AKK, the Finnish Automobile Sport Federation is bringing rally simulators to the public during Secto Rally Finland in the first week of August.
In cooperation with manufacturer Overpower there will be 16 simulators – four of them children’s size – for the public in Jyväskylä’s Paviljonki exhibition centre, next to the rally’s service park.
The Sports car simulator project, Flying Finn DigiRigi, is a youth sports project of AKK, the purpose of which is to support the sustainable development of motorsports, to bring motorsports closer to children and young people, and to find new ways to discover future talents.
Last year, during the WRC Secto Automotive Rally Finland, the simulators were driven by around a couple of thousand participants daily, and the expectations for this year are not any lower.
“The most common reaction has been “Wow!” People have been surprised by how driving the simulator feels so realistic. These devices can simulate everything except G-forces. Today’s simulators are well developed, and they can be used to bring suitable rally, track car racing and other events for everyone to drive”, Overpower’s project manager Risto Pahkala says.
The rally simulator area will be open from Wednesday to Saturday.
In addition to public test drives, the Finnish digital racing championship will be competed in the area, as the Digital Racing eSM 2023 final race is held on Saturday evening.
According to AKK’s sport manager Henri Karjalainen, the World Rally Championship is a great opportunity to present digital motorsport to the general public. And of course, the rally fans can be offered fun activities in addition to the actual rally.
“People like it when they get to try realistic driving. You can choose rally, track driving or rallycross. The adults have been just as excited about this as the children” says Karjalainen.
Photo: Overpower.
