iRacing News

[vobler]

New track coming:

Another oval.. well, at least it's got road configs too.

I've had many good races on the infields of Daytona and Lowes. No worries. Anything is better than nothing ...

[Doorman]

.... Anything is better than nothing ...

That's not a dig is it? :g:

[vobler]

That's not a dig is it? :g:

Of course not. :lmfao:

[vobler]

iRacing got a new build today. New track too. And info on the new pro series. Top prices equals $10000.

[vobler]

Steve Meyers at iRacing has posted a new blog entry about what they are doing these days.

http://www.iracingworld.com/_A-day-in-the-life-of-a-cat-herder8/blog/213715/57752.html

Summary (from iRacing forum not mine)

Private leagues!
No Resets for C and above
Spec Racer Ford
Road Atlanta
Mosport
Euro Tracks
5 New Oval Tracks
3 new Tin Tops signed!
MAJOR Track Signed - Announcement in May...
Club Logos
New Engineer
New Replay Camera stuff
Netcode improvements
Akamai
Nationwide Impala

[Gnomie]

Wow!! Lots of good news here.. besides the league stuff, I particularly like this bit:

I am also so very close to signing a very unique agreement that will involve a popular entry level tin top series with a significan​t marketing campaign.

That could be exactly what iRacing needs.. a more popular entry level car with for example a free 1 month subscription to bring in new members!

Now, if only they can find a (better) solution to the way championship points are counted, to prevent all those people from racing only once to maximize their score, things start to look pretty good!

[vobler]

Noting concrete yet but this was posted on the announcement forum.
Maybe iRacing is getting a VW before LFS do??
--------------

In the next days and weeks you may notice references to a VW Jetta TDI Cup series in various places on our Web site. Under an agreement with Volkswagen of America, we’ve created this as a training tool for the drivers who are registered for the 2009 edition of this entry-level real-world professional green racing series. Eligibility for this series is limited to these individuals, but in the next few weeks we’ll be making a related announcement with Volkswagen that will be of interest to all iRacers. (Many of you know Josh Hurley, a successful iRacer who was also the 2008 Jetta TDI Cup champion, and has been a big iRacing booster.)

Steve

[Gnomie]

Mustang FR500S and Ford GT First to be Added

BEDFORD, MA (April 14, 2009) –iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC announced today that it is developing digital versions of a series of Ford competition cars for use in the iRacing simulation service.

The first two vehicles announced as part of this new digital line-up of Ford race cars are emblematic of Ford’s storied racing history, the Mustang and the Ford GT. iRacing engineers have begun the process of gathering the data necessary to produce digital duplicates of the Mustang FR500S and the Doran Ford GT-R.

“It seems fitting that among the first Fords we’ll produce are the current racing versions of a pair of 21st century production cars that trace their lineage back to the 1960s,” said Scott McKee, iRacing’s vice president of marketing. “The private Ford teams that campaign these cars in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class and Grand-Am’s Ford Racing Mustang Challenge will find the simulation a useful tool as they prepare for races, and all iRacing members will enjoy having these cars available for our own internet racing series, and the thousands of enthusiasts who are already iRacing members – including pros, amateurs and fans – will have a lot of fun competing in these cars when they are added into our sanctioned racing series.”

The Mustang FR500S is an assembly-line produced high-performance version of the legendary Ford model that is literally race-ready when it is delivered to a customer by any Ford dealer. With the exception of a roll cage and other safety equipment – added at a nearby facility – every FR500S rolled off the line at Ford’s AutoAlliance International assembly plant in Flat Rock, MI ready to race. Ford Racing Mustang Challenge competitors will find that six of the eight tracks on the 2009 schedule are already in the iRacing circuit inventory or currently under construction, including Homestead-Miami Speedway, Barber Motorsports Park, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mosport International Raceway and Miller Motorsports Park.

