The best place for your drink and phone on a sim rig is a fixed holder on the side of the frame, just next to your seat and below your hand when it drops from the wheel. In practice that means a cupholder and a small accessory holder on a side profile arm, not the floor and not the wheel deck. This keeps spills away from your electronics and stops loose items from flying around when force feedback kicks in.
Below you find the safest spots, the parts that hold them and the small mistakes that end in a wet wheelbase.
Why loose items cause trouble on a sim rig
A sim rig moves more than a desk, so every loose item needs a fixed home.
A direct drive wheelbase sends sharp jolts through the frame on every kerb and crash. A glass on the wheel deck slowly walks to the edge. A phone on the pedal plate slides under your heel. Most owners learn this the hard way during a long race, when they reach for a drink and find it on the floor.
The second problem is reach. You sit low in a bucket seat with your belt or harness on, so anything outside your arm range is gone until the race ends. A good holder sits where your hand already goes when you lift it off the wheel. Think of the spot where a real car has its centre console.
Which spots are a bad idea?
Skip the wheel deck, the top of the wheelbase and the pedal plate. These spots vibrate the most, and they sit right above or next to expensive electronics. Also skip the floor next to the seat. You will kick it over when you climb out, and a wet carpet under a rig is a pain to dry.
The best spot for your drink
Your drink belongs on the side of the rig, at seat height, on the side you do not shift with.
If you drive with a sequential shifter or handbrake on the right, put the cupholder on the left. Your right hand stays free for the gear lever, and your left hand reaches the drink during a safety car or a pit stop. On most aluminium profile rigs that spot sits on a side arm next to the seat bracket. Keep the top of the cup below the height of your elbow, so you never knock it while steering.
The SIMGASM cupholder fits SIMGASM seats, monitor stands and cockpit chassis. That gives you three choices: next to the seat, near the monitor stand, or on the frame itself. Most drivers end up next to the seat, because the drink then moves with the seat when you slide it forward or back.
Use a bottle with a lid
A holder keeps the drink in place, but it does not stop a splash. A sports bottle with a closed lid is the simple fix. Even a hard crash in iRacing then ends without a drop on your gear.
Where your phone, headset and controller go
Small items like a phone, headset or game controller need a flat, open tray close to the seat.
An accessory holder works like a small shelf. You drop your phone in it during a race, hang the headset on it between sessions and park the controller there when you play a game that needs menus. Because it is fixed to the frame, it stays put when the wheel shakes the rig.
Many drivers also use their phone as a live screen with lap times and fuel data. If you want that, see our guide on how to use a phone as a SimHub dashboard. In that case the phone moves to the wheel area, and the holder keeps your headset and controller instead.
SIMGASM | Accessory holder - Black
What about the keyboard and mouse?
The keyboard and mouse need their own trays, because you use them with both hands and they take more space. Our guide on a keyboard swivel mount or mouse tray explains which one suits your setup.
What holds all these accessories in place
The part that carries your cupholder and holder is a side profile mounting arm.
This arm bolts to the side of the frame and gives you a short piece of 40x80 aluminium profile to build on. You slide T nuts into the slot and bolt the cupholder, accessory holder, keyboard mount or even a shifter plate to it. SIMGASM designed the arm to stay solid under the forces of shifters, handbrakes and HOTAS flight controls, so a drink and a phone are an easy job for it.
The good news: every SIMGASM sim racing cockpit already ships with a side arm. The Hobby and Club come with the Core side profile arm, and the Sport and Pro come with the Apex side profile arm. So for many owners the base is already there, and only the holders are missing.
SIMGASM | Core Side profile mounting arm - Black
Plan the layout before you tighten bolts
Sit in the seat with your hands on the wheel. Drop one hand and note where it lands. That point is your target for the drink. Then check that nothing blocks your legs when you climb in and out. If you also run a button box, read our guide on button box layout and mounting first, so the two do not fight for the same spot.
How SIMGASM tests these small parts
Small accessories get the same real world test as the cockpits themselves.
SIMGASM founder Johan Akkerman designed the full product range himself in 3D and tests every product as part of a complete simulator, not as a loose part on a bench. He has raced since 2008, won the 2019 Project CARS 2 world team championship and still drives a Sport cockpit with a Formula Atlas seat, VR and motion at home. Because every part is judged inside a full rig, small holders are checked next to a real wheelbase and pedals, not on a bench. The company is based in Wijk bij Duurstede in the Netherlands, and product development started in January 2026.
Want to finish your rig? Browse all sim racing accessories and pick the holders that match your driving style.
Questions about drinks and phones on a sim rig
These are the questions sim racers ask most about storage on a rig.
Does a cupholder fit any sim rig?
The SIMGASM cupholder is made for SIMGASM seats, monitor stands and chassis. On other aluminium profile rigs, check the slot size and bolt pattern before you buy.
Where should a left hand shifter driver put the cupholder?
On the right side. The rule is simple: the drink goes on the side where your hand is free.
Is it safe to put a drink near a wheelbase?
Only when it sits in a fixed holder, away from the wheel deck and below elbow height. Use a bottle with a lid for extra safety.
Do I need a side arm for a cupholder?
A side arm gives the cleanest result, and every SIMGASM cockpit already includes one. The cupholder also mounts to SIMGASM seats and monitor stands.
Want to learn more? The SIMGASM experts are happy to help.
