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BEDFORD, MA (October 29, 2009) - If the two living members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of inductees, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson, are still wondering who’s the better racer, they won’t need to order new helmets and driving uniforms to find out; they can just show up on May 23, 2010, the day of their formal induction into the Hall of Fame, and answer the question behind the wheel of one of the 15 iRacing.com-powered NASCAR stock car simulators located in the Hall.
“We’re honored that the NASCAR Hall of Fame selected iRacing to develop the part of the visitor experience that actually puts fans behind the wheel of a NASCAR Sprint Cup car for the most realistic possible virtual driving experience,” said Steve Myers, iRacing’s executive producer. “And we expect that many of the fans who meet us in the Hall of Fame experience will choose to get even closer to the sport of NASCAR racing by joining the iRacing community and participating in our official NASCAR-sanctioned online racing series.” The NASCAR Hall of Fame official racing simulation that will entertain hundreds of thousands of visitors to the NASCAR Hall of Fame every year (and potentially let Richard and Junior have another chance to race each other) is a custom version of the same software iRacing.com uses in its popular online motorsport simulation service. It features the same laser-scanned, millimeter-accurate version of all the tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule and the NASCAR cars driven regularly in the online version by more than 15,000 iRacing members, including NASCAR stars such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Jr., Marcos Ambrose, Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Justin Labonte, Colin Braun, Chad McCumbee and Cale Gale. “It’s important to us that every aspect of our guest experience be as realistic as possible - not just another arcade experience, but an activity that is challenging and demonstrates the skills necessary to drive a stock car. iRacing brings exactly that level of accuracy and authenticity,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, who noted that Hall of Fame had entered into a multi-year agreement with iRacing to provide the simulated driving experience at the Hall. “Beyond that, we needed to work with a proven and reliable team. iRacing has worked hard to achieve the benchmarks that we’ve set.” According to Myers, the Hall of Fame’s version of the iRacing software will have a customized front end that replaces the normal online one; automates the driving process so that visitors have a “get-in-and-go” experience; adds the ability for the administrator to specify aspects of the visitor’s driving program including number of laps that can be driven and other variables; and collects data such as best qualifying lap time, race performance and finish order for fields of up to 15 cars so as to ensure a fun and informative experience for every visitor. The iRacing software will run in a set of seven two-seat NASCAR stock car replicas, providing 14 simultaneous driving positions. Another simulator will be designated for wheelchair use as well for those with disabilities. The customized version of the software permits the Hall of Fame to schedule races that will be broadcast on a giant 50-foot overhead video screen. Just as in the real world, the drivers’ friends and other visitors will be able to watch all the action and cheer them on. (During qualifying periods, the screen will display standings and other information.) In a separate area, and with a more basic simulator where the driver stands rather than sitting in a racing seat, visitors will also be able to experience a qualifying session. “It has been a fresh and enjoyable challenge doing that for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which promises to be one of the most popular attractions in America,” Myers said, “We’re pleased that millions of NASCAR fans over the years will get to feel what it is like to drive a Sprint Cup car at one of their favorite tracks.” Tickets and memberships for the NASCAR Hall of Fame are available by calling 877-231-2010 or online at www.nascarhall.com. General admission prices are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12 and free for children under 5. Simulators rides are $5 per person for non-members and are offered at discounted rates for members.  About iRacing.com The company was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group – the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing – as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. The company has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including agreements to develop track simulations with International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, and Panoz Motor Sports Group and vehicles with General Motors, Riley Technologies, Radical Sportscars, and 600 Racing. iRacing is the official simulation partner of the Sports Car Club of America, Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, Star Mazda Championship, Skip Barber Racing School and Australia’s V8 Super School. In April, 2009 iRacing and NASCAR announced a partnership to develop NASCAR-sanctioned online racing series. A similar program with the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Dallara Automobili was announced in August, 2009. The iRacing service is open to racers and fans of all skill levels from top-level pros to complete beginners. To join in the fun, go to www.iRacing.com. |
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| Anyone is welcome to join iRacing at www.iRacing.com. |
August 18th
Week 2 of the iRacing Pro Series for Ovals (iPSO) and iRacing Pro Series for Road Racing (iPSRR) produced a bevy of new race winners from around the world. With the IPSO moving to the fast and demanding confines of Richmond International Raceway, Ray Alfalla, Josh Parker, Brian Schoenburg, Tyler D. Hudson and Josh Berry added their names to the list of pro oval winners but, at week’s end, Brad Davies remained atop the points standings. The iPSRR also moved to Virginia – in this case Virginia International Raceway – and also saw some new winners emerge in the forms of Shawn Purdy and Bastien Bartsch. As with the iPSO, though, the name at the top of the points standings – Greger Huttu – remained the same.
