iRacing | IndyCar 2020 Aeroscreen Update Available

Paul Jeffrey · Mar 28, 2020

I admit I missed this one initially - iRacing have recently updated the Dallara DW12 to 2020 specification - including the Red Bull Technologies designed 'Aeroscreen'.

Following on from the trend first pioneered by Formula One racing, should the new 2020 season of the NTT IndyCar Series have started as planned earlier this season at St. Pete, a new kind of driver cockpit protection would have made its competitive debut. Unlike the F1 Halo, the aeroscreen design adopted by IndyCar provides a full cockpit shield around the vulnerable helmet area, in a design similar in look to that found on modern fighter jets.

Created with the express intention of providing a level of protection to exposed drivers from contact with derbies and other cars, the IndyCar Aeroscreen is a new mandatory requirement from the start of this year (whenever that looks likely to be).

With iRacing holding the official licence to represent the current IndyCar model within their simulation, the studio have recently updated the car to feature this new device, giving virtual drivers the opportunity to sample what it feels like to be enclosed in the United States quickest open wheel racecar.

Check out the new trailer for the model below:

The new update is available now for iRacers who already own the current Dallara IndyCar.

Alongside the new aeroscreens comes an update to night lighting at the Texas Motor Speedway location, adding a nice visual effect to the circuit that brings it in line with the modern configuration of this 1.44 mile oval.

iRacing is a PC exclusive racing simulation, available now.

Got questions about the sim? Check out the RaceDepartment iRacing sub forum and let our community help you out!

michelforest · Mar 29, 2020

Littlefysh said:
That aeroscreen has the halo as a frame. It's essentially the halo with a screen over it. I still can't believe that F1 went with the halo.

I edited my reply to this message, as I completely misunderstood its meaning. Apologies to "Littlefysh".

Isaac Chavira · Mar 29, 2020

I'll have to give this a try in my IRL18

Chris Alfveby · Mar 29, 2020

to anyone complaining about not seeing stuff. the car already had a huge wicker bill on the car that took more of the screen than the aeroscreen.
and no you don't need VR in my opinion

Boby Kim · Mar 29, 2020

Realism....nobody feels better protected behind their PC?

turbo86 · Mar 29, 2020

Rory Wetherington said:
So do you wear a fire suit and helmet? I mean how true to life do you take it.

I've seen some weirdos on youtube who play simulators (racing/flight) on a super expensive true to life rig, in FULL gear.....and 3rd person camera. It's true. Aliens do exist and they are among us.

MattGTX · Mar 29, 2020

turbo86 said:
I've seen some weirdos on youtube who play simulators (racing/flight) on a super expensive true to life rig, in FULL gear.....and 3rd person camera. It's true. Aliens do exist and they are among us.

Yep I've seen this in a lot of videos. Those guys probably also have a fire extinguisher and full crew with them.

But Hey, at least you feel protected playing on your pc and can also crash in the sim without the risk of death IRL

Littlefysh · Mar 29, 2020

michelforest said:
Tell that to the families of Justin Wilson and Henry Surtees...

Sorry but I don't quite follow. Had I said that it was ugly and that I hated it, I'd understand what you're saying.

ermo · Mar 29, 2020

Paul Jeffrey said:
Created with the express intention of providing a level of protection to exposed drivers from contact with derbies and other cars,

Hold your horses!

(@Paul Jeffrey : did you mean 'debris'?)

ermo · Mar 29, 2020

Paul Jeffrey said:
Created with the express intention of providing a level of protection to exposed drivers from contact with derbies and other cars,

Hold your horses!

(@Paul Jeffrey : did you mean 'debris'?)

Jim Layee · Mar 29, 2020

There's some very brave 'racers' on here

michelforest · Mar 29, 2020

Littlefysh said:
Sorry but I don't quite follow. Had I said that it was ugly and that I hated it, I'd understand what you're saying.

My apologies I completely misread your message. I've seen so many negative comments on this board about the halo that I thought you were against any kind of head protections. I'm very sorry about that.

