Two young men in the cockpit of a racing car, which forms part of a simulation platform where the racetrack environment is displayed on large monitors. The man on the left is holding the steering wheel with both hands. Both are looking back towards the camera.

From the simulator to the racetrack – and back again

Field trip to the Nürburgring for HSMW students. The Mittweida Living Lab combines computer science and engineering.

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Two young men, laughing heartily, in the cockpit of the simulation platform.
The thrill of racing in a simulator

Driving dynamics, aerodynamics, packaging: These were the key topics of a week-long intensive course held from 10 to 14 March 2025 at the Nürburgring Academy, in which five students from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) took part alongside fellow students from other universities. They had successfully applied to take part.

The students from Mittweida and Matthias Vodel, their professor, contributed their experience with modern, AI-supported simulators and simulation environments to the block week’s specialist programme. These offer many advantages for both motorsport and car manufacturers, making vehicle tuning more efficient and safer. Vodel: “At Mittweida, we combine computer science and engineering disciplines centred on the topic of vehicle dynamics.” At the HSMW’s ‘Motion Simulation & Software Development’ Living Lab, these systems are researched and continuously refined through repeated comparison with real-world conditions on the road and on the racetrack.

One of the state-of-the-art systems in the Mittweida laboratory is the ‘KTM xBow GT4 Large-Scale Simulation Platform’. The HSMW uses the real vehicle – the road-legal xBow R variant – to record telemetry data for simulations that are as close to reality as possible.

A group of around 30 people, mostly young, are standing on a tarmac road bordered by crash barriers and fences. They are listening to a man who can only be seen from behind and who is wearing a red jacket bearing the ‘Nürburgring Team’ word and design mark.
The experienced racing driver Andreas Gülden (centre) knows a great many details and stories about the individual sections of the track.

The students didn’t experience the Nürburgring itself in a racing car, but more or less on foot: during a track walk on the Nordschleife right at the start of the week, which was packed with information and anecdotes about this legendary section of track in the Eifel.

Three young men are standing on a three-step winners’ podium, holding certificates in their hands. The words ‘Ring Kartbahn’ are written in white on a red background on the podium. Racing tyres are draped to the left and right of the podium. The background shows a section of a racing bend with crash barriers.
On the winners’ podium at the Ring: alongside lectures and company visits, the block week at the Nürburgring Academy also included motorsport activities for Mittweida students Philipp Goldammer and Max Walter (2nd and 3rd from the left).

Max Walter is studying for a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at HSMW and is thrilled: “The track walk on the Nordschleife was a great start, which really whetted my appetite for the days ahead. They were packed with impressive experiences, offering deep insights into a wide variety of areas within motorsport.” This included a behind-the-scenes look at renowned motorsport teams and suppliers based around the Ring, including Manthey-Racing, Haupt-Racing, Bilstein and Capricorn.

Six men are standing behind the simulation platform, smiling. Four of them have their arms crossed over their chests to demonstrate how to get stuck in.
A strong team: Professor Matthias Vodel (left) and his colleague Michael Walther (right) with students from the TMM racing team at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences: Max and Philipp, as well as Robin Erler and Paul Reuther.

Study, Research, Do

Alongside their studies, Max and his fellow student Philipp Goldammer are involved in the university’s own team, Technikum Mittweida Motorsport (TMM). There, they are responsible for the driving dynamics of the new Formula Student electric racing car, the ‘Red Viper’. Ahead of the first race, they have been able to take back to Mittweida a few useful tips from the specialist talks and discussions with experienced racing professionals at the Nürburgring: “We were able to seek expert opinions on very specific challenges we’re currently facing, with a view to making our racing car even better,” says Philipp.

Just as TMM’s approach to developing its racing car is interdisciplinary, so too is the Living Lab versatile in its applications. Students on HSMW’s computer science degree programmes – such as Media Informatics and Interactive Entertainment, and Applied Computer Science specialising in Software Development – are just as much at home there as their fellow students from the engineering disciplines, studying Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering – Automation.

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