The STL company in Windeck
We build racing simulators because we are passionate about motorsport.
We feel just as much at home on the racetrack in a real vehicle as we do in sim racing. Thorsten was an active racing driver himself and knows what a vehicle needs to be able to do in a racing simulator to make it fun and as close to the real driving experience as possible.
How did the idea of developing a full-motion simulator come about?
This idea was born out of the motorsport hobby. Thorsten Lingnau’s enthusiasm for motorsport was already present as a child. It all started with “telegames” on the TV at home, but these soon no longer satisfied our needs.
The next step was a kart and hours of driving on various kart tracks in Germany. When he came of age and bought a motorcycle, Thorsten was able to continue demonstrating his skills at various track days. Then came the Nordschleife and, for safety reasons, the switch to the automobile with many years of “tourist driving”.
At the same time, the topic of virtual motorsport and virtual reality was never ignored. With his own IT company, Thorsten was already focusing on VR glasses at the end of the 1990s. At this time he had already built a prototype which is still fully functional today. The company STL Windeck was born from this DNA.
The network connected to SimRacing Center is constantly being expanded and is the largest network in Germany.
Motorsport enthusiasm and inventive spirit
Unfortunately, the technology was not yet ready to realize Thorsten’s vision at that time, so the VR topic was put on hold indefinitely. However, virtual motorsport has continued to accompany Thorsten. Initially, Thorsten screwed a steering wheel to the desk, but this was soon replaced by a fixed seat with steering wheel and pedals.
However, Thorsten missed the “real” driving feeling that he experienced on his countless laps of the Nordschleife.
This was the starting point for Motion Systems. After initially testing the systems available on the market at the time, it quickly became clear that these systems could not provide the driving experience that Thorsten had in mind. There was only one solution: to plan and implement our own concept for a motion simulator. That was the starting point for the ACTORACER® simulator. Now, after around ten years of sales with constant further development of the components and software, the ACTORACER® is one of the most popular full-motion simulators on the market.
