iRacing Updated, Ford GT and Ferrari 488 and Myrtle Beach Released

Paul Jeffrey

Premium
iRacing Ford GT 2017 2.jpg

iRacing have released the new 2017 Ford GT and Ferrari 488 GTE to the online racing service, plus the Myrtle Beach short oval and a major new season build update too!


CHANGE LOG:
Dynamic Track

  • Fixed a bug that allowed an exploit of joining an event during a lone qualifying session and not inheriting the track state from a prior session. This was especially noticeable in a dirt hosted session with a long practice session before qualifying.
  • The rate of conduction and convection of heat from the track has been decreased, which will result in higher track temperatures and quicker buildup of heat due to the running of cars on track.
Tires
  • The temperature effects from locking up a wheel have been improved. Now the temperature is kept separately for the contact patch and the entire tire surface, so lockup heats up the contact area much faster which reduces grip. Also, the temperature drops rapidly upon releasing the brake and allowing wheel rotation. This keeps the tire from becoming too “greasy” after a lockup. Both effects deal much more realistically with tire hot spots on the surface of the tire.
Rendering
  • The Simulation can now render out cubemaps dynamically to improve reflections on cars. There is a new UI element in the Graphics and Replay sections of the Options menu labeled “Dynamic Cubemaps”. This controls how many cubemaps will be rendered per frame. By default this option is set to 0 since it can have a large impact on performance.
Shadows
  • Support for shadow volumes has been removed from all 3D objects and the rendering engine in favor of shadow maps. This reduces the in-memory and on-disk size of 3D objects, especially cars.
  • Portions of very large trackside objects near the racing line, such as portions of the terrain, can now receive static shadow maps as they did previously in the DX9 version of the Simulator.
  • Night shadows have been adjusted.
  • Three new night shadow map filters have been added (pcf4p, pcf8p, pcf16p in order of increasing performance cost/visuals). Enabled the filter through the dropdown for the UI.
Dirt
  • The mean starting track state (default usage percentage) for dirt race sessions has been increased.
Replay Render Modes
  • A new system for viewing Replays has been added!
– – You can enable Replay Render Modes from the Replay Options tab.
– – When enabled, a list of Replay Render Modes is visible above the replay controls when you bring up the timeline (click the wrench and hammer button).
– – – These Replay Render Modes are for Replays only and change the way the Sim is being rendered.
– – Use these to create cool videos to share with the iRacing.com community!

Weather
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the weather as displayed in a replay loaded from disk to be different than the weather as it appeared while in the session.
Virtual Reality
  • The “UIScreenDistance” and “UIScreenSize” settings have been removed from the “Rift” and “OpenVR” sections of the RendererDX11.ini file. These settings are now controlled by the screens themselves to support curved UI surfaces in browser mode and other future enhancements.
CARS:
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

  • Season setups have been updated.
Dallara DW12
  • Season setups have been updated.
Dirt Late Model
  • (ALL) – Additional rear gear ratio options have been added.
  • (ALL) – Improved front suspension kinematic model.
  • (ALL) – Shock curves have been updated.
  • (ALL) – Clutch definition updated.
  • (ALL) – Adjusted aero balance.
  • (ALL) – Adjusted torque curves.
  • (ALL) – Additional limitations placed on garage setup ranges.
  • (ALL) – Updated opponent car definitions.
  • (ALL) – Season setups have been updated.
Dirt Sprint Car
  • (ALL) – Opponent cars have been updated to get the right-front tire in contact with the track surface and reduce occurrence of corner entry glitching.
  • (305) – Top wing fore/aft control is now adjustable for fixed setup series.
Dirt Street Stock
  • Season setups have been updated.
Ferrari 488 GTE
  • NEW CAR!
– – The Ferrari 488 GTE joins the iRacing.com roster of vehicles!
– – With more than 100 wins – including victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – to its credit, the Ferrari 458 GTE was the proverbial tough act to follow. But the Ferrari 488 GTE was more than equal to the task, securing the 2016 World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers in its debut season with victories at Silverstone, Spa and the Nürburgring, as well as the 19th running of Petit Le Mans.

Ford GT – 2017
  • NEW CAR!
– – The Ford GT 2017 joins the iRacing.com roster of vehicles!
– – Although it was always intended to take its place among the world’s most desirable ultra-high performance sports cars, make no mistake that the third generation Ford GT was conceived, designed and built with one priority in mind: win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s fabled victory at le Sarthe in 1966. The result is a masterpiece in design, echoing the iconic shape of the Ford GT that Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon piloted to victory in the “ronde infernal” while taking every possible advantage of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s regulations to create another Le Mans winner.