August 13 2009
Huttu Leads Week One of iRacing Pro Series Road Racing
To nobody's surprise, Greger Huttu emerged from Week One of the iRacing Pro Series Road Racing (iPSRR) competition as the points-leader over Richard Towler, Luke McLean and Shawn Purdy. Still, in a week that featured eight different winners in eight races, it's safe to say the iPSRR is anything but predictable.
Ian Lake got the pro road racers off to a fine start on Tuesday on the Daytona International Speedway road course with a flag-to-flag win over Frosty St. Clair and David Sirois. St. Clair kept Lake honest as the slim margin of victory (2.662s) and the fact that Frosty ran the race's fastest lap attest.
The outcome was a little more in doubt in the Thursday race won by McLean. McLean may have bested Ben Cornett by more than 16 seconds, but not before Cornett led the opening laps. The race also featured a fine drive by Kimmo Suominen who charged from eighth on the grid to fourth behind McLean, Cornett and Darren Marsh.
In Thursday's other "split," Palmer led all but one lap and won by 16s from David Ellis. The race was enlivened by Stephane Tribaudini, who worked his way from ninth to third place.
Saturday saw Huttu lead from start to finish from Towler and Purdy. The race was anything but boring though, as Peter Read and John Gorlinsky staged an epic battle en route to fourth and fifth from seventh and ninth on the grid, respectively. At the finish it was Read by a scant .015s.
Brian McDaniel made short work of his Saturday split, but the real show was behind him where Philip Diaz moved from fifth to second on the opening lap. He stayed there until Mikael Virtanen took the position away, then had to stave-off a furious attack from Thomas Kopnicky to maintain third. Kopnicky fell .040s shy of taking the spot while Michael Dubois came home in fifth.
A busy Saturday also saw Derek Wood emerge on a top of a race-long battle with Dom Duhan that ended when the latter "disconnected" on the final lap. Duhan's disappearance promoted Matt Sentell to second, albeit some 38s adrift of the winner. On the other hand, Rene Venderbosch came in third at the front of a train that included Tony LaGrene, Martin Thiemt, Matteo Calestani, Christian Aranha and Geert Zaal covered by just ten seconds.
Duhan rebounded on Sunday with a strong win over St. Clair. Duhan gridded second but took the lead when a first lap incident eliminated pole-sitter Bastien Bartsch, while St. Clair moved from fourth to second on the first lap and gradually pulled clear of Perttu Rossi.
The week's iPSRR didn't start well for Ilkka Haapala, who slipped from pole to third on the opening lap. He recovered to take the lead and won going away from Calestani. At least Calestani had the satisfaction of leading the opening laps from Zaal, who jumped from seventh on the opening lap. Zaal was later overtaken first by Haapala then Tomas Olczyk, and eventually came home fourth.
A new winner in every race? It can't last forever, but the intense competition in the 2009 iPSRR can, and probably will in Week 2. Check back next week for a recap of the action.
Davies leads Week One of iRacing Pro Series Oval
Brad Davies, Theo Olson, Michael Bidney, Jeff Dukehart, Allen Krier, Patrick Baldwin, John Gorlinsky, Ken O'Doherty, Jayson Anderson and Joshua Christman all stamped their names in the iRacing annals by winning races in the first week of the 2009 iRacing Pro Series Oval (iPSO) competition at Daytona International Speedway.
Davies led 15 of 80 laps en route to his win over Jesse Atchison and TJ Majors, with Derek Wood finishing fourth ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after leading the balance of the race. In the end though, it came down to Davies v Atchison with the Floridian taking the checkered flag by .244s.
Olson also had to battle for his win after falling from fourth at the start to eighth place. Then, after a battle with Tony LaGrene, he worked his way to the front in tandem with Jake Swanson. Olson finally passed Swanson and Brian Schoenburg to take the lead on Lap 72 and motored to the win from Schoenburg, Matthew Bradley and Jordan Erickson with Swanson slipping to fifth.
Schoenburg earned another runner-up finish when he came home .276s behind Michael Bidney on Friday in a race that saw seven lead changes between Kirk Hapke, Jean Costa, Jani Penttinen, Rick Savage, Shawn Haverly and, last but not least, Bidney, who took the lead for keeps with twenty laps remaining.
Although Dukehart earned a flag-to-flag victory, Erickson was just .095s adrift at the finish with Brad Wright a further .084s back in third. Similarly, Krier led all but three tours of Daytona on Wednesday but couldn't shake Costa, Jeff Bottolfson, Alan Gray and Daniel Willis, as the top five finishers took the checkered flag blanketed by .387s.
Likewise, Baldwin led 72 of 80 laps but enjoyed a relatively comfortable .204s margin of victory over Bryan Blackford, the only other driver to lead the race. Bradley was third from Andrew Fayash III and Derek Cash.
