The base content package on iRacing increased for 2024 Season 2 but Luca is wondering: Could there be more pre-existing cars and tracks that would be fitting additions for new subscribers to race?
Whilst the majority of content on iRacing has to be paid for on top of the subscription to even access the service, there is still plenty available for players to race without needing to part with extra cash. Whether you are more into oval, dirt or road racing, there is always more than enough content accessible to help you get started.
For 2024 Season 2, four tracks that were used for Road licence racing became part of the base content package. These tracks were Snetterton, Oschersleben, Winton and Lédenon, the last of which had only been introduced in 2023 Season 4.
This has happened with many other tracks in the past like Oulton Park and Virginia International Raceway, and even with cars like the Volkswagen Jetta TDi. So that got me wondering, what other cars and tracks already on the service could be good candidates to become base content?
I am well aware that many of you will say "all content", but since that is not going to happen, I have narrowed it down to five pieces of content that do not get much love currently from the playerbase. I believe that it would be beneficial if they became free to all players.
That just leaves one car and series, the Skip Barber Race Series. What was once one of the most popular series on the service has been reduced to struggling to fill the grids or even go official. Therefore perhaps a good idea to boost participation is to make it essentially to the Formula Car licence what the GR86 is in Sports Car.
Keeping the 'Skippy' at Class D, but making it free and having a relatively fair share of base content tracks would do wonders for its dropping numbers. The GR Cup with the base content GR86 has four free tracks on its schedule for 2024 Season 2, and the SBRS also has four free circuits - so it is effectively already filling that role.
But with no incentive to get the car, why bother when you can just race the multitude of more populated F4 series? When the Skip Barber Racing School ran its own iRacing league for competitors to potentially enter their real world championship, they used the F4 instead of their own car. Plus, it would appear that they do not even use the Formula 2000 car in any of their real world championships anymore.
Therefore it makes the most sense right now to move the Skippy over to be the free Formula Car at Licence Class D.
Because of that, along with its lack of visual reference due to the surrounding environment being so mundane, and also its wide-open sets of corners, it would make it an ideal track for rookies to race. In the lower power cars like the MX-5 and FF1600, the racing would potentially be very close, and the drivers could learn a great deal about racecraft.
On a personal note, I have never really enjoyed this track. I still boot up GT7 every now and then to do the weekly challenge races and dread doing a race at Big Willow, I find the turns so unremarkable and I am forever dreading the moment I am caught off guard and put one wheel over the edge. Having just gotten Phillip Island for iRacing recently, to me it just feels like Willow Springs is merely the inverted and uninspired version of the beloved Aussie track.
Plus, judging by the 2024 Season 2 schedule, iRacing is also seeing not much love for it. The track only appeared once this season during Week 6 as part of the F4 Regional Tour Americas series. Other road courses that do not get much love include Knockhill and Sandown, both of which would also make for some great rookie class tracks. But Willow Springs is - I think we can all agree - the definitive novice racetrack.
The Clio, on the other hand, is not only very beginner-friendly, but it could act as the perfect introduction to front-wheel drive racing, which is criminally underappreciated on iRacing. Currently alongside the open and fixed setup TCR Virtual Challenge, the FWD touring cars are also present in the IMSA Pilot Challenge, Nürburgring Endurance Championship, Creventic Endurance Series and ROAR Special Event.
It is no secret that front-wheel drive cars are not as popular as their rear- and even all-wheel drive counterparts. So why not make the Clio base content so that everyone can give FWD racing a chance? Who knows, maybe they will end up enjoying it and be tempted into picking up the Audi, Honda or one of the Hyundai TCR cars.
Of course, one party who would not stand to benefit from this are Renault, whose representation on iRacing has not been favourable as of recent. Their Formula Renault 2.0 and 3.5 cars have been usurped by the F4 and Super Formula in their respective series, so the Clio is their last real hope of getting a return on investment within iRacing.
But evidently, very little is working, so maybe it is time for Renault to cut their losses and not only have the car become free, but also move it to Rookie class. After the Road licence split, only one Sports Car licence Rookie series exists, and that is the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup. The Clio Cup at Rookie class may not be as populated as the Mazda series, but it would likely be a whole lot more popular than it currently is.
The banking may come up three degrees less than Talladega's, but the track is 0.34-miles longer, totalling up to three miles. However it would appear that the track is not that popular with the playerbase, most likely due to it being a complete work of fiction. We all know how keen sim racers are about immersion, which probably goes a long way to explain why the Dallara iR-01 races are also not that populated.
To try and combat this, iRacing added the track to Draft Master. This is a series made up of purely superspeedways that up until 2024 Season 2 was just Talladega and Daytona, which always delivers very close races due to superspeedways being so draft dependent.
