Viewers of iRacing’s 24 Hours of Spa event saw a strange approach to racing lines over this weekend’s event.
Many of the top level sim racers participating in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa event in iRacing utilized a not-so-subtle approach to managing tire temperatures.
The exploit was known before the event, but had not been showcased to this extent before. Drivers utilized a tactic that involved deliberately driving with the outside tires on the grass.
The method was on full display as the cars made their way up the Kemmel straight at Spa Francorchamps. Long trains of cars could be seen driving with two tires on track and two on the grass.
The method seemed to work very well, with some estimating that it saved a much as a half second per lap.
Because it was known beforehand and every car in select splits seems to be using this technique, it seemed unlikely to have affected the finishing order. But, it does seem to highlight a gap in realism for a sim that works hard to mitigate differences versus real racing.
What are your thoughts on this tactic? Is it an immersion-breaking exploit, a clever workaround, or something in between? Let us know in the comments below.
Many of the top level sim racers participating in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa event in iRacing utilized a not-so-subtle approach to managing tire temperatures.
The exploit was known before the event, but had not been showcased to this extent before. Drivers utilized a tactic that involved deliberately driving with the outside tires on the grass.
The method was on full display as the cars made their way up the Kemmel straight at Spa Francorchamps. Long trains of cars could be seen driving with two tires on track and two on the grass.
The method seemed to work very well, with some estimating that it saved a much as a half second per lap.
Because it was known beforehand and every car in select splits seems to be using this technique, it seemed unlikely to have affected the finishing order. But, it does seem to highlight a gap in realism for a sim that works hard to mitigate differences versus real racing.
What are your thoughts on this tactic? Is it an immersion-breaking exploit, a clever workaround, or something in between? Let us know in the comments below.
