The DRE

I’ve already wrote about other similar tools but it is a fact that with HMD (head mounted display) our experience changes a lot in every sense. Aside from immersion point there is a limitation factor. We are not able to manage buttons or keyboard to operate our systems and therefore we are exposed to worsen our general feeling about the simulator. Digital Race Engineer seems to be a nice and effective way to cope with all these problems.

Egil Sandfeld is an audio engineer and simracer who working with his company understood potential requirements of new devices. He is always ready to listen and get feedback to improve DRE experience on the official Discord server

What is The DRE?

The DRE is an audio system with built-in situation awareness which monitors your racing and surrounding conditions in order to optimize your racing performance. This virtual crew chief gives you important data and information, and listens to you like a real race engineer would. With The DRE you are in full control of driving whether that be in front of your screens or in Virtual Reality.

The DRE has over 600 commands and 50 different types of verbal feedback alerts for iRacing! Be in control of your car and settings, dial in pit stop adjustments, decide with your voice what’s on the screen and UI and many other features. The feedback system provides an interactive digital race engineer who alerts you about more than 50 various topics. The DRE gives you car warnings like risen oil temperature, low water levels, engaged pit speed limiter, brake or throttle pedals hanging and much more.

Newer features include (not limited to):

• Simulated positions for non-streamed cars in the session (making it possible to run Max Cars option below 63)
• Joystick button support
• Dynamic delta tabbing (switch through delta tabs via voice)
• Mark other drivers (as streamers, good racers, dangerous etc.)
• Estimated iRating to gain for current position
• More performance info, like sector comparisons to own laps and of others
• Project positions in practice and qual (know roughly which position to climb to during the hot lap)
• Further granularity of when to trigger alert alerts in all session types, road only, oval only or off
• DRE will not talk while you are busy racing (in corners, when cars are next to you, etc.)
• Added over 60000+ new command combinations (making it easier to speak natural)
• Action Camera that follows the most interesting action on track when out of the car
• DRE Launcher for easier customization of alerts & parameters and much more

Check the changelog to fully explore all the changes

Core features

FEEDBACK SYSTEM FOR OPTIMAL RACE PERFORMANCE

The DRE will work as an enhanced spotter detecting cars around you in specific situations like:

• warning you about traffic near by when you are exiting the pits
• when you are offtrack and want to get back on
• when much faster cars approach from behind
• when other cars exit the pits and you are approaching the pit exits out on track
• when pitting, so you won’t miss your pit stall

YOUR OWN WEATHER REPORTER

The DRE is able to monitor the weather conditions changing around you.

Via voice it will provide you with various updates on conditions like:

• weather reports
• specific weather data for example air humidity
• and weather changes to stay informed eg. in case the track temperature drops

COMPARE YOUR DRIVING TO THE ONES AROUND YOU

The DRE provides you with updates when your position changes during practices, qualifications and races. You can ask for details on the car ahead and behind you position wise and on track near you.

For example, The DRE can give you the iRating and Safety Rating of the driver, the name of the team which the driver is in, last and best lap times – and these times compared to yours as delta times. Furthermore, The DRE alerts you when your close opponents pit during races.

HANDLES FUEL AND TIRES

The DRE is capable of properly warning you about fuel levels. Remember the iRacing spotter telling you to “pit now for fuel“, when you still have 3 laps left in the tank? With The DRE your misery is over, as it warns you on the last lap when you absolutely have to come in! Furthermore, you can ask for current fuel level, fuel burn rate per minute, fuel spent on the previous lap and as an average of the 5 previous laps excluding out- and inlaps.

Add to the fuel feedback: It can tell you how much fuel is needed to finish the current session and how much you need to take on in the pit stop. You can even tell The DRE to add specific amounts of fuel, and set tire pressures up and down several clicks and change tires for all, front, rear, left, right or single tires!

GEAR SHIFT ALERTS

Let The DRE alert you when you need to shift gear in two ways:

• Automatically defined rev limit thresholds determined by iRacing’s rev limit
• Manually set rev limit threshold per gear (gears 1 to 7)
• Custom gear limits per car
• Rapid gear limit response
• Customizable gear shift sounds

CAR HEALTH

Make sure your car is operating perfect. The DRE warns you and can give information from various sensors on the race car:

• Throttle, Brake and Clutch percentage pushed. Alerts if pedals are hanging
• Check fuel, oil and water pressure and temperatures, so your car will stay in the optimal performance window
• Check if steering wheel angle is bent
• Check engine voltage
• Warns when you speed in pit lane
• Alerts when you engage pit speed limiter

There is a free version ready to try and a pro version costing about 20 dollars which includes things like car health. Check The DRE website to see full specifications of the product.