Next Level Racing F-GT Formula/GT

There is a particular kind of frustration that builds up over time when you are running a mid-range direct drive wheelbase on a cockpit that flexes under load. You feel it first in a high-speed chicane in iRacing's Nurburgring GP layout - the wheel loads up through the corner entry, the chassis twists maybe two or three millimeters, and what your hands feel no longer matches what your eyes see on screen. The illusion breaks. That is the invisible problem Next Level Racing set out to solve with the F-GT Formula/GT at the $499 bracket, and after two weeks in my sim room, I can say they mostly nailed it.

The F-GT is a steel-frame cockpit, and that single material choice anchors everything else. The tubular steel construction is heavier than aluminum extrusion rigs at this price point, but heavier in this case means planted. The frame is rated to accommodate wheelbase torque up to 12Nm, which puts it comfortably in range for mid-class direct drive units like the Fanatec CSL DD running at its base 8Nm output, or Logitech's G Pro at 11Nm. Push a Simucube Sport at its upper 17Nm ceiling and you will find the limits of that rating, but for 80 percent of buyers at this price, the 12Nm ceiling is a non-issue. The dual-position design is the headline feature: the rig converts between a reclined GT seating position and an upright formula position, and Next Level Racing claims a five-minute swap. That claim, as I tested it, is honest.

Seat-included rigs at this price are not common, and the one bundled here is a proper fixed-back racing bucket with side bolsters and a vinyl cover that does not feel like an afterthought. Dimensions matter here: the seat fits my 5'11" frame with reasonable lateral support, though taller drivers approaching 6'3" may find the bottom cushion cuts off earlier than ideal. The seat mounts to a two-position rail system that handles the formula-to-GT conversion, and the adjustment range on the pedal deck is wide enough to accommodate legroom variation without forcing an uncomfortable seating angle.

How I tested: I ran the F-GT for 14 days straight as my primary rig, replacing my usual aluminum extrusion setup. Wheelbase used was a Fanatec CSL DD at 8Nm, paired with a ClubSport V3 pedal set. I ran approximately 60 hours total across iRacing (Radical SR10 for open-wheel, GT3 content for the touring position), Assetto Corsa Competizione, and roughly 8 hours in F1 24 specifically to stress the formula position under sustained wheel inputs. For chassis flex measurement I used the low-tech but effective method of mounting a dial indicator to the pedal plate and measuring deflection at peak brake force - a method borrowed from real-world car setup. I also deliberately ran the rig without the optional wheel deck stabilizer to see how it behaved in a stripped configuration, and stress-tested the seat rail bolts after every 10-hour session to check for loosening under vibration.

The hands-on impressions confirmed what the spec sheet hints at. Chassis flex under the CSL DD's 8Nm output was genuinely minimal - the dial indicator showed under 1mm of deflection at hard brake inputs on my ClubSport V3 brake at around 60kg load cell pressure. That is competitive with aluminum extrusion rigs costing $150 more. The formula position, with the seat tilted forward and the wheel deck raised, feels properly aggressive - your knees come up and your arms reach straight out, which is correct for an open-wheel reference position. The conversion itself involves four bolts and a seat rail re-pin; I consistently hit the five-minute window after my first two practice runs. GT position is more relaxed, reclined roughly 10-15 degrees, and the pedal plate slides rearward enough that heel-toe technique on the V3 pedals felt natural rather than strained.

There are tradeoffs the marketing brochure glosses over. First, the monitor mount situation is the biggest gap at this price point - the F-GT does not include a monitor or TV stand, so if you are running a single screen you are sourcing a separate stand, and triple-screen users will need a third-party solution entirely. The wheel deck lateral adjustment is also narrower than I'd like: it works perfectly for 30cm and 32cm wheels, but a 35cm GT wheel pushed against the limits of the width adjustment and left almost no margin for centering. Cable management is not engineered in - you will be zip-tying your own runs, and the steel frame's squared tube profile makes clean routing harder than round-tube or slotted aluminum alternatives. Finally, the seat, while genuinely solid for a bundled unit, is not modular: replacing it with an aftermarket shell requires adapter plates that NLR sells separately, which feels like a cost that should have been absorbed into the base price.

The bottom line is this: at $449, the F-GT delivers a rigid steel chassis, a usable included seat, a genuinely functional dual-position conversion, and a 12Nm torque rating that pairs cleanly with the most popular mid-range wheelbases on the market today. It is not a sim rig for someone who wants to run a Simucube 2 Sport at full torque, and it is not for someone who needs integrated triple-screen support out of the box. It is for the sim racer who wants one cockpit that covers both open-wheel and GT content without buying two separate setups, who is running a CSL DD or G Pro class wheelbase, and who does not want to spend $700+ to get real steel rigidity. That is a well-defined, well-served market, and Next Level Racing hit it cleanly.

Hawk, Scout Gear Team