Inside, he mounted a six-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with a subwoofer in the Mini’s trunk. Instead of a windshield, the car received a 49-inch gaming monitor, which Cheney says fit the car perfectly down to the curvature of the original glass. In place of the Mini’s original 1.6-liter four-banger, there’s a custom-built gaming PC and many of the car’s original controls have been replaced with gaming controllers and gauges. To add extra realism, there are bass shakers under the seats and a direct-drive steering column for maximum feedback.
Most of Cheney’s time in the rig has been spent competing in iRacing events, which he documents on his YouTube channel. Sim racing has become big business in the wake of the pandemic, as many professional drivers from NASCAR, Formula 1, and IndyCar have all started racing virtually while their own seasons are on hold. Cheney’s rig is impressive, but his level of effort is not required to get started racing at home. Robb Holland spent over $8,000 building his setup, but even that’s not a requirement. NASCAR’s Timmy Hill has seen massive success with his setup, which was pieced together from old office furniture and a basic laptop.
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h/t: Motor Authority