Formula drivers get the best money can buy from Hervanta, Tampere, Finland. Simucube builds high-end simulator steering wheels and pedals used both by the world’s top drivers for training and by a growing esports scene. The company has to meet sky-high expectations, because its customers drive 300 kilometers an hour for a living. Text, photos & video: Petri Kangas / Business Tampere How do you become the best in the world at what you do? Simucube’s motorized steering wheels, pedals and other racing simulator gear are tested and calibrated with a method that speaks volumes: a test driver first takes a lap in a real race car, then jumps straight from a Porsche into a Simucube setup. Their equipment is used by professional drivers, including four-time world champion Max Verstappen, as well as top names in rally. Man-cave gearheads dream of the striking orange-and-black devices. When asked for comment in a background interview, a sim racing enthusiast from Tampere simply wrote: “The best money can buy.” Sim racing is competitive motorsport. The aim is to replicate real racing as closely as possible, down to tire wear and changing weather conditions. Tampere-based Simucube designs and manufactures what many consider the finest simulator hardware in the world. CEO Hannu Harju and Customer Manager Johannes Suomalainen walk us through the company’s operations at Hermia and explain how sim racing brings together the worlds of esports and real-world motorsport. At Simucube’s office in Hermia, Tampere, they have the equipment to try out both circuit and rally driving on a simulator. Johannes Suominen from sales (left) and CEO Hannu Harju. Photo: Petri Kangas / Business Tampere From World Champions to Dedicated Enthusiasts “We get a lot of development suggestions from our customers. That’s one of the reasons we’re doing so well. We can implement exactly the kind of hardware and software changes they ask for,” says CEO Hannu Harju. According to Harju, there are no shortcuts when it comes to component quality. “When you make the best in the world, it also ends up being the most expensive,” he jokes. A quick look at Simucube’s online store confirms it: prices for wheel-and-pedal setups start at a couple of thousand euros. Top-tier bundles go for around five thousand. The system we tested at Simucube’s showroom in Hermia 6, complete with curved monitors and a high-performance PC, costs about 15,000 euros. That’s enough to buy a decent used city car or small family vehicle. Harju says their products aren’t typically bought by casual beginners. The hobby has become more serious. According to the Finnish Sim Racing Association (FiSRA), all you need to get started is a PC or laptop, a wheel, pedals, and a reliable internet connection. Harju sums up their customer base as a mix of motorsport professionals and esports drivers, ranging from world champions to dedicated enthusiasts. The idea behind the wheel came from outside the company. Simucube is the brand name, but the company’s original and official name is Granite Devices. Their main business is manufacturing electronic components. About twenty years ago, they developed motor controllers for industrial robots. Harju explains that shortly after, a sim racing enthusiast approached the founder, Tero Kontkanen. The fan had “acquired a massive motor, attached a steering wheel to it, and said, ‘I need to be able to drive this.'” With support from the sim racing community and online forums, the Simucube product line gradually took shape. Finns are known as a rally-driving nation, but the domestic market is small. Simucube exports 98 percent of its production. “Europe, North America, Asia and especially Japan, where drifting is hugely popular,” Harju lists. According to market research firm Statista, esports is a growing industry with projected revenues of $5.9 billion by 2029. “Our employees own the company. This helps with commitment. Overall, job satisfaction is extremely important to us,” Harju says. Simucube currently employs 60 people, most of whom work in product development. The company is actively hiring. According to Finnish business and finance paper Kauppalehti, Simucube’s revenue last year was €15.6 million, with a profit of €1.2 million. Johannes Suomalainen races Finland’s rally stages on virtual gravel roads in Central Finland. Photo: Petri Kangas / Business Tampere No limits on performance As the lap and the interview progress, it becomes clear that the claims of ambition and being the best in the world are well-founded. “When we designed this wheel, we started with an 80-button control panel and chose the most suitable layout,” Harju explains. “This is very close to the steering wheel paddle shifters on a Mercedes-AMG GT3, although sim racers often don’t want something that realistic because it’s not always optimal,” Suomalainen adds. Harju continues: “And they don’t even really know what’s realistic. A real F1 pedal moves 7 to 8 millimeters, but that’s not intuitive,” Harju says. There is definitely room for a certain level of obsession with perfection, since some customers drive at 300 km/h for a living and, at least indirectly, trust their lives to the simulator. Harju says the servo motor delivers 32 Newton-meters of torque. For comparison, a small car with a one-liter engine produces about 100 Newton-meters of torque. So the steering wheel pushes back firmly, but is also extremely sensitive. Apparently, there is at least one driver known to be using the system at full settings: he races professionally in the United States IndyCar series, famous for its oval tracks. Those cars can reach speeds of up to 380 kilometers (236 mph) per hour. For more information, please contact: Arto Käyhkö Head of Games arto@businesstampere.com https://fi.linkedin.com/in/artokayhko egaming esports gaming kuljettaja moottoriurheilu motorsports peliteollisuus poljin rally simulaatio