iRacing Staff Member Profile: Senior Software Engineer David Tucker

For this week of the iRacing Staff Member highlight series, we’ve got another long-time component behind the scenes of many facets around iRacing. A lot of the different systems that make iRacing work, from how the spotter relays information to how any sim racing wheel base ultimately feels in-hand, David Tucker has likely had his hand in how we enjoy iRacing today. Here’s more about iRacing’s Senior Software Engineer, David Tucker.

• Who are you, and what is your job title at iRacing?

My name is David Tucker, I am a Senior Developer at iRacing.

• How long have you been working at iRacing?

I have been at iRacing now for 15 years, I joined right after we went public with the initial release.

• What got you interested in working for iRacing?

I had been trying to break into games for a while, but I had never heard of iRacing before. They were a small startup, and it was a scary thing moving my family across the country to join up. However, I am very glad we made the move, as it has been one of the best places I have ever worked at.

• What does your job entail, from daily tasks to larger projects?

When I first started, everyone already had their place, so I got to work on all of the small jobs that nobody was involved with. I’ve worked on a wide variety of smaller projects, including the camera tool, spotter, telemetry, wheels, other peripherals, our LFE (low frequency effects) bass shaker system, and the user interface. 

• Are there any projects you’ve worked on that stand out above any others? Something you are proud of?

I’m probably most proud of the telemetry tools. Not only do we provide an incredible amount of data on how a car works, along with professional tools for analyzing the data, but we also have over 1,000 third-party tools, developed by a wide array of developers, that can be used to get more out of iRacing. Building this community around iRacing has been a big part of my focus for the last 15 years.

David’s kids at the iRacing office, back when he lived in Massachusetts!

I’m also really proud of the work we’ve been able to do with the hardware manufacturers, in part helping them make better wheels. We were directly involved with almost every major advancement, including the development of Direct Drive wheels, and it’s been a privilege to be a small part of the process.

My latest passion project is haptics. You can see that in our LFE bass shaker system, but it also shows up in several other areas like our TrueForce support, and support for pedal vibrations.

I think this is the future, and hopefully all games will start supporting it someday.  In fact I recently gave a talk on this to a group of audio developers.

I personally feel that iRacing has had such a long life because we continually provide new and interesting things for users to look forward to.

New tools, new wheels, new hardware, and a thriving community play a big part in keeping things interesting, as well as all of the hard work that everyone puts into making new cars, tracks and continually improving the simulation.

• Are there any future projects that you can’t wait to jump on?

I’ve just started working with Orontes team on the ExoCross game. I’ve been helping out with wheel integration. I’m really excited about this, they seem like a great team, and it’s a chance for me to get in and do some console-based development as well. 

David’s bass shaker rig, wheel test rig, and some outputs showing off frequency response recorded from the bass shaker rig!

• What are some of your favorite car and track combinations on iRacing to participate in?

I’m not a great driver, so I avoid online sessions. However, I really love the combination of the Skip Barber Formula 2000 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It has a really rewarding feel to it.

• Are there any other video games, racing or not, that you enjoy playing currently?

I tend to be nostalgic and play older games when I do have time to play.  Recently, I have been playing through the old Lucas Arts SCUMM games, like The Secret of Monkey Island.  However usually I’m video-gamed-out by the end of the day.

• Outside of iRacing, what other hobbies do you enjoy?

I really enjoy making things. My grandfather taught me to love working in a wood shop, so I have a small setup in my garage, and I enjoy augmenting that with more modern tools such as a 3D printer, CNC and laser cutter. Also, of course, I have always played around with electronics as well, and have a wide range of micro controllers.

• What are some of your goals you hope to achieve, either at work or outside of it?

My goal at iRacing has always been community. Everything I work on is focused on that, from helping the broadcasters make better content to drivers getting the best feel from their rigs. It’s the people that use iRacing that makes it so special, and I want to be a part of that. 

• Anything else we should know about you?

I’m an avid collector of older video game tech. I have quite an array of older consoles and games. I even put myself through college repairing video game systems for the local used bookstore.

My best piece is a working Vectrix unit, but sadly without the 3D glasses. I also wrote the first emulator and compiler for the Nintendo Virtual Boy when I was in college. It’s an obscure system, but it had some hidden gems on it, like WarioLand.

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