Sennheiser 2012 Annual Report Download - page 18

3534
1,000 Hz 1,000 Hz
1,000
RACING GAME
Someday, André Böttcher will get around to getting his
driver’s license. Maybe in a few months, once he’s be-
come Formula 1 World Champion. But to say it isn’t
exactly a top priority for the 20-year-old would be an under-
statement. After all, until he does get his license he’s got the
network of buses and trains to transport him comfortably
around his home region – the Ruhr Valley in Germany. An-
dré’s mission right now is to get his hands on the coveted
FIA F1 trophy – in the virtual world, of course. While Vettel,
Alonso and Räikkönen burn fuel and rubber on the F1 circuit,
all Böttcher uses is a little electricity powering his simulator,
but instead of competing against 20 other F1 professionals,
he has to prevail against 40,000 competitors from all over
the world in the online racing simulator iRacing. There’s sim-
ply not enough time for something as run-of-the-mill as a
driver’s license.
The media and IT student from Herne, Germany is
one of countless motor racing fans around the world who
have immersed themselves in the world of racing simula-
tion. No other simulation games are so real, nowhere else
are the similarities between gaming and reality so strong. In
fact, one iRacer has already made the jump to Formula 1.
Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas now races for Williams.
André Böttcher is one of only 45 racers worldwide
to have qualified for iRacing Formula 1. In order to maxi-
mize his chances, Böttcher has built himself an impressive
simulator in his bedroom consisting of an aluminum frame
housing a racing seat, three monitors, a Formula 1
steering wheel and robust pedals. Böttcher drives for
my3id-Gaming, a virtual racing team. He meets his team
director, “mechanics” and fellow drivers from Finland, the
UK and Brazil in a chat room, where circuits, engines and
setups are discussed via headsets. Böttcher wears his head-
set while racing too, as the sound really makes the racing
experience. Where are his closest competitors? Are they
behind him to the left, or alongside on the right? Should he
put his foot down or only lightly touch the gas pedal?
Should he be braking? Böttcher absorbs all of this informa-
tion through his headset, and is able to pinpoint the loca-
tions of the other cars on the circuit.
Thomas Jung is one step further than André Böttch-
er. He not only is a fervent online gamer, but also programs
and “drives” racing sims at racing simulator producer Van
Hese in Papenburg, Germany. When he’s not trying out his
skills in painstakingly developed Grand Prix cars or full-mo-
tion simulators, Jung is putting in the laps on online racing
sim rFactor. Jung was a huge fan of the Sennheiser PC 151 for
a long time, but then he discovered the benefits of the
brand-new Sennheiser U320: “The ear pads adjust automat-
ically to my head, and the head-
phones are light and very versatile,”
says Jung. “I can also adjust the in-
game audio volume and the volume
of fellow gamers separately.”
Just like Böttcher, whose
grandfather used to race around
the famous AVUS circuit in Berlin,
motorsport is in Jung’s blood. He
Nowhere else are virtual reality and the real world more closely related than
in motor racing. The lines are often blurred between racing simulation
and the circuit, but one element is always constant: the right sound
can make the difference between victory and defeat.
… AND SUDDENLY IT WENT
VROOOOOOOM!
SINGING ENGINES
1,000Hz – that’s music
to any motor
racing fan’s ears. This is the
frequency produced by a Formula
1 engine. At 15,000 rpm, the
ten-cylinder monster screams
out at 1,000 Hz. A regular four-
cylinder, four-stroke engine
runs at around 3,000 rpm and
produces a mere 100 Hz.
g1. A Ferrari pit stop: In
amongst the roaring engine
noise, double World Champion
Fernando Alonso relies on
Sennheiser technology.