The ASR 1 is Advanced SimRacing’s entry-level aluminium profile cockpit, priced at around $400 USD before shipping. It uses 15-series profile for the seat rails and base, with 1530 profile for the wheelbase uprights and shifter mount section. The front wheelbase mount is a 13mm thick aluminium plate with a recessed centre hole so the fixing bolts sit flush. The pedal plate is a standout for the price: thick steel, over 7kg, pre-drilled for the most popular pedal sets on the market.
Advanced SimRacing cut, prep, and finish all their cockpits in-house at their Canadian facility, and ship free within continental US and Canada. For North American buyers this is about as close to a no-hassle entry experience as you will find at this price.
Sim Racing Garage’s Barry Rowland put the ASR 1 through a proper stress test, running a 15Nm Simucube Sport direct drive base and a SimGrade R7 load-cell pedal set capable of 120kg max brake pressure. Neither is hardware this cockpit was designed around. Under those conditions there was some visible movement in the wheelbase upright under hard pushing inputs, and a small amount of flex in the pedal plate under maximum braking load. Barry’s conclusion was clear: neither issue translated into anything you could actually feel whilst driving. With belt-drive or lower-torque direct drive hardware, which is what most buyers will pair this with, you are unlikely to encounter either.
Seat positioning works well for drivers up to six foot. Barry had around three inches of rearward travel remaining at 5’8”. The one ergonomic caveat he flagged was pedal height: the tray angle as stock puts your heels lower than ideal relative to hip level, and he would add a 2-3 inch riser platform if using the cockpit daily. The inner cockpit width of roughly 19 inches constrains shifter placement when combined with a wide seat. A narrower seat gives you more options.