Honda Installs New Driver-in-Loop Simulator at Indianapolis Base

Honda Racing Corporation USA has installed a new driver-in-the-loop simulator at its Indianapolis operations base for testing a range of racecar models including IndyCar and LMDh.

The new facility replaces a previous DIL simulator that was introduced in 2013 and updated over subsequent years. It features multi-body vehicle dynamics physics simulation software that can generate up to 1.5MB of data every second on around 2,000 channels. A multi-camera set-up records each session and marries up with the recorded data.

HRC US will use the simulator to test set-up options for its various racecars including the Dallara DW12-Honda IndyCar and the Acura ARX-06 sports prototype that competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Its construction is based on a modified IndyCar cockpit.

‘The new simulator is superior in every way to our original DIL simulator,’ said Ben Schmitt, head of the Vehicle Performance Group at HRC US. ‘The vehicle physics models have continued to evolve from the original simulator, including the tire models, and our data acquisition capabilities are exponentially higher than previously. The new motion platform, cockpit and vision systems create a vehicle dynamics experience for the drivers that is our closest recreation yet of real-world conditions.’

The simulator can rotate through 360 degrees in yaw and gives the driver a 270-degree field of view of the 2.5-metre high, 9-metre diameter screen. The previous DIL rig had a 180-degree field of view. Aero models for the different cars are produced through Honda simulation data from the company’s 1:1 scale wind tunnel in Ohio. Power models come from Honda and HRC’s simulations. Different tyre models from HRC and third-party suppliers are also included. Real-world tracks are replicated through laser scanning and high-resolution point cloud road surface measuring.

HRC is the motorsport division of Honda. Its North American branch, founded in 1993, was known as Honda Performance Development until the start of this year when it was renamed HRC US to reflect closer alignment with the Japanese side of the business.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato has undergone testing in the new simulator. The Japanese driver described it as a ‘completely new philososphy’ and a ‘huge improvement’ on the old DIL set-up.

‘The movement inside the car is much more immediate, the feeling the driver has is much more accurate,’ said Sato. ‘It feels a lot more realistic than…