Racing driver performance is being tested in Mansfield - with a ‘professional-grade’ simulator

Nottingham Trent University has installed the simulator at its Mansfield campus, to train Motorsport UK academy drivers, as well as support its students

Dr Nathan Cobb, NTU Mansfield performance analysis lecturer said: “Obtaining the simulator has opened up a wealth of opportunities for the university.

“It’s allowed our students to look at the performance and psychology of racing drivers within our sports science course and also work alongside Motorsport UK’s academy of drivers.

"Nobody is really looking at motorsport performance on the human side and sports science perspective integrated into a degree in this way.

“Its use is integrated across several modules, mainly performance analysis, so we use the data the simulator produces about the car’s performance. Students can then compare times to see where they were faster and slower and ultimately go back and correct that technique.

“We also use it in psychology modules, to look at performance under pressure. Putting the students in an unfamiliar environment, getting their friends to goad them and put them under pressure is an interesting way of testing psychological theory.”

The students were joined by Australian racing driver Caitlin Wood for a day, who talked about racing and tested the simulator.

Dr Cobb said: “Having Caitlin on board to help us with the set up and calibration of the equipment to ensure it performs and responds as closely to real-life racing cars as possible.”

Caitlin, aged 26, who has competed in Formula Ford, Formula 4 and the W Series, said: “I was invited to have a play on it and set it up how we would use it, so it’s more realistic. Obviously, the more realistic it is, the more you actually gain from the experience.”

NTU is also working with Motorsport UK on a long-term talent development project to investigate what it takes to get to the top of the sport.

The professional-grade simulator is designed to replicate the demands of racing as close as possible and is used by drivers to prepare for races, learning brake points and driving lines, without the cost of track days. It has models of tracks around the world, and can be adjusted for different cars, to perform as close to real life as possible.