The chassis that once carried Craig Lowndes and Zane Goddard at the Bathurst 1000 has been transformed into a cutting-edge simulator at Triple Eight Race Engineering's headquarters. Chassis 888A-060, previously the Supercheap Auto wildcard, has been retired from racing and repurposed as a driver training tool.
From Racetrack to Office Space
Triple Eight, the dominant force in Supercars, displayed the Gen3 chassis in the open-plan office area at its Banyo, Brisbane base. However, a recent Will Brown YouTube video revealed it has been converted into a simulator. Andrew Edwards, Triple Eight's Head of Performance, confirmed to Speedcafe that the project began last year. "It was originally supposed to be a centrepiece for the manufacturing side of the business," he said. "But we saw an opportunity and have been building it over time."
Real Chassis for Realism
Using an actual chassis offers unique advantages. "You can put the seat and everything in the exact position. It gives a bit of immersion to the whole experience, which helps," Edwards added. The simulator runs on publicly available iRacing software, featuring Australian circuits like The Bend, Bathurst, Sandown, and Adelaide. Edwards emphasised it's a technique and practice tool rather than a full driver-in-loop engineering simulator. "This is generally a technique and practice tool more than anything else," he noted.
History of Chassis 888A-060
Chassis 888A-060 has a rich history. It was first raced by Shane van Gisbergen in the first half of the 2023 Gen3 season, including a debut win at Newcastle before disqualification for an illegally mounted cool box. After van Gisbergen switched chassis, it became the wildcard for Lowndes and Goddard at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000. The car suffered structural damage in a crash with Cooper Murray at Hidden Valley the following year, becoming the first Triple Eight car to be written off.
A Tool for Drivers
Edwards stressed the simulator is used to aid drivers in various aspects, such as braking techniques and brake bedding procedures before The Bend. "It is [an engineering tool] from the point of view of working on braking techniques," he said. While the team aspires to develop it into a full engineering simulator, Edwards acknowledged the huge investment required, similar to NASCAR and F1 teams. "That's probably where we'd like it to go, but that in itself is a humongous project," he concluded.
With this move, Triple Eight not only recycles a successful chassis but also invests in driver development. The simulator stands as proof of continuous innovation, even from the remnants of the past.
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