Houston native and tech entrepreneur Viet Tran led the charge in building racing rigs that not only bring people to the track but also build community.
HOUSTON — At Velocity Sim Racing Lounge, everything can feel like a blur.
“Full gas — just follow me,” said owner Viet Tran, settled behind the wheel in a setup that feels more racecar cockpit than business venture.
Synapses calculating the perfect marriage speed and line.
“Let the car drift out,” he said.
It’s not actually an F1 car, but one of over a dozen “rigs” at the new lounge in Sawyer Yards.
Tran, a Houston native, tech entrepreneur and competitive motorcycle racer, got this idea after he was forced to exit the track during the 2023 season.
“I had a bit of a spill on the track, which is kind of almost inevitable with motorcycle racing. But that one was a little bit bad, because I tore my shoulder pretty badly, knocked my head on the ground and then so that kind of ended that competition season for me,” he said.
To keep his skills sharp, Tran decided to train the only way he could — virtually.
“One is a great learning tool. But two, it’s just a lot of fun. And a lot of friends would come by the house and they would try it out, and you can just see how much joy it brought. And I thought to myself, like, ‘Wait, where is where is the place where we can do this together as friends,” Tran said. “Right? where you’re driving side by side and not just taking turns on the same rig? And then I looked around and like, there aren’t really any places that, like, really focus on that social experience.”
Not only did he end up leaving his cushy tech job doing product management to open Velocity, Tran, who went to Cypress Falls High School, decided to bring his experience back to his hometown.
“Trying to understand, you know, what do customers want, what do customers need, and then translating that to something that engineers can go and do and build,” he said.
So, he and his friends began designing these incredibly intricate machines that drive in a video game.
“Custom-designed and 3-D modeled and tested the curb texture, the tire slipping, like all that sort of stuff is translated,” he said.
At Velocity, guests will be able to immerse themselves in a racing adventure of their choice through 16 state-of-the-art racing simulators.
These simulators have full motion systems, immersive panoramic displays and platforms that react to each on-screen movement.
Drivers can choose vehicles from iconic brands like Porsche and Lamborghini and test their racing skills on world-famous tracks like the Circuit of the Americas or Silverstone Circuit. V
Velocity will also introduce a virtual Interstate 610 Loop at a later date, making it the first destination in America to feature its own city in a virtual environment.
“It takes absolute concentration,” KHOU 11’s Zack Tawatari said.
“Oh, yeah,” Tran replied.
Now, Tran’s patrons can experience more than just racing.
His Lounge has become a place to not only fill your need for speed but also to hang out, watch racing and, most importantly, become part of a community.
“We have a space to do it together, and then to see folks sitting here cheering together, watching race together, you know that emotion that comes with it? It was just absolutely incredible,” he said.
Velocity even has a full kitchen and bar.
And while Tran is certainly still capable of chasing his own lap times, he said his favorite part of the job is now helping others find their place behind the wheel.
“You’re planting that seed where it’s like, ‘Hey, this is a really cool, fun thing for me to be into right? And I think we honestly need more of that for mortar sports. It’s such a small niche sport, so if there’s any way that I can help grow it, I feel really good about that,” Tran said.
