Since their founding in 2022, SimUltimate has quickly positioned itself as a leading simracing shop in the EU. Their ambition is to bring the most realistic driving experience directly into your home – with a depth of expertise that resonates in every recommendation. They offer a wide range of SimRacing brands and products: https://simultimate.eu/?coupon=thracing
Heads up, racers - Fanatec just dropped the details for their Black Friday 2025 deals, and it’s looking really good this year!
From direct drive wheel bases to steering wheels, pedals, and full cockpits, they’re cutting prices across their product range. So if you’ve been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your setup, this is it.
🗓️ When’s it happening?
The sale runs from November 25 to December 1, 2025. That gives you a full week to grab the gear you’ve been eyeing before it’s gone.
🔍 What’s on sale?
Fanatec already shared the full list of discounted products, so you can check it out now and plan your setup ahead of time. Expect deals on everything from Porsche and BMW wheels to WRC rims, direct drive bases, rigs and more.
(💡 Note: The link to Fanatec is an affiliate link. If you use it to make a purchase, it helps support THR at no extra cost to you - Many thanks for your support!)
⚙️ Why you should care
Fanatec doesn’t do big discounts very often, so Black Friday is the best time of the year to save on top-tier sim racing hardware.
Don´t miss out - check out the lineup, plan your upgrades and get your rig ready for your next next level of racing! 🏁
If you’ve been eyeing an upgrade to your sim racing setup, this is your moment. Pick up a Pimax Crystal Light or Pimax Crystal Super headset during the Black Friday event, and you’ll snag an exclusive iRacing reward: either a 12-month iRacing membership (for new users) or a $15 iRacing gift card.
Whether you’re new to the grid or already chasing pole positions, the Crystal series delivers visuals sharp enough to feel every apex.
Crystal Light
With 2880 x 2880 resolution per eye, glass aspheric lenses, and a 35 PPD image, the Crystal Light brings incredible clarity to tracks, cars, and instruments. Smooth refresh rates (72/90/120Hz), Foveated Rendering 2.0, and manual IPD adjustment keep everything crisp and comfortable, perfect for long stints behind the wheel.
For racers chasing the ultimate immersion, the Crystal Super pushes the limits with 3840 x 3840 per-eye resolution, up to 57 PPD, and an ultra-wide 140° FOV. Deep blacks, vivid color, and precise motion tracking put you right inside the cockpit.
Simply add your reward to the cart, enter BF2025 at checkout, and complete your headset purchase. After delivery, Pimax will send your iRacing code straight to your inbox.
Not interested in iRacing? No problem there are many more bundles available during PIMAXs VR Fest
The offers run through November 30, 2025, so if you’ve been waiting to upgrade, now’s the time.
Bonus for THRacing Drivers/Readers
Prefer an instant discount instead? Use code THRacing at checkout for a direct 3% off any Pimax headset or bundle during the Black Friday event.
With the 3% discount code, you can save a total of about $89 on the Pimax Crystal Light during Black Friday, or about $24 on the Crystal Super.Check out all Black Friday deals here: 👉 pimax.com/black-friday-deals-2025 https://pimax.com/pages/black-friday-deals-2025/?ref=THRacing
At the Simracing Expo, I caught up with our good friend Aritz from SHH Shifter. We chatted about SHHs success and all the exciting things happening in THR, and guess what? He immediately offered to sponsor a brand-new SHH Thorn Shifter as a prize for one of our GPL Championship racers! 🙌
Here’s the deal: If you’ve been pushing hard and joined at least 4 of the 6 adrenaline-packed race weekends, your name will be entered into the raffle for this awesome prize. 🎁
(Already got an H-shifter? No worries - you can always step aside and boost someone else’s chances!) 😄
I want to let everyone know about a special discount!
I was at SimExpo in Dortmund on Sunday and had a great meeting with Pimax. In addition to a great conversation, I brought back something special for you - an exclusive 10% discount voucher!
