iRacing Service

[alisonnic]

Hi all!

If you have a computer and you're into racing, you might be interested in a new computer-based racing service that is in the process of being rolled out to the public.

This service is emphatically not a "video game", but instead is an uncompromisingly realistic simulation of real-world racing cars and tracks. The tracks are laser scanned, so every bump and feature in the track surface is modeled to within millimeters, and the vehicle dynamics have been meticulously developed to replicate the actual behavior and response of real-world cars.

The key people behind this service are Dave Kaemmer, a legendary racing simulation developer who is also a very good real-world racer (he holds the lap record for Skip Barber cars around Lime Rock) and John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Roush Fenway Racing. Henry has reportedly invested over 10 million dollars in the development of this service.

The target audience for the iRacing service is real-world drivers like those in SCCA and COM. You can use the service to practice your driving at real-world tracks. Because the tracks are so accurately reproduced by the laser scanning process, whatever you learn about lines, braking points, etc, will translate directly to the real world.

The service includes two tracks used by COM, Lime Rock and Summit Point. Watkins Glen is also on the schedule to be scanned and added in the future.

The iRacing service has begun a staged rollout. It is expected to be generally available by the end of the summer.

An article I wrote about iRacing was published in the online sim racing magazine AutoSimSport last weekend, along with several other articles about it. There's also an interview with real-world Daytona winner Spencer Pumpelly comparing the iRacing service to real-world racing.

If you'd like to read it, the magazine is available here:

http://www.autosimsport.net/

There's also a video of me driving a Skip Barber Formula 2000 around Summit Point. Don't laugh! The video is available through a link in the article.

Alison Hine

PS. I am thinking of all of you frequently, out there on the track, having a blast! I wish I could be with you, but I am with you in spirit.

[chaos4NH]

Looking good, Alison, looking racy!

[ctkag]

Hi Alison,

I remember talking with you on a couple of occasions about this - it sounded really exciting - I've read a couple of articles about iRacing - it does sound really interesting.

For those who are sim racers - Dave Kaemmer was responsible for most of the original NASCAR Racing (the Papyrus era) pc games, so he definitely has the experience to make this a great sim.

Hope to be able to check this out soon!

[JackFFR1846]

Is the LRP portion the old LRP or the new repaved track?

jack

[Mick]

I was at the iRacing offices about 3-4 months ago and ran LRP, at that time it was the old track.

[alisonnic]

Hi Alison,

I remember talking with you on a couple of occasions about this - it sounded really exciting - I've read a couple of articles about iRacing - it does sound really interesting.

For those who are sim racers - Dave Kaemmer was responsible for most of the original NASCAR Racing (the Papyrus era) pc games, so he definitely has the experience to make this a great sim.

Hope to be able to check this out soon!

Yes, Keith, it is really exciting!

You're right about Dave K. He is a genius; there's nobody better when it comes to racing simulation physics.

Dave was also behind Grand Prix Legends, on which the final Papyrus NASCAR sim was based. With John Henry's financial backing, he acquired the code for the NASCAR sim, and iRacing's code is based on that. So you could say that iRacing is the culmination of Dave's life's work.

But iRacing's vehicle dynamics, force feedback response, and track modeling go way beyond GPL and NASCAR 2003; it's so much better that I can't even get myself to drive the old sims any more.

[alisonnic]

Is the LRP portion the old LRP or the new repaved track?

jack

The current version is the old LRP before it was repaved and added on to. I'm sure they will rescan it at some point, but they have a lot of other tracks in the pipeline, and I'm not sure where rescanning Lime Rock falls in the list of priorities.

Anyway, it's a lot more fun with bumps!

[APD]

Mentioned on Slashdot

[lou m]

Cool stuff. I met one of the systems administrators at a vmware conference about 8 months ago. That would be a cool place to work.
I would have joined this week if they had Mosport. Looks good for winter!

[brucesallen]

The SCCA has just offered a month free subsription to all licensed racers via email!

[alisonnic]

The SCCA has just offered a month free subsription to all licensed racers via email!

Cool! I hope to see a lot more SCCA racers in there soon. Maybe somebody will turn out to be fast enough to put those NASCAR guys like Dale Jr., AJ Allmendinger, and Brad Keselowski in their places.

On the road courses, at least. Junior is pretty much unstoppable on ovals. But then, he's on iRacing almost all the time when he's not physically at a NASCAR track. Don't know how he finds time for a social life.

We going to see you in iRacing, Bruce?

[alisonnic]

Cool stuff. I met one of the systems administrators at a vmware conference about 8 months ago. That would be a cool place to work.
I would have joined this week if they had Mosport. Looks good for winter!

Yeah, a great way to keep your hand in while the snow is on the ground.

They have a bunch more tracks in the pipeline, but Mosport has not been announced. I really hope they do it, though. Mont Tremblant, too. Maybe a slew of requests from COM members would help.

Watkins Glen is coming, though, and I'll be surprised if they don't have NHMS at some point.

My favorite track in iRacing is Summit Point. I ran there with COM in 2001 and scared myself half to death with two spins in the wet on street tires, but in iRacing it's fantastic. Every bump, every little camber change, all the subtle elevation changes are absolutely perfect.

And Summit's great for racing, because the long main straight is preceded by a difficult fast turn and has a hairpin at the end, so you've got a shot a passing a car even if it's nearly as fast as you.

Too bad about the Lime Rock repaving, though. I've done so many laps on it in iRacing that if I ever get my Cobra out there again, I bet I'll take some serious time off my PB. Or would have, if they hadn't repaved it, alas.