The 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has returned. And for those longtime fans — or even first-timers — who wish they could drive as fast as the pros do on the circuit, there’s some good news this year.
Now you can – sort of.
For the first time, the Grand Prix’s lifestyle expo will feature an advanced simulated racing tournament, called the “Dyn X Challenge,” that fans can participate in throughout race weekend.
The inaugural simulated racing tournament was made possible by Cooler Master, a new sponsor of the Grand Prix.
“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in sim racing, bringing a new level of engagement and realism to fans,” Wei Yang, Cooler Master’s general manager of North America, said in a statement. “We’re proud to offer an authentic racing experience that bridges the gap between virtual and real-world racing excitement.”
Cooler Master used innovative pro-level racing simulators, precision-engineered and co-developed with pro drivers for an authentic and immersive racing experience for fans and gamers alike.
“We’ve been trying to do a sim racing tournament for several years here at the Acura Grand Prix and we are delighted that Cooler Master has come on board with the capability to do a top-flight event,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “Their simulators are world-class, and we expect that it will be a great experience for our fans, old and new.”
It is an immersive experience of the Long Beach circuit, seeing iconic landmarks such as the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Ferris wheel at The Pike. You can hear and feel the engine vibrating, the force from braking and turning, and texture of the track – and hear and feel every crash too.
There will be separate tournaments each day. Drivers who finish in the top 10 of the respective leaderboards will win prizes. The drivers in first, second and third at the end of the day will get more extravagant prizes from Cooler Master, Acura, Honda Racing and the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.
How long it takes to get around the track will be up to you and your skills.
“It would take a pro-driver much less time to make it around the track, but with the exception that sometimes if a pro-driver doesn’t do too much of sim driving, it can even take them a little bit of time to get a feel for it,” said Aaron Thomen, innovative technology director at Cooler Master. “A lot of times, if someone is a sim pro-racer and serious about it, then they can beat the pro-driver.”
The simulators and tournament will be in the lifestyle expo inside the main exhibit hall of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center – right in between the Acura Type S model showing and Own the Sky virtual airborne experience.
Here’s what you should know about the simulator:
To participate in the tournament, you must sign up for a spot in advance at the Cooler Master booth by scanning a QR code. A notification will be sent to your phone when it is your time to race, so no need to wait in line. There are four simulators at the event that fans will be able to use.
Once you make it back to the booth, your name will be at the bottom of the screen of your seat. The Cooler Master’s pit crew will be there to help if seat adjustment is needed.
Put on the headphones to hear the virtual car’s engine roar. Once the countdown is over and the light turns green – go.
Drivers will get two laps around the track. Make sure to check the speedometer, since Cool Master pros said the faster you go, the easier it will be to get around the track.
Once drivers make it past the first turn, it gets a lot easier as well. But learning how to defeat those turns can be a challenge, even for the pros.
Cool Master pros suggested learning how to go fast and stop quickly are the best tips on how to make every turn – and there are a lot. Long Beach’s Grand Prix track is tough in person, and it’s just as challenging in the simulator. But you can get the hang of it over time. And some more good news: you can sign up to keep practicing and beat your previous times.
“Honestly, the best tip is to break faster, and that will help you a lot,” said Karmel Humphrey from Cooler Master. “Learning how to go really fast and stopping quickly when you get to the turns. When you think about it, the slower you are, the tighter the turn rate is.”
On Friday and Saturday, competitors will be driving GT sports cars in the stimulated race. The open-wheel cars of the NTT IndyCar Series will be in the tournament on Sunday – which, according to developers, will be harder to virtually drive.
After your race, you can check the leaderboard results online at coolermastergaming.com.
“We’re super excited,” Thomen said. “The Long Beach Grand Prix has been wanting to put on something like this for a long time and so we’re really excited about the opportunity to be a part of that to really allow the public to participate and actually race because everybody wants to be out there.”
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