Simply feeling comfortable when sat at your Sim Racing rig isn’t enough to keep you competitive; you need to be in an ergonomic state to be able to get the most out of your rig, and your racing skills.
When racing with a Simucube 2 Pro wheelbase, you need your body to be in the optimal position for racing, and this involves ergonomics, a state that can be divided into the following two aspects:
- Static
This means that your whole body is in a comfortable position, with no strain being placed on any of its parts, and once you’ve achieved it while sitting at your rig, you can concentrate on keeping your body axis straight, without your head or limbs leaning to the side.
- Dynamic
Once your static position is optimised, you can start to focus on your dynamic ergonomics. Consider everything that you’re likely to use in the cockpit when racing, such as the steering wheel and pedals, and make sure that they are all within easy reach without you having to overextend your body to use them.
Once you feel as if all of your movements in the rig are natural and your body isn’t being placed under any undue strain, you can put your ergonomics into practice.
If, after a session of racing, you don’t have any aches, pains, or niggling issues with any part of your body, you’re probably about as close to achieving a perfectly ergonomic state as you will ever be.
What role does the right seat play in Sim Racing and ergonomics?
Many experts say that the right seat is essential for achieving an optimal ergonomic state in Sim Racing, and they’re probably right. But, it’s important to be familiar with your body type and size when choosing a racing seat, as one that’s too small could cause you no end of problems, even if you don’t always feel it at the time, and one that’s too big could be just as troublesome.
With this in mind, reclining seats are often thought to be the best choice in terms of comfort and ergonomics, even though bucket seats might have that race-ready look that so many love.
When seated at your Sim Racing rig, you may also want to adjust the height of the pedals so that they keep you in a constant ergonomic state. While positioning of such accessories will be subjective according to each individuals needs and body shape and size, it’s imperative that your back, hips and your thighs are constantly touching the seat to maximize the distribution of weight on the largest surface area in contact.
It can be all too easy to overlook the role ergonomics plays when Sim racing in the UK, or to simply not be aware of it, especially if you’re just eager to get behind the steering wheel and race! Ignoring the position of your body when you race, however, is nothing more than an open invitation for injuries and aching body parts. Fortunately, with so many more choices available when it comes to ergonomically designed seats nowadays, you can easily protect your body while giving yourself the best chance of achieving race victory.
