It’s that time in the simracing calendar once again. The current iRacing season is coming to an end, and the developers are revealing all the new content coming in the Season 2 update. A selection of club-level cars and an underrated track are among the announcements.
Image Credit: iRacing
Working on a quarterly release schedule, iRacing is approaching its second content drop of 2023. This Season 2 update of the year comes 13 weeks after Season 1. The last update brought two of the most popular cars in the game, the BMW LMDh car and Toyota GR86 Cup.
It seems the second update of 2023 has big shoes to fill. Here’s everything that we know is joining the sim in mid-March so far.
Club level Cars in the iRacing Season 2 Update
The previous iRacing season update gave racing fans two of the most high-profile cars in motorsport. It’s already been two months since both the BMW M Hybrid V8 prototype and Mercedes W13 F1 car launched. But Season 2 has lower-level, more regional championships in its sights.
The first car joining iRacing this season is a Formula Ford racer, although it carries the more anonymous Formula 1600 name in-game. In fact, Ford branding has been dropped, likely to avoid any licencing costs. Instead, the brand name has been replaced by the car’s manufacturer, Ray Race Cars.
Visually similar to the Formula Vee open wheeler that joined the simulator in Season 3 of 2021, it adds another level on the open-wheeler ladder. Thanks to its larger 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine, manual six-speed transmission and slick tyres, this new model should slot in between the Formula Vee and Formula 4. As such, a D-Class license series is most likely for this model.
In its Season 2 update, iRacing is clearly focusing on regional championships. The second car joining the sim in a few weeks time is the Renault Clio Cup car. Fans of the TCR cars will certainly smile at this new addition as it should provide another level on the front-wheel drive touring car ladder.
With the TCR cars currently running championships in both the D-class and C-class licenses, the Clio Cup car could make for an excellent rookie class series. In fact, rookie racers in iRacing currently only get to drive the Mazda MX-5 and Formula Vee. Giving lower ranked drivers the chance to race this touring car would expand the variety early on in the game. Though for that to work, the Clio would have to come at no extra charge. Whether or not that happens, only time will tell.
Jerez Next in iRacing’s European Expansion
At the time of writing, just one track has been announced as part of the Season 2 update in iRacing. Jerez is a Spanish circuit often associated with motorbike racing. Although in past years, it has been used for Formula 1 pre-season testing. It even hosted a Grand Prix back in 1997.
An old-school venue lined with grass and gravel traps, Circuito de Jerez provides little room for error. The layout itself isn’t particularly friendly to beginners either, with a mix of high-speed corners and tricky braking zones.
All this upcoming content will release during Week 13 of the current season. Expect the major update to take place on March 7. The official races, however, won’t launch until the week after following iRacing‘s traditional schedule.
What are you most excited for in the iRacing Season 2 update in 2023? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