"We at Ford Racing are proud that iRacing selected the FR500S as one of the first two Ford race cars to be available to its subscribers, said Jamie Allison, Manager, Ford Racing Performance Group. “Our guys here are determined to help iRacing make sure the car is as realistic as it can be. We're also excited to have the opportunity to hone our own FR500S driving skills online against the pros already racing the real thing. It should be fun,"

The Ford GT is an ultra-high performance road car inspired by Ford’s legendary four-time Le Mans-winning prototype sports-racing car from the 1960s. So it’s not surprising, and it’s totally appropriate, that someone would take this street car and prepare it for the race track. That’s exactly what veteran race car builder and team owner Kevin Doran has done. The Doran Ford GT-R is eligible for the Le Mans GT-2 class, and is currently doing battle with entries from Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin in the American Le Mans Series.

While I don't think that more cars is what iRacing really needs right now, I'm very excited about the Mustang (in particular). Powerful RWD = awesomeness. :woot2:

EDIT: a picture of the upcoming Spec Racer Ford was released today. Luvely!

[vobler]

Please find below the official chat transcript of the questions dealt with by Dave Kaemmer in the iRacing Insider event:

“Q: So first question: V8 Supercars

A: I'm afraid I can't comment on upcoming/unannounced/unknown content, but I can say that our friends down under should be happy about some new developments coming soon. And I have to leave it at that...

Q: Next question I see: what will be the league structure and how will it affect the service?

A: The idea is currently that anyone will be able to administer a league, and the admin will be charged a nominal fee, to keep the numbers reasonable.

The membership will be limited to 30 or so drivers, so sessions can run for the most part without splits. Also, the track schedule will have to follow one of the Official Series schedules, but any car can be chosen by the admin.

And one more thing, no iRating, or SR effects during league races.

Drivers will only be able to participate in one league race a week, although in any league that they have been invited to.

Q: I'll give an answer on the netcode issues...

A: For the next season, we've improved the prediction code, and made some changes to the information transmitted that I think significantly improves the remote cars' behavior. (more)

We looked at Akamai's IP acceleration capability, and spent some time and effort getting it to work, but we were disappointed with the results, I'm afraid. But we continue to look at other ways to reduce latency for everyone, and improve the netcode...

It's a very complex thing to deal with.

Q: I'll talk about the tire model, brakes, damage, etc. -- physics upgrades.

A: My next big project is to improve the tire model. We have so many different vehicles on so many different tires, that we need a model that is more physically based, and less empirical.

The big unknown with tires is really how they behave on the scary side of the slip curve--the "it's got me" part. It is very temperature and speed dependant, and that behavior is modeled pretty well now, but it could be better.

The brakes also need upgrading--we plan at some point to model the heat buildup, so the braking has some more real-life transient behavior, as well as potentially fade.

For damage modeling, we'll focus first on the physical effects, and there are several areas here that need work. Obviously we need more aero effect from damage, but we've also got ideas about how to better model drivetrain damage.

On the tire data question--we have a lot of great data for several of the cars, but most of what is measured in the real world is the front half of the slip curve (the "I've got it" part), and there isn't much empirical data for the region of sliding.

That affects the transient handling a lot.

Q: What's going on with the throttle/braking is that it allows you to control the brake bias on the fly.

A: I think it's probably a legitimate technique, although in the real world, drivers wouldn't probably want to run enough rearward brake bias in case they got in trouble.
Shane, the burning brakes issue with throttle/braking is not necessarily relevant. The energy from the slowing car would be a lot more than the energy put in from the engine. It'd be interesting to see if this worked in RL.

Q: Telemetry...

A: We've got a system in place to export telemetry, but it's lacking data from several of the components that make up the cars at the moment. We do want to enable that at some point; it will probably dump a .csv file at first. Then pretty interfaces later.

Q: Andre asked about simracers being given opportunities in real cars...

A: We have some programs we're thinking of that will do just that. Unfortunately, can't say a lot about them, lol.

