60gb of RAM! System two years in the making launched at Maranello Domenicali: Important day Ferrari have unveiled a racing simulator at their Maranello headquarters that took two years to build and which is said to be the most advanced of its kind in the world. The system is housed on two floors and includes a control room - the simulator itself sitting on a platform weighing two tonnes and fitted with electronically-controlled actuators that weigh around half a tonne each. There are 10 multiprocessor calculators with a total memory of over 60GB, a Dolby surround 7.1 sound system with an output of 3500w, all requiring over 10 kilometres of cabling. The driver sits in front of five displays, offering a total viewing angle in excess of 180 degrees. Such simulators have gained importance in recent seasons - all the more so since the introduction of testing restrictions in the sport ahead of last season. Team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was present at the unveiling, said: "It's an important day for us. "The completion of this project means we will now be able to tackle with confidence some of the challenges that make up modern-day Formula One, while putting Ferrari at the cutting edge in terms of this technology. "Furthermore, I am pleased such a complex project as this, which got underway around two years ago, has been completed on schedule thanks to the efforts of all those who worked on it."
http://ps3maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ps3-mods-gran-turismo-racing-simulator-1.jpg The 60 gb Ram visible enough? Merry Christmas mate, to you and Hayden..
Ehh, I like mine better. Mark *Terrible cell phone pics* Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I bet you they have GTA4 on it for PC. You can download 'real life' mods on it with real cars and in car view.
It's not really about cutting costs is it, it's about circumnavigating the restrictions on put on testing the cars on track. The cost of the simulator was probably saved from all the track testing that didn't take place this year (F1 cars are horrifically expensive to run, even when only testing), so in reality it probably didn't cost Ferrari much more than the previous season with on track testing. Now it's all set up and running, Ferrari aren't paying thousands per lap in testing at a track with a real car, it's costing a fraction of that in electricity and is the closest they can get to real testing. Makes sense to Me.
Let's not forget, cost cutting only works if you don't have the money at your disposal. Does anyone really think Ferrari or Merc or anyone else is not going to spend money they have waiting to be spent? It will go somewhere. Also, it seems like now is the time to spend on infastructure if you have the funds. You never know when a spending cap might become the top agenda item again. If I owned a team, I would be building up anything and everything that may help me have an advantage in the future. Mark
I suppose it cost them A LOT less and would thus most probably have been built without the testing ban anyway. That simulator doesn't have to do with FIA cost cutting, it has to do with cost cutting on their own.
Maybe USF1 will order one of these to "keep up with the Jones"... link: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/24/when-f1-2009-wont-do-try-the-191k-cruden-hexatech-simulator/ Image Unavailable, Please Login
Why can't they do the whole season just racing simulators? That would surely save a fair bit of money!! I can't see how simulators use is unrestricted , if wind tunnel time is going to be limited. They will just spend insane amount of money on more realistic software for their simulators!! Already some team are doing away with wind tunnel and spending more money on computer simulation! These guys are turning F1 into PlayStation...
iRacing is already doing just that.... Win their "simulated" series, get a real drive the following season..... Problem is, the God of TV isn't (yet anyway) interested - There are some guys (and gals?) making good money "gaming" on-line though.... +1 "Progress" my friend, progress...... But, at least for now, "when the flag drops, the BS stops" - And as long as *that* continues, I'll continue watching. Can you build a better car with CFD and sims rather than a tunnel? Seems like we're close to finding out - And I have no problem with that....... Cheers, Ian
A very large part of this was built right here in the good old USA by Moog. http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1040592_ferrari-builds-200-ton-f1-simulator Andrea Bertolini spent a lot of time in New York while this was being designed and built.
I agree, but testing the real thing on the track will definitely be different. I think it's easier to spot a mistake on the design, i.e. aero design when your actually testing it on the track. Take Honda for example. In 2008, they knew at the start of the season, pre season in fact that the car was crap. Not sure if they would have found out about this in the simulator tho...
I agree- they do this with Space Shuttle missions, Stealth Bomber flights, and other scenarios where "practice time" is just too impractical to come by. The only element that is missing is the physical forces imparted onto the drivers, which would be a big ingredient in a realistic simulation IMHO. Gio P
Totally agree, there's no way sitting in a simulator can properly replace on track testing and I for one don't agree with it. I think they should be allowed to test on tracks during the season when they want to. But so long as the testing limitations are in place it's better than nothing.
Not necessarily. It's extremly ugly if you schedule a track day, ship your equipment there, set up everything, only to find out that the driver thinks something doesn't work as it should after 30 minutes. Discovering that mistake in the simulator is a lot cheaper.