Gorlinsky's was a dramatic win as he qualified second but dropped back at the start, then fell to 13th as a the result of a Lap 32 incident. Thereafter he patiently worked his way back to the front, passing Josh Parker, Howard LeBon and Connor MacKenzie to take the lead on Lap 75. He was never headed and took the win from Parker, Le Bon and Chris Main.
Club Celtic's O'Doherty added an international flavor to the iPSO victory stand with a fine win. O'Doherty slipped to eighth in the early going but moved to fourth as the result of a major incident among the leaders on Lap 33. Thereafter he never ran out of the top four and passed Ryan Carwile on Lap 66 for the lead. Carwile came home second after a dice with Darwin Meintswith Mike Kelley fourth, just .1s behind O'Doherty.
Anderson led the beginning and the end of his race, ceding the lead to Philip Diaz at mid-race and to Brian Perski for a single tour on Lap 70. Otherwise, Anderson was in control despite a thin (.110s) margin of victory over Perski with Diaz a close third and Savage a distant fourth.
The statistics suggest Christman was also in dominant form, as he led 72 of 80 laps. But this was no cakewalk, as he slipped to sixth place at mid-race, enabling first Zsolt Hamvas then Stacy Thomas to lead. However, Christman regained the lead on Lap 59 and, but for one lap where James McElhattan managed to nose in front, led to the finish. McElhattan settled for second from Savage and Aaron Michael while Hamvas fell to ninth at the checkered flag and Thomas finished thirteenth.
All told an entertaining first week of iPSO competition, one that finished with Davies atop the points race ahead of Atchison and Majors. What will Week 2 hold in store? Check back in a week's time for (some of) the answers.
Lotus 79 Now Available to iRacing Members
1978 F1 World Championship Winner
Still Very Fast After All These Years
Bedford, MA (July 29, 2009) – Three decades on from their Olympic-winning performances, human athletes are invariably long past their prime. But today, as the Lotus 79 becomes available to members of the iRacing.com service, this remarkable racecar is every bit as fast as it was in its halcyon days 31 years ago, when it carried Mario Andretti to the 1978 Formula One World Championship.
And by any standard of measurement it’s still a very quick racecar. Just how fast is the Lotus 79? With its light weight and road-hugging ground effects, the Lotus 79 is about quick enough to match the road-circuit lap times of a modern IndyCar.
“It’s neat that the first historic racecar we’re introducing to the service is one with contemporary performance,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing’s president. “The braking and cornering ability of the Lotus 79 is amazing, and getting the full performance out of the car requires a lot of skill.”
Gardner predicted that both the car and iRacing Classic Lotus Grand Prix Series would prove extremely popular with members of the iRacing service. “We want as many members as possible to have the opportunity to race this great car. The Lotus 79 is fantastic and our members are going to really enjoy racing it.”
The iRacing Lotus 79 was developed with the cooperation of Classic Team Lotus, which has since 1992 served as the Lotus Works for historic motorsport activity. Classic Team Lotus continues to maintain and operate Lotus F1 cars for owners around the world, and it preserves the Team Lotus archive and Works Collection of cars.
“Of all of the racing cars in Lotus’s long history, including others that have won world championships, few have had such an impact on the sport,” said Clive Chapman, managing director of Classic Team Lotus and the son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. “The Lotus 78 was designed around the notion of underbody aerodynamics, but the 79 was the first car that fully exploited ground-effect principles. And that changed the face of racing. It was an amazing car for its time, and it remains an amazing car today. I’m pleased that iRacing has made it possible for people today to experience what it is like to drive the 79.”
One person who knows the Lotus 79 first-hand is Mario Andretti, whose input helped iRacing’s vehicle dynamics engineers accurately develop the digital version of his championship-winning mount.
“Driving the Lotus 79 was one of the most satisfying experiences in my career as a race driver,” Andretti recalled. “The car was exceptionally responsive to different setups that we used to adapt to different circuits. Because I understood the dynamics of the car so well, I was able to achieve perfect balance with that car most of the time, which was very rare. I always looked forward to crawling into that cockpit. Of course that car also is significant in my life because I won the World Championship driving it.”
It was with the Lotus 79 that Chapman realized the full potential of ground effect. With redesigned sidepods and front and rear suspension components repositioned so as not to impede the airstream’s entry or exit, the 79 generated 30% more downforce than the 78. The 79, which wasn’t introduced until the 6th race of the 1978 season, was miles ahead of the competition and with it Andretti dominated the rest of the season, winning the Drivers Championship and helping Lotus secure the Constructors Championship.
The Lotus 79 is available for download by all current iRacing subscribers on the member Web site for $15.00.
