After some strong backlash over the discrepancies between the five GTP cars in iRacing compared to their real-life counterparts, the developers have confirmed they will be prioritising updating these cars.
Back in late 2022, the first of the five current GTP cars were added to iRacing, the BMW M Hybrid V8. Since then, it has been joined by the Cadillac V-Series.R, Acura ARX-06, Porsche 963 and most recently, the two-time Le Mans winning Ferrari 499P.
However, with the most recent build of iRacing showing glaring inconsistencies between the cars in-sim compared to reality, the community have been up in arms. The cars were proving to be way too quick in corners due to a reworked tyre model, and the hybrid system has not been working as it does in reality.
As a result, Christopher Lerch - Vehicle Dynamics Manager at iRacing - took to the iRacing Forums to confirm that they are prioritising correcting these issues with the GTP cars, with these fixes coming in two stages.
"While we are pleased with the driving feel improvements and advancements made with the latest tyre model version, the car-specific models that debuted on the GTP class and LMP2 missed the mark with grip, resulting in higher than desired cornering speeds. Beginning with GTP, our redevelopment will involve a comprehensive reconstruction of the physical tyre and its composition - as a result, expect to recalibrate expectations around how the cars drive at the limit. We are targeting releasing updated tyres next season.
Once the tyre re-dev picks up steam, we will begin a complete overhaul of the hybrid system, to bring it up to date with the design of the current real world cars. A hybrid system overhaul might take a bit longer than the tyre work, so we do want to set expectations appropriately and you may not receive these updates until later. The GTP cars will respect the wheel power limits specified by the rules, and will replenish energy during pit stops. The 499P will follow the appropriate ruleset, and will not deploy electrically below 190 kmh."
As a result of this, these changes will not be made in time for the upcoming Daytona 24 in January but in short, as Lerch stated, the dev team aim for the tyre model to be amended in time for 2025 Season 2 which will begin in early March. For the hybrid system changes though, those have not been specified yet, but it will be 2025 Season 3 at the very earliest, which is early June.
Alongside the changes being made to the GTP cars, it is also worth noting that whilst they are not confirmed by iRacing, there may be a chance that the Lamborghini SC63 and upcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH could very well be joining the service. So with these changes being made to the category, these cars - if they are getting added - would also benefit from the tyre and hybrid model re-works.
What do you make of the iRacing GTP tyre and hybrid criticism? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our iRacing forum!
Back in late 2022, the first of the five current GTP cars were added to iRacing, the BMW M Hybrid V8. Since then, it has been joined by the Cadillac V-Series.R, Acura ARX-06, Porsche 963 and most recently, the two-time Le Mans winning Ferrari 499P.
However, with the most recent build of iRacing showing glaring inconsistencies between the cars in-sim compared to reality, the community have been up in arms. The cars were proving to be way too quick in corners due to a reworked tyre model, and the hybrid system has not been working as it does in reality.
As a result, Christopher Lerch - Vehicle Dynamics Manager at iRacing - took to the iRacing Forums to confirm that they are prioritising correcting these issues with the GTP cars, with these fixes coming in two stages.
iRacing GTP Fixes
Lerch's statement read as follows:"While we are pleased with the driving feel improvements and advancements made with the latest tyre model version, the car-specific models that debuted on the GTP class and LMP2 missed the mark with grip, resulting in higher than desired cornering speeds. Beginning with GTP, our redevelopment will involve a comprehensive reconstruction of the physical tyre and its composition - as a result, expect to recalibrate expectations around how the cars drive at the limit. We are targeting releasing updated tyres next season.
Once the tyre re-dev picks up steam, we will begin a complete overhaul of the hybrid system, to bring it up to date with the design of the current real world cars. A hybrid system overhaul might take a bit longer than the tyre work, so we do want to set expectations appropriately and you may not receive these updates until later. The GTP cars will respect the wheel power limits specified by the rules, and will replenish energy during pit stops. The 499P will follow the appropriate ruleset, and will not deploy electrically below 190 kmh."
As a result of this, these changes will not be made in time for the upcoming Daytona 24 in January but in short, as Lerch stated, the dev team aim for the tyre model to be amended in time for 2025 Season 2 which will begin in early March. For the hybrid system changes though, those have not been specified yet, but it will be 2025 Season 3 at the very earliest, which is early June.
Alongside the changes being made to the GTP cars, it is also worth noting that whilst they are not confirmed by iRacing, there may be a chance that the Lamborghini SC63 and upcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH could very well be joining the service. So with these changes being made to the category, these cars - if they are getting added - would also benefit from the tyre and hybrid model re-works.
What do you make of the iRacing GTP tyre and hybrid criticism? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our iRacing forum!
