Automotive simulation and driving simulator developer, VI-grade, has announced the 2022 edition of the Virtual Formula competition. This year’s event will use driving simulators exclusively for the first time.
Formula SAE and Formula Student teams have until 31 October, 2021 to register for the competition, a free-of-charge event which gives them access to VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s motorsport simulation software. Teams also will receive a software license for the company’s ‘Desktop Simulator’ including VI-DriveSim and VI-GraphSim.
All teams will be required to create a digital twin of their car using these simulator software tools and to optimise its performance, in preparation for the actual competition on the driving simulator. VI-grade will provide teams with a set of predefined offline manoeuvres that can be used to test the vehicle model with the help of the software.
The teams will be then invited to compete in an online race using their simulators, driving their previously optimised cars on a digitised version of a racetrack. The team scoring the best lap time will win the competition, with a prize being the Fanatec hardware and VI-grade software required to upgrade the team’s Windows PC to a fully functional VI-grade Desktop Simulator. The winner will also receive a free-of-charge one-day session at one of VI-grade’s global SimCenters.
“Launching the 2022 edition of the Virtual Formula earlier than in previous years better aligns the competition with the schedules of Formula SAE and Formula Student,” said Guido Bairati, VP of sales and marketing at VI-grade. “This regulatory change allows the participating teams to virtually optimise their vehicles with the help of VI-Motorsport and their driving simulators. And, like OEMs and professional motorsport teams, they can leverage the obtained results to better perform in the real races.”
This year’s competition will feature two categories: one for combustion engines, and one for electric drivetrains. VI-grade will provide training and Q&A sessions. Further information, registration details, technical specifications and requirements and a detailed schedule of the competition can be accessed HERE.
