Simulation Racing Lounge Feeds Growing E-Sport Interest In Loudoun County

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — On any given day, four people could be racing cars side by side. But they're not racing on the local streets. Instead, they are inside a racing simulation lounge, which is a growing hobby that materialized as a new business in Loudoun County.

VirtuMotorsport Simulation Racing Lounge in Sterling is the brainchild of owner William Torres Velez. The lounge offers an immersive racing experience with technology that mimics the real thing — and it gives guests a good workout in the process.

"Through these simulators, you have real race car drivers to practice as well as people that enjoy it casually but get so good at it that they use the skills in real life," said Torres.

Torres, who is originally from Colombia and lived in the local area since age 10, has been passionate about cars and racing for a long time. His first exposure to racing was through standard video games like Grand Turismo, but then he learned about the increasingly popular simulation racing.

According to Torres, motorsports have typically been more popular in Europe, but interest is growing in the U.S. VirtuMotorsport Simulation Racing Lounge opened last year to expand that offering to Loudoun County, and Torres is now ready to let more people know about the business.

Word has already gotten out among the racing enthusiasts. On a weekday afternoon that Patch visited, the lounge was busy with all simulator machines booked up.

At VirtuMotorsport Simulation Racing Lounge, guests come in for a timed session to use one of four simulated racing machines that mimic the technology of real racing. Guests have the option of racing alone or booking the machines as a group to race each other.

The lounge rotates its virtual race tracks every two weeks to change things up for returning guests.

"It's laser scanned into the simulator, so you can use any track from around the world," said Torres.

The lounge tracks guests' racing statistics such as lap times, how much they accelerate and how much they brake. That data can help them can evaluate and work on their skills. According to Torres, some participants like to apply real-world physics to improve their racing outcomes.

"We have people that like to practice their craft without going to the race track," said Torres.

Torres says the lounge isn't just for experienced race drivers. It can also be a casual outing for a date or birthday party. For people new to simulated racing, the lounge offers briefings to walk them through using the technology.

"Some people are intimidated by it, but we've made it super easy so all you have to do is sit and drive," said Torres.

The cars in the racing simulation lounge are designed for older kids up to adults. Torres would like to get smaller machines for younger children to enjoy in the future.

Reservations are recommended due to busy nature of the lounge, but walk-ins are occasionally available. Guests are encouraged to start their account online to make reservations.

For more information, visit www.virtumotorsport.com.