Daniel Monteiro · Mar 29, 2020

Now we will all be safer than Massa ever was

turbo86 · Mar 29, 2020

Daniel Monteiro said:
Now we will all be safer than Massa ever was

Really? Did you watch the video of that incident? Even if he had this abomination he would still have been hit. This stupid thing provides protection only in the middle, and whatever hit Massa clearly hit him on the left side. Just watch the video and you'll see. It's good to remember some things.

It wouldn't have saved Bianchi's or Villota's life either. Both of them got hit on the side as well. There's still no protection on the side by this stupid "halo" or whatever it's called.

I'm all in for a superstrong fighter plane kind of bubble canopy or even a proper clocsed cockpit F1 car, that will provide protection from all sides, but this halo poop has no purpose. The only thing it does is destroying the view from the intake cam....

Peter Kerényi · Mar 30, 2020

turbo86 said:
Really? Did you watch the video of that incident? Even if he had this abomination he would still have been hit. This stupid thing provides protection only in the middle, and whatever hit Massa clearly hit him on the left side. Just watch the video and you'll see. It's good to remember some things.

It wouldn't have saved Bianchi's or Villota's life either. Both of them got hit on the side as well. There's still no protection on the side by this stupid "halo" or whatever it's called.

I'm all in for a superstrong fighter plane kind of bubble canopy or even a proper clocsed cockpit F1 car, that will provide protection from all sides, but this halo poop has no purpose. The only thing it does is destroying the view from the intake cam....

Not even the FIA said that it would have helped Massa or Bianchi. And in the case of side impacts with larger objects, don't forget the wide horizontal part that can catch stuff/deflect the car and protect the driver's head.

There have already been multiple incidents where it was better to have the halo there (F1 Spa 2018, F2 Spain 2018 from the top of my head). I cannot agree with criticizing something only for its looks (or "destroying" a camera view). Other solutions come with other problems as well, it's not as easy as saying "this looks the best, this is what we do".

Littlefysh · Mar 30, 2020

michelforest said:
My apologies I completely misread your message. I've seen so many negative comments on this board about the halo that I thought you were against any kind of head protections. I'm very sorry about that.

Understood, no worries.

Just to make my opinion clear, I believe that if F1 decided to use the halo, they should have used the screen instead. I'm all for the screen personally, just as I was when all sportscars at Le Mans became tin tops.

The halo was proposed by Ferrari and the screen was proposed by Red Bull, this alone made me sceptical. The fact that the halo was tested extensively for (I think) over a year and the screen was run once, by a Ferrari driver who ran for a lap and decided he didn't want to anymore and was never run again makes me very cynical indeed.

Given Ferraris relationship with the FIA and the blatant refusal to give the Red Bull aeroscreen the time of day, I'm fairly sure that decision wasn't at all fair or fully considered.

I fully believe F1 should be using the aeroscreen because those cars go (almost) as quickly as Indycars. Can you imagine if in the Massa accident the suspension spring bounced off the halo into the cockpit? That would not have happened with the aeroscreen and if the aeroscreen is strong enough for Indycar, it's strong enough for F1.

I'm all for safety, which is why I hold the opinion I do.

evan5 · Mar 30, 2020

Paul Jeffrey said:
I admit I missed this one initially - iRacing have recently updated the Dallara DW12 to 2020 specification - including the Red Bull Technologies designed 'Aeroscreen'.

Following on from the trend first pioneered by Formula One racing, should the new 2020 season of the NTT IndyCar Series have started as planned earlier this season at St. Pete, a new kind of driver cockpit protection would have made its competitive debut. Unlike the F1 Halo, the aeroscreen design adopted by IndyCar provides a full cockpit shield around the vulnerable helmet area, in a design similar in look to that found on modern fighter jets.

Created with the express intention of providing a level of protection to exposed drivers from contact with derbies and other cars, the IndyCar Aeroscreen is a new mandatory requirement from the start of this year (whenever that looks likely to be).

With iRacing holding the official licence to represent the current IndyCar model within their simulation, the studio have recently updated the car to feature this new device, giving virtual drivers the opportunity to sample what it feels like to be enclosed in the United States quickest open wheel racecar.

