Sim-Lab GT1 EVO Sim Racing Cockpit

There are endless possibilities for mounting sim racing hardware: From desks and office chairs to wheel stands and IKEA chairs and, finally, full rigs. For the latter, aluminium extrusion is usually considered the best option, as it is lightweight and extremely stable at the same time. However, this sort of setup comes with a considerable price tag most of the time - unless you design and build your rig yourself, that is.

Enter the Sim-Lab GT1 Evo: Compared to similar setups by competitors, this cockpit will set you back by far less - not even €400, in fact. Granted, this does not include a seat or accessories yet, but even if you throw in the essentials you need to order with it, it is going to result in a very competitive price point.

The essentials to order with the base rig are seat brackets and a seat - everything else is optional, although extras like seat and pedal sliders make your life a lot easier when it comes to adjustability. If you are going to be the only one to ever take a seat in your rig, you might not feel the need to adjust your seat or pedals after mounting everything in the position that is comfortable for you, so you might not need these add-ons.

Adjustability is an important keyword when it comes to alu extrusion rigs: Due to the design of the profile, there is almost no limit for where you can bolt on extra bits, as everything can be moved seamlessly - no pre-drilled holes that you would have to adhere to. This does require a certain amount of precision when assembling the rig and getting everything in place, however.

Sim-Lab has a lot of accessories on offer that you might want to consider, too: There is a dedicated monitor mount that fits to the horizontal piece of profile which also holds the wheel deck - a nice, clean solution for getting your display as close to your eyes as possible. Other accessories include a button box holder, plates to hold shifters, a keyboard tray, and more. Also, a mount for direct drive wheels is available, enabling you to fit front-mount only wheel bases.

As for seating options, you will not have to go and look elsewhere: Sim-Lab offers multiple seats in their online shop, popular brands like Sparco or Sabelt among them, as well as their in-house brand. Should you have a spare bucket seat at hand, you can mount that as well - the brackets fit any racing seats with mounting holes on the side.

Once you are done assembling everything (do plan on a few hours, maybe even an entire afternoon if you have never worked with alu profile), you will have a compact, sleek and very stable rig to call your own. It is compatible with nearly any available hardware - even the stock wheel deck is pre-drilled for big direct drive wheel bases like Fanatec's podium offers, and it will hold up to the forces they produce very well. There is a slight up-and-down movement if you push your wheel up or pull it down, but side to side, it will not budge. Meanwhile, the pedal deck (a heavy piece by itself already), is extremely sturdy and will handle high-end pedals without a problem. The angle of the pedal plate is adjustable, just like that of the wheel deck.

Taking all these things into consideration, you would have a hard time trying to find another rig that offers what the GT1 Evo brings to the table at a similarly competitive price. Unless you plan on adding motion actuators in the future (for which the P1-X would be the better choice), this is likely going to be the last rig you ever buy. Customizability, rigidity and compactness are all on point, making the GT1 Evo worth at least a very serious look if you are in the market for a sim racing rig.

Pro:
- compact footprint
- great rigidity even with DD wheel bases and high-end pedals
- high customizability due to the slots of the aluminium profile
- more nuts, bolts and washers than you need included
- extremely competitive price

Neutral:
- no printed assembly instructions - they are available online. To keep your smartphone, tablet or laptop displays safe, you might want to print the instruction yourself before starting assembly.

Con:
- none