# Real racers take to sim racing in the time of COVID-19 - what other sports could? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630 "2020-03-17T04:42:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/21 "2020-04-15T14:48:47Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > Losing weather and wind is pretty huge, though: running a half marathon in a Seattle drizzle is a completely different animal than doing so with a Phoenix sun beating down on your neck. Beyond that, though, I think that the automated pacing that treadmills provide just completely changes running. > > Running on a treadmill is just keeping up with a machine, but one of the big skills of road running is maintaining the discipline to keep a fast enough pace without wearing yourself out by the end. I mean, for certain levels of skill. Real champion marathoners just sprint for 26 miles, but I’m talking about for human beings. You’re right, of course – wind, temperature, and road conditions are big factors. As much as I love her, I doubt Des Linden would have caught Mamita Daska in the 2018 Boston Marathon if the Ethiopian runner hadn’t been slowed by the cold and rain. Virtual racers also wouldn’t be able to draft, or keep track of the leaders in the same way, either. And miss the emotional boost of fans screaming along the course. But that’s like the iRacing sims **scabpicker** has been talking about. Those drivers can’t draft off each other, and they don’t have to contend with heat, or g-force, or getting hurt if they crash. The livestreams are only simulacra of a real race; something to tide drivers and fans over, until they can return to true racing. Likewise, treadmill races would be merely approximations of actual road races. But they could be done. In fact, they’d be closer to the real thing than simulated auto racing; drivers aren’t actually driving, but runners would be really running. Now I think about it, treadmill races are races in their own right – just a different form of the sport. TL;DR version – Road running is one of the sports that could most accurately be simulated while we’re in this lockdown. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/22 "2020-04-15T18:16:38Z")
There’s an [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/2291/) for this. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/23 "2020-04-15T18:51:14Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > There’s an [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/2291/) for this. Isn’t there always? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/24 "2020-04-15T19:30:36Z")
Racing is one of the few sports where playing the e-version is somewhat similar to the real version. The racing players often have some of the same equipment as real cars like a steering wheel, shifter, pedals, etc. A competitive racer will likely be a competitive e-racer. But I’m not sure what other sports are like that. Take golf as an example. A professional golfer won’t necessary have the skills to excel at e-golf, which typically is more about clicking a mouse at the right time. Maybe something like e-tennis games where you swing a game controller would have some overlap between real and sim versions. There are specific e-sport leagues, but these are for computer games like shooters, RPGs, etc. It’s just people playing computer games. The leagues are very competitive and players can make millions from prize winnings and sponsorships. It would be challenging to have any sort of legitimate competition with actual machines like treadmills or spin bikes. It would be too easy for the competitors to tweak or modify their equipment to give them advantage. That also happens with computer games, but the game servers have checks to prevent that and flag cheating. With mechanical devices, a competitor could make tweaks to make their machine easier or faster and that would be harder to detect. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/25 "2020-04-15T19:58:12Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Maybe something like e-tennis games where you swing a game controller would have some overlap between real and sim versions. My brother-in-law is an excellent tennis player. He regularly got his ass kicked by his non-tennis playing teenage daughters because the game effectively removed all of his advantages (power, range, spin, reaction time). The problem is that a simplified game may be fun for all to play, but it effectively penalizes those who are best at the real game. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/26 "2020-04-15T20:38:30Z")
Not the same as real players taking part in, say, _MLB: The Show_ but [Baseball-Reference has been running a simulated season](https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2020/03/baseball-reference-simulating-2020-season-with-out-of-the-park-baseball-21/). ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/27 "2020-04-15T21:15:32Z")
dupe ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630/28 "2020-04-17T19:08:56Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Not the same as real players taking part in, say, _MLB: The Show_ but [Baseball-Reference has been running a simulated season](https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2020/03/baseball-reference-simulating-2020-season-with-out-of-the-park-baseball-21/). When I think to myself, “Eep, the Nats are three games under .500,” I remind myself: 1. It’s a simulated season. 2. 19-31, baby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-racers-take-to-sim-racing-in-the-time-of-covid-19-what-other-sports-could/849630.md?page=1)