Check out the new trailer for the model below:

The new update is available now for iRacers who already own the current Dallara IndyCar.

Alongside the new aeroscreens comes an update to night lighting at the Texas Motor Speedway location, adding a nice visual effect to the circuit that brings it in line with the modern configuration of this 1.44 mile oval.

iRacing is a PC exclusive racing simulation, available now.

Got questions about the sim? Check out the RaceDepartment iRacing sub forum and let our community help you out!

Nice update

Daniel Monteiro · Mar 30, 2020

turbo86 said:
Really? Did you watch the video of that incident? Even if he had this abomination he would still have been hit. This stupid thing provides protection only in the middle, and whatever hit Massa clearly hit him on the left side. Just watch the video and you'll see. It's good to remember some things.

Chill out human, I was talking about the aeroscreen

michelforest · Mar 30, 2020

Littlefysh said:
Understood, no worries.

Just to make my opinion clear, I believe that if F1 decided to use the halo, they should have used the screen instead. I'm all for the screen personally, just as I was when all sportscars at Le Mans became tin tops.

The halo was proposed by Ferrari and the screen was proposed by Red Bull, this alone made me sceptical. The fact that the halo was tested extensively for (I think) over a year and the screen was run once, by a Ferrari driver who ran for a lap and decided he didn't want to anymore and was never run again makes me very cynical indeed.

Given Ferraris relationship with the FIA and the blatant refusal to give the Red Bull aeroscreen the time of day, I'm fairly sure that decision wasn't at all fair or fully considered.

I fully believe F1 should be using the aeroscreen because those cars go (almost) as quickly as Indycars. Can you imagine if in the Massa accident the suspension spring bounced off the halo into the cockpit? That would not have happened with the aeroscreen and if the aeroscreen is strong enough for Indycar, it's strong enough for F1.

I'm all for safety, which is why I hold the opinion I do.

I get your point. I must say I don't even notice the halo anymore, even if I didn't like it at first. I find the aeroscreen even uglier than the halo, mostly because of its height, but I suspect I will get used to it as well.

Like you, I'm all for head protection and I think that eventually, all race cars will have a closed cockpit, in some form. It's funny, because every time I saw a design for a "car for the future", it always included a closed cockpit, as if it was the natural evolution of motor racing.

Deleted member 205301 · Mar 30, 2020

Paul Jeffrey said:
- iRacing have recently updated the Dallara DW12 to 2020 specification -

...well ...Paul...this is not a DW12, this is a IR18

(DW12 was the older car)
@++

turbo86 · Mar 31, 2020

Peter Kerényi said:
Not even the FIA said that it would have helped Massa or Bianchi. And in the case of side impacts with larger objects, don't forget the wide horizontal part that can catch stuff/deflect the car and protect the driver's head.

There have already been multiple incidents where it was better to have the halo there (F1 Spa 2018, F2 Spain 2018 from the top of my head). I cannot agree with criticizing something only for its looks (or "destroying" a camera view). Other solutions come with other problems as well, it's not as easy as saying "this looks the best, this is what we do".

I never said anything about aesthetics. I don't care about aesthetics. I even like NASCAR cars...and i wish F1 gets those fancy low profile tires and TURBO WHEELS. There i said it again. I want F1 with TURBO WHEELS. And headlights! Oh yes i want F1 with fancy LED headlights. Should make racing in rain and fog much safer as well. Also, winning celebrations...flashing headlights=awesome.

My criticism is all about the function, which as it is t's pretty much...none. It doesn't protect the driver from oncoming objects, it doesn't protect from side impacts either. The raised sides of the cockpit provide all the side impact protection the driver needs.

Allow me to remind you that Senna didn't die from a side impact but from a suspension strut penetrating his helmet, which by the way came from the side. Halo would have been useless. Countless other incidents where objects come flying towards the driver, not from dead center but from the sides, but Massa's and Senna's accidents are textbook cases on what kind of protection the drivers really need.

In Bianchi's case it would have been equally useless because he hit the tractor from such an angle and with such force that the halo would have probably been destroyed. It would have to be much thicker to withstand such an impact, hence why the halo testing results on this accident were "neutral".