Auto-simulators vs real racing: feel the difference!

14th October 2008

Many fans of auto-simulators believe that virtual cars are just replicas of real cars and gamesâ€™ tricks can be applied to racing tracks as well. Fortunately, most gamers have no opportunity to prove it wrong in practice. However, Carl Edwards, an American participant of NASCAR racing, had a chance to feel the difference.
Edwards, started 34th out of 43 participants, managed to break forward and catch up with the leader, a double NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. The most intense fighting deployed at the last lap where the racer needed so little to win the victory.
Edwards surpassed Johnson and to keep the advantage, decided to use experience gained in racing simulators. Taking another turn, the racer intentionally struck the concrete fence, believing that this maneuver will help to turn the car at the correct angle and would let him carefully take the turn at high speed.
â€œI did it on purpose, but could not even suppose that the strike would slow me down so muchâ€ â€“ said Edwards explaining his actions on the track. As a result of a collision, the driver was not injured, but the dangerous maneuver made him come to finish second.