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This month's feature: PRI Review
2008 The Year of the Privateer
The theme that dominated PRI this year is that anyone can get on the track. Amateur events and modifications to production cars were being promoted everywhere.
New race series are sprouting up all over the country.
And for the more serious competitors, several of these series use "spec racers." Spec cars are created to (at least partially) eliminate the differences between vehicles so that the differences between drivers are mainly responsible for the results.
And helping people have the "on track experience" was the Virtual GT Racing Simulator. Yes, I know we mentioned this last year, but we still are lusting after it. While videogames like Forza and Need for Speed get closer and closer to a real racing experience, Virtual GT is as close as you can get, with real track and vehicle measurements making for accurate "physics." We understand that pro race drivers and amateurs alike use this simulator to stay in top form, and to experience tracks they are planning to compete at. It's pricey but maybe not out of reach for many amateur racers. http://www.virtual-gt.com
High tech abounds, and one of the best applications is the in-car camera to allow drivers to analyze and refine their techniques.
As racing gets safer and the analysis tools get sharper, more and more Americans are attracted to the track and the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of Weekend Warriors.
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