Next to the Track, Inside the Cockpit
From 11 to 13 September 2026, throughout the Madrid Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, 16 motionRig motion platforms served guests in Atlético de Madrid's VIP Lounge: 8 M3L and 8 I4 units. HB Vortex supplied the platforms to the event organiser and was on site as technical consultant from setup to close. Running F1 23 on Xbox, guests could take the excitement of the race straight into the cockpit.
Three Days in Numbers
Every motionRig reports its status every 30 seconds while running. The figures below come directly from this fleet telemetry:
- 537 h 12 min total online time (16 rigs, 3 days)
- 335 h 21 min of active racing
- Daily average of 179 h online and 111 h 47 min racing
- Busiest day, 12 September: 221 h 35 min online
- The most-used platform alone logged 27 h 20 min of racing
- Game telemetry averaged 98.6 Hz: the platform updated roughly 100 times per second
Open to Close
The event ran from 08:00 to 22:00 every day. At the 12 stations whose console and network infrastructure was ready, the platforms averaged 37.8 hours online per rig over the three days, about 90% of the daily event window. Demand stayed high from midday on: at the peak hour of 17:00 an average of 12 platforms were racing at the same time. Utilisation on the I4 platforms reached 69%, and 81% on a single rig.
Voices from the Venue
Over three days, everyone who climbed into the cockpit, children and adults alike, stepped out smiling. In the words of one guest:
"The sensation was exceptional."
The event's technical crew summed up their three days on site like this:
"We had problems with every piece of hardware: TVs, HDMI, routers, Xbox. But your rigs were loyal and on duty from start to finish, like K9 dogs."
Why It Matters
Event venues are the toughest environment for a driving simulator: hundreds of different users every day, long operating hours, and a guest experience with zero tolerance for failure. Three days in Madrid showed, with measurable data, that motionRig runs reliably under this load. The same telemetry infrastructure gives fleet owners per-rig reports on usage, uptime and performance.
Contact us to learn more about motionRig platforms and on-site technical consultancy for your event, showroom or simulation centre.