Q: Multi-groove?

A: Alright... Currently we don't have the ability to map different grip levels at a very high resolution, although we can and do do it for several different surface types.

I have been thinking about a way to store a map of additional information at a higher resolution on track, and would like to do this at some point. As the tire model gets better, the roads will need to get better.

Q/A: Short COT no yellows not happening soon, but maybe for fun races. The COT races will be a bit shorter next season, however. I think about 10% or so.

Q: Did iRacing open too soon?

A: I think definitely not. If we waited until everything were perfect, you guys wouldn't be racing yet. And we might never finish.

We've learned a lot from having the service live, and we continue to learn.

- -

I'm sorry I can't answer all the questions; I do see them in the forums and believe me, we are working on a lot of the things you guys are asking about--or at least it's on our list to do.

Now we've gotta run for the Skippy race--if my SR is high enough...

Thanks to all for coming--I'll have to do this again.”

- -

Meanwhile, while Dave was busy answering questions, co-founder John Henry was in an overflow chat room, answering some of his own. Among the gems of information given were:

“Australian Server Coming Next Month” â€" What could John be talking about? Well, we’ll leave you to debate that one for a little while…

“There will be an oval series.” â€" No, John is not referring to the Star Mazda series…

“COT will be A; Nationwide B” The plan is for the existing Chevy Impala SS “COT” will become a Class B 4.0+ car, and the Chevy Impala SS “Nationwide” car will be slotted in as the Class C 4.0+ car.

“Paypal very soon.” â€" John confirmed what had already been mentioned in the forum. Paypal will be available from May 1st.

“Nationwide and Spec Racer next season.” â€" the SCCA Spec Racer is planned to join the Chevy Impala SS “Nationwide” car for 2009 Season 2.

“Needs to be more than monthly.” â€" Yes, that’s right. We are planning to hold special events and feature specific series where staff â€" or celebrity race-drivers â€" will be joining you on-track and maybe taking questions prior to that.

[vobler]

The new schedule is out with a big surprise

Quote:

Some additions this season include the Spec Racer Ford, which becomes our advanced rookie road car â€" and is FREE to all members. Enjoy!!

That should hopefully get a few of you in again???

[Gnomie]

Yay, SRF for free!!! I'd been quietly preparing to open my purse and pay the $15, but now I don't have to! The downside is that they're removing the Advanced Solstice, which is my favourite so far. I'm going to do a race tonight to try and grab back 1st place in my division, and if I succeed that might just be my last ever Solstice race..! That's a weird feeling.

[vobler]

I'm going to do a race tonight to try and grab back 1st place in my division, and if I succeed that might just be my last ever Solstice race..! That's a weird feeling.

Its not gone forever, its just not in this season.

[vobler]

We are tentatively planning on deploying the new build on Tuesday 4/28/09.


Race Control:

Crashes on the final lap of a race no longer cause a full course caution.

Cars:

The Class B Chevy Impala has been added

The SCCA Enterprises Spec Racer Ford has been added

Physics:

Wheels now have a more correct friction against walls.

The tires have been adjusted for the Impala, Class B Impala, and Silverado.

The transmission ratios are changed depending on track type for Impala, Class B Impala, and Silverado. There is a road course, short track, and speedway gearing, which is selected for youâ€"you can’t change those. The diff ratio is still adjustable in the garage, although several of the ratios have changed. Third gear is a bit shorter than it was (it was a 1.23 gear, is now a 1.33, except at the road courses where it is a 1.17). That should make shifting less of an advantage at most ovals.

The Silverado has more horsepower now from new data we have received.

The Silverado aero model has been substantially improved.

Race Week Scoring:

We have changed the way your race week points are scored. We now only average the top 50% of your races run in a given week in a series instead of all of your races run.


Spotter:

The spotter warns you when you are running low on fuel.

The spotter provides pace order instructions similar to the on-screen display.

