Fanatec is offering sim racers an even more realistic driving experience with the release of a Bentley Continental GT3 Steering Wheel. The product has been developed in collaboration with Bentley’s Motorsport team, and its race car equivalent was used to steer its competition car at the 99th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2021.

The Steering Wheel

The wheel is 310mm wide and features a 3.4-inch self-levelling touchscreen with aluminium signature Bentley rotary controls. The design features a lightweight magnesium core and a 5mm thick carbon fibre front plate with a green weave. The wheel includes the QR2 Pro Wheel-Side, which is the standard quick release used on all Fanatec's real world steering wheels.

In addition to the self-levelling central display, the wheel is ergonomically designed with backlit button surrounds, two seven-way directional sticks, and two large aluminium rotary knobs. At the rear, there are four magnetic paddles—two for gear shifting and two for additional functions—along with a pair of analogue clutch paddles. The paddle design is inspired by the shift paddles found in the Bentley Continental GT road car.

The 310 mm diameter wheel features a 3.4” circular self-levelling touchscreen with forged carbon bezel and CNC-machined aluminium rotary controls with signature Bentley knurlin

There was also input from Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak driver, Rhys Millen, who suggested the inclusion of the ‘Pikes Peak Grip’ lower wheel attachment, used to help with the many hairpin bends.

The wheel, when not in use, also transforms into a timepiece inspired by one found in Bentley road cars. It can also replay preloaded telemetry and videos of famous circuits, showing pedal and steering inputs, gear changes, G-meter, and a track map.

Belma Nadarevic, CMO of Fanatec: “Bringing real-world racing technology into the hands of sim racers is a unique challenge, and this product stands as a testament to the passion and perseverance of our team. Working closely with Bentley Motors has allowed us to create something truly extraordinary — a perfect blend of racing performance and luxury. It was worth the wait!”

Pikes Peak 2021

The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak featured a modified aerodynamics package, chassis and engine making it the most extreme and powerful Bentley road car ever. It also runs one of the greenest, running on renewable fuel throughout its life.

The GT3 Pikes Peak was powered by a 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 road engine, reworked to produce 750bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. Changes included new pistons and conrods to turn additional boost pressure into power, while a thicker carbon fibre intake manifold was introduced to handle that extra power. Also installed were 3D-printed custom Inconel exhaust manifolds, larger turbos, short exhausts and dedicated screamer pipes that exited behind the front wheels.

A secondary cooling system was put on the rear of the car to handle the extra performance and air scoops replaced the rear windows to channel air through a secondary radiator.

The twists and turns of the Pikes Peak course were accounted for in the chassis set-up, with both front and rear axles running at a reduced camber to a standard Continental GT3 in order to handle low-speed cornering performance. Soft springs and anti roll bars were fitted to allow more movement in the body and maximise weight transfer for braking.

To improve aerodynamics, the biggest ever rear wing was fitted to a Bentley and contributed to a 30% increase in overall downforce. For balance, a comprehensive front-end aerodynamic package comprising a two plane front splitter with separate dive planes on either side was fitted, the majority of which was produced at the Bentley factory in Crewe.

The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak was the fastest racecar running on sustainable fuel at the 2021 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It finished second in the Time Attack 1 class and fourth overall with a time of 6:36.281.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Bentley