iRacing announced this week that their Season 1 update for 2023 will contain not only the usual bug fixes, updates and other improvements but will also include several new pieces of content that we are really excited about.
BMW M Hybrid V8
We discussed this car in a previous article, and now that it's almost available to drive, we can't wait to get it on track. It's an all-new car that conforms to the Le Mans Daytona Hypercar (LMDh) specification that will replace the LMP1 cars in iRacing. It's not as fast as the old LMP1 monsters but has more than enough speed thanks to its hybrid power unit and Dallara carbon fibre chassis.
Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance
This car was announced last year by iRacing, so it was just a matter of time before it became available. It was an absolute dog of a car during the start of the 2022 Formula World Championship but slowly improved and eventually came good towards the end of the season. The car looks spectacular with its ultra-small side pods and will have speed and grip to match. We love the current W12 in iRacing and expect the W13 to become a favourite as well.
Toyota GR86
Unlike the two cars mentioned above, the Toyota GR86 will be free. It will be included as base content and will be aimed at beginner racers but should be appealing to experienced drivers as well. With a classic front-engined rear-wheel drive layout, the GR86 should become very popular on iRacing.
Other content and updates
We focused mainly on the content that we are excited about in this article so far, but there are quite a few other changes we're sure others will enjoy:
- New track: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
- New track: Lincoln Speedway
- Track update: Sebring International Raceway - Complete Track Artwork Overhaul
- Track rescan: Virginia International Raceway
- New damage model on the Dallara P217
- GT3 class parameter updates
- AI racing on several more tracks and cars
Active Reset feature
Struggling with a specific corner or track section? Then this new feature will help you by allowing you to quickly reset and drive again from a specific point without returning to the pits after a crash. It will speed up your practice sessions and should make it much easier to learn new tracks. You need to configure a keyboard or steering wheel shortcut, and you can reset whenever you want.
Final thoughts
iRacing saved their best for last, and we think it was worth the wait. There are many more improvements that we didn't discuss, but we think that it's fantastic that iRacing never stops improving its service. We'll test out the three new cars we mentioned above as soon as the update goes live. Stay tuned for the upcoming review.