Monza’s 1966 layout is a racer’s lie detector: long drags, big tow, and nowhere to hide. It was the perfect stage for the launch of THR’s GPL 7 season - and Florian Masse used it to deliver a statement win. While chaos simmered just behind, the Honda RA300 ran like a metronome at the head of a snarling draft train. FMG carved from P9 to second, and meisterJaeger completed a no‑nonsense podium. For polesitter Simone Porcu, the afternoon became a damage‑limitation exercise after a bruising first few laps.
A front row by eyelashes
Qualifying set up a classic: Porcu’s Eagle T1G on pole with 1:26.472, Masse’s Honda just 0.036 s slower, and Flashor’s Lotus 49 a whisper behind. Eleven cars covered by three‑quarters of a second promised elbows‑out into Curva Grande -and the race obliged.
Start: control vs. chaos (Lap 1–3)
The lights went out and the grid split into two stories. At the front, Masse slipped into Porcu’s tow and then into clean air as the poleman found himself in a knife fight with Flashor - they banged wheels on Lap 1 and again on Lap 2, Porcu also brushing the barrier. The midfield detonated: Stefano Bucci and Nat Stevenson touched at the launch; Bucci tapped gilvil77 later in the opening lap; and a Curva Grande accordion gathered FMG, Davide Saìu and Elia Porcu. By Lap 3 Bucci had already kissed the Armco again, the first hint that attrition would bite.
Masse disappears, FMG appears (Lap 4–20)
With clear air, Masse turned the screw. High‑1:26s and low‑1:27s built a buffer while he posted the day’s fastest tour - 1:26.553 - and never let the rhythm slip. Behind, FMG began a ruthless rise: a clean pass on Stevenson on Lap 4, a minor wall rub on Lap 9 that didn’t even dent the average, and then the big moves - outbraking drafts into the first chicane that elevated him to the sharp end by Lap 14. Further back, Porcu’s recovery kept being interrupted. He fought pitman twice on Lap 6, tangled again with Flashor on Lap 15, then skimmed the fence on Laps 17 and 19. The raw pace was there; the clean stint never arrived.
The podium takes shape (Lap 21–36)
meisterJaeger delivered the drive nobody noticed until it mattered: three feather‑touches with the wall (Laps 13, 25, 36), no time lost, and relentless mid‑1:27s that anchored P3. Elia Porcu shadowed him, tidy and unspectacular, banking P4 despite a late brush on Lap 32. The attrition tally grew: Bucci stopped on Lap 18, Karjunen on Lap 19, and Saìu didn’t see the hour either. Monza had its sacrifices.
Final act (Lap 37–42)
The last five laps were pure GPL: Simone Porcu and Flashor waged a three‑lap duel (Laps 38–40) for pride and points, both skimming the margins before Porcu’s final scrape on Lap 42 sealed his fate outside the top seven. Up front there was only clarity—Masse easing the Honda home, FMG locked into second on merit, meisterJaeger unflappable in third.
Behind them: gilvil77 led home Alex Senna, with Simone Porcu only eighth after that combative opening. Flashor and Rolf Biber completed the top ten. DNFs: Bucci (Lap 18), Saìu (Lap 18), Eetu Karjunen (Lap 19), Mika Hakala (Lap 27).
What it means for the new championship
Monza hands the early initiative to Masse (40 pts) with FMG on 37 and meisterJaeger on 34. Elia Porcu opens on 31, Stevenson on 30; the headline, though, is the polesitter - Simone Porcu - starting from just 27 after a bruising Sunday. The calendar will give him chances to answer back, but Round 1 made the tone clear: clean air wins races, and this field is deep enough to punish even the smallest hesitation.
Verdict: A sharp, old‑school season opener-slipstream chess at the front, street‑fight elbows in the pack. If Monza is the form guide, GPL 7 is going to be a belter.
Some weeks ago Pimax told me that they sent me a Crystal Super for testing. When the headset arrived, I was surprised to receive two units. The second headset was just a backup in case of issues - a nice touch, though I never needed it. After several weeks of testing, mostly in Assetto Corsa, here’s what I discovered:
First Impressions & Comfort
Compared to the Crystal Lightwhich I tested some months ago, the first thing I noticed was the build quality. The Crystal Super feels like a premium product: solid construction, excellent materials, and a more balanced weight distribution.
