Jay Walker Race Services
Providing realistic track experience from inside an industrial unit
Gaining track experience can be hideously expensive, while making a mistake behind the wheel of a race car can have catastrophic consequences, for car, driver and wallet. That’s why Jay Walker, who’s background lies in preparation, driving and race support for a number of teams, has spent the past decade developing the J-W-R.C.S (Race Car Simulator). It’s a clever bit of kit, far removed from the ‘gaming rigs’ often found in arcades, which has taken professional driver feedback and a whole heap of science to develop a training rig with a real driving sensation.
It focuses in particular on the physics of the rear end of the car in its motion control system, which is implemented in a totally unique way, thus allowing one to drive the car at the edge of the available grip. Alongside this is a force-feed-back steering system with powerful 20Nm three-phase servo motor that allows great feel, including of sliding grip and track bumps, and a set of pro race pedals ensure that your feet feel exactly what they would in a real race car.
But that’s not the end of the cleverness. The in-house-developed software allows the team to build in weights, steering and suspension characteristics, power and torque data, along with gearbox ratios and other data to tailor the driving experience to an individual car. This allows drivers to learn the limits of their own racing machine, implement changes in the virtual world (before the physical world), and also learn the geography of a number of tracks from the comfort and safety of a simulator. All this before donning the race suit and heading out for real. The system is used by historic racers and GT3 drivers alike.
On our visit, PC’S Matt Tomkins tried his hand around Mallory Park in a car set up with the driving characteristics of an Austin Seven Ulster. Although bespoke simulators are available to buy, with prices ranging from £30-40k, it’s the £50 per hour sessions at the firm’s Bicester base that will likely hold most appeal for PC readers. To learn more, make a booking or arrange a demonstration, simply drop Jay an email.