New rain model attracts heavy praise from real-world and sim racers alike
Rave reviews help iRacing surpass 250,000 active users for first time
CHELMSFORD, Mass., March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — iRacing, the world’s premier motorsport simulation, is pleased to announce the release of its innovative new weather system with its March content release. The new weather system brings a next-level set of dynamic weather options, including rain and fog, to iRacing’s growing userbase, which surpassed more than 250,000 active sim racers for the first time after the release.
All new iRacing Weather System
“iRacing’s new weather system is one of the biggest innovations in the history of not only our product, but sim racing and even gaming as a whole,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “Our team has spent more than three years designing and developing an all-new weather system to bring our users the most realistic experience in sim racing. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the response from our community, including setting a new record for active users, and we can’t wait to continue development in future releases!”
The iRacing weather system simulates countless physical and environmental factors to create true-to-life weather experiences. Water interacts realistically with both the track and your tires, challenging you to find grip on alternate racing lines. Racers can see the current and expected weather conditions and plan accordingly, while also having to dodge the unpredictability of Mother Nature, just like in the real world. From randomized forecasts based on real-world weather patterns to down-to-the-minute timelines of when the rain falls, users can experience any number of conditions during any given session.
Upgrades to iRacing’s visual and audio effects systems complete the immersive effect. Graphical enhancements include falling rain drops and ripples, puddles and reflections that show up on track, and spray from tires that impacts visibility and interacts with windshields and visors. Racers also hear rain interact with everything from car bodies and tire spray to grandstands and buildings.
The release of iRacing’s new weather system has drawn universal acclaim from racers of all backgrounds, from professional champions in the real world to popular sim racers. Comments from the pros include:
“In my opinion, this is incredibly realistic. I’ve driven Sebring in the rain and it’s legit exactly the same.” – Daniel Morad, 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner
“I’ve never experienced something like this in my life.” – Tony Kanaan, Indianapolis 500 and INDYCAR champion
“This is setting a new standard for what wet weather in sim racing should be.” – Jimmy Broadbent, professional sim racer and 2022 Praga Cup champion
With the release of the new weather system, 14 of iRacing’s most popular prototypes, sports cars, and formula cars have been enabled to race in the rain on any of the hundreds of asphalt road courses in the sim in both single-player and multi-player modes. However, the other benefits of the weather system extend to each of the hundreds of vehicles on iRacing. More vehicles will be enabled to race in the rain on in future iRacing releases.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.
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