iRacing News (Updates, Announcements, etc.)

This Patch contains some updates and fixes for the 2021 Season 1 Release, and the BMW M4 GT3!

iRACING UI: (5.03.01)

General

- The iRacing UI now features a "Safe Mode" for users that might be having some rendering issues with their iRacing UI.

- - The UI can enable Safe Mode for users that are having problems with the UI not rendering correctly. By default the UI will analyze the GPU settings as it starts and will automatically decide if it should start in Safe Mode. If it decides to start in Safe Mode, you will be shown an error message with further information.

- - Safe Mode fixes an issue for users without Hardware Acceleration. The issue was appearing as a large black or white rectangle instead of displaying the iRacing UI.

- - While Safe Mode is enabled, users will not be able to render content in the 3D Model Viewer.

- - - If you wish to manually override this setting, you may change the "uiSafeMode" setting under the "[Graphics DX11]" section in the "app.ini" file. Automatic (0), On (1), or Off (2).

- A Gift Card link has been added to the side-bar.

Hosted Sessions

- The logic for loading, displaying, filtering, and creating Hosted Sessions has been optimized.

- - These changes should reduce your load times and refresh rates, and increase the speed that the page updates, even during heavily populated times.

- Fixed an issue where the "Purchase" button for a Session was not changing to the "Update" button once the content was purchased.

3D Car Viewer

- Improved object positioning and camera field-of view to work better with very wide aspect ratios.

- Fixed an issue where the 3D models were not automatically updating specular maps.

- Fixed an issue where changes in newly created car folders were not being processed.

- Fixed a variety of rendering issues with the following vehicles:

- - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1

- - Dallara IR18

- - Lucas Oil Off Road Pro Trucks (Lucas Oil Off Road Pro 2 Truck)

- - NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry

- - NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado

- - Skip Barber Formula 2000

- - Supercars Holden ZB Commodore

- - Modified - SK (Modified - SK)

Paint Shop

- A new sponsor, VRX Simulators, has been added to the Paint Shop.

SIMULATION:

AI Racing

- AI Drivers have received additional training with the following vehicles:

- - BMW M4 GT4

- - Dallara P217

- - Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR

- - Skip Barber Formula 2000

- - USF 2000

- AI Vehicle parameters have been updated for the following vehicles:

- - Audi RS 3 LMS

- - Dallara F3

- - Dallara P217

- - Global Mazda MX-5 Cup

- - Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

- - Kia Optima

- - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991)

- - SCCA Spec Racer Ford

- - USF 2000

- - VW Jetta TDI Cup

Pit Stops

- Fixed an issue where the pit crew would appear to always remove the same type of compound tire, regardless of which type was actually on the vehicle at the time.

Audio

- Undercarriage scrape sounds have been updated.

Force Feedback

- Fixed an issue where force feedback was stopping when SimRacingStudio was launched.

- - This change may also fix the issue with SteamVR stopping our FFB at launch. This fix causes a momentary loss of steering input when the issue arises, this should only happen at Sim startup, but if for some reason that causes you trouble you can disable it by setting [Force Feedback] resetWhenFFBLost=0 in the app.ini file.

CARS:

BMW M4 GT3 - Prototype

-NEW CAR!

- - iRacing's renewed focus on GT3 content continues with an early release of the BMW M4 GT3 that will make its real-world racing debut in 2021. Revealed at BMW Sim Live in early December, the new car will compete in GT3 series around the world in the coming years, and will also run in iRacing's corresponding official series and special events. The BMW M4 GT3 is a pre-release version of the BMW M4 GT3 that will be made available to iRacing members in the weeks after the 2021 Season 1 build. The car succeeds the BMW Z4 GT3 as the second BMW to join iRacing's GT3 offerings. In the coming months, the in-development car will shed the Beta label for all members, receiving a comprehensive set of updates to match its final real-world form.

- - - - Add the BMW M4 GT3 to your digital garage from the iRacing Store here: https://members.iracing.com/me…er/CarDetail.do?carid=132

Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

- iRacing setups have been updated.

Dallara iR-01

- Additional options have been added to steering pinion ratio and brake master cylinders.

- Aerodynamic parameters have been updated.

- Brake pad Mu has been increased.

- Tire compounds have been adjusted.

- Force feedback has been reduced.

Dallara IR18

- Heat absorption for rear tires has been reduced while running at Road Courses.

- Tire wear rate has been reduced slightly for the left-side tires while running at short Ovals.

- Tire parameters have been updated for when this vehicle is running at Superspeedways.

- For the New Damage Model, slightly reduced rear wheel tether break limits and significantly reduced nose tether break limits.