In terms of build quality they even added DMA earphones to the package, which can easily be attached to the Crystal Super and deliver great sound once mounted. (A small screwdriver was included in the box for this purpose 😉 )
Comfort is a huge step forward. The included thicker face foam (15 instead of 11mm) fit my head shape perfectly, allowing me to drive 90-minute stints without pressure points. An alternative head strap was also included, so you can perfectly adjust the Crystal Super’s comfort to your own needs. The automatic IPD adjustment was a welcome upgrade, meaning I could just put the headset on and get going.
Visual Clarity & Performance
This headset is all about visual immersion. With 3840×3840 per-eye QLED panels (up to 57 PPD) and glass lenses, the Crystal Super delivers razor-sharp detail. The eye-tracking dynamically optimizes rendering - when supported - and keeps the center of vision crystal clear.
In single-player races, I was running 72 Hz with smooth frame times. Cars, track textures, and even distant curbs looked lifelike.
But here’s the reality check: in full-grid races with 20+ cars, performance took a hit. My rig (Ryzen 7 5800X3D + RTX 4070 Ti) couldn’t hold frame pacing at higher refresh rates without dropping settings. Assetto Corsa doesn’t yet support true dynamic foveated rendering, so you can’t fully benefit from eye-tracked performance gains. Fixed foveated rendering (via OpenXR Toolkit) helps, but it’s no magic bullet.
Crystal Super vs. Crystal Light (Key Specs)
Feature
Crystal Super
Crystal Light
Resolution per eye
3840×3840 (QLED/Mini-LED)
2880×2880
PPD
50–57
~35
FOV (horizontal)
~127° (up to ~135° in Labs mode)
~115°
Eye-tracking
Yes, with DFR support
No
IPD
Motorized / Auto
Manual
Price
~US $1,700+
~US $900
What Others Are Saying
MRTV praised its “best-in-class clarity,” strong contrast, and wide FOV, while noting a slightly smaller sweet spot than pancake-lens headsets.
Boosted Media loved the sharpness and immersion but warned that you need serious GPU power for full grids or high settings.
Community feedback echoes this: the Super is “future-proof,” but GPU-limited users might be better off with the more affordable Light.
Tips for Sim Racers
Match your GPU to your ambitions. For large grids at high refresh rates, think RTX 4080/4090 or equivalent.
Use upscaling & fixed foveated rendering where possible - they help squeeze more performance from mid-tier GPUs.
Fine-tune your rig setup. Comfort adjustments (foam, straps, seating position) pay off in long sessions.
Watch for updates. As more sims support dynamic foveated rendering, the Crystal Super’s performance advantage will grow.
Final Verdict
For serious sim racers, the Crystal Super is an immersive powerhouse. The visual upgrade over the Light is undeniable - sharper, brighter, and more comfortable. But its full potential shines only if your PC can keep up.
If you have a high-end GPU and want the clearest, widest VR view available today, the Crystal Super is a compelling choice. For racers on tighter budgets (or with mid-tier GPUs), the Crystal Light remains a very strong option.
For reference > The article about my PIMAX Crystal Light test
Sure, there are other competitors in the market, but I only have direct contact to PIMAX. Therefore I decided to ask them and the above interview highlights the advantages of Pimax headsets.
THR has direct contat to PIMAX, cause months ago PIMAX asked us for a partnership. We show their logos on our Website and in our streams and they offer us support and an Affiliate Link which gives you a 3% discount and THR receives a small provision per order, which we use to run our servers, etc.
If you are interested in purchasing a new headset, you can use the following affiliate links to receive the 3% discount.
Porcu’s complete campaign, Masse’s relentless consistency, and FMG’s fightback define a vintage year
Six weekends, two continents, and one of the most enjoyable seasons the THR paddock has staged. From Monza’s old‑school draft battles to the concrete canyons of Long Beach and the high‑commitment sweepers of Watkins Glen, the 1979 calendar asked everything of the drivers: precision, race‑craft, patience and pace. With the drop‑score rule in effect (each driver’s worst finish discarded) and the 40‑37‑34‑31‑30‑29… points system, the title picture swung back and forth until the American finale.
