F1 ARCADE LAUNCHING LOCATIONS WHERE RACE SIMULATORS ARE ONLY PART OF THE EXPERIENCE

The low hum of a high-tech engine greets you when you first open the door to the F1 Arcade in Boston’s burgeoning Seaport District. Inside, the ceilings glow red with the outlines of the world’s iconic Formula 1 tracks.

The people behind Puttshack golf and Flight Club darts are turning their attention to F1, combining upscale food and drinks with haptic simulators that bring the bumps and battles of the global motorsports series to fans more accustomed to rush hour traffic.

On race days, locals who can’t schlep all the way to Singapore -- much less get behind the wheel of an actual F1 car -- pack the house for watch parties as the sport’s biggest names fight for position. On a recent weekday afternoon, though, they were emulating the professionals on simulators that are the next best thing to the high-speed – and high-end -- feel of F1.

“Such a small number of people get to experience Formula 1 in person,” said Jon Gardner, the U.S. president of F1 Arcade. “How do we take the thrill -- the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 ... and bring that to the everyday audience?

“That thrill of getting behind an F1 car, which everyone wants to do, and feeling the energy, the excitement, the adrenaline within that and having that experience -- that’s what we try to create.”