- Engine and backfire sounds have been updated.

- iRacing setups have been updated.

Dallara P217

- Refueling rate has been adjusted.

Dirt Modified

- (Dirt 358 Modified) - Rev limit RPM has been reduced from 7800 to 7600.

Global Mazda MX-5 Cup

- In-car engine sounds have been improved.

Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

- Diveplanes have been adjusted to their upper location.

- Level of detail models (LoDs) for the cockpit have been updated.

Mercedes-AMG GT3

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

- Car parameters have been adjusted for when this vehicle is running at Darlington Raceway.

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Ford Mustang

- Car parameters have been adjusted for when this vehicle is running at Darlington Raceway.

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry

- Car parameters have been adjusted for when this vehicle is running at Darlington Raceway.

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Ford F150

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Toyota Tundra

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Chevrolet Camaro

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Ford Mustang

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Toyota Supra

- iRacing setups have been updated.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991)

- A variety of vehicle parameters have been adjusted, including:

- - Aerodynamic drag has been reduced slightly.

- - Diff locking has been increased slightly to reduce inside wheelspin

- - Rear wing angle adjustment range has been reduced.

- - Maximum rear ride height has been reduced.

- - Toe-in adjustment is now only allowed at the rear.

Super Late Model

- iRacing setups have been updated.

[Legacy] Dallara DW12

- Engine sounds have been updated.

TRACKS:

Brands Hatch Circuit

- (Rallycross) - Fixed an issue where drivers could get embedded inside the wall on the right-side of the Joker lap.

The Bullring

- Lightmaps for objects at night have been updated.

Cedar Lake Speedway

- Night lighting is now available at this track.

- Fence shadows have been updated.

- Pyrotechnicians have arrived at this track, and will perform fireworks displays.

- Fixed a wall snagging issue with the front-stretch cut-out.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

- Track logo has been updated.

iRacing Superspeedway

- Pit exit merge checkpoints have been adjusted.

Long Beach Street Circuit

- Adjusted the display of some objects when running at lower Object Detail levels.

- Gain-time checkpoints at Turn 5 have been adjusted.

- Collision parameters of tirewall objects have been adjusted.

- Water sound effects have been updated for the dolphin fountain.

- Some of the bumps along Shoreline have been reduced.

This Hotfix contains some fixes for the 2021 Season 1 Patch 2 Release.

iRACING UI: (5.03.04)

- Fixed an issue where some window backgrounds were not getting redrawn when they were expanding to fill a window.

Hosted Racing

- Fixed an issue where League Admins were able to edit pending Hosted League Sessions instead of only the Session Host.

SIMULATION:

New Damage Model

- Fixed a crashing issue where the processing for collisions could get overloaded by the number of triangles involved.

CARS:

Dallara IR18

- Fixed an issue where the animated pit crew were reversing the left and right front tires.

Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

- Rear ID light has been removed.

- Steering wheel logo has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

- iRacing setup for Dover International Speedway has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Ford Mustang

- iRacing setup for Dover International Speedway has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry

- iRacing setup for Dover International Speedway has been updated.

Radical SR8

- iRacing setups have been updated.

TRACKS:

Brands Hatch Circuit

- (Rallycross) - Fixed an issue where cars were collidable on pit road.

iRacing Superspeedway

- Some ads have been updated.

Weedsport Speedway

- Fixed some potholes at pit road exit.

iRACING UI: (5.05.03)

Hosted Sessions

- Fixed an issue where Hosted Sessions could fail to be displayed after canceling a pending Hosted Session.

3D Car Viewer

- Fixed an issue where the iRacing UI could fail to see paint file updates in folders with more than one space in the folder name, such as the "dirtsprint winged 305" folder.

- Fixed an issue where refreshing the iRacing UI (Ctrl+R) while viewing the 3D Car Viewer could create a bad state.

- - Remember, the 3D Car Viewer should automatically update with any changes made to the paint folders; no need to refresh!

SIMULATION:

Physics

- Fixed an issue seen on some vehicles with odd hyper-extended suspension behaviors.

Race Control

- Fixed an issue that could occur where subsequent meatball black flags were not being recognized and triggered.

AI Racing

- AI Racing is now available at the following additional tracks and configurations:

- - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - Classic Pits

- - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - Endurance

- - iRacing Superspeedway

- - Richmond Raceway

- - Watkins Glen International - Classic

- - Watkins Glen International - Classic Boot

- AI Drivers have received additional training with the following vehicles:

- - Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

- - USF 2000

- - Audi RS 3 LMS

- - Kia Optima

Pace Car

- Fixed an issue where the pace car would sometimes try to move up the track very quickly on ovals once it left the pit lane, sometimes even hitting the outside wall.

