Introduction
One of the big issues facing simmers is finding a good comfortable way to mount their wheels and pedals so everything stays in place and in a comfortable driving position. There is nothing worse than ruining a good run because your pedals slide out from under you or you get cramped shoulders from sitting in a desk chair. To help solve these problems, many companies are now offering racing frames or pods. These units provide a means to mount all your controls in a solid position, and provide a more realistic seating position that you might find in a real race car. The following review looks at one such product – the GameRacer Pro. Promoted as “The Ultimate Indoor Racing Simulator”, the GameRacer provides a solid, simple, and professional frame for all simmers from the casual console gamer to the hardcore league racers.

Designed by racers to get the most out of your racing games and simulators, GameRacer allows you to connect most racing steering wheels and pedals to the GameRacer frame and enjoy the optimum driving position.

Features
• Custom built lightweight racing style seat in a stiking two-tone blue/black cloth finish.
• Conveniently placed handle in the headrest to move GameRacer around.
• Tough GameRacer frame with a durable black powder coat finish.
• Center support beam for hassle free adjustment.
• Steering column adjusts backwards and forwards as well as up and down.
• Steering column pivots so that is can be easily moved up and down without tools.
• Adjustment is quickly achieved using 2 large turn screws.
• Large pedal plate with angled heel plate for comfortable pedal positioning.
• Quickly folds away and stands upright for easy storage.
• Quick & easy to assemble.
• 12 month warranty

The Company
GameRacers are made and distributed by Poole & Berry Ltd, with company directors being Ted Poole and Ian Berry. Ted Poole was trained as an aircraft engineer and has been designing successful racing karts since 1996. His chassis have provided countless poles, fastest laps and wins for numerous drivers, and are currently 1st and 2nd in the 2003 British Endurance Championships. Ian Berry has been successfully racing karts since 1986 and has been a professional race director and instructor since 1993.

GameRacer currently has distributors throughout Europe and the US.

The Product
The unit itself offers a very basic, simple, yet highly effective and usable design. The GameRacer is designed around a single 1.25 inch steel 'stretcher bar' upon which the adjustable pedal and wheel stands, made from 1 inch square steel tubing, are attached. To quote the creator Ted Poole, "It had to be a single rail, because from a design objective it cannot be bettered. A two rail system would just add weight, increase size, and be more difficult to adjust as one side will always catch. It's a no-brainer."

The GameRacer's design replicates the driving position used in karts and racing cars the world over. Co developer Ian Berry says, "A designer will always try to get the driver as low as possible to reduce the center of gravity. We have done the same with the GameRacer, therefore maximizing stability. I've seen some driving simulators where the seat is way up in the air. With your legs at that angle, it must be more like driving a bus, nothing like a race-car."

Shipped in two boxes, one containing the seat and the other the frame and hardware, the GameRacer Pro includes the following:
• GameRacer racing simulator frame.
• Custom built race style seat built by Corbeau finished in Blue/Black.
• Velcro pads for pedal installation.
• Velcro straps for cable management.
• Assembly tools.

The quality of workmanship and finish is of the highest level. There are no sharp edges on any of the components and all welded steel is powder coated. The mounting hardware is very clean and durable and should last a lifetime. The unit is also backed by a 12 month warranty.

The seat, which is the heart and soul of the Pro version is a genuine Corbeau Racing seat, embroidered with the GameRacer logo. The seat is very well padded and even has wear areas and a harness pass-through. The seat fits the driver snuggly and holds you in place. This can also be a downside with drivers with large “rear bumpers”. The seat is only 12 inches wide at the back of the base between the side padding and 27 inches high from the seat base to the top, although the thick foam padding does give to provide additional room in the seat.

The wheel plate attaches to a movable stand with a single bolt. The plate can be angled to suit the desired wheel angle of the driver. The plate is approx 9 inches wide at the back and tapers to 4.5 inches at the front. The overall length of the plate is approx 5.5 inches. The wheel stand is an angled bracket that is approx 18 inches in height from the frame base to the wheel mounting plate.

The pedal plate attaches to a movable stand with a single bolt. The stand can be adjusted for distance from the seat. The plate itself is approx 10 inches wide by 11 inches high with a 2.25 inch angled heel plate at the bottom.

