Honda Racing Corporation USA has unveiled its next-generation Driver in the Loop (DIL) racing simulator, which has been installed at the company’s operations centre in Indianapolis. Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) is the new name for Honda Performance Development, as of 1st January, 2024
The DIL simulator features multi-body vehicle dynamics physics simulation software, capable of generating up to 1.5MB of data each second, with approximately 2,000 available channels. The simulator also features multiple cameras recording each session, synchronised to match with the logged data.
Setup changes can be done quickly, so the DIL Simulator allows teams to run through many more chassis geometry and track condition changes than can be performed with at an actual on-track test.
HRC says the new DIL simulator is a major step forward from the centre’s original simulator, which first went into operation in 2013 and had received several significant upgrades through its service life. HRC has not specified which simulator has been chosen, but it would appear to be the Ansible Motion Delta S3 Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulator, as recently installed by Penske Autosport. The simulator won the Development Tool of the Year category of the 2022 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards
“The new simulator is superior in every way to our original DIL simulator,” stated Ben Schmitt, head of the Vehicle Performance Group at HRC US. “The vehicle physics models have continued to evolve from the original simulator, including the tyre models, and our data acquisition capabilities are exponentially higher than previously. The new motion platform, cockpit and vision systems create a vehicle dynamics experience for the drivers that is our closest recreation yet of real-world conditions.”
HRC US is involved in many forms of motorsport, from pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars, to commercial racing programmes. One of several Honda Indy car drivers to use the new simulator in preparation for this year’s Indianapolis 500, two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato was enthusiastic following his session.
“This simulator uses a completely new philosophy. The movement inside the car is much more immediate, the feeling the driver has is much more accurate. It feels a lot more realistic than anything I’ve experienced before. It’s a huge improvement,” said Sato. “We’re constantly looking for more correlation between the digital world and the real world. That is always a challenge. However, today the simulator model is very sophisticated, and now very close to the ‘real world’ – even in yaw, which was never possible before. You can feel what’s happening in the car more precisely, more accurately, than ever.”
Utilising a modified Indy car cockpit, the HRC DIL Simulator can rotate a full 360-degrees in yaw, with the driver having a 270-degree view from a 2.5m x 9m diameter screen to project the on-track images. The simulator can be set up to replicate a current Dallara-Honda Indy car, the Acura ARX-06 hybrid GTP car, and a variety of Honda and Acura concept racing vehicles.
The aerodynamic models used include Honda simulation data obtained through the Honda Manufacturing & Development 1:1 scale ‘HALO’ wind tunnel in Ohio; while powertrain models are the result of Honda and HRC simulation technology. A variety of tyre technology models are available, including both HRC and third-party models; while laser scanning with high-resolution point-cloud road surface measuring is used to develop the individual track models.
HRC offers in-house engineering support for drivers and teams using the DIL Simulator. Customised simulations can be established to meet the specific needs of the teams.
