Many sim racers try to get as close as we can to replicating the real thing, which is all well and good. But where is that line drawn? We would like all of your input here.
Ahead of iRacing 2025 Season 1 starting up on December 17, the headline new piece of content is undoubtedly the two-time Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P Hypercar. Plenty of iRacing players are eager to drive it, but there was some initial confusion as to where it could be raced in officials.
But following its release, another few glaring inconsistencies arose that now add to the conversation surrounding realism and immersion. With all this in mind, it is time to really ask the question about where certain players are willing to part with immersion and where it is essential for the experience.
The 499P marks the first time that a car designed to comply with LMH regulations as opposed to LMDh has been added to the platform, but it does not race in the IMSA GTP class in real life. The upcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH is set to be the first LMH to race in the North American series, and there is nothing to indicate that the 499P will be attempting a run at the likes of the Daytona 24 Hours or Sebring 12 Hours.
As a result, many people questioned as to where the 499P would be able to be raced in officials.
For those out there still not sure, the 499P will be available along with all of the other GTP class cars in their respective iRacing official series. Subsequently, it is safe to assume it will be also joining them in their corresponding Special Events such as the Daytona 24. But it seems there are some people who are still unsure at least or even angry at most that the 499P will be amongst the selection.
Sim racing does provide the capabilities to branch beyond what the real world of racing is restricted by. So when a car appears in something that is not exactly true to reality but would feasibly fit into it, would that be just as bad as a modern F1 car racing in the 24 hours of Le Mans?
The same goes for tracks. In Week 2 of the upcoming iRacing season, all corresponding IMSA series will be hosting races at Motegi. Just because the real life IMSA do not race there, is that too far removed from reality? Of course, this is all quite trivial, at least relatively to an even bigger uproar within the iRacing community right now regarding the GTP cars.
Two of the highest iRating players, Pablo Araujo and Yuri Kasdorp, both made posts pointing out the discrepancy in terms of corner speed between some of the GTP cars at certain corners and their real-life counterparts. Araujo showing the real life Ferrari 499P going through the Porsche curves at Circuit de la Sarthe going 230kph, whilst the same conditions on iRacing had the car being able to take it at 288kph.
But that is not all. Another issue with the GTP cars on iRacing is how they deploy their battery. In real life and depicted accurately in the likes of Le Mans Ultimate and Automobilista 2, the power output by the engine remains the same whether the battery is being deployed or not. In this case, the battery is there to make up the deficit in order to use less fuel across a stint.
In iRacing though, the battery deploys the same way it does in Formula One or LMP1 cars, deploying on top of the engine to create additional power. That probably explains why the cars are getting to much higher speeds in iRacing than in real life. With all this in mind, we put it to you, which areas are essential for immersion and which ones are not necessary?
What are the aspects of sim racing where you do not mind it being not completely true to life? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion on our forums!
Ahead of iRacing 2025 Season 1 starting up on December 17, the headline new piece of content is undoubtedly the two-time Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P Hypercar. Plenty of iRacing players are eager to drive it, but there was some initial confusion as to where it could be raced in officials.
But following its release, another few glaring inconsistencies arose that now add to the conversation surrounding realism and immersion. With all this in mind, it is time to really ask the question about where certain players are willing to part with immersion and where it is essential for the experience.
Should The 499P Not Be In IMSA?
Within the GTP class on iRacing prior to the new build, there were four cars: the BMW M Hybrid V8, Cadillac V-Series.R, Porsche 963 and Acura ARX-06. All of these cars race in the real-life IMSA SportsCar Championship's GTP category but also in the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class - bar the Acura.The 499P marks the first time that a car designed to comply with LMH regulations as opposed to LMDh has been added to the platform, but it does not race in the IMSA GTP class in real life. The upcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH is set to be the first LMH to race in the North American series, and there is nothing to indicate that the 499P will be attempting a run at the likes of the Daytona 24 Hours or Sebring 12 Hours.
As a result, many people questioned as to where the 499P would be able to be raced in officials.
For those out there still not sure, the 499P will be available along with all of the other GTP class cars in their respective iRacing official series. Subsequently, it is safe to assume it will be also joining them in their corresponding Special Events such as the Daytona 24. But it seems there are some people who are still unsure at least or even angry at most that the 499P will be amongst the selection.
Sim racing does provide the capabilities to branch beyond what the real world of racing is restricted by. So when a car appears in something that is not exactly true to reality but would feasibly fit into it, would that be just as bad as a modern F1 car racing in the 24 hours of Le Mans?
The same goes for tracks. In Week 2 of the upcoming iRacing season, all corresponding IMSA series will be hosting races at Motegi. Just because the real life IMSA do not race there, is that too far removed from reality? Of course, this is all quite trivial, at least relatively to an even bigger uproar within the iRacing community right now regarding the GTP cars.
Prototypes Too Fast?
For the new build, iRacing have been tweaking the performance of the Dallara LMP2 and all of the GTP cars, apparently to bring them more in line with how they drive in the real world. Well, they may have in fact gone the other way.Two of the highest iRating players, Pablo Araujo and Yuri Kasdorp, both made posts pointing out the discrepancy in terms of corner speed between some of the GTP cars at certain corners and their real-life counterparts. Araujo showing the real life Ferrari 499P going through the Porsche curves at Circuit de la Sarthe going 230kph, whilst the same conditions on iRacing had the car being able to take it at 288kph.
But that is not all. Another issue with the GTP cars on iRacing is how they deploy their battery. In real life and depicted accurately in the likes of Le Mans Ultimate and Automobilista 2, the power output by the engine remains the same whether the battery is being deployed or not. In this case, the battery is there to make up the deficit in order to use less fuel across a stint.
In iRacing though, the battery deploys the same way it does in Formula One or LMP1 cars, deploying on top of the engine to create additional power. That probably explains why the cars are getting to much higher speeds in iRacing than in real life. With all this in mind, we put it to you, which areas are essential for immersion and which ones are not necessary?
What are the aspects of sim racing where you do not mind it being not completely true to life? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion on our forums!
