With new simulator in place, WTC eyes top, aspiring racing drivers

The newly developed hi-fidelity driving simulator at Williams Technology Centre (WTC) at Qatar Science & Technology Park, is expected to attract professional and aspiring racing drivers, especially from the GP2, Formula 2, British F3 and other more junior series, to Doha in the coming months. “Now it’s the off-season when most of those drivers are looking to jump up to more senior series on the pathway to Formula 1, which is the goal of any open wheel racer. A simulator system like the one we have is incredibly attractive as it gives them the advantage over some of their fellow drivers who have a similar skill level, but don’t spend the additional time in a pre-controlled practice environment. So we’re expecting a bunch of drivers from various categories in open-wheel racing over the winter months,” said Damien Scott, general manager at WTC.The hi-fidelity driving simulator can re-create the exact conditions of any track in the world, providing detailed recording options and feedback. The system is ideal not only for practicing on unfamiliar tracks but can help drivers identify their mistakes and improve their performance. Williams reserve Formula 1 driver, Valtteri Bottas, who was recently crowned GP3 champion in Monza, has spent a week in Doha trying out the simulator. Impressed with its performance, he said that he would like to see new cars added as options, as only Williams’ F2 car is available at the moment. As part of its programme to commercialise high-performance racing technology WTC is trying to take the simulator system that they have developed and apply it to road-going vehicles, with an initial focus on training drivers for emergency services such as ambulance, police or fire services. “They all operate those vehicles under conditions that the roads weren’t designed for - so they’re exceeding the speed limit – it’s a very chaotic environment they don’t have any control over, whether someone’s going to miss a red light or jump a stop sign, and training for them is incredibly difficult, because even in a safe controlled environment you cant replicate the scenario,” said Scott. “With a hi-fidelity simulator, provided it is realistic enough, and that’s what I think we bring to the table, that can be an incredibly powerful tool.” He said that WTC’s ultimate goal is to have Williams’ simulators used in driving instruction and certification for regular consumers. In extreme cases, Scott said, the simulator can be used remediation for drivers who exceed the speed limit or drive recklessly. “With the simulator you can very vividly recreate quite an extreme and psychologically powerful experience, which will stick with people for many years. We’ve seen that in the motorsports simulator … when they lose traction on one of the corners and slide off … there’s a camera on the drivers face and we see some amazing expressions as they are sliding towards this concrete wall coming towards them at 150kph, and they come out visibly shaken from that experience - now imagine transplanting that to something that’s familiar, a Toyota Yaris, Toyota Landcruiser, Porsche Cayenne, put someone in there, put them in an environment they know, barreling down the Corniche for example, the instructor clicks a button and the front tyre bursts, what happens driving at 150kph? – It’s an incredibly powerful and vivid experience, so we have a huge amount of potential to make a difference to safety on the roads.”