Tech Inspection:

The Tech Inspection now allows the car to settle a moment longer and is more tolerant of borderline values. This should allow any setup that passes when loaded in the garage to pass tech.

Hardware compatibility:

If you are suffering from stuttering graphics in the sim, try the following: In the sim’s sound options, set your microphone to ‘None’. If that solves your graphical problems, set your mic back to what it was and open the file My Documents\iRacing\app.ini. In app.ini, change micAlwaysActive=1 to micAlwaysActive=0 and save the file. This may limit the graphical stutters to only occur when speaking over voice chat, however it may make the problems worse when speaking. If you are not experiencing graphical stutters, or setting your mic to ‘None’ does not affect the stutters, then you should not change this setting from its default value.


Server:

The code that breaks race sessions up into multiple run-groups when there are too many drivers for a single group has been tweaked. It is now more likely that drivers will be placed into a run-group with a Strength Of Field appropriate for their iRating.

Web:

Paypal has been added as a payment option.

The Results page has been greatly enhanced and also moved. It now resides in a new primary nav section called “Events”. This is the first of many pages to come to the new Events section of the site. The Results page is now filterable and sortable in a variety of ways. It is also a one-stop location for you to look up the results of all of all other iRacing drivers… no more page jumping.

New feature-loaded Customize Car page introduced. Car paint may be applied to one or more cars at a time. Color and font choice for car number is now offered as well as choice of 2 sponsorship logos.

Bug fix on replays page to properly display stats according to the Author of the replay when more than one replay may exist from the same subsession with different Authors

A new World Records page is available under STATS

Registered user count re-implemented on Series page.


Net Code

Improvements have been made to the Net Code and in particular the prediction of remote cars location with lost packets.


Graphics

Video memory is now managed vastly differently. Lookout for “loading failed” type errors or any new graphical problems. You mignt try alt-tabbing in full screen mode to see if it works better/worse/same than before.

The available texture memory slider can now be set up to a max of 768MB. The auto-detect will still max out at 512MB though, for safety reasons. If you have 1 GB video card (this does not include 2 cards each with 512 MB) you might try setting it to the max and checking if any loading or performance problems result.

A new graphics option, “High Resolution Car Textures” has been added. This option raises the priority of the car paint jobs textures causing them to keep more detail when very large on screen. Every few frames, the 3 cars closest to the camera (and visible on screen) will have their high-detail textures swapped into video memory if necessary. The downside of this option is that the simulation may consume more system RAM, but video RAM usage will remain about the same as before.


Tracks

Road Atlanta has been added


Garage

Cars are run through Tech Inspection at the beginning of each Qualifying, Time Trial, Race (warmup and the race). If your car fails tech, you willl need to go to the Garage to fix your setup before you are allowed on to the track.

When trying to load a new setup the sim will not save your current setup if it is not legal.

The Garage screen no longer responds to your steering wheel angle.

During Qualifying and Time Trial sessions, your pit crew will no longer service your car. Use the Garage to make changes to your setup.


Resets

Exiting your car now counts towards the reset limit.

Class C, B and A now have no resets allowed. Unofficial seasons always allow a reset for now.

[vobler]

This morning, in a joint press conference at Virginia International Raceway, iRacing and Volkswagen of America are announcing a truly exciting and novel partnership that will formally establish iRacing as a launching pad for aspiring professional racers.

Below is the news release that will be published.

VOLKSWAGEN ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH IRACING.COM FOR JETTA TDI CUP DRIVER TRAINING AND CANDIDATE IDENTIFICATION--
Online competition winners to receive opportunities to compete in the on-track series in 2010

ALTON, Va. (April 25, 2009) â€" Volkswagen of America, Inc. and its SCCA Pro Racing Jetta TDI Cup series have announced a partnership with iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC, that will allow the racing series to utilize iRacing’s online racing simulations to further enhance training and recruiting capabilities. The partnership will aid in current Jetta TDI Cup driver training and identify driver candidates for future seasons.

iRacing.com’s internet racing service includes the most accurate racing simulator available, and its usefulness transcends entertainment, providing a tool for the development of real-world racing skills. The software allows racers to compete against each other online in real time, driving high-fidelity digital versions of real-world racecars on millimeter-accurate virtual versions of real-world race tracks.

