On paper, the Asetek Direct Drive La Prima Wheelbase 12Nm can only be a killer. Top-of-the-range motor, top-of-the-range software, top-of-the-range encoder and components, the possibility of “tuning” your base to improve it later… High-flying hardware, then, but at a price that puts it in direct competition with Thrustmaster T818, Logitech G Pro or Moza R12.
And we can’t wait for Asetek to deliver. After trying out the Asetek Invicta base (now our “daily” model) and the Asetek Forte, which made a very strong impression on me, the La Prima has all the potential to make Asetek one of the leaders in the simracing market. So let’s get down to business right away!
What does the Asetek La Prima base look like technically?
| Compatibility | PC |
| Dimensions Weight | Length 29.3cm, Width 13.2cm, Height 13.3cm 8,5 Kg |
| Motor | Direct Drive – True Servo MiGE |
| Torque | Peak: 12Nm Slew Rate: 4Nm/ms |
| Encoder | 22bits (4M points per wheel revolution) |
| Turning range | 180° to 1440° Adjustable via RaceHub software |
| Connections | 1 USB-C output to PC 1 power supply 1 Connection for ON/OFF button |
| Wheel mounting | Asetek Quick Release based on Simucube model (license purchase) |
Design and ergonomics
The first thing you notice on unpacking is the power supply unit. It’s much smaller than the one fitted to Forte and Invicta bases.
- In the box :
- Asetek La Prima base
- Power supply unit
- 3 plugs for different geographical zones
- 1 USB / USB-C cable
- 1 remote ON/OFF button
- QR code for online manual
Everything you need to get your machine up and running is here. Except (and I regret this!) the 4 M6 screws to fix the base to the chassis. Personally, I’m equipped, but if this is your first Direct Drive, you’ll need to think about buying some separately (or digging around in the toolbox, as this is a fairly common dimension).
Are we talking about the design of the base? I know many people aren’t fans, while others literally adore it. Well, let’s not forget that once you’ve installed a steering wheel on the base, you’re not going to see it very often… So I won’t dwell on that point.
In any case, the body is aluminum, and the front and rear panels are plastic. At 29.3cm long and 13.3cm high, it doesn’t take up much space under the screen, which can be brought very close to the steering wheel without the need for a steering shaft extension .
Regular readers will recall that the Direct Drive Asetek La Prima is exactly the same size as the Asetek Forte. Well, that’s only to be expected: inside, it’s ALL THE SAME. The aim is to enable you to upgrade your equipment.
If the La Prima and Forte bases are the same size it is because they share the same engine. Asetek has created its products so that they can be improved over time with kits sold separately. You can therefore start for example with a La Prima base (entry level of the brand) then transform it later into a Forte base. On the other hand, a Forte base cannot be transformed into an Invicta base because of the size of its engine.
And it’s the same for the brand’s pedals and steering wheels, which are also upgradeable, but we’ll talk about it in detail soon with the arrival of the upgrade kits!
Last but not least, you’ll find the Asetek Quick Release on the front. A model created by improving on the QR Simucube concept. And at the rear, a USB-C connection to your PC, and a socket for the ON/OFF button.
At Asetek SimSports, we’ve chosen not to have buttons on the base itself. The ON/OFF button on the La Prima base is in a separate box that you can screw close to the base.
The advantage is twofold: it lets you place the button wherever you like. And above all, if the button is defective, you can quickly have it replaced without having to send the whole base back to the after-sales service.
Top-of-the-range components
Now that we’ve had a good look around, let’s dig into the base to find out what’s inside. On the engine side, we find a custom MiGE motor, here limited to 12Nm of peak torque. This same motor will be able to develop 18Nm of peak torque, just like the Forte base, if you decide to buy an upgrade kit at a later date. The 22-bit encoder is strictly identical to those found on Forte and Invicta models.
No jealousy! You’ll be entitled to your 4,000,000-point precision per revolution. As a reminder, this is “just” 122x more precise than a Moza R9, 57x more precise than Fanatec, 15x more precise than a Simagic Alpha or Moza R12.
And to take advantage of this torque and precision, you also needed exemplary responsiveness. The Asetek La Prima base is rated at 4Nm/ms. This means that the base is capable of delivering its peak power in just 3ms. From a technical point of view, Asetek isn’t competing in the same league as consumer bases, but on an equal footing with Simucube or VRS, to name but a few.
Installing the Asetek La Prima DD base on the chassis
Reader, I’d like to warn you. If you take a Direct Drive base that exceeds 10Nm of torque, don’t put it on just any chassis. For one thing, these engines are heavy. But above all, they are capable of developing forces that could prove dangerous if you install it on an unsuitable chassis or table. Choose a rigid chassis, unless you’re willing to sacrifice power by lowering the strength of the base, of course..
For installation, you have access to 4 T-nuts placed on two rails below the base. The width of the nuts is 8.7cm apart, and you can move them back and forth on their 16.4cm rails . But if this solution doesn’t suit you, you can also opt for other methods sold as optional extras:
- Bottom mounting plate.
- Front-mounted plate.
- Front mounting with tilt adjustment.
- Bottom mounting with tilt.
For my part, I chose to use the bottom-mounting plate to avoid having to drill the support plate of my chassis, which had no hole corresponding to a spacing of 8.7cm. This also enabled me to easily install my remote power button.
RaceHub settings
OK, the La Prima base is plugged in. Now you can move on to calibration and force feedback settings. This will be done via the RaceHub software. On the software, Asetek gives you two basic settings: “F1” and “GT3”. The settings are pretty straightforward, but they’re still worth my time to explain them properly. So I’ve prepared a full article on RaceHub settings. You’ll find it by following the link below.
See also RaceHub force feedback settings tutorial!
The Asetek Quick Release
In 2020, Asetek wrote a huge cheque to Granite Device. Who’s Granite Device? The company that owns the Simucube brand. For the princely sum of €6.8 million, Granite Device provided the Quick Release license, consulting, technical drawings and software. This is why the Asetek QR bears such a strong resemblance to the Simucube model. It’s simply an evolution of the latter, making it simpler to use and paving the way for compatibility with almost all flywheels on the market. But we’ll be back to that in our Quick Release Forte and Invicta review.
To fit the steering wheel, simply slide it over the top, and a clip locks the QR in place. To remove the steering wheel, simply press the lever to release the clip and slide the wheel upwards.
At the bottom of the QR are the 6 pins connecting the steering wheel to the base. These 6 pins, which are spring-loaded to prevent breakage, provide power to the steering wheel and transfer information, as Asetek has chosen not to use a Wifi or Vlan module in its base.
Comfort and feel: just as we expected
We spent exactly 3 weeks on the Asetek La Prima base. As always, we tested the machine on a number of simulators, including iRacing, Assetto Corsa, AC Competizione, RaceRoom, rFactor 2, BeamNG, Dirt 2.0, WRC Generations and F1 23. We follow the same protocol every time and use the same car/track combos.
From the very first turns of the wheel, I rediscover the pleasure of a precise, straightforward base. Track details come through effortlessly, and all the chassis and suspension work is perceptible. We’re right up there with the Forte base model. But is this really a surprise?
After spending a few minutes fine-tuning the settings, I can easily find exactly the feeling I like in my force feedback. And a level of detail simply unattainable with the equivalent power bases we’ve tested so far. Fine, controlled, detailed, everything about this base gives you confidence once you’ve tuned it to your tastes.
In fact, apart from the brute force aspect, I couldn’t detect any shortcomings in terms of detail compared with its big sister, the Forte base. Flo made the same observation during her riding sessions.
But I’d like to remind you that to really get the most out of it, you need to work on your settings. Take the time (one hour in a lifetime!) to really understand the FFB settings and find what works for you. That’s when you’ll really become aware of the world that separates some Direct Drives from others, for your greatest pleasure on the track!
Clipping with this base?
As a reminder, clipping is when your base’s force feedback becomes saturated and is no longer capable of transmitting detail but only brute force. On low-power chainstays, this is a recurring problem, easily observed in long, fast corners, as in Indycar racing, for example.
Under normal racing conditions, pushing the base to 100% and the play force to 75-80%, everything runs smoothly. But don’t think we’ve stopped there ^^. I was still able to trigger Clipping from time to time. On the Oval in Indycar, once you’ve reached 75-80% in-game force, it triggers quickly, for example. But the question to ask is “who’s going to race on an oval with the FFB at full throttle for 20-30-100 laps? The answer: me, of course, to see if we can heat up the base!
Heating up the base
What I love doing is setting off on a 2-hour Indycar run on the Oval with the FFB at full throttle… There’s nothing like it for building up 1 arm (wouldn’t it be nice to have circuits in 8 for working out?) and seeing if it’s going to overheat or not. Whether on Assetto Corsa or rFactor 2, I haven’t managed to overheat the base. At least not enough to cause power drops or for the base to be “untouchable” by hand. But I’m not too surprised, given that the motor is clearly far from its limits at 12Nm, if you remember that it’s capable of developing 18Nm in the Forte base.
On the Forte, I’d seen comments from other users who’d noticed heating. According to André Eriksen (CEO of Asetek), this is due to software management and will be corrected in an update. As I haven’t had any problems myself, I imagine it’s due to the settings you make on the base (as was the case with the overheating of the Simagic Alpha a few years ago).
Who would I recommend the Direct Drive Asetek La Prima Wheelbase to?
I’d recommend this base to any player looking for the best value for around €1,000. The Asetek La Prima base is scalable, powerful, ultra-precise and responsive, and the two Asetek QRs make the base compatible with almost all the wheels on the market..
In fact, I’ll be showing you very soon how to connect other brands of flywheels to Asetek bases – it’s amazingly simple.
How much do La Prima bundles cost?
La Prima bases are only sold in bundles. There are three versions:
- Bundle Base Volant La Prima Formula at €1058.81 incl. VAT
- Pedal Wheel Base Bundle at 1361,34€ incl. VAT
- Base Quick Release at 862,16€.
La Prima chainstays can be converted into Forte chainstays if you wish to do so at a later date. The same goes for the La Prima Formula steering wheel. And the La Prima crankset can be converted into either a Forte or Invicta crankset. But I’ll tell you more about that as soon as we receive the upgrade kits!
Natively compatible flywheel brands
As you may have noticed, the Asetek ecosystem currently includes bases and cranksets, but only 2 steering wheels. A Forte GT model is currently in development, but to ensure that everyone finds a steering wheel to suit their needs, the Danes have a solution: partner with other manufacturers. This means you can natively fit steering wheels from 11 other brands directly onto your Asetek base.
In concrete terms, you’ll soon be able to go to the websites of these brands (September if deadlines are met) and buy a steering wheel that already has the Asetek QR natively installed.
- Ascher Racing
- Bavarian Simtech
- Cube Controls
- Delta Sim Tech
- GSI (Gomez Sim Industries)
- Rexing
- Simcore
- Simline
- Soelpec
- Trak Racer
- VPG Sim
Worth seeing: Asetek Quick Releases and the 11 NATIVELY compatible brands
What we thought of the Asetek La Prima Direct Drive baseplate
