Measure twice, cut once

The old carpenter's axiom is doubly true in the expensive realm of motorsport, where simulations provide a more cost-effective way to test ideas than trial-and-error.

Building and testing new ideas has long been recognized as the slow and expensive way to work in the manufacturing community. But the motorsports community faces even greater time and budget constraints, making simulations even more valuable to racers.

While simulations can be time- and money-consuming, they are still cheaper than actual on-track testing. Track testing entails track rentals, support crews, tire budgets, and engine rebuilds in addition to the cost of building the new parts to be evaluated. And testing is possible only if the weather cooperates and is representative of the conditions expected on race day.