GT Omega offers a complete F1 upgrade kit for its top-of-the-range 8020 sim rig. Here is how to convert your PRIME cockpit to have a formula-style seating position
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Along with big sim racing cockpit brands such as Sim-Lab and Trak Racer, GT Omega produces some of the very best sim rigs and cockpits.
The Scottish sim racing brand has a range of budget-friendly wheel stands that give sim racers a great platform to mount a racing wheel and pedal set without taking up the entire room. These are great options when first starting sim racing or for space saving.
GT Omega’s Classic and Apex wheel stands can both support smaller and mid-range direct drive racing wheels such as the MOZA R3 and R5. However, if you have a more powerful wheel, such as the Simucube 2 Sport or Fanatec ClubSport DD+, you may need a sturdier sim rig to support it.
The PRIME cockpit is GT Omega’s answer to this, giving sim racers a bulletproof aluminium profile sim rig that can support any direct drive wheel base with little or no flex. Up until now, the main problem was that the GT Omega PRIME cockpit only really supported a GT-style driving position.
Well, that problem has been solved, and in this guide, I’ll look at exactly how to convert the GT Omega PRIME into a complete F1 sim rig, including a true F1 driving position.
Before discussing how to convert the GT Omega PRIME to a formula driving position, I want to quickly show you the difference between a GT and an F1 driving position.
Below is an image showing a typical GT driving position compared to an F1 seating position. The GT seating position is much more upright, with the driver positioned similarly to a real-world road car, albeit a little more reclined and with the pedals raised.
In comparison, the formula seating position raises the pedals above the hips and reclines the seat even further. This positions the driver of the F1 car in a much more reclined and almost lying position.
As standard, the top-of-the-range PRIME cockpit comes with all of the equipment needed to set up a typical GT seating position. As part of the PRIME package, you’ll receive vertical uprights and the ability to mount the pedals pretty low. Depending on your racing seat choice, you will be limited in how much you can lean the seat.
The additional Formula Kit available from GT Omega includes everything you need to adjust this seating position into a much more reclined formula-style driving position.
| Components | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Formula frame | £149.95 / $189.95 | Includes slanted uprights to bring the steering wheel further away from the pedals |
| Pedal mount | £94.95 / $104.95 | Adds additional height to the pedal mount to raise the pedals |
| Seat mount | £84.95 / $104.95 | Allows for more lean angle with your racing seat mounting position |
These three components are available individually if you want to adjust only a particular part of your PRIME cockpit. When you combine all three elements, you’ll end up with a cockpit configured as a GT or F1 sim rig.
Of course, purchasing these three extra parts will cost you more. The full breakdown of the cost of the cockpit and these three formula upgrades is below;
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This price is pretty high for a complete cockpit compared to other premium formula cockpits, such as the Next Level Racing F-GT Elite. However, the PRIME cockpit and formula upgrade are still cheaper than the equivalent Next Level Racing cockpit.
When building the PRIME cockpit with the formula upgrade parts, you will have to skip over some of the manual’s instructions. For example, you won’t need to build the original pedal plate, and you can ignore the vertical uprights and original seat mounts.
Below is a look at all of the boxes I had. These include the original PRIME cockpit boxes, a racing seat and the F1 upgrade kit, which comes in multiple boxes.
Instead, you need to put together the four pieces that make up the lower frame. The rest of the formula upgrade parts are then attached to this, and each product comes with its own manual and fitment tools that are needed.
At the end of the build, you will have many spare parts. The original vertical pieces, some 40x40mm seat brackets, and the original pedal plate will be left over. I recommend storing these in case you ever want to convert the cockpit back to its original design.
GT Omega’s Formula upgrade kit is a fantastic option for expanding your PRIME cockpit and achieving a F1-style seating position.
These attachments may not get you in exactly the same position that an F1 sits in, but they get you a lot closer to a point where you feel that you are much more immersed when racing F1 24 or open-wheeled cars in titles such as iRacing.
Below is a photo of the completed GT Omega PRIME sim rig installed with the additional formula upgrades.
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Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
View all articles written by Rich
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