iRacing released this really neat video today, showcasing a future build where the sim will feature a dynamic racing surface, one that heats up and cools down as the session progresses based on the different lines each car runs. Previously seen in Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, and Live for Speed, this technology is still yet to be seen in the premiere online racing sim, yet that is all scheduled to change.
Provided they can work out some of the more interesting bugs that have crept up in the most recent build, this will be a welcome addition to the sim, particularly for oval racing fans as the current racing environment
Compare this to the most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan…
in Assetto Corsa it’s just a grip level over the entire track that increases as it gets driven on, just the whole track and not just the line. this looks a lot more indepth, so i wouldn’t count them at the same level
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AC road dynamics are nothing to bring up… they’re really lousy.
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I don’t know enough about oval racing dynamics to tell if this is the main reason multiple lines work (what he says in the video – racing groove gets hot, cooler track lets you corner faster) – eg. in the iRacing indy cars, you already see that sort of spread in pack racing mostly due to aero push.
Since you guys seem fairly in the know on ovals & fast enough to tell what the fast drivers are doing, could you write an article on which aspects you think should actually affect the racing if they set it up realistic?
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Not a bad idea.
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You might see that spread with the iRacing DW12 but you generally won’t see anyone going forward on the top unless the track has variable banking or they are hilariously faster than the car on the bottom.
Michigan is a bit unusual in that it kind of accidentally has limited variable banking so you see everyone in that pro Class A race running a lane up but IndyCars have enough downforce (especially with fixed setups) to run the bottom too, but the third lane is still hopeless in the corners. New Hampshire, Iowa, and probably Homestead work for side by side racing as well but then you get Fontana which has a groove from the apron to the wall in real life and everyone is riding the white line in iRacing because it has normal banking and lacks the grip spread of the real track.
The thing is Fontana in particular it doesn’t matter how much rubber or how many cars there are, the grip is up high because the pavement is more worn out the further down the track you go, which should frankly be something represented in the static state of the track.
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“The thing is Fontana in particular it doesn’t matter how much rubber or how many cars there are, the grip is up high because the pavement is more worn out the further down the track you go, which should frankly be something represented in the static state of the track.”
Agree 100%
Homestead is the same way, the bottom is just slick becuase less banking, in iRacing it just doesnt seem like the top grooves generate more momentum.
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I have been watching Nascar for as long as I know. From what I understand about the top groove is that it is a combination of several things that make it work all at once.
A track like Dover will actually lose grip as the run goes on on the bottom groove becuase the tires laying down rubber makes the bottom groove slick. This may not work for your car and you would opt to move up and take advantage of the less slick groove.
However the less slick groove also comes with the added advantage of more banking, less turning of the wheel and theoretically making a longer straightaway as you will unwind the steering wheel earlier.
A track like homestead the top groove works becuase against the wall there is more momentum than the bottom and there is side force generated by the air creating force between the car and the wall (think double diffuser F1)
Tracks like Atlanta gain grip all around with rubber being laid down.
Up until a point where the rubber and heat make other grooves more favorable.
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I hope this gets Kunos to proper their own dynamic track to the next level as well. If only iRacing’s forcefeedback wheel system was anywhere as detailed and full of feedback as the track is going to be..
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