HPD ARX-01c
  • At Le Mans track configs, selection of the low Down Force aero package is now mandated and additional reductions in Down Force and drag are applied. A note to this effect has also been included in the Garage. As a result, the unmodified Low Downforce package is available again for suitable tracks outside of LeMans.
Indycar Dallara circa 2011
  • Season setups have been updated.
Kia Optima
  • This car may now change tires and add fuel during fixed setup races.
Legends Ford ’34 Coupe
  • Season setups have been updated.
Mazda MX-5 Cup circa 2015
  • Season setups have been updated.
McLaren MP4-30
  • Season setups have been updated.
Modified – SK
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Camping World Chevrolet Silverado
  • External body damage should now be displayed properly.
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Ride height limit has been increased by 0.5″.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Camping World Toyota Tundra
  • External body damage should now be displayed properly.
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Ride height limit has been increased by 0.5″.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR K&N Pro Chevrolet Impala
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Tire and wheel convection coefficients increased.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Chevrolet SS
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Ford Fusion
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Toyota Camry
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Nationwide Chevrolet Impala circa 2011
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Tire and wheel convection coefficients increased.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet Impala COT circa 2013
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Tire and wheel convection coefficients increased.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado circa 2013
  • Tuned tire compound for increased tire wear.
  • Tire and wheel convection coefficients increased.
  • Ride height limit has been increased by 0.5″.
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR Whelen Tour Modified
  • Season setups have been updated.
NASCAR XFINITY Chevrolet Camaro
  • This vehicle has been brought up to 2017 specs including:
– – Suspension pivots have been adjusted.
– – Engine power has have been updated.
– – Aerodynamics have been updated.
– – Tire compound has been tuned for increased wear.
– – Various garage ranges have been adjusted.
– Season setups have been updated.

NASCAR XFINITY Ford Mustang
  • This vehicle has been brought up to 2017 specs including:
– – Suspension pivots have been adjusted.
– – Engine power has have been updated.
– – Aerodynamics have been updated.
– – Tire compound has been tuned for increased wear.
– – Various garage ranges have been adjusted.
– Season setups have been updated.

NASCAR XFINITY Toyota Camry
  • This vehicle has been brought up to 2017 specs including:
– – Suspension pivots have been adjusted.
– – Engine power has have been updated.
– – Aerodynamics have been updated.
– – Tire compound has been tuned for increased wear.
– – Various garage ranges have been adjusted.
– Season setups have been updated.

Sprint Car
  • Season setups have been updated.
Street Stock
  • Season setups have been updated.
Super Late Model
  • Season setups have been updated.
VW Jetta TDI Cup
  • This car may now change tires and add fuel during fixed setup races.
TRACKS:
Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans

  • Fixed an issue where the digital time display numbers were backwards.
Circuit of the Americas
  • Some 1x zones have been slightly relaxed, especially the red paint areas entering and exiting a curb.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
  • Some 1x zones have been slightly relaxed, especially in areas entering and exiting curbing.
Myrtle Beach Speedway
  • NEW TRACK!
– – The Myrtle Beach Speedway has been added to the digital landscape of iRacing.com!
– – Since opening in 1958 as the Rambi Raceway dirt track through its transition to pavement in 1974 to today, Myrtle Beach Speedway has not only been the scene of great weekly action but a springboard for stock car racing royalty. Four generations of Pettys (Lee, Richard, Kyle and Adam), three generations of Earnhardts (Ralph, Dale, and Dale Jr. and Kelly) cut their teeth at the South Carolina track where the list of winners includes the likes of Buck Baker, Dick Hutcherson, David Pearson and Ned Jarrett who earned his first victory in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup here in 1959.

Volusia Speedway Park
  • Billboards have been updated.
  • Fixed some ambient occlusion texture maps.

iRacing.com is a PC racing simulation that hosts large scale online multiplayer racing events.

iRacing Ferrari 488 GTE.jpg
iRacing Ford GT 2017.jpg


Check out the iRacing.com sub forum here at RaceDepartment for the latest news and discussions regarding the simulation.


Do you like the new build update? What do you think of the deal to bring the Ford and Ferrari to the sim? Let us know in the comments section below!
 
Last edited:
very good news, these could frustrate the hell out of you, will be interesting to see where and how much was changed:
Circuit of the Americas
  • Some 1x zones have been slightly relaxed, especially the red paint areas entering and exiting a curb.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
  • Some 1x zones have been slightly relaxed, especially in areas entering and exiting curbing.
 
