The Virtual Racing Chassis

FiringSquad: So, if you were in charge of the game, what would you change or improve?

Bob: I think it’s a great game and there’s nothing else that matches GT3 right now. I’d want to add more real tracks, and more cars to the mix especially the GTP or F1 cars since there will be people who want to see what those cars feel like. I might make it a bit easier to earn money at first since some people get tired of driving a low horsepower car over and over just to get enough money to buy a nice car, and so never get into the game.

FiringSquad: Do you have any specific tracks in mind that you would want to add?

Bob: I’d love to see Mid-Ohio, Elkhart Lake-Wisconsin, Portland, Long Beach - there’s just so many great tracks out there. The more there are, the better.

FiringSquad: And the cars?

Bob: I’d love to see GTP, Atlantic, American LeMans and IRL cars in the game.

FiringSquad: You seem to be pretty excited about GT3 and racing sims in general. Do you think that videogame simulations will one day be standard training?

Bob: What’s limiting them now is the lack of real courses, and I understand that since Sony really has no competitors to GT3, they won’t be that eager to pay the money to get the real tracks right now but that’s what’s missing. To answer your question though, I think the future will have these simulators in the trailers, so drivers can practice as often as they can.

FiringSquad: So let’s talk a little bit about your Virtual Racing Chassis. How did that get started?

Bob: Well, I was quickly hooked on GT3 after I started playing. I became a fan and played a few hours a day. The problem was that I’d find my back aching after an hour or so of play. The game is great, the Logitech steering wheel is great, but using a desk or coffee table isn’t. So I decided to look on the Internet to see if there was anything I could buy to mirror what it was like to really drive a car. I found products that were $600 to $3000 and I thought that was ridiculous. I built the VRC prototype out of wood and made it adjustable so that it would feel just like the real thing. I spent a lot of time designing the VRC and I actually applied for a patent for the adjustable steering wheel mechanism geometry “just in case.” As friends came by and played on the VRC, they suggested that I consider selling it to the public. That’s a completely different challenge since I now had to design something that would be adjustable for kids and adults of all sizes and make sure it worked with both PCs and consoles. That’s when I turned to my friends at Huffaker Engineering, who build competitive race engines and cars. Joe [Huffaker] and I together came up with the VRC-1.

FiringSquad: That sounds really interesting, but what makes your chassis different from the competition?

Bob: One of things I noticed with the competition is that some things are sometimes so grotesque that it probably wouldn’t meet the “Mom-acceptance” factor or “Wife-acceptance” factor. Remember, I wanted to make this product work for everyone. My four-and-half feet son is comfortable in it as is a 6’6” adult Joe Huffaker! Besides the higher price, the other products aren’t as easy to move around, and it’s not something some people would want to leave in the living room.

Some friends have suggested that I make the VRC-1 in a finish and look just like a real Formula 1 car. I could do that, but my designing principle was to make sure that the VRC-1 was comfortable and feels like the real thing, yet is practical and affordable. With the VRC-1, you can compress it down and store in a closet, and it’s light enough for my son to move around since it’s made of 16-gauge steel. Each VRC is hand-built and welded in the USA. Comfort is actually a very important part of the design.

The secret to winning a race like Daytona 24 hours is being able to stay calm and relaxed, so the seat is probably more comfortable than a street car. You see, when you’re racing, you want the hardest seat possible so that you can feel the car. The difference is that your body really does interact with the car and so when you turn, you end up moving around and you get some circulation. When you’re gaming, you’re sitting still for hours and if the seats were too hard, you wouldn’t get regular blood flow and probably get cramps or whatever.