But if this does not work, maybe the iRacing Superspeedway should become base content and help instil habits in drivers early on about superspeedway racing. Daytona is probably always going to remain one of the most popular tracks on the service, not just with oval racers but also road racers with the annual 24-hour special event. As for Talladega, oval racers will always be picking that up.
That leaves the iRacing Superspeedway to serve the purpose of being an introduction to superspeedway racing. It would help plenty of oval novices learn superspeedway etiquette. Plus, how about giving it some road course configurations to go along with it? Like the ones in the image below from Reddit user u/xiii-Dex on the sub-Reddit r/RaceTrackDesigns.
iRacing's work of fiction would have plenty of room for some road configurations. Image credit: u/xiii-Dex on Reddit
Unfortunately, by the time one can race the SR10 in the Radical Esports Cup (formerly the Radical Racing Challenge) at Class C, a more attractive option is available for all hopeful sports prototype racers: the Ligier JS P320 LMP3. It may not be that much more powerful and quite a bit heavier than the SR10, but it is quicker due to having more downforce. Therefore, there is little incentive for anyone to pick up the SR10.
So what could the solution be? Unfortunately, we cannot expect iRacing to re-enable the SR8 for the series. But maybe to test the waters, see if moving it to be available at Class D might work. However if that is not successful, making the car free would almost certainly dramatically boost participation numbers.
The SR10 with its relative lack of aerodynamic grip compared to the Ligier makes it the best choice to ease drivers into sports prototype driving. These type of cars are very commonplace on iRacing, with all the endurance Special Events that feature the Dallara P217 LMP2 and various GTP cars, so the Radical would be the perfect first step for those aspiring one day to race those cars.
Which pre-existing and neglected pieces of content should become free to all iRacing players? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below.
Whilst the majority of content on iRacing has to be paid for on top of the subscription to even access the service, there is still plenty available for players to race without needing to part with extra cash. Whether you are more into oval, dirt or road racing, there is always more than enough content accessible to help you get started.
For 2024 Season 2, four tracks that were used for Road licence racing became part of the base content package. These tracks were Snetterton, Oschersleben, Winton and Lédenon, the last of which had only been introduced in 2023 Season 4.
This has happened with many other tracks in the past like Oulton Park and Virginia International Raceway, and even with cars like the Volkswagen Jetta TDi. So that got me wondering, what other cars and tracks already on the service could be good candidates to become base content?
I am well aware that many of you will say "all content", but since that is not going to happen, I have narrowed it down to five pieces of content that do not get much love currently from the playerbase. I believe that it would be beneficial if they became free to all players.
Skip Barber Formula 2000
In the newly restructured Formula Car licence at Class D, the FIA F4 is easily the most raced car and has the most series for players to race in. That leaves all the other series out to dry, but it is not much of an issue for two of them. US Open Wheel D seems to be primarily raced by oval racers, and the Formula 1600 open setup series features a free car that is raced at Rookie level anyway.That just leaves one car and series, the Skip Barber Race Series. What was once one of the most popular series on the service has been reduced to struggling to fill the grids or even go official. Therefore perhaps a good idea to boost participation is to make it essentially to the Formula Car licence what the GR86 is in Sports Car.
Keeping the 'Skippy' at Class D, but making it free and having a relatively fair share of base content tracks would do wonders for its dropping numbers. The GR Cup with the base content GR86 has four free tracks on its schedule for 2024 Season 2, and the SBRS also has four free circuits - so it is effectively already filling that role.
But with no incentive to get the car, why bother when you can just race the multitude of more populated F4 series? When the Skip Barber Racing School ran its own iRacing league for competitors to potentially enter their real world championship, they used the F4 instead of their own car. Plus, it would appear that they do not even use the Formula 2000 car in any of their real world championships anymore.
Therefore it makes the most sense right now to move the Skippy over to be the free Formula Car at Licence Class D.
Willow Springs
Opened in 1953 and remaining relatively untouched in its 70-year existence, Willow Springs joined iRacing in 2023 Season 3 with the 'Big Willow' layout, which will be well known to those who played the Gran Turismo and Project CARS games. It is quite a perilous drive, with just one tyre off the tarmac being enough to send anyone on a long and arduous journey to find the grey bit again.Because of that, along with its lack of visual reference due to the surrounding environment being so mundane, and also its wide-open sets of corners, it would make it an ideal track for rookies to race. In the lower power cars like the MX-5 and FF1600, the racing would potentially be very close, and the drivers could learn a great deal about racecraft.
On a personal note, I have never really enjoyed this track. I still boot up GT7 every now and then to do the weekly challenge races and dread doing a race at Big Willow, I find the turns so unremarkable and I am forever dreading the moment I am caught off guard and put one wheel over the edge. Having just gotten Phillip Island for iRacing recently, to me it just feels like Willow Springs is merely the inverted and uninspired version of the beloved Aussie track.
Plus, judging by the 2024 Season 2 schedule, iRacing is also seeing not much love for it. The track only appeared once this season during Week 6 as part of the F4 Regional Tour Americas series. Other road courses that do not get much love include Knockhill and Sandown, both of which would also make for some great rookie class tracks. But Willow Springs is - I think we can all agree - the definitive novice racetrack.
Renault Clio R.S. V
Much like the Skip Barber, the Clio Cup series really struggles to attract racers. There are many cars on iRacing with drastically low grid numbers in their primary series such as Australian Supercars, Stock Car Brasil, the Porsche Mission R and the Dallara iR-01. All of those cars though are high-powered, so it would not make sense to have them become free for new players to race regularly.The Clio, on the other hand, is not only very beginner-friendly, but it could act as the perfect introduction to front-wheel drive racing, which is criminally underappreciated on iRacing. Currently alongside the open and fixed setup TCR Virtual Challenge, the FWD touring cars are also present in the IMSA Pilot Challenge, Nürburgring Endurance Championship, Creventic Endurance Series and ROAR Special Event.
It is no secret that front-wheel drive cars are not as popular as their rear- and even all-wheel drive counterparts. So why not make the Clio base content so that everyone can give FWD racing a chance? Who knows, maybe they will end up enjoying it and be tempted into picking up the Audi, Honda or one of the Hyundai TCR cars.
Of course, one party who would not stand to benefit from this are Renault, whose representation on iRacing has not been favourable as of recent. Their Formula Renault 2.0 and 3.5 cars have been usurped by the F4 and Super Formula in their respective series, so the Clio is their last real hope of getting a return on investment within iRacing.
But evidently, very little is working, so maybe it is time for Renault to cut their losses and not only have the car become free, but also move it to Rookie class. After the Road licence split, only one Sports Car licence Rookie series exists, and that is the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup. The Clio Cup at Rookie class may not be as populated as the Mazda series, but it would likely be a whole lot more popular than it currently is.
iRacing Superspeedway
From three bits of road racing content to something for the oval enthusiast, and we go to the track with banking steeper than iRacing's subscription cost. When staff could not go out to scan any new tracks due to the lockdowns in early 2020, they recreated a track from their days as Papyrus that was known as Coca-Cola Speedway. The end result is the iRacing Superspeedway.The banking may come up three degrees less than Talladega's, but the track is 0.34-miles longer, totalling up to three miles. However it would appear that the track is not that popular with the playerbase, most likely due to it being a complete work of fiction. We all know how keen sim racers are about immersion, which probably goes a long way to explain why the Dallara iR-01 races are also not that populated.
To try and combat this, iRacing added the track to Draft Master. This is a series made up of purely superspeedways that up until 2024 Season 2 was just Talladega and Daytona, which always delivers very close races due to superspeedways being so draft dependent.
But if this does not work, maybe the iRacing Superspeedway should become base content and help instil habits in drivers early on about superspeedway racing. Daytona is probably always going to remain one of the most popular tracks on the service, not just with oval racers but also road racers with the annual 24-hour special event. As for Talladega, oval racers will always be picking that up.
That leaves the iRacing Superspeedway to serve the purpose of being an introduction to superspeedway racing. It would help plenty of oval novices learn superspeedway etiquette. Plus, how about giving it some road course configurations to go along with it? Like the ones in the image below from Reddit user u/xiii-Dex on the sub-Reddit r/RaceTrackDesigns.
iRacing's work of fiction would have plenty of room for some road configurations. Image credit: u/xiii-Dex on Reddit
Radical SR10
In iRacing, one of the base content cars is the Radical SR8 which was extremely popular when in usage. Its successor was introduced in 2022 Season 3, and the SR10 produces 425 horsepower and weighs 725 kilograms. It is a joy to drive and would essentially be the perfect introduction to sports prototype racing on iRacing.Unfortunately, by the time one can race the SR10 in the Radical Esports Cup (formerly the Radical Racing Challenge) at Class C, a more attractive option is available for all hopeful sports prototype racers: the Ligier JS P320 LMP3. It may not be that much more powerful and quite a bit heavier than the SR10, but it is quicker due to having more downforce. Therefore, there is little incentive for anyone to pick up the SR10.
So what could the solution be? Unfortunately, we cannot expect iRacing to re-enable the SR8 for the series. But maybe to test the waters, see if moving it to be available at Class D might work. However if that is not successful, making the car free would almost certainly dramatically boost participation numbers.
The SR10 with its relative lack of aerodynamic grip compared to the Ligier makes it the best choice to ease drivers into sports prototype driving. These type of cars are very commonplace on iRacing, with all the endurance Special Events that feature the Dallara P217 LMP2 and various GTP cars, so the Radical would be the perfect first step for those aspiring one day to race those cars.
Which pre-existing and neglected pieces of content should become free to all iRacing players? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below.