Spotter

- Fixed an issue where lead-lap cars were sometimes not receive a spotter message about lucky dog or free-pass cars coming up behind them.

Pit Stop

- The speech volume of Lollipop Guy has been reduced.

Rendering

- Fixed an issue where the solar flare effect could render with a four pixel-wide defect when using 3-screen mode without actual bezels.

Visual Effects

- Fixed an issue where sparks were not elongating in the correct direction, nor where they colliding with the track surface.

- Fixed an issue where smoke puffs would move in world-space depending on the camera pitch and camera roll. This change also fixes an issue where smoke puffs would rotate with camera roll, rather than stay fixed in the world.

Audio

- Improved undertray scrapes, grass scrapes, concrete scrapes and 3D curb impact sounds.

Telemetry

- Two new tire telemetry variables have been added.

- - "PlayerTireCompound" and "PitSvTireCompound" indicate the current and pending tire compounds for the player's car respectively. Both are logged live and to disk.

Virtual Reality

- Created a work-around for a reported bug in OpenVR where the SDK returns camera frustums with the top/bottom reversed, only when using a specific SDK routine to fetch the frustums. The theory is that this is what is causing eye alignment mismatches (even with SPS disabled) on some headsets.

- - If you suspect you are having this issue, to enable the work-around, set "FixGetProjectionRawBug" to 1 inside the "[OpenVR]" section of "rendererDX11.ini" file.

CARS:

Audi 90 GTO

- Some adjustments have been made to fix issues with wall riding.

Audi R8 LMS

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been increased slightly, and aerodynamic downforce has been reduced slightly.

BMW M4 GT3

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly, and aerodynamic downforce has been increased slightly.

Dallara iR-01

- Up-shift parameters have been adjusted to smooth up-shifts and prevent them from upsetting the rear of the car when up-shifting while cornering.

- Several paint patterns have been updated to fix minor visual issues.

Dallara IR18

- Rev limit has been increased to 12,300 RPMs while running at Superspeedways.

- Fixed an issue with the display of the tire compounds on the right-front tire.

- Fixed an issue with the incorrect tire compound choice displaying in Replays.

- Fixed an issue with pit crew animations.

Dallara P217

- Engine power has been reduced to better match the 2021 specs.

- Tire warmer temperatures have been updated.

- Third pin and pushrod lengths may now be adjusted.

- Camber limits have been reduced to -2.9 and -1.9 degrees static to match IMSA regulations.

- iRacing setups have been updated.

Ferrari 488 GT3

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly.

Ferrari 488 GTE

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power Adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly.

Ford GT GT2/GT3

- (Ford GT GT3) - 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Final drive ratio has been shortened slightly.

Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been increased slightly.

Lotus 49

- The direction of anti-roll bar adjustments have been reversed.

- The rear anti-roll bar arm length has been offset to better match the expected range.

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly.

McLaren MP4-30

- Up-shift parameters have been adjusted to smooth up-shifts and prevent them from upsetting the rear of the car when up-shifting while cornering.

Mercedes-AMG GT3

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power adjustments: Aerodynamic downforce has been increased slightly, and fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly.

NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo - 1987

- Some garage wording has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

- Fixed an issue with a repeating frequency in the upper RPM range of the in-car sound.

- iRacing setup for Rockingham Speedway - Oval has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Ford Mustang

- iRacing setup for Rockingham Speedway - Oval has been updated.

NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry

- iRacing setup for Rockingham Speedway - Oval has been updated.

NASCAR Ford Thunderbird - 1987

- Some garage wording has been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Ford F150

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Toyota Tundra

- iRacing setups have been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Chevrolet Camaro

- Fixed an issue with a repeating frequency in the upper RPM range of the in-car sound.

Porsche 911 RSR

- 2021 Season 1 Balance of Power Adjustments: Minimum weight has been increased by 5kg.

[Legacy] Dallara DW12

- Fixed an issue with the display of the tire compounds on the right-front tire.

- Fixed an issue with the incorrect tire compound choice displaying in Replays.

- Fixed an issue with pit crew animations.

[Legacy] NASCAR Cup Chevrolet SS - 2013

- Fixed an issue with a repeating frequency in the upper RPM range of the in-car sound.

[Legacy] NASCAR Nationwide Chevrolet Impala - 2012

- Fixed an issue with a repeating frequency in the upper RPM range of the in-car sound.

