AI coaching is starting to make its way into sim racing, and I finally got the chance to test what that AI is starting to show up everywhere, and now it is making its way into sim racing.
In this video, I tested trophi.ai for the first time to see if real-time AI coaching could actually help me improve my driving in iRacing. This was a sponsored video, but trophi.ai did not provide a script, talking points, or instructions on what to say. I wanted this to be a real first impression and take you through the experience the same way I was seeing it for the first time.
The big question was simple:
Can trophi.ai actually help you find lap time?
After testing it, the answer was a lot more impressive than I expected.
Why I Was Excited to Test trophi.ai
As someone who works in software, technology, and AI, I was already curious about how AI could shorten the learning curve in sim racing.
The biggest challenge for a lot of sim racers is time. Between work, family, and everything else going on, it can be hard to spend hours practicing, reviewing telemetry, and figuring out where you are losing time.
That is where trophi.ai becomes really interesting.
Instead of only reviewing your mistakes after a practice session, trophi.ai gives you real-time coaching while you are driving. It can tell you what to change corner by corner, helping you make adjustments while the lap is still fresh.
For drivers trying to improve quickly, that kind of immediate feedback can be extremely valuable.
My Test: Baseline Laps vs trophi.ai Coaching
For this test, I ran laps in iRacing at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in the McLaren.
First, I ran a baseline session without AI coaching. This was just me driving the way I normally would, using my own braking points, habits, and track knowledge.
After five laps, my best time was around a 1:40.0.
Then I turned on the real-time coaching from trophi.ai.
Almost immediately, the coaching started giving me specific feedback before and after corners. It was not generic advice like “drive smoother” or “carry more speed.” It was actual corner-specific coaching, including things like:
- Brake less hard
- Turn in earlier
- Delay throttle application
- Trail brake more smoothly
- Hold speed through the corner
- Be more patient before getting back to throttle
- Use a different gear at the apex
That is where the value of trophi.ai became obvious. It was not just telling me that I was slower. It was helping me understand why I was slower.
The Result: Over 1 Second Faster in Just a Few Laps
After turning on trophi.ai, my lap time dropped from around a 1:40.0 to a 1:38.8.
That is over a full second gained in roughly six or seven laps.
For sim racing, that is a massive improvement in a very short amount of time.
What impressed me most was how quickly trophi.ai identified the areas where I was leaving time on the table. One corner in particular had always been difficult for me, and the AI coaching helped me realize that I was braking too aggressively and needed to turn in earlier with a softer brake application.
Once I made that change, the lap time started dropping.
That is exactly the type of coaching that can be hard to figure out on your own, especially when you are practicing alone.
What It Feels Like While Driving
The real-time coaching comes through your headphones while you are on track.
At first, it can be a lot to process. You are already focused on braking points, steering input, throttle application, gears, and keeping the car under control. Adding live coaching into that mix takes a few laps to get used to.
But once I started listening to the feedback and applying it corner by corner, it started to click.
The biggest benefit was that trophi.ai challenged habits I had already built into my driving. I thought I knew the track, but the coaching quickly showed me where I was braking too hard, getting on throttle too late, or not carrying enough speed.
That is where I think this tool can really help sim racers.
It gives you faster feedback, which means your practice laps can become more productive.
Where trophi.ai Makes the Most Sense
After testing it, I think trophi.ai is best used during practice.
Personally, I would be careful using it during an actual race, especially if you are in traffic. If you are racing side-by-side, defending, attacking, or reacting to other cars, you do not want to blindly follow coaching instructions that are based around the ideal line.
But for practice, trophi.ai is extremely useful.
I think it makes the most sense for:
- Learning a new track
- Finding time in corners where you are stuck
- Improving trail braking
- Fixing bad throttle habits
- Comparing your inputs against faster reference laps
- Practicing more efficiently when you do not have a lot of time
- Building better driving habits before race day
The key is that AI does not do the practice for you. You still need to get the reps in.
But trophi.ai helps make those reps more focused.
Post-Session Analysis
In addition to the live coaching, trophi.ai also gives you post-session analysis.
You can review your laps, compare your braking and throttle inputs against expert laps, and see where your driving differs from the faster reference data.
One of the parts I liked most was the driver skills breakdown. Instead of only showing what happened in one corner, trophi.ai can highlight broader driving habits, like trail braking, throttle release, and braking technique.
That matters because the goal is not just to be faster at one track.
The goal is to become a better driver overall.
Setup Experience
The setup process was straightforward.
You go to trophi.ai, create an account, download the Windows installer, and launch the software. From there, you connect it with your sim racing session and start collecting driving data.
I did run into a few login and authorization issues during setup. I had to close and reopen a few things before everything worked correctly. Once it was running, though, the actual driving and coaching experience worked really well.
Try trophi.ai and See If It Improves Your Lap Times
If you are curious whether trophi.ai can help you get faster too, I would recommend giving the trial a shot and testing it against your own baseline lap times.
Run a few laps without coaching, write down your best and average lap times, then turn on trophi.ai and see what changes.
You can try trophi.ai here:
Try trophi.ai with the Moore Podiums affiliate link
Using that link helps support Moore Podiums and allows me to keep putting money back into racing, sim racing content, and future videos.
Final Thoughts
I expected trophi.ai to be interesting.
I did not expect it to help me gain over a second that quickly.
The biggest takeaway is that trophi.ai does not replace practice, but it can make practice more efficient. It gives you immediate feedback, helps identify bad habits, and points you toward the areas where you are losing time.
For sim racers who want to improve but do not have unlimited hours to practice and analyze telemetry, trophi.ai is absolutely worth testing.
Get some baseline laps in, turn on the coaching, and see if it helps you find lap time too.
See you on the grid.