July 29th 2009 iRacing sponsors Ambrose at Nascar Pocono event
The JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Toyota Camry, driven by Australia’s Marcos Ambrose, will race under iRacing.com colors in this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono International Raceway. The announcement of the single-event tie-up between the race team and the motorsport simulation company, which had been widely rumored, was made today by Steve Myers, iRacing’s executive producer, and Tad Geschickter, co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing.
“Our partnership with Marcos to help introduce iRacing to Australia and New Zealand has gone extremely well,” said Myers. “So, when this opportunity with his NASCAR team, JTG Daugherty Racing, became available, we jumped at it. With NASCAR-sanctioned online racing being introduced to the iRacing service in less than six months, this seemed like a great way to introduce ourselves to the more than 80,000 NASCAR fans who will attend the race in person and the several million more who will be watching on ESPN.”
Ambrose has racked up four top-10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finishes so far, including a third-place on the Infineon road course at Sonoma, CA, and a sixth-place finish earlier this summer at Pocono. Last year Ambrose scored his first-ever NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, taking the checkered flag at Watkins Glen.
“We are a sponsor-focused race team, and we’re eager to show the folks at iRacing what that means,” said Geschickter. “Perhaps they’re only joining us for a single race, but we know that Marcos has a close relationship with iRacing and we’re eager to show them what we can do to help them get the word out to NASCAR fans about how much fun it is to race with other fans and professional racing drivers on iRacing’s internet-based racing service.”
While NASCAR-sanctioned racing won’t begin on the iRacing service until early next year, iRacing has already introduced exact digital duplicates of the vehicles raced in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series, that perform exactly as their real-world counterparts do. In addition, iRacing has built, is building or is negotiating to produce digital versions of all the tracks on the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The use of survey-quality laser scanning and proprietary data-processing yields tracks with millimeter-accuracy and an online experience that is as real as possible and virtually as much fun as driving the car in the physical world.
Myers noted that in celebration of the Pocono sponsorship, iRacing is making a special offer for new subscribers, a $25.00 (half-price) three-month subscription to the service, which includes all of the cars and tracks necessary for oval and road-racing rookie and advanced rookie seasons. “Plus, we’re throwing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup car,” for free Myers said. “That’s an additional $15.00 value.”
According to Myers, while the virtual version of Pocono International Raceway is not yet quite ready to be made available to subscribers to the iRacing service, work is quite advanced and iRacing has been able to supply Ambrose with a pre-release version so that he can get in as many practice laps as necessary before he pulls out of the pits and onto the real-world version of the track.
"I will be getting a head start on the competition by practicing on iRacing before heading to the track to try and get every advantage I can," Ambrose said. “Making sure I’m fully up to speed the first time I roll out of the pits on Friday means that we’ll have more laps to focus on getting the car absolutely right.”
Myers noted that Pocono is unique among the ovals where NASCAR competes in that the track has three distinctly different turns – different banking and radius for each one – making it a particularly challenging one to learn. “In that way, Pocono is kind of like the road courses at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, but with all left-hand turns.”
In recognition of this sponsorship, from July 31 through August 4, 2009 iRacing is offering new members a half-price three-month subscription to the service. Included are all of the cars and tracks necessary to complete the rookie and advanced rookie series in both oval and road-racing categories, plus an additional $15.00 value, the Chevrolet Impala SS as raced in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Go to www.iracing.com and hit the “Special Offer” button at the bottom of the page.
No one should be surprised to see Ambrose sitting in a simulator next to the JTG Daugherty Racing hauler in the garage area when his iRacing car isn’t on the track. He’ll just be getting ready for the next practice or qualifying session.
July 17th 2009
LOTUS 79 article
the below article courtesy of Eric Hudec at iRacing
“FAST! Unbelievab
I started here at iRacing.co
Once back at the office work began on building up the suspension
Essentiall
What turned out was a double-thr
So far, in the time I’ve spent at iRacing, the Lotus 79 has been by far the most fun car to work on. Developing
July 11th
Most visitors to seaside sand dunes are there to swim and lounge on the beach; in the Netherlands, hard on the North Sea, they come to Circuit Park Zandvoort to race cars. Under the terms of an agreement jointly announced today by Exploitatie Circuit Park Zandvoort B.V. and iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, LLC, drivers from all over the world will be able to experience the challenge of this classic European road-racing facility and compete with each other in organized races there just by logging onto the iRacing motorsport simulation service over the internet.
“The last Dutch Grand Prix was held in 1985, but as the host to 30 editions of the race, Zandvoort has more than its share of history,” said Divina Galica, iRacing’s director of partner relations. “We’re very pleased to be able to make the latest version of this great racing facility – now home to DTM, Formula 3 and many club events – available to iRacing’s membership. Last month we initiated the expansion of our track offerings beyond our base in North America with the addition in the UK of Brands Hatch and Oulton Park to Silverstone, which is already available to iRacing members. Circuit Park Zandