Wednesday, August 27, 2008

iRacing burns rubber off the starting line

By Mass High Tech Staff

Bedford-based iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations LLC reports launching its subscription-based auto racing simulation and Internet racing service after four years of development.

The service enables personal computer users with high-speed Internet access and a set of automotive-style wheel-and-pedal controls to compete in real-time Internet racing, company officials said in an earlier story in Mass High Tech.

IRacing.com, established in 2004 by Red Sox owner John Henry and NASCAR racing game developer David Kaemmer, completed a beta test in June. The company is backed with $22 million in seed funding from Henry and Kaemmer, who was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group Inc.

IRacing’s developers created software that generates digital versions of real-life race tracks and vehicles. Using lasers, the company scans tracks and vehicles to duplicate the racing experience in a process that can take up to five months for a single track.

Kaemmer, both a real-life racer and a 20-year game developer, founded Papyrus in 1987 with business partner Omar Khudari. In 1995, game publisher and developer Sierra On-line Inc., a division of Vivendi Universal Games International, acquired Papyrus for $40 million following Papyrus’ development of its string of genre-defining racing games.

In 2004, Vivendi Universal shut down Papyrus’ operations, but iRacing paid $1 million to buy back the “core simulation” code, which now comprises about 15 percent of iRacing’s total code, Kaemmer has said.