Editing Sim racing (section)

===Emergence of sim racing genre (1989–1997)===
Sim racing is generally acknowledged to have really taken off in [[1989 in video gaming|1989]] with the introduction of [[Papyrus Design Group]]'s ''[[Indianapolis 500: The Simulation]]'', designed by David Kaemmer and Omar Khudari on 16-bit computer hardware. The game is often generally regarded as the personal computer's first true auto racing simulation. Unlike most other racing games at the time, ''Indianapolis 500'' attempted to simulate realistic [[Game physics|physics]] and [[telemetry]], such as its portrayal of the relationship between the four contact patches and the pavement, as well as the loss of grip when making a high-speed turn, forcing the player to adopt a proper racing line and believable throttle-to-brake interaction. It also featured a garage facility to allow players to enact modifications to their vehicle, including adjustments to the tires, shocks and wings.<ref name="GSpot-Papyrus">{{cite web|title=The History of Papyrus Racing – Page 2|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6103365/p-2.html|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=2008-04-07}}</ref> With ''Indy 500'', players could race the full {{convert|500|mi|km}}, where even a blowout after {{convert|450|mi|km}} would take the player out of the competition. The simulation sold over 200,000 copies. It was around this time that sim racing began distinguishing itself from arcade-style racing. Consoles saw the release of [[Human Entertainment]]'s ''[[Fastest 1]]'' for the [[Sega Mega Drive/Genesis]] in 1991. It was considered the most realistic [[Formula 1]] racing simulation up until that time.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ajisuke.fc2web.com/f1.htm | title = Basic overview of ''Fastest 1'' | publisher = FC2Web | access-date = 2012-06-27 | language=ja}}</ref>

In 1991, Namco released the arcade game ''Mitsubishi Driving Simulator'', co-developed with [[Mitsubishi]]. It was a serious educational street driving simulator that used 3D polygon technology and a sit-down arcade cabinet to simulate realistic driving, including basics such as ensuring the car is in neutral or parking position, starting the engine, placing the car into gear, releasing the hand-brake, and then driving. The player can choose from three routes while following instructions, avoiding collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians, and waiting at traffic lights; the brakes are accurately simulated, with the car creeping forward after taking the foot off the brake until the hand-brake is applied. ''Leisure Line'' magazine considered it the "hit of the show" upon its debut at the 1991 [[JAMMA]] show. It was designed for use by Japanese [[driving schools]], with a very expensive cost of AU$150,000 or {{US$|{{To USD|150|AUS|year=1990|round=yes}},000|1990|round=-3}} per unit.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Japanese JAMMA Show |magazine=Leisure Line |date=November 1991 |page=5 |publisher=Leisure & Allied Industries |location=Australia |url=https://archive.org/details/Leisure_Line_1991-11_Leisure_Allied_Industries_AU/page/n4}}</ref>

The next major milestone was the 1992 release of ''[[Formula One Grand Prix (Geoff Crammond)|Formula One Grand Prix]]'' (AKA ''World Circuit'' in some markets) by [[MicroProse]], also developed by Geoff Crammond. This moved the genre along significantly. Multiplayer was made possible by allowing different drivers to take turns, and racers could also hook up their machines for racing via a [[null modem]] cable. This only allowed two drivers to race. Leagues emerged where drivers would submit records of their single player races to compare with other drivers. LFRS (Little Formula Racing Series) included 22 two teams consisting of drivers from around the world racing various classes of sim racing in open and restricted setups. Drivers were required to download event specific setup files for each class, to monitor frame rates and apply a checksum to prevent tampering. Drivers saved their race and uploaded to the LFRS server where race results determined overall positions.This is the first sim in which drafting/slip streaming was possible.

Papyrus followed up Indy 500 with ''[[IndyCar Racing]]'' in 1993 and F1GP was surpassed in all areas. Papyrus later released more tracks and a final expansion included the Indianapolis track plus a paintkit. Now drivers could easily customize their cars. ''IndyCar Racing'' sold around 300,000 copies. The first variant of Papyrus' ''[[NASCAR Racing]]'' series was launched in 1994. In [[SVGA]] (640×480) it pushed the PCs of the time to the limit. Suddenly a resolution of 320×200 seemed a poor option and ''NASCAR Racing'' was the race sim of choice for anyone with a capable PC, particularly in North America. It was the first sim where cars no longer looked like boxes. It keyed in on sophisticated physics modeling. ''NASCAR Racing'' sold over one million units. Moreover, the first real online racing started with ''NASCAR Racing'' using the "Hawaii" dial-in servers and it was not uncommon for these early sim racers to have $300 to $1500 phone bills. Online racing had seen its first true realization, and to many, this was the dawn of "real" sim racing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffdrivesim.html?topic=gaming&topic_set=newmedia|author=Rob Riddell|title=Hard Drive — The parallel universe of auto racing simulation is about to collide with reality|website=[[Wired.com]]|date=February 1997|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref>

1995 saw the release of ''[[IndyCar Racing II]]'', updating the first version with the new NASCAR graphics engine. A year later, [[MicroProse]] released the successor to F1GP, ''[[Grand Prix 2 (game)|Grand Prix 2]]'', to much anticipation. ''GP2'' became successful not just because of its detailed and thorough simulation of the 1994 Formula 1 season, but also because it was customizable; this was achievable by way of the online community. Players could change everything about the game: drivers, teams, graphics, physics, car shapes, and eventually even the racetracks. Offline leagues reached their peak with ''GP2'' in 1998.

In 1996, ''[[NASCAR Racing 2]]'' was released, further improving the original, and the number of sim racers exploded. The [[Total Entertainment Network|TEN]] multiplayer hosting service was introduced and went live in November 1997 with the backing of NASCAR and the online sim racing community grew. In 1997, ''[[Gran Turismo (1997 video game)|Gran Turismo]]'' was released for the [[PlayStation]]. It was considered the most realistic racing simulation for consoles at the time, featuring a wealth of meticulous tuning options and an [[Nonlinear gameplay|open-ended]] [[Be-a-pro mode|career mode]] where players had to undertake [[driving test]]s to acquire [[Driver's license|driving licenses]], earn their way into races and choose their own career path.<ref name="GameSpot">{{Cite web |last=Ekberg |first=Brian |date=May 1, 2006 |title=The Greatest Games of All Time: Gran Turismo |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-greatest-games-of-all-time-gran-turismo/1100-6148640/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-greatest-games-of-all-time-gran-turismo/1100-6148640/ The Greatest Games of All Time: ''Gran Turismo''], [[GameSpot]]</ref> It introduced the racing simulation genre to [[home console]]s,<ref name="GameSpot" /><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last=Reilly |first=Luke |url=http://ign.com/articles/2015/04/03/the-top-10-most-influential-racing-games-ever?page=2 |title=The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever |website=IGN |date=3 April 2015 |access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref> becoming the basis for all modern racing simulations on [[video game console]]s.<ref name="IGN" />[[File:Gran Turismo Screenshot.jpg|thumb|Gameplay from the first ''Gran Turismo'' featuring a [[Mitsubishi FTO]] GPX ]]