[Legacy] NASCAR Xfinity Chevrolet Camaro - 2014

- Fixed an issue with a repeating frequency in the upper RPM range of the in-car sound.

TRACKS:

Brands Hatch Circuit

- (Rallycross) - Fixed a handful of issues, including:

- - Joker wall has been updated.

- - Jump has been grounded better.

- - Grass edges have been improved.

Cedar Lake Speedway

- Fixed a bump at pit exit.

- Fixed an issue where a catchfence was not catching.

- Infield gain-time checkpoints have been adjusted to prevent course cutting.

Daytona International Speedway

- Some track surface bumps have been smoothed.

- Some tire-walls have been grounded.

- (Road Course) - Smoothed a vicious bump at Turn 6.

- (Road Course) - Smoothed some bumps at the pit exit.

- (NASCAR Road Course) - The pace car driver has been re-trained at pit maneuvers and parking.

Five Flags Speedway

- Grandstands will no longer disappear when graphics settings are set to "Low Detail".

Homestead Miami Speedway

- Track surface textures have been updated.

Irwindale Speedway

- (Inner) - Additional checkpoints have been added to prevent course cutting.

- (Inner) - Some cones have been added to better define the track limits for pit road.

- (Inner) - The pace car will now pull off sooner during starts and restarts.

- Patched some visual seams between the Inner and Outter Ovals.

Knoxville Raceway

- Grandstands will no longer disappear when graphics settings are set to "Low Detail".

Oran Park Raceway

- (South) - Gain-time checkpoints have been added to prevent course cutting at Turn 1.

Richmond Raceway

- Qualifying stalls have been adjusted slightly to prevent cars from appearing inside the wall.

Sebring International Raceway

- (Club and International) - Gain-time checkpoints have been added to prevent course cutting at the corner which is Turn 4 of the International track.

South Boston Speedway

- Grandstand crowds now wicked respect the Crowd Detail graphics setting.

2021 Season 1 Patch 5 - Release Notes [2021.02.12.01]

This Patch contains some updates and fixes for the 2021 Season 1 Release.

iRACING:

Status Page

- A brand new System Status page has been added for iRacing!

- - https://status.iracing.com

- This web page details the live status of a variety of iRacing's services and servers, allowing you to check-up on our online status at any time.

- - Click on any status report box to get a detailed timeline of that service's performance for the past hour.

- Any current system-wide notifications will be displayed at the top of the page; such as planned maintenance, downtime, or a severe issue we need our Members to know about.

- This web page can be accessed at any time from any device, and is designed to keep you informed.

iRACING UI: (5.06.04)

General

- Fixed a rare issue where the iRacing UI could take the operating system's focus when the connection to the iRacing servers was suddenly severed due to an authentication issue.

- Fixed an issue where the iRacing UI could visually lock-up if it was opened from Membersite when it was already open.

Hosted Racing

- A new Session type, Warm-Up, may now be selected with some event types!

- - A Warm-Up Session precedes a Race Session, and gives drivers, teammates, broadcasters, and race officials some extra free-form time before the big event starts.

- - A Warm-Up Session may be used in Hosted Sessions that contain both a Practice and Qualify Session.

- - When selected, this new Session type includes a time duration slider and an input field for the new Warm-Up period, as well as the ability to set Track State and Time of Day parameters.

MEMBERSITE:

General

- Fixed an issue where opting out of email settings was not being saved correctly.

Hosted Racing

- A new Session type, Warm-Up, may now be selected with some event types!

- - See above for more information.

SIMULATION:

Race Servers

- While a Race Server is creating splits and sessions for an event, no new registrations will be allowed for that event. This process occurs when the window for registering for an event as a participant closes. This is particularly helpful for large-scale special events and team events where dozens of splits and sessions are being created at the same time. Stopping new registrations will reduce the load on the scheduler. Further registration and joining of the sessions, for spotting, spectating, etc., will be allowed again after the sessions have been fully created and launched.

- - This change has no effect on members who register for an event before the splits and sessions are created.

CARS:

Dallara IR18

- Audio levels for the limiter have been increased to 12300 RPM.

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

- 2021 Season 1 BoP Adjustment: Fuel consumption rate has been reduced slightly.

NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

- Contingency decals have been updated for the 2021 Season.

NASCAR Cup Series Ford Mustang

- Contingency decals have been updated for the 2021 Season.

NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry

- Contingency decals have been updated for the 2021 Season.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado

- NASCAR branding has been updated for the 2021 Season.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Ford F150

- NASCAR branding has been updated for the 2021 Season.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Toyota Tundra

- NASCAR branding has been updated for the 2021 Season.