Cupra virtual reality tech could reshape motorsport

Gené added that the tech is still under development and the team is working on a system that will produce real-world physical feedback when there is virtual contact between cars on the digital track.

Another key focus has been on minimising the lag time between translating physical inputs to the car into a response in the digital footage – the maximum delay has now been reduced to three-hundredths of a second.

“Any more delay than that and the lag means you’d feel sick,” said Gené.

Cupra has yet to determine long-term plans for the system, but Gené believes it could be used for racing drivers to really learn circuits, to stage races between people in different locations and to ease the transition of virtual racers into real motorsport.

He added: “When we saw the potential of it is when we started saying ‘okay, we need people with a lot of imagination’. If we just want to go racing on a normal circuit with this, there’s no point.

But with the goggles, you can have any circuit anywhere in the world – and you can add extra toys and benefits you can’t get in the real world. This is a great way to bring two worlds of motorsport together.” 

New reality or virtual insanity? 

The most unsettling moment of the Cupra Exponential Experience comes when you first step into the Urban Rebel.

It’s a familiar racing car environment, with a minimal dash, a purposeful roll-cage and tight bucket seats into which a helpful Cupra mechanic implants you by yanking on a six-point harness seatbelt. But then the mechanic straps a set of VR goggles to your head. At first, the goggles allow you to see the real world – in this case, an empty long-stay car park at Girona airport.

But imposed on it is a virtual gate that marks the start of the course. Trying to drive towards it while adjusting to the Urban Rebel’s stiff competition throttle and brakes is truly disconcerting.

Then you reach the gate, and suddenly reality fades from view and all you can see is Cupra’s virtual world: in this case, a tight street circuit laid out on a stylised virtual version of Barcelona. It’s like something straight out of Mario Kart Tour.

Weirdly, it’s so consuming that even though I’m driving a real car, I quickly forget that I can’t see where I’m driving it in the real world.

On my two warm-up laps, Jordi Gené, strapped into the passenger seat to act as both guide and emergency brake, suggests I slow down to take in some of the views, such as a virtual Sagrada Familia. It’s unclear whether he’s just keen to show off the hard work of Cupra’s development team or if this is a conceit to keep my speeds down.