Virtual Racing Cars

There is a kind of car-racing, which may not be known by too many people, but it is nevertheless breathtaking and full of tension like the well known car races. This particular sport has the advantage, that it is environmentally friendly, because these cars do not produce any CO₂ and do not consume a single drop of gazoline.  Also for the drivers this sport is by far less risky than driving a normal race car around a race-track. Well, we talk about virtual car-racing.  A kind of online-sport, which is gaining more and more attention. One interesting feature of this sport is, that the teams can develop and design the racing-cars by themselves. 

One  racing team  ( Driver:  Andreas Ruehl ;  Car-Designer: Markus Wurm ) from Germany was so impressed by the stylish design and the performance features of the eneloop battery, that they took eneloop as basis for their car-design.

Our eneloop editors made an interview with Mr. Ruehl

Q: Mr. Ruehl, most people know your hobby, virtural racing - if at all - from advertisment for racing games like "Need for Speed".  Please explain briefly the differences between these games and "Live for Speed". 

A: Basically there is not too much difference between racing-games and racing-simulators. Both represent the same challenge to drive a car faster than the competitors around the race-course. However, in the racing-simulators this is by far more difficult, requires more training and it is  - at least in the beginning - much more frustrating. The driver needs to have technical and physical knowledge to steer the car fast and safely. Hands, arms and feet are required as well as fast reflexes combined with strategic and tactical thinking. 

Q: That does not sound like real fun.

A: Well, for a beginner the fun is in continous development of his own skills and enjoy even the smallest progress. But after some time the long-term motivation is much higher, when you have made the first hurdles.

Q: You have referred allready to the relation to "real" racing-sport. Some people may smile about your hobby, because it is - in contrast to the real sport - not dangerous at all. 
 

A: Thanks god, that is correct. And even more real car-racing is quite an expensive subject. However, many "real" drivers do not necessarily derserve to risk their life. Last but not least, the real racing has become more and more safe during the last 20 years - as demanded also by the drivers. But this comparison is problematic anyhow. In some aspects, virtual driving is even more difficult than real driving, because the driver does not get the physical feedback from the road and the car. And, among the virtual drivers you will find quite some, which have experience with real car races.