The big picture
Champion: Simone Porcu — 194 pts Porcu’s season had the ring of inevitability about it: wins at Monza, Jarama, and a title‑sealing masterclass at Watkins Glen, backed by second places at Hockenheim and Monaco. His Long Beach DNS became the perfect drop. The clincher came in the U.S., where he led from the front and signed off with the poise of a champion.
Runner‑up: Florian Masse — 176 pts No wins, but competitive everywhere. Back‑to‑back seconds to open the year (Monza, Long Beach), a podium at Hockenheim, and resilient scoring across the calendar—only Monaco (DNF) interrupted the rhythm. The hallmark of his year was pressure without waste: he was almost always the first car in the leader’s mirrors.
Third overall: FMG — 166 pts A season of momentum. After a zero in Italy, FMG rebuilt with a podium at Jarama, a statement win at Hockenheim, and solid points in Monaco and Watkins Glen. On raw pace he often matched the title protagonists; the difference was the early stumble he ultimately had to drop.
Fourth & fifth: gilvil77 (160 pts) and Richard Rossier (142 pts) gilvil77 was the story-maker—front‑row pace and a door‑to‑door edge, capped by a Monaco podium and a superb run to second at the Glen. Rossier, meanwhile, was the quiet constant: smart race management and clean execution kept the Swiss Buddy Racing driver in the top five at year’s end.
Round‑by‑round: how the title was won
Monza – Porcu draws first blood Calm from pole, fastest lap for emphasis, and a decisive response when the elastic stretched mid‑race. It set the tone: if you wanted this title, you had to beat the No. 1 on merit.
Long Beach – Jayden HW arrives with a bang A street‑racing clinic from pole to flag. Masse kept him honest, and the first hints of the year’s patterns emerged: Porcu’s DNS became his drop, Masse banked big points, and FMG’s P4 steadied the ship.
Jarama – Porcu’s precision A race that rewarded rhythm. Porcu executed it perfectly under shadow from Masse, while FMG pieced together the tidy podium that put him into the title conversation.
Hockenheim – FMG’s day Pole, control, and the nerve to resist Porcu’s fastest‑lap charge over the final tours. The victory knotted the chase behind the leader and confirmed FMG’s late‑season form.
Monaco – Jayden again; gilvil77 stars Clean air wins in Monte Carlo; Jayden made no mistakes and set the tempo. Behind, gilvil77 fought through the chaos for the podium while Porcu banked second‑place championship points.
Watkins Glen – The coronation Porcu’s wire‑to‑wire authority settled the math and the mood. gilvil77 and Masse finished line‑astern behind, but the No. 1’s control was never in question.
By the numbers
Winners: Porcu (3), Jayden HW (2), FMG (1).
Most podiums: Porcu & Masse.
Comeback drive of the year: gilvil77’s recovery runs at Monza and his robust podium in Monaco.
Title margin (after drop‑score): Porcu by 18 over Masse; 10 from Masse to FMG.
Congratulations & thanks from THR Orga
On behalf of THR Orga, congratulations to our championship podium: 🥇 Simone Porcu — 1979 THR F1 Champion 🥈 Florian Masse — Runner‑up 🥉 FMG — Third overall
A heartfelt thank you to every driver who turned laps with us this season—whether you contested every round or dropped in for a few, you made the grid deeper and the racing better. Your racecraft, patience with traffic, and good humour in the voice channels are what make this series special.
From Monza to Watkins Glen, you gave us six weekends of exactly why we race: close fights, clean respect, and just enough chaos to keep the stories coming. We can’t wait to see you back on the grid for the next chapter. Until then - keep it pinned, keep it tidy, and see you in the warm‑up!
You want to dig in deeper?
Find all the Championship Information, Livestreams, RaceReports and Stats following this link:
