We spent a month with the Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro folding F1 cockpit. A simracing chassis that’s both rigid enough to take a 10Nm Direct Drive base, yet easy to store once you’ve finished your racing exploits in your living room. The promise is all well and good, but it remains to be seen whether it actually works. And as you’ll see, things didn’t go quite as planned!
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NLR Formula Lite Pro in brief Best Values
What does Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro look like in technical terms?
| Chassis construction | Metal, plastic. |
| Seat | Formula-type seat |
| Dimensions | Dimensions unfolded : L180 to 212cm x W69cm x H84 to 100cm Dimensions when folded: L128 x W69 x H38 |
| Driver height | From 1.50m to 2m. 130Kg maximum. |
| In the boxes | Formula Lite Pro, Screws and tools, Velcro straps, Straps for cable management, Complete manual, QR code for access to brand networks. |
| Price | 299.99 € incl. VAT Free shipping |
Who’s the target customer?
Let’s get something straight right off the bat. I’d only recommend the Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro to a very specific type of customer:
- You absolutely want an F1-type driving position (or formula in general).
- At home, you absolutely must store your simracing gear in a cupboard after use.
- You only ride for a few hours here and there on weekends.
- You have a small rig that doesn’t exceed 10Nm of torque, and preferably a magnetic-sensor pedalset… Or maybe a Load Cell set to really light (20Kg max).
- Ah, and you’re over 1.50m tall.
If you don’t fit these criteria, you’d better think about a more rigid chassis. As you’ll see from our tests, the NLR Formula Lite Pro imposes quite a few limitations on the equipment you’re going to put on it.
Assembling the F1 cockpit in the living room
From unpacking to fitting the very last piece, it takes between 30 and 35 minutes. It took us 45 minutes, but that’s my fault. I made a mistake at the very beginning of the assembly, which forced me to start again… The instructions are very clear, with pictures for each step. You fit metal rods together, and tighten 2-3 bolts here and there. In short, there’s nothing to report.
Fitting the base and pedalset
GOOD! Now that the structure’s up, let’s put some gear on it. Next Level Racing specifies that this folding cockpit can take Direct Drice rig up to 10Nm of torque. But are we talking constant Newton-metres? When in doubt, I decide to install a Fanatec CS DD base, which we’ll of course take care to limit to 10Nm constant via its software.
The support plate for the steering wheel is on rails, so I can easily install the screws and nuts that will hold the base in place.
For the pedalset, I opted for the Fanatec Clubsport V3. The reason is quite simple: I simply want to be able to adjust the brake calibration directly from the steering wheel to see what the cockpit can handle. Installation is very simple. There are two rails that can be independently moved back and forth on the cockpit to position them right under the bottom bracket screw holes.
As far as ease of installation goes, there’s nothing to say it’s top-notch!
Adjusting the riding position
When I first discovered the Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro, I was impressed by the number of settings available. Here are all the available ones:
The two hubs allow you to set more or less angle between the foot and the seat, which will modify the height. But also to make a first “rough” adjustment of the base’s distance from you. These hubs can also be used to fold and unfold the cockpit between sessions.
The seat tilt can be adjusted to 4 different angles, from vertical to Hawaiian hammock. Whether your TV is in front of you or on the ceiling, there’s something for everyone. Personally, I’ve used the most upright setting and Flo the one that’s a notch longer.
You can also adjust the backrest height to 5 different positions. Up to now, I didn’t consider myself “short” (1.74m), but with the shortest setting, I’m “just right”.
OK, the seat’s fine, let’s move on to the bottom bracket distance. To do this, we have our two brackets which slide back and forth on the cockpit tubes. Once we’ve found the right distance, we secure it with the knobs.
There are two settings here: knee height, which also has a fatal influence on the height of the rig. But also the height of the front of your pedalset, thanks to the crossbar at the bottom of the photo. And once you’ve adjusted the front of the pedalset, on to the next step:
At the very front of the frame, you’ll find the adjustment that determines the rear angle of the bottom bracket. If you want to respect a Formula position, your pedals must be as horizontal as possible. This will be a bit of a problem if you have an entry-level pedalboard such as the Fanatec CSL, Moza SRP or Thrustmaster/Logitech, as they have pedals with large rear angles. In the case of the CSL, I had to use the extreme angle setting to obtain a “satisfactory” result.
Next comes base position adjustment. First, we select the angle with a large knob on the underside of the base. This adjustment is rather coarse and not very stable; it moves quite a bit even without using force. A point for future improvement!
Next, set the distance using the 4 knobs which slide the base support onto its rails. Don’t worry, the rails have front and rear stops to prevent you from ending up with a DD in your lap.
How comfortable is the NLR Formula Lite pro?
So how comfortable is this chassis? Well, after spending half an hour and a fair amount of time tweaking the bottom bracket position, knee height and seat angle, I can say: it’s fine! I was able to find a fairly comfortable position that respects the position you’re supposed to have in a Formula. On the other hand, as I’m 1.74m tall, I’d have had a hard time seeing the screen in front of me if I’d been 5 or 10cm shorter.
Luckily, Flo and her 1.53m are on their way! We spent several hours over 2 days trying to find a suitable position for her… In the end, we found the right compromise! To make it easier for her to see, we flattened the angle of the frame leg at knee level. It’s an unadvisable adjustment in the sense that it prevents the use of the strap that holds the feet in place in case of flexion in the frame joints. But it was a necessary evil.
What does the Formula Lite Pro seat look like?
On the seating side, the seat’s foams are quite comfortable. The fact that you can adjust both the height and angle of the backrest means you’ll find a comfortable position pretty quickly.
- Head width: 25cm
- Shoulders: 41cm
- Pelvis: 42cm
- Knee: 40cm
- Seat depth: 46cm
- Backrest height from seat: 86 to 91cm
Another good point is that it’s very airy, and even though we tested it in the middle of summer in an air-conditioned room with a temperature of 27 degrees… We never came out of a race session soaking wet. It was more the folding and unfolding that really made us sweat, but I’ll come back to that!
Track testing the Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro
Is it rigid?
Regarding the base support: No. It’s flexible, very flexible. Both in terms of back and forth movement, and up and down base angle movement. Even when I reduced the power to 8Nm, I still had a lot of parasitic movements. In the end, it was between 5 and 6Nm that I was able to have a “normal” experience.
Now, on the pedalset side: No. The problem isn’t with the bottom bracket itself, which is fine. The problem is the seat back, which doesn’t hold your back at all when you brake. If you have a Load Cell brake, don’t use this frame. Unless you want to restrict your sensor to 20Kg max and remove the whole point of having a Load Cell… On the other hand, when I installed the CSL pedalset with “soft” magnetic sensors, things went much better.
So concretely, if you have entry-level gear, it’s fine. If you have mid-range gear, it’s no good at all.
Is it fun to ride?
Yes. Once again, IF you put the right equipment on it, it’s a great experience on the track. The riding position is good and pleasant, even over long sessions. You don’t sweat too much, thanks to the air vents. In short, it does the job.
A word of warning though, if you’re tall (over 1.80m), getting in and out of the chassis can be a challenge. But after all, you’re the one who wanted the F1 position, aren’t you?
Pay attention to your TV position
An important point to consider is the field of vision you’ll have, depending on how your TV is positioned in relation to the chassis. Ideally, your TV should be facing you, with the bottom of the screen just visible above your motor base. But depending on the position settings you’ve made and the size of your base, this can be a real headache!
Later, we still managed to see the whole screen by combining a slightly different setting and moving the chassis away from the TV. If your screen is at least 80cm from the floor, everything will become simpler. Be careful not to end up in a cosmonaut position…
Is this folding cockpit easy to… fold?!
Folding a chassis is great, but folding it with all the gear still on it is even better! And that’s the promise of the Next level racing Formula lite pro.
Speedrun folding time: 4:13.
Not bad but I went for it.
Beware of running out of breath!
It took us two days to digest the method that allows us to completely fold the cockpit without damaging our electronics. On the first day, while following the instructions, we disfigured the rear of our Fanatec CS DD base, which had come into contact with part of the bottom bracket. I can’t hide the fact that when I discovered this, I almost gave the chassis a lesson in free flight.
But in the middle of the night, I woke up (that’s how pissed I was) with an idea: position the base exactly the opposite of what the manual describes during folding. I tested this with Flo the next day, and as if by magic, it worked. No miracle, though, this time it’s the pedalset that ends up rubbing against parts of the chassis.
Coming back to the folding method, it requires you to remove absolutely ALL the position settings you’ve made. So remember to take photos or write down each position in a notebook. If you want my personal opinion, it’s a real pain, and if you only have a few hours here and there to devote to simracing, wasting time each time re-adjusting everything by turning around the chassis 4 times will prove tedious… Even discouraging!
How big is it when folded, and how do I move it?
Even when folded, the NLR Formula Lite Pro takes up a lot of space! 128cm long, 69cm wide and 38cm high. All this for a weight of just over 15Kg, to which you’ll need to add the weight of the equipment you’ve installed on it.
The Formula Lite Pro, once folded, is therefore larger than the Oplite Nitro Kart, a rig which does not “fold” but which only measures 1m long once reduced to its smallest size.
It is adjustable, rigid, on casters… and 100€ cheaper!
To move it, you have two small wheels at the back. The aim of the game is to lift it from the front and roll it to the cupboard where you’re going to store it. Mind your fingers…
Will this F1 folding cockpit last the test of time?
Well, I’m not sure. In a month of use, I’ve already lost quite a few paint chips, and the Velcro straps are starting to fray. So I’m not sure that a full year’s use would leave it in very good condition, but for that, we’ll have to wait for long-term customer feedback.
Where to buy this simracing cockpit?
The choice is yours, as Next Level Racing has a host of retailers. For our part, we can recommend Stealth Gamer, the French retailer based in Marseille, or go direct to NLR. The price will be the same, and both offer free shipping!