The complete unit weighs in at 41lbs so it can be fairly easily moved around without much hassle. The frame can be collapse to a length of approx 46.5 inches. Fully extended the overall length reaches approx 60 inches. With the seat attached it has an overall width of approx 19 inches and a height of 32 inches from floor to seat top.  Its ability to quickly slide together and light weight makes it easier to store out of the way when not in use. Basically, disconnect your wheel from the gaming system, slide the pedals and wheel up to the seat and carry away. This also makes it a great solution for LAN parties as it can easily fit into a truck, minivan, or station wagon.

Pricing
The unit as tested lists for $499US for the Pro version. GameRacer is also available in two other versions. The Sport ($399US) and Club ($449US). All 3 units are based on the same underlying frame and the only difference between each version is the included seat.

Shipping costs are extra and could be a substantial extra cost due to the shipping size and weight.

Assembly
The package comes with all required tools for assembly, so you can start putting the unit together as soon as you open the box. The package also includes a simple-to-follow set of instructions and diagrams. With the simple design of the system, the unit can be assembled in 15-25 minutes.

The seat bolts to the seat frame with 4 bolts that thread directly into the seat itself. The seat is then slid onto the central tube and locked in place with a single adjustment knob.

The wheel and pedal plates attach to their own separate stands with a single bolt and a nylon locking nut. Both stands are then slid onto the central tube and tightened in place with a single adjustable knob at the base of each stand.

Usage
Once assembled, the next step is to mount your wheel and pedals. The manufacturer provides a number of large, heavy Velcro strips to mount the wheel and pedals to their plates. This provides a solid but removable means of attaching your controls and works well for holding things firmly in place.

Due to the use of hand tightened adjustment knobs, the user can quickly move both the wheel and pedals forward and back to get the perfect position for their personal driving position.  This is especially handy if you have multiple drivers of varying sizes using the unit.

The wheel plate angle can also be adjusted applying pressure to the plate to move it up and down since it is only held in place by a single bolt.  This allows of easy adjustment without the need for tools. The one downside to this is that the plate could also possibly move during use if too much pressure is applied.

Another other area of concern is with the wheel stand height, which his not adjustable. The set fixed height of 18 inches does work well but may be an issue for the extremes of small and large drivers. It can also be an issue with some wheels that have a deep mounting overhang, such as the Logitech Momo Force that we used in testing. The Mono’s mounting brackets extended well down below the plate and actually hit into our knees during use. This is more an issue with the wheel itself than the GameRacer; however, some height adjustability would be a nice option. This could also be overcome by some creative mounting of the wheel or possibly raising the wheel itself on the plate with a plywood spacer or something similar. The small size of the wheel plate itself could also be an issue with some larger wheels; however, the Velcro mounting or possible direct bolting to the plate solves most of these issues. It should also be noted that the plate itself is thin, as it is a steel plate. Many wheels have mounting systems that are designed to clamp to thicker surfaces such as a desk, so it is recommended to possibly remove the stock mounting system and use the included Velcro or do a direct bolting mount. This provides for a more solid mount and also reduces the under hang issues of some wheels.

The pedal plate is for all purposes fixed in place as it is bolted at the top and the bottom rests against the main frame tube. The fixed angle is however comfortable and should work with most pedal systems. Due to the way in which the wheel stand mounts on the central tube it is not possible to right foot brake or heel and toe the pedals.

The overall seating angle is very reclined, and based on that of most race cars and karts. This may require a bit of adjustment as the user gets use to the position, especially if coming from “desk racing” but in time it becomes a more natural and comfortable position and adds to the overall sim experience. The seat offers no adjustments for angle and is fixed to the main frame. The factory angle, however, is comfortable and should be fine for most users. For those wanting to adjust the angle, a simple washer spacer under the mounting bolts should provide at least some basic adjustability.

Summary
For the console gamers, the GameRacer is an ideal solution for those wanting to bring more to their racing experience and provide a solid way to mount their controls.  It also offers a good option to PC simmers looking to move away from the typical desk chair setup or for those looking for a great solution for LAN racing, but will require some additional thinking on how to position the monitor and keyboard for use as no optional stands are available at this time from the manufacturer.

The seat is very comfortable, although it may be a bit small for larger drivers. The other area of concern may be with mounting custom wheels with large bases and complicated mounting systems.

Despite the few shortcomings the GameRacer is a great option for sim racers, with a clean, solid, simple design that takes up little space and offers a comfortable, ergonomic racing position for the simmer, at a price that is worth the value in our opinion.