The 92nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was one of the most competitive events in recent history. Kevin Estre's incredible lap in his Porsche 963 Hypercar was enough to put him on pole. But which simulator is best to emulate Estre's lap time?
The simulators that we will be using to compare lap times are Le Mans Ultimate and iRacing. Both simulators have modern iterations of the laser-scanned circuit, but do they produce similar lap times?
Porsche 963 heading down towards the Dunlop Chicane.
Sector One
Starting in sector one with the Dunlop chicane. There is a massive difference between the two titles and how they portray the chicane. In iRacing, you can attack the curve with real aggression and cut quite a considerable amount out of the apex. Compared to Estre's pole lap, these cuts do shave some time off but not enough to make it considerably faster than real life.Le Mans Ultimate is the direct opposite of iRacing's version with small boards and bollards on the inside to mark the track limit. If abused, you will be met with a nice time penalty to carry.
When leaving the Dunlop Chicane, the input on Marcus' fast lap on Le Mans Ultimate and Estre's inputs are almost identical. The car slides in exactly the same way and is corrected and straightened out perfectly. iRacing does not get to have the same opportunity to prove itself with the two racing lines being very different after cutting a lot more of the apex out.
Moving onto Ralentisseur Dunlop or the Esses next. The major talking point from this notoriously fast section of the Le Mans circuit is the speed difference. In the real lap, Estre is averaging around 15 to 20Kph slower than in iRacing. Le Mans Ultimate is also around 15Kph less and both are now eight-tenths behind iRacing's current pace.
For the final sequence of sector one, it's down to Tertre Rouge. The major difference again singles out iRacing. The kerb on the left-hand side is used as more of a track limit than a physical deterrent to drivers. whereas in Le Mans Ultimate, and especially on the real track, that kerb is vicious and can potentially spin you or at the least damage your car if you use it too much.
Sector Two
Heading down to the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight, the speeds contradict what we learnt in sector one. Estre's top speed was 325Kph, Le Mans Ultimate showed 334Kph and iRacing's reading was 324Kph. Just one 1Kph off of the real car!iRacing's flat curves at Tertre Rouge
The story of the first chicane is very similar to the Dunlop Chicane from the start of the lap. iRacing's non-existent kerbs allow a much tighter line and lack of harshness when at the limit of grip. The real lap and Le Mans Ultimate's lap show that you have to respect the kerbs and dance around them to find the ideal line for the most grip heading down to the second chicane.
The second chicane is the same story of the kerbs affecting the line within iRacing. Heading to Virage De Mulsanne, is hard to compare entirely accurately. Estre was held up by an LMP2 car on the entry, compromising his line. However, he didn't appear to lose any time. The new exit kerb is fantastically modelled in Le Mans Ultimate to create a punishing track limit for drivers just like in the real race.
Sector Three
At the kink before Indianapolis, you can get away with just a touch of the brake before slamming on the anchors in iRacing. Le Mans Ultimate requires you to smoothly apply a much greater amount of force at the kink before braking equally as hard.All three versions of the lap are then nearly identical heading through the ninety-degree right-hander towards the iconic Porsche Curves.
From the left-hander to the right-hander, Estre's lap and the Le Mans Ultimate lap are almost identical again in their inputs and racing line. Remember, this is almost three minutes after starting the lap!
The average speeds through the Porsche Curves surprised us considering how close the real lap was and the Le Mans Ultimate lap. The real lap sat at 254Kph, iRacing was at a staggering 267Kph and Le Mans Ultimate showed a slower 242Kph.
Average speeds across all three comparisons through the Porsche Curves.
Throughout the sequence, the kerbs play the most pivotal role again. Mounting the kerbs in Le Mans Ultimate will unbalance the 963 and could put you in the wall at incredible speed. In iRacing, you do not have the same level of worry but it should be something you are cautious about.
And finally, to the last section of the lap. the Ford chicanes. The major difference here is where the grip is. All three versions of the lap send the 963 over the kerbs very aggressively, but Le Mans Ultimate's 963 especially can not carry as much speed through this final section. The real-life lap is the happy median when it comes to this final section between Le Mans Ultimate's oversized kerbs and iRacing's lack thereof.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the comparison showed some very surprising results. the reflections on iRacing may not look great in this piece, but you have to remember their scan is older than Le Mans Ultimate's version. Despite this factor, we think that Le Mans Ultimate is still the better simulator to emulate Estre's pole lap in 2024. This conclusion comes down to the implementation of the circuit's track limits and the kerbs especially.Kevin Estre Pole Lap: 3:24.634
Le Mans Ultimate: 3:25.064
iRacing: 3:21.928
Which sim do you think would be best to emulate a pole lap in? Let us know in X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
