rec.autos.simulators

      Klien hopes PlayStation will put him in the game
      20/02/04

         Christian Klien is busy learning the layout of the 18 circuits that
he
will race at in 2004 and preparing for his debut season in the modern way -
playing PlayStation.

           The Jaguar driver is using PlayStation's F1 games to learn the
various
circuits that he has yet to race at. With just over a fortnight to go until
the first race of the season, the Australian GP, time is running out for him
to study the Albert Park venue, the first of the new tracks for Klien.

      "My first priority will be to learn the circuits as I haven't driven
on most of them before," the Austrian told Jaguar's website.

      "As far as Australia goes, my target will be to get used to the
circuit, have a solid qualifying run and finish the race. Until then I'll be
playing a lot of PlayStation to get used to the circuit!"

      Besides playing games, though, Klien is also working hard at getting
himself into peak physical condition. "I'm training quite hard at the
moment, especially in the upper body and neck region as that's one of the
biggest adjustments to make going from Formula 3 to Formula One."

Playstation 2, what a joke! He cant be serious.

Jaguar are going to attach a 2m aerial to the rear wing with a small camera
at the end. This will relay video to a small screen in the space vacated by
the now redundant steering wheel thus enabling chase mode. Following tests
the joypad has been uprated to last the full GP length. Christian is having
intensive training on his thumbs.

When asked how fantastic an experience it is to drive a real F1 car
Christian shrugged "It is good but it's no GPL..."

Steve H
GPL Rank   -17.90

Can't help about the shape i'm in
Can't win,it ain't pretty and my tires are thin..

LOL, I can see it now. "I didn't fly half the way around the world to get
punted up the rear and lose the engine at T2 - realistic damage sucks..."

The fact of the matter is the tracks in most PS2 F1 games are highly
accurate due to the use of GPS etc.., certainly much more accurate
than the half real/half fantansy tracks you'll find in your beloved
GPL.

Hes just trying to learn the layout of the damn tracks not trying to
experience the best simulated driving physics available.

Isn't it funny how people immediately say "PS2 - pah!", but praise
NASCAR drivers who play NR2003 - neither are anything like driving a
race car.

<snip>

   Hehe, noticed that myself, so true.

The comment was a tongue in cheek stab at the original poster. Clearly way
too subtle though...

I believe there has been a fair degree of development of specialist racing
simulators using PC software (including NR2003) and advanced hydraulics etc.
So there may be a closer link between NR2003 and racing team simulators,
although that too is a world apart from what the average simmer experiences.

Regardless it is a fair comment that any knowledge of the track layout
should be beneficial (unless it is completely wrong) so I would not dismiss
Christian's use of a PS2 to get track familiarisation. However, compared
with the high level of simulation race teams are developing it does seem
somewhat low end.

Cheers
Tony

You might not be aware, but unlike a NASCAR car, the engine is in the back
in F1 cars.

:-)

Now if JPM knocks off his front wing and his engine blows............. :-)

David G Fisher

  Also, fyi, Nascar teams have simulators too, so again, the comment I
replied to is interestingly true..............that people go "oh, ah" over a
driver using 03, but laugh when one uses a ps2.