For context, I haven't done any sanctioned events but I have done a few of those cone track "racing experiences" (Corvettes). I also race on iracing (simple set-up) as well as the legitimate $10K+ simulators (Place down the road from me).
While the pro simulators are fun, they don't hold a candle to real racing and I actually prefer iRacing over the expensive simulators.
Any simulator is going to have a disconnect but for some reason the Pro ones feel less "real" than iRacing to me. I think it is because you can't recreate the g's you feel when your racing in a simulator, so they compensate with a lot of herky-jerky movement. With the simple iRacing set-up you are just focusing on a few outputs and adjusting your inputs accordingly (IE: Wheel Feedback, Tire Noise and visuals). IMO that is more beneficial to real world skills.
But its still a lot of fun regardless
