under the guidance of Director of Technology Dan Bateson and Information Technology Coordinator Eric Durr, has built a next-level racing simulator. After learning of the difficulty in obtaining parts to build PCs typically used for mining, crypto, and esports, the group decided upon building the simulator as an alternative. (The group had previously built a flight simulator housed in the bottom of the Roberts Building). 

“Racing was by far the most popular option for the students to build. The kids all worked on building the frame, putting it together, and installing the software. It was a really good experience for them, and it took them about ten hours to build,” Bateson said.

Bateson described the simulator as a work in progress. Future upgrades include a motion platform that gives the driver the true feeling of being on the road. Currently, the simulator uses a “butt-kicker” in lieu of the motion platform. The “butt-kicker” is connected to the sound and shakes so the driver can feel the vibrations of the car. 

Student leader Tommy Vitarelli ’22 said that it was a fun project for the students to work on. He explained that many of the students are talented underclassmen, and he allowed them to problem solve as they were building. “They are great with figuring things out,” Vitarelli said. “It will be  really nice to see where the club will go after I graduate.” Vitarelli is more circumspect regarding the group’s proficiency behind the wheel. “Slamming into walls and going 70 mph on curves. You can kind of tell they’ve never driven before.”

Bateson hopes that the entire KO community will take advantage of the opportunity and avail themselves of the simulator during their free periods. Judging from the line and the intensity of the group gathered in the tech room, the simulator may have a waitlist!