I basically said "**** it" and made the jump to iRacing after a year of hesitation. Powered through the rookies and now waiting for Season 3 to open up so I can make it to C license. Might not have a chance to do any of the IMSA Sportscar Champ races I wanted to do, but hopefully I'll be ready to go by the fall once I've really gotten acquainted with the sim. By then I'll be ripping around tracks with the Ford. :sneaky:

Loving it so far. It runs well, has plenty of options for me to customize my cockpit position, controls, force feedback, etc. Really wish I had taken the jump earlier. Feel free to add me if you want an extra friend! :D
 
Yes, I had read that; Spa, in my view, did need a more 'relaxed' approach to the curbs. Not to help with 'cheating', but to help the driver who is trying perhaps too hard.
Still, a good update.
More to do, as with every game, nothing wrong with a steady approach to upgrades.
 
I am racing in the 24 with a three-car team. One of the guys opened up a server with the Ferrari, Ford and the Honda.

I was in a Ford and the other six guys I am with were in Ferrari's as that is the car we will be racing. For about two hours we raced, trying to stay together a race in a pack to get practice. Seems both cars are, essentially, equal and it will come down to drivers and set-up.

There was a lot of purposeful side-by-side racing on every part of the track. We found out that if one were careful we could go two wide through most of the track - one time through the second Mulsanne chicane (accidentally)- without too many issues. We also found out that three wide through Arnage is not only inadvisable but can be disastrous for everyone involved. Aero wash was a problem if one did not anticipate it, but over all both cars were stable and a blast to drive.

I am not an ardent supporter of iRacing but I have to admit that they did it right with the Ford and Ferrari. Now lets see if they can add the C7, the 2017 RSR and the BMW to round out the field. I know it takes some effort and time but they can own sim racing if they update and add to their vehicle choices.
 
Good for you Christian, welcome.
Glad you like it.
So, is it road or oval for you?
Or a bit of both?
Me being English, did not have a clue about oval racing.
English snob.
'That's not racing, just going round in a circle'....etc, etc...
Er, I know different now.
It can be very exciting, and fun.
And you are right, it does run well.
When you consider what is going on, people from around the world racing.
Just remember to have fun, and smile.
 
Good for you Christian, welcome.
Glad you like it.
So, is it road or oval for you?
Or a bit of both?
Me being English, did not have a clue about oval racing.
English snob.
'That's not racing, just going round in a circle'....etc, etc...
Er, I know different now.
It can be very exciting, and fun.
And you are right, it does run well.
When you consider what is going on, people from around the world racing.
Just remember to have fun, and smile.
Road license for me. :) I'm a huge IMSA and Endurance racing fan so the release of the Ford made me take the jump. The aim is to start doing a lot of the endurance events, the 24 hours of Spa might be the first one if I can put together a team.

For now though, I'm focusing on getting my license up so I can start doing those B class races I want to do. And then next year, I'll kick off the year with the Rolex 24. Very happy I decided to make the jump, only a few days in and I'm really enjoying the sim. :thumbsup:
 
You have a plan, good.
And a good plan too.
I have always hoped for GTE cars, or GT4 cars in iracing.
We now have 2 great GTE cars, so I am happy.
I love Ferrari, always have.
However, that Ford in game, and in real life is very special.
Just shows what Ford can do.
Completely understand why you made the jump.
Hopefully we may get more GTE cars.
And maybe GT4...
Vastly underrated series, with some great cars.
 
For now though, I'm focusing on getting my license up so I can start doing those B class races I want to do.
Should be a matter of 4-8 weeks at the most, join some races and stay out of trouble and up up up you go. People have done it in a week, I heard. I took a season (12 weeks) but did not have as clear a goal as you do. Welcome to the club, glad you are enjoying it, the money hurts at first, but the online fun is sooooooo unrivalled.
 
I basically said "**** it" and made the jump to iRacing after a year of hesitation. Powered through the rookies and now waiting for Season 3 to open up so I can make it to C license. Might not have a chance to do any of the IMSA Sportscar Champ races I wanted to do, but hopefully I'll be ready to go by the fall once I've really gotten acquainted with the sim. By then I'll be ripping around tracks with the Ford. :sneaky:

Loving it so far. It runs well, has plenty of options for me to customize my cockpit position, controls, force feedback, etc. Really wish I had taken the jump earlier. Feel free to add me if you want an extra friend! :D
Welcome to the club Christian!
 
Haven't drove the Ford yet. The 488 is a blast, really having fun just driving it. You can push without worrying about the incontrolable snap oversteer that sometimes happen on others MR GT3 cars. And attacking curbs is a breeze as it remains really stable in comparison to GT3 cars. The lack of ABS make things even better, more of a challenge. And not as difficult to avoid locking as the Porsche CUP.
 
Looking forward to trying the new Ford GT. I am gonna have an A road license and a C oval this coming season. So yeh, I have spent a lot of money and time in iracing, but it has been fun. Honestly, I have not practiced much for races, because I am in an AC league elsewhere. But I plan to change that soon and really dig into a series.
 
Road license for me. :) I'm a huge IMSA and Endurance racing fan so the release of the Ford made me take the jump. The aim is to start doing a lot of the endurance events, the 24 hours of Spa might be the first one if I can put together a team.

For now though, I'm focusing on getting my license up so I can start doing those B class races I want to do. And then next year, I'll kick off the year with the Rolex 24. Very happy I decided to make the jump, only a few days in and I'm really enjoying the sim. :thumbsup:


Welcome to the club, don't forget the blancpain endurance races most weekends, a solo able 3 hour race, which can be good fun.

Looking forward to seeing you on the track!
 
Very much like Christian, I've just made the jump to iRacing and wish I'd done it sooner as well!

Lucky to have started driving this week on week 13, which means races in different circuits everyday (at least for the rookies). By the way @Christian Moreau, I see you are second at the moment on the overall standings of the MX-5 Cup, not bad at all - but mind you, I'll catch up soon, probably on the track as well :thumbsup:

EDIT: I see now your PBs at Lime Rock and Okayama, so I guess it might take me some more time to catch up than I anticipated :D But I will at some point!
 
Very much like Christian, I've just made the jump to iRacing and wish I'd done it sooner as well!

Lucky to have started driving this week on week 13, which means races in different circuits everyday (at least for the rookies). By the way @Christian Moreau, I see you are second at the moment on the overall standings of the MX-5 Cup, not bad at all - but mind you, I'll catch up soon, probably on the track as well :thumbsup:
Not bad for a rookie eh? ;)

I've mostly just been going about my business trying to get my safety rating up to 4.0 since I'm competing in the 24 Hours of the Le Mans this weekend. Unfortunately, some of the drivers in the rookie and D class have very suspect driving standards and unfortunately I've been a little hampered in my efforts. Oh well, only 0.5 SR to go before I qualify.

I was loving Lime Rock and Charlotte, but really no the biggest fan of Okayama and it shows in my results on that track. Regardless, I'm having lots of fun getting to grips with things and I'm already starting to feel right at home. :)

In related news, I had a test drive with the Ford GT at Le Mans yesterday, and oh boy is it ever fun to drive. Tons of grip, and handles the Porsche Curves like a dream. Braking is a little tricky, especially if you want to use the maximum of the braking performance, lots of modulation required to stop lock-ups. Should be good to go for Saturday! :thumbsup:
 
Welcome to you too, Daniel.
Nice to see that you are enjoying it, so far..!
And this is how it starts; trying to beat a friend.
This Christian fella could be good..
I am rubbish in the Mazda, like driving it, just no speed.
Still, I have fun.
And that is what it is all about, till the winning bug gets you..
You have fun Daniel.

Tim.
 
aaaand first patch is out, seems like both new cars had some problems with overheating - just as the lemans servers did these past two days ....


CHANGE LOG:

...


Ferrari 488 GTE

- Fixed a bug with the gearbox temperature display.
- - Cooling has been increased so steady state operating temperature is ~110C / 230F.

- Backfires have been adjusted slightly.

- Engine cooling has been adjusted for a greater safety margin when running in traffic and with minor damage.

- Fixed an issue where the clutch could remain active after the pit speed limiter was disengaged.


Ford GT - 2017

- Backfires have been adjusted slightly.

- Engine cooling has been adjusted for a greater safety margin when running in traffic and with minor damage.

- Fixed an issue where the clutch could remain active after the pit speed limiter was disengaged.

...
 

Latest News

Online or Offline racing?

  • 100% online racing

    Votes: 84 7.3%
  • 75% online 25% offline

    Votes: 122 10.6%
  • 50% online 50% offline

    Votes: 167 14.6%
  • 25% online 75% offline

    Votes: 320 27.9%
  • 100% offline racing

    Votes: 449 39.2%
  • Something else, explain in comment

    Votes: 4 0.3%
Back
Top