Editor's note: Introducing an auto-racing simulation system has presented an opportunity for Godzpeed Autosport to fill a niche need. Company co-founder and CEO Tristan Lo Yin explains the challenges the company faces, including convincing the public that the simulation isn't just a glorified video game, and the prospect of the expanding market.

Access to immense real-case data, flexible self-made programming, and exclusive, localized content have forged the fame of Godzpeed Autosport, a Hong Kong-based motor sports simulation company.

Bent on becoming Asia's auto-racing simulation center, Godzpeed, established in 2016, is attempting to introduce a niche and professional-grade driving experience to the mass public through its specially designed simulation software and hardware in its "drivers lounge," located in Causeway Bay.

By conducting promotions through social media and gaming channels such as Twitch, Amazon's livestreaming video platform, Godzpeed has notched almost 30,000 followers on Facebook.

The company, a frequent event-holder, has also attracted as many as 1.5 million online viewers monthly for its regular contests - the Godzpeed GT series and endurance series.

The idea of starting a company like Godzpeed was conceived long time ago in the mind of Tristan Lo Yin, co-founder and CEO of the Hong Kong-based startup. The plan took root as far back as when he started racing while he was in college.

Joining a BMW Young Driver Program more than a decade ago, Lo had always been interested in the motor sports industry, into which he immersed himself for over a decade.

Passion and racing experience aside, the automotive fan is also an expert on the technology side. Majoring in computer science as an undergraduate in San Jose, California, Lo had internships in Silicon Valley with roles such as game testing.

"You don't need to build a factory, you just need a studio," said Lo, adding that everything can be done on a laptop, indicating that the business didn't cost too much to launch.

Seeing the feasibility of starting the company without costly financing, Lo also sensed the love of racing in the southern coastal city, as almost all the top racing players are in Hong Kong, which he said really surprised him, given the fact that the city doesn't even have a race track.

Having been in the motor sport circle for over 10 years, Lo has had his finger on the pulse of nearly the entire racing community - the federations, teams and manufacturers.

As a result, an immense amount of data from almost every aspect of the sport - data as diverse as tire temperatures and driving feedback from professional racers - are readily accessible to the CEO. This gives an edge to the company as it designs its simulation program to an extent so accurate that it has only minor differences to racing on a real track.

Any "accident" could happen during the simulation - a puncture on any of the four tires; an engine blowout if the players don't shift properly; parts of the car falling off after a crash - adding another layer of reality.

Despite all the hype that the company received, Lo indicated that the most challenging difficulty is convincing the public that what Godzspeed is offering is a realistic simulation, and not just a video game such as Need For Speed, one of Electronic Arts' top car-racing titles.

Lo said the concept still exists by and large in Hong Kong as well as the mainland that people cannot apply the same skills they learned in what they think of as a video game to real-world driving.

"The mindset has been in place for a very long time," said Lo, who drew an analogy between simulations of driving and aircraft piloting.

It would be costly and also dangerous to hold each and every drill in a real cockpit for pilots training, whether a commercial plane or a fighter jet, Lo said, adding that the model is pretty much the same with the driving simulation.

In addition to offering professional training, Godzpeed is preparing the launch of its self-developed racing game, probably by the end of next year.

"The main focus now is the game because it's a market with massive potential," said Lo, who shared several key recipes of the Godzpeed's upcoming games.

The exclusive and localized content would seem to favor the company.

The mainstream motor racing titles available in the market are all manufactured by overseas developers, said Lo, referring to video-game series such as Gran Turismo, designed by Sony's Polyphony Digital; and Forza, produced by Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios.

"The player community wants something more Asian," says the CEO, adding that the self-developed title would be the one with more Asian circuits.

"We are confident that when we sell the game online, we will have enough revenue and then we will be ready for the IPO stage," Lo said.

As for the simulation, everything appearing in it - product placements, advertisements, auto liveries - is customizable.

Its flexibility has earned it a number of collaboration partners, including several household brands such as Shell and Samsung, as well as the Hong Kong X Foundation, a Hong Kong NGO that aims to promote the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on the virtual-billboard advertisements in the simulation tracks.

The company, hosting racing tournaments in Macao and Taiwan, is also brewing for such contests on the mainland.

Seeing tremendous amount of demand in the mainland market in terms of viral car racing popularity potentially prompted by the broader e-sports culture, Godzpeed is planning to open more lounges or multipurpose training centers in the Chinese mainland, aiming for entertainment and professional training at the same time.

kevindai@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 06/14/2019 page8)