In September, the Jetta TDI Cup series car will join the list of racecars offered on iRacing.com, and iRacing will launch an online version of the series, which will be the primary gateway for eligible young drivers to earn their way into future seasons of the on-track series and start their careers as professional drivers. Further information regarding the online series schedule will be released in the coming months.

Competition in the online series is expected to be as fierce and exciting as the on-track Jetta TDI Cup race action. iRacing.com Jetta TDI Cup series participants will be battling to earn their way into the 2010 driver selection event and compete for the chance to receive a fully funded ride in the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Jetta TDI Cup series driving the iRacing.com car.

“This series has always prided itself in being ahead of the curve, and we’re constantly looking for areas where we can enhance what’s already one of the most unique racing entities in the U.S. with our clean diesel platform,” said Clark Campbell, motorsports manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “When iRacing approached us, we thought this was an excellent way to further our goal of developing the skills of our current drivers. Plus, it provides us with a relevant recruiting mechanism where we can select potential future series participants.”

Proprietary technology assures that the iRacing simulations deliver unprecedented accuracy of track replication and vehicle-handling dynamics. With curbing, cracks, patches and other trackside features recreated with precision measured in millimeters, and a physics engine and tire model that reproduce the feel of each particular car with absolute fidelity, the result is an experience so authentic that professional racers and experienced amateurs can hone their skills prior to on-track competition or testing. The 2009 Jetta TDI Cup drivers are currently using iRacing.com as a way to familiarize themselves with tracks on the series schedule.

“Our original goal in creating iRacing.com was to produce an online racing simulation that was so accurate that in addition to the thousands of fans who race in the service for fun, top professional drivers would want to use it as a training tool,” said Steve Myers, executive producer, iRacing.com. “With the testing restrictions that many series have imposed, many current professional drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Justin Wilson, Alex Gurney and A.J. Allmendinger are regularly competing at iRacing.com as a form of training as well as for its entertainment value. We’re really excited about this partnership, as it’s the first time that any racing simulation has been able to offer an online competitor an on-track ride in a professional racing series. Through this relationship, we’ll further demonstrate the link between racing simulation and on-track racing.”

The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up-and-coming drivers (ages 16-26) will compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDI’s powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition, the series champion will win $100,000.

The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, 170 hp, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine mated to a six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with Pirelli racing tires, race suspension and brake components, drivers racing safety seat, FIA roll cage and an on-board fire extinguisher system. Series sponsors include: Pirelli, Bosch, ViON, Castrol, Oakley, Red Bull, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder, Lamin-X, Meguiar’s, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.

Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
//www.vwmotorsportusa.com
Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup

Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com or //www.media.vw.com to learn more.

About iRacing.com
iRacing.com was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group â€" the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing â€" as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. The company has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including agreements to develop track simulations with International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, and Panoz Motor Sports Group and vehicles with Volkswagen, General Motors, Riley Technologies, Radical Sportscars, and 600 Racing. iRacing is the official simulation partner of the Star Mazda Championship and the Skip Barber Racing School. The service is open to racers and fans of all skill levels from top-level pros to complete beginners. To join in the fun, go to //www.iRacing.com.

SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. is a leading sanctioning body for motorsports events in the United States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing operates and sanctions the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit //www.sccapro.com.


# # #

[Gnomie]

The online series will be open to all members with a Rookie 4.0 or higher competition license and will feature the Jetta TDI Cup car (which is currently under development) as well as several of the tracks from the real-world TDI Cup schedule.

Awesome!!