In about a month from now, popular sim racing title iRacing will launch 2025 Season 1 Cars,, headlined by Aussie Supercars.
Australia’s Supercars series has featured the third generation aka Gen3 Supercars since 2023, having originally been conceived way back in 2020.
While iracing has featured Falcon and Commodore’s from the previous generation, there’s clearly a strong desire to race the modern vehicles we see on track on and our TVs.
New Supercars barely missed the last build, and we are happy to report that work is complete – both Supercars Chevrolet Camaro Gen 3 and Supercars Ford Mustang Gen 3 will be released with Season 1.
This is an all-new generation of Supercar, and our team has worked hand-in-hand with the teams at Supercars, Chevrolet, and Ford to build these new cars from the ground up, using our latest and greatest physics modeling, tire modeling, and graphical fidelity.
To soften the hit for recent purchasers of the current Supercars Ford Mustang GT and Supercars Holden ZB Commodore, we will be issuing credits to all who purchased those cars within the 365 days prior to the release of the new cars on the 10th.
The amount of the credits will be determined by the recency of the purchase. That offer ends as of that time. The former cars will then be re-classified as [Legacy] content, and removed from use in racing series.
Gen 2 vs Gen 3
The Gen3 Supercars brought a raft of changes compared to their Gen2 predecessors.
1. Appearance and Aerodynamics:
- Closer to road-going counterparts: Gen3 cars have a more muscular, coupe-like appearance, closely resembling the road-going Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
- Reduced downforce: Gen3 cars have significantly less downforce (around 60% less) than Gen2, making them more challenging to drive and promoting closer racing. This is achieved through simpler aero packages with smaller rear wings and diffusers.
2. Chassis and Engine:
- Control chassis: Gen3 introduces a new control chassis that is lighter and more cost-effective to produce. It accommodates both the Mustang and Camaro bodywork.
- Revised engine regulations: While still V8-powered, the engines have been slightly detuned to produce around 600 horsepower, down from the 650+ of Gen2. This contributes to the reduced downforce philosophy.
3. Other Technical Changes:
- Transaxle gearbox: Gen3 cars utilize a transaxle gearbox located at the rear of the car, improving weight distribution and handling.
- Larger wheels and tyres: Gen3 cars run on 18-inch wheels with wider tyres, improving grip and responsiveness.
- Simplified suspension: The suspension design is simpler and more cost-effective, with less adjustability.
4. Intended Outcomes:
- Closer racing: The reduction in downforce and other changes are aimed at creating closer racing and more overtaking opportunities.
- Reduced costs: The control chassis and simplified components are designed to lower the cost of building and running the cars.
- Increased road relevance: The closer resemblance to road cars aims to increase fan engagement and appeal to a wider audience.
iRacing provide more details about the next update in a blog post here –https://www.iracing.com/iracing-development-update-november-2024
As part of the Black Friday sales, @iRacing are having a sale, offering 50% off new memberships, or 25% off early renewals. This should appeal to any Aussie sim racing fans that are keen to try out.
I’ll certainly be looking forward to jumping on the racing sim and trying this out the day of release.
