It’s been only a few months since Matt Halliday clinched the 2009 Mobil 1 Porsche SuperCup Rookie of the Year honors, but he can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of his 450 hp 911 GT3 racecar for the first two rounds of the 2010 racing championship. These two 12-mile sprints take place on March 13 and 14 at Bahrain, where Halliday impressed with a podium finish in his first race last year. This in a car he’d never driven and on a track he’d never seen – except virtually. Halliday’s “unfair advantage,” of course, was significant simulation seat time in a Motion Pro II racing simulator in a Super Cup Porsche on a Bahrain track mod.

The Motion Pro II racing simulator is a regular part of professional driver Matt Halliday’s training regimen, but once again, there was a special reason for extra time on the driving simulator for the popular New Zealander.

“They’ve added a whole new section to the Bahrain track this year, so it will be all new again. And practice time is very limited. You know, like four or five laps. Fortunately, the guys at CXC were somehow able to edit the new bits into the track simulation, so I’ve got a pretty good idea how my Porsche will be before I even get there. It’s been great.”

Halliday has his work cut out for him against a strong field of racing veterans, among them two-time Porsche SuperCup champion Jeroen Bleekemolen of the Netherlands and his ’09 race-winning German rival, Ren Rast, and former ALMS champion and two-time Le Mans class winner Sascha Maassen.

“Oh, I know it’s going to be tough,” admits Halliday, “but Porsche has given me a great opportunity and you can bet I’ll make the best of it. I’ve been training hard, I’m in great condition and as I’ve said before, the Motion Pro II has been invaluable and given me a leg up. I’ll be ready.”

CXC Simulations is headquartered in Marina del Rey, California and was established specifically to manufacture a professional-level racing simulator that was not only suited to pro drivers and race teams, but one that was practical for home use as well. Developed with the expertise and experience of professional drivers and engineers over a two-year period, the result was the CXC Motion Pro II, about which AutoWeek said, “might just be the best racing simulator in the world.”

Powered by a purpose-built rack-mounted simulation computer, the Motion Pro II is meticulously assembled from the same materials as racecars: aluminum, laser-cut steel and carbon fiber. It is compatible with all major commercial and online software options and users may choose from a practically limitless and ever-increasing list of modern or vintage cars to drive, including F1, GT, NASCAR, sports cars, off-road, open-wheel and rally (even race boats) and tracks around the world to race on. Yet what separates the MP II from other simulators is the implementation and interpretation of that software; the precise timing, intensity and accuracy of its proprietary full-motion system, tactile transducers and force-feedback controls, together with 5.1 surround sound and a 1080p high-definition panorama video display system. The MP II realistically reproduces the sensation of racing, making it the ultimate driving simulator for both racing professionals and recreational enthusiasts alike.