Preview: iRacing

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Content

At the moment of writing and as such close before the first stage of progressive release, any prospective buyer should be aware of the fact that in its current form, iRacing must be termed slightly US-centric in its choice of cars and tracks. This will no doubt be a pleasant bit of news to the US customer base while the European racers must arm themselves with a bit more patience as the content of the sim is gradually expanded to include more European, or indeed Australia and Asian styled content.

Still, I feel there is plenty of content to keep anyone busy for a long time. Cars such as the Pontiac Solstice, the Radical and the Formula RT 2000 on tracks such as Laguna Seca, Infineon, Lime Rock Park, Silverstone etc. is the perfect playing ground for road racers anywhere on the planet.

It is pertinent to remember that iRacing’s focus and primary customer group is real life racers who will use the sim as a training tool to learn the various tracks to a degree where they can apply lessons learned in the sim to their real-world on track sessions and that the cars and tracks are modeled as close to the real thing as is possible using "Exatrac" laser scanning technology assuring very high accuracy and realism.

In the base download the following cars and tracks are included:

Pontiac Solstice

A very entertaining car in which you’ll learn the basics of road racing. It is slightly "understeery" until you start inducing some controllable over steer and subtle drifting by flicking it into corners either coasting or trail-braking ever so gently. On corner exit you attempt keeping the momentum from the over steer going and working to your advantage as you get on the throttle and hope the rear will steer itself nicely onto the straight. In a sequence of corners or esses it becomes a sport in itself to see if you can keep the momentum going not only in terms of speed but also in terms of keeping the car at optimum slip-angle at all times, making the whole experience feeling a bit like a tango with the Solstice.

Legends '34 Coupe

To be perfectly honest with you, I’m not a fan of this car and that is probably because I haven’t learned to appreciate its finer points. No doubt many US sim racers will enjoy this car which is very lively and demands constant adjustments with steering wheel and pedals in order to whip it around the track as fast as possible. I’ve no doubt the car’s handling characteristics are modeled very accurately however.

Available as optional downloads at the moment of this writing are:

Formula RT 2000 Skip Barber

A great car exhibiting all the characteristics of a low downforce open wheeler racing car. It will notify you with under steer if you are too fast into a corner and will whip its tail if you are too forceful on the throttle. It is a true delight.

Formula Mazda

Here we are getting into a powerful and lightweight formula car with massive downforce generated from aero-efficient underbody, diffuser and wings, not unlike more powerful counterparts such as Formula 1. Perhaps someday I will learn to like the effects of aerodynamic grip, but currently all that the aero-induced grip offers me is under steering off the throttle, on the throttle and everywhere in between. If you’re a real world driver of such a car, it is no doubt represented very faithfully and accurately in the sim, but personally I’m more inclined towards low downforce and mechanical grip.

Radical SR8

Still very much a high downforce car, the Radical however is more lively on the rear-axle and thus more likely to spin if provoked by a heavy right foot. And I do like provoking it!

SK Modifieds

A US special and as such it should prove popular with the US racing fans. I feel unqualified to make any serious comments. To a set of European eyes it does look decidedly.... different.

Late Model

At this point it looks like this is the closest thing to stock-car racing the sim offers but as must continually be remembered, iRacing will continuously evolve, and personally I’m willing to wager my entire SimHQ salary that we’re going to see trucks and NASCAR type vehicles in the not to distant future. The Late Model however, is a jolly fun car to chuck around the ovals. If you thought driving an oval consists is a matter of merely turning left, I can inform you that quite the opposite is in fact the case. You may initially turn the wheel left, but after that, it is a matter of turning right all the time — in order to control the throttle-induced oversteer!

USAC Silver Crown

Another US special, with no less than 800 hp. A quick session around South Boston convinces me that with what looks like a high center of gravity and that amount of power, it is only too easy to spin this vehicle like a top out of every corner, unless you are really very sensitive with your input to the controls.

I find the force feedback exceptionally good; The Solstice is clearly a road going car taken to the track and as such is a bit of a "comfy" ride with respect to the suspension, power steering and forces transmitted to the steering wheel whereas the thoroughbred race cars have a direct and unmasked feel to the steering, letting you feel the road and every bump in it!

The tracks included in the start package are not quite finalized yet, however it seems almost certain that it will contain 4 ovals and 3 or 4 road courses.

Additional tracks available at the time of this writing include: Virginia International Raceway, Summit Point Raceway, Mazda Laguna Seca, Infineon, Road America, Silverstone, Lime Rock Park, Daytona, Atlanta, Concord, Homestead, South Boston Speedway, Lanier, Lowes, Martinsville, Oxford Plains, Richmond, Irwindale, and USA International Speedway.

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