The new Le Mans Ultimate game is still a few months away from release. But even so, we’re wondering what content could be added to the game post-launch.
Back in June, the Le Mans Ultimate game by Motorsport Games and rFactor 2 developers Studio 397 was revealed. It will be the officially licenced game of the World Endurance Championship and 24 hours of Le Mans. When it launches in December, it promises the cars and tracks from the 2023 WEC season.
Players can expect to be able to drive the LMH, LMDh, LMP2 and GTE cars at the likes of Spa, Monza, Sebring and of course, Circuit de la Sarthe where the 24 hours event is held. With all that in mind, what else could realistically be added to the game that fits the licencing limitations?
The team behind it have said that the game will just feature the 2023 season content for at least the first year. So we may be jumping the gun big time, but it’s still worth speculating. So here are our theories on the content that could be coming to Le Mans Ultimate.
LMGT3
With the game focusing on just the one motorsport series, you can liken it to Assetto Corsa Competizione. What ACC has done with GT World Challenge, Le Mans Ultimate will do for the WEC. Therefore, it will most likely include new additions in seasons following like cars and tracks.
Firstly for cars, the 2024 season sees the introduction of the LMGT3 class, with modified GT3 cars replacing the GTE field. As of now, there are WEC teams that have partnered up with brands developing an LMGT3 program. Pre-existing GT3 cars from Porsche and Lamborghini look likely, and even some brands that have never raced GT3 before.
The Corvette name has been present at Le Mans in the GTE class and are now developing a GT3 car for the first time as a result. Even Ford have developed a Mustang for GT3 class racing now. There could be a lot more, Ferrari are still yet to commit officially but they’re unlikely not to.
We still can’t say for a fact which cars will appear with the potential addition of LMGT3 to the game. But once the first WEC round of next year takes place, we will have a definitive idea.
More Hypercars
Another potential set of cars that we can confidently say will be added, new LMH and LMDh cars. Le Mans Ultimate will feature the Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot, Glickenhaus and Vanwall cars from top class at launch. But there are more additional cars from these classes joining the field in 2024.
First up, BMW and Acura have both been racing LMDh cars in the North American-based IMSA Sportscar Championship. BMW are expanding into WEC next year, Acura may not be but that doesn’t necessarily rule out their car being added to the game. But then there are a few others that haven’t raced yet.
For the first time ever, Lamborghini will race in the top class at Le Mans, their new LMDh entry will be raced by the Iron Lynx team. With the marque being so beloved, it’ll definitely be a popular addition. Along with that, Alpine finally have their own bespoke hypercar after running a detuned LMP1 car, and even the Isotta Fraschini LMH is looking likely to be on the grid next year.
There will already be plenty of choice for Le Mans Ultimate players when trying to go for overall wins. But a few more options won’t hurt, surely?
Past & Future Tracks
With the talk of future cars, how about future tracks? Next year, the WEC is going to a few tracks that won’t be in Le Mans Ultimate when it launches. These include new additions Imola and Losail, but there’s also returning venues Austin and Interlagos.
It’s pretty likely that those four tracks will find their way onto the game. But maybe it’s also worth considering a few other venues that have hosted the WEC in seasons past. The series has been running in its current guise since 2012, so what other tracks have hosted a round?
Four additional venues have played host to a round of the WEC in that time. Those are the Shanghai circuit, Silverstone, Mexico City and the Nürburgring. Incidentally, that’s not the combined GP and Nordschleife track, so please no pestering the LMU devs the same way you’ve all done with the ACC team.
Silverstone is probably the most unlikely, considering the licencing for the track wasn’t renewed for rFactor 2. The rest, though? Very well could happen, especially if they are added back to the schedule in future seasons.
Historical Content
The 24 hours of Le Mans race celebrated its centenary, 100 years since the first running. In that time, the cars have evolved dramatically and it has resulted in some of the most iconic cars in motorsport history. Perhaps the officially licenced 24 hours of Le Mans game can tap into that.
The history of this great race is so vast. Just picking some of the most iconic eras, there are Group C cars from 1982 to 1993, Group 5 cars, 70s Prototypes and GT1. Then to name specific cars, the Ford GT40, Mercedes Sauber C9, Porsche 917K, Mazda 787B, Jaguar XJR-12 and McLaren F1 GTR to name but a few.
That covers the cars, but maybe it wouldn’t end there. In many games, there are historical versions of the Le Mans track. So whilst perhaps any other track won’t see any past iterations recreated in Le Mans Ultimate, maybe a chicane-less Circuit de la Sarthe would be the one exception and a popular one too.
Other Championships
Last but not least, ACC whilst being the official game of the GT World Challenge did have content from other SRO Motorsports Group organised series like British GT and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. With the Le Mans Endurance Management organisation running the European and Asian Le Mans Series, there’s potential for content from those series to be added. Such as LMP3 cars and the many tracks they race.
From the current ELMS season, the tracks they race on that WEC don’t are Paul Ricard, Aragón and Barcelona. For the upcoming season of AsLMS, they’re racing at Sepang, Yas Marina and the Dubai Autodrome. That’s not even factoring in all the tracks they’ve gone to in past seasons like Spielberg, Istanbul, The Bend and many more. But perhaps these series won’t be the ones most people will want the content from in Le Mans Ultimate.
The LMDh cars in WEC also compete in the IMSA Sportscar Championship over in the States. Whilst not run by the same organisations, they do have a friendly working relationship. Therefore perhaps IMSA could find their cars and tracks in the game at some point. Tracks include Daytona, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca and many more.
It may be a stretch considering IMSA’s licencing arrangement with iRacing, but maybe they can figure out a deal. Here’s hoping they do, since IMSA holds relatively equal status as the WEC in sportscar racing circles.
What content do you hope gets added to Le Mans Ultimate? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
