For those of us with a love for driving not only the cars we own but the digital versions of the cars of our dreams, sim racing is a hobby of compromises. Between cost, performance and convenience, there’s a lot to consider when purchasing your first sim rig. The Nitro Concepts C-Racer offers a great balance of all three, while folding away for those who need space in a room for anything that isn’t lapping the Nurburgring 24/7.
‘But why not just mount my wheel to a desk?’, I hear you ask. And you could if you wanted to; I’ve certainly settled for the desk solution, using the built-in clamps on my Logitech G920 to fasten it to my desk every time I want to hop on Assetto Corsa or BeamNG.drive. For years, I dealt with even the piddly 2.3Nm of peak torque it generated rattling my stationery every time I took a kerb. But the rigidity, adjustability and convenience of a dedicated sim rig means the luxury of having one is something I’d now find it rather difficult to give up.
Nitro Concepts C Racer Stowed
Let’s say you’ve set aside the money for a decent frame and you’re willing to take your sim racing experience to the next level. Even at that point, a great deal of us need space not only for racing but perhaps entertaining guests on the weekends. Or perhaps you’re just looking for some extra partner-approval-factor such that there isn’t a hunk of steel and wires sitting in the middle of your living room at all times? Enter the Nitro Concepts C-Racer, a versatile folding frame that can be set up or stowed away in mere seconds.
First-time setup of the C-Racer is a process so simple I could almost call it trivial. The frame arrives in a flat-pack-style box of thick cardboard construction with dense foam inserts and plastic wrapping to both ensure it arrives intact and that the near-20kg hunk of steel doesn’t damage anything else around it. The main frame comes pre-assembled complete with pedal tray and once folded out, simply requires adding the requisite mounts for wheel and shifter along with a few feet and the rail system for office chair users.
The instructions are 14 steps long and are presented in an A4 leaflet. The instructions themselves are almost entirely pictorial with handy labels for which part and tool to use in each step. Making it easy to understand regardless of language spoken. All the necessary tools for assembly are included too. All in, I had the frame fully assembled and ready to race within half an hour, it really is that simple.
Nitro Concepts C Racer Seat Rail
Being a folding rig means that it isn’t designed to have a seat mounted to it directly but as a self-proclaimed filthy casual with limited space, I found this to be a selling point. More conveniently still, the C-Racer comes packaged with what they call a rail system. In practice it’s a simple tray that clamps onto the driver end legs of the frame and allows you to slot in the wheels or legs of an office chair. It’s a simple yet ingenious way to couple chair and frame, stopping you from rolling away under heavy braking and giving consistency of control placement relative to the driver. I chose to pair my frame with a ThunderX3 Core gaming chair which was both comfortable and supportive enough to sustain long sessions of hot lapping.
Nitro Concepts C Racer Shifter Plate
The frame features mounting holes for all the mainstream hardware manufacturers and I had absolutely no trouble fitting my G920 wheel and pedals to the frame itself and my Logitech shifter to the included shifter/handbrake mount which bolts to either side of the frame for both right and wrong hand drive users.
As far as adjustment goes, the telescoping wheel mount couples longitudinal and vertical placement into a single diagonal axis. In theory, limiting if one were to be using a fixed seat but in practice with a separate gaming chair it proved no issue at all. Furthermore, the wheel itself can be pitched and fixed in place at any point along its 15° or so of adjustment. The pedals also feature two axes of adjustment, both through mounting rails that offer up to 35cm of longitudinal adjustment as well as the hangers for the tray itself which feature graduated hooks to allow for more or less rake on your pedal box. The chair rail can also be slid back and forth to best fit your desired distance from the frame while driving.
Nitro Concepts C Racer Pedal Plate
At a peculiar build of 6’3” tall with a solid 65% of that being leg, I found that I fit surprisingly comfortably in front of the frame and faced no fatigue while partaking in long qualifying sessions.
The steel construction of the C-Racer means that despite its nature as a folding system, it was incredibly solid when properly set up. It weighs a hair under 20kg when fully assembled too and as such has a good amount of inertia which is helpful when dealing with the forces applied during a session. Anchoring it to a chair also means that the driver’s weight plays a part in its sturdiness.
Nitro Concepts C Racer Wheel Mount
And, most importantly, when you’re done with testing the limits of a car (and your skill) on track, the C-Racer can be folded away into a compact enough package to stow beside or behind a television set with the wheel, pedals, shifter and associated wiring still attached. The latter of which is aided by the inclusion of a healthy number of hook and loop cable management straps. A very nice inclusion for a product priced at a mere £149.99 asking price.
So, the Nitro Concepts C-Racer is quite possibly the best bang-for-your-buck sim racing frame out there right now. Perfect for any sim racer with limited space, limited cash or real life plans for their living room.
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