First of all thanks for creating some free time in your busy schedule Andy.

For the people that only just heard about iOpener recently, please tell us how long has the company been around and what is the vision of iOpener for the future?

We have to go back to the April 2006 when I started working on this, in 2007 both the other Management team members joined when we successfully took part in the European Space Agency Business incubation initiative.

iOpeners vision is to bring the real racing experience to both the game and race fan. We are connecting the virtual and real motorsport world with the patented iOpener Enabled feature. This enables gamers and motorsport fans to race in real time on the real tracks in real time, and afterwards, against the professionals during a race. It is a ban breaking experience for anyone to race lives against the professional race drivers right from home.

In the end it is iOpener's objective to have all major race series iOpener Enabled, as well as all major race circuits, giving gamers the opportunity to chose from a lot of high quality live and stored content to game against and have the best race experience one can have in a game!

In what does iOpener Enabled racing differ from normal online multiplayer racing?

The generally known multiplayer mode is limited to race against other gamers who are playing online as well. With the iOpener Enabled feature you can compete and compare yourself against real people as well. Though they are the real professionals who are actually driving in real cars on real tracks.

Is iOpener only targeting on hardcore simulation racers?

At the moment we have integrated the feature into a PC based Simulation that is being tested by the RTR community, which consists for a large part out of Hardcore simracers. We believe to have the simracers as first group of enthusiasts is logical for the real driving experience we provide. Though in the near future the iOpener Enabled feature will also be integrated in arcade games. Already we have a large fan base of arcade gamers that find the idea of competing against professional race drivers very exciting.

The Real-Time Racing Game by Simbin is the first game that has been iOpener Enabled. Though still in beta, are you happy with the tests so far and how the community responded?

Well actually we had an initial test already with rFactor. Though, this was the rFactor Pro version, which was not meant for the consumer market. The beta test is running very well. It is important for us to adjust the real time racing experience to the max of the needs and wishes of the gamers. We have been improving the iOpener Enabled feature throughout the whole beta test especially because of the detailed feedback we are receiving. At the moment we are concentrating of coming closer to perfection regarding the live racing feature, meaning that we are not that much improving game related bugs but more technology related challenges. Never the less we collect all game related remarks and will implement it in the upcoming iOpener Enabled games.

One of our testers won an iOpener Enabled GTR T-Shirt. He would like to know if this shirt was basically a hint of a new GTR game being in development.

(Laughing)... I hope you understand that I cannot say anything concerning these speculations. What I can say is that we are in very good contact to the involved partners including the FIA GT championship organisers.

iOpener has been linked to the new upcoming WRC rally game for already a few months. It seems Black Bean is going to develop the game, will it be equipped with iOpener Enabled technology?

Not only closed circuit racing is interesting for gamers to compete against the real drivers in real time on real tracks. We receive a lot of requests from gamers to be involved in a WRC title. At this point, I can only say; keep a close eye on press releases in January!

One of our American testers would like to know if close racing series like NASCAR or other oval series be suitable for the technology?

The oval race series such as the NASCAR are very suitable for the iOpener Enabled feature. There are very little barriers that could prevent the technology from not working 100% accurate. Any series oval, closed circuit or rally can be equipped.

So on the long term we can imagine that many racing games on PC will be iOpener Enabled. Will the live racing technology also work on consoles? Can people see an iOpener Enabled Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo in the future?

iOpener technology can be applied on all platforms; PC, Playstation, X-Box 360, iPhone Apps, all portable devices with an internet connection... everything is possible, though it will be launched over time for it entails a sever development path. iOpener Enabled is the connecting factor between real and virtual racing, and is platform independent.

Will future retail versions with iOpener technology be modable?

Now this is a topic which we cannot decide on all by our self. We are very much trying to keep the community involved and we would welcome modable games. We support interactive and an open communication and involvement of the gaming community.

You have been travelling a lot lately in the Middle East. Can you give us some information what was the purpose of those visits?

 Due to the revolutionary technology we are being approached from many motorsport companies. Many of these companies, including race tracks, are located in the emerging countries e.g. Middle East. In these countries both technology and motorsport have an important role on the agenda, and even at government level they clearly see the value add of the iOpener Enabled feature.

A question we have received many many times per email the last week was of course the question if we will see this technology back in Formula One. During the last motorsport forum in Monaco the FIA already announced that F1 needs to find alternative ways to broadcast F1 through the so called new media. Is iOpener besides an ingredient for racing games also a new way of sharing media?

I would say games, and even more because of the link with reality, iOpener Enabled games are media. Actually a very important medium, for more and more motorsport fans will find their way to the motorsport and the race series through games, because they want to be entertained in an interactive way.  Besides this with the iOpener Enabled technology more is possible, which we will elaborate on in the future!

What is your personal goal with iOpener? Where do you want the company to be in five years from now?

After 3 years of internally believing it, in 2009 the great potential of the iOpener Enabled feature was confirmed by e.g. the motorsport, gamers, the media.

Next step is to get a commercial iOpener Enabled game launched, and to close partnerships and commercial deals with both major parties in games as well as in the motorsport industry with the objective to create more and more iOpener Enabled content for the gamer to have the most immersive race game experience.

Therefore in five years we would say all race series have iOpener Enabled games, for they realize it is the next generation of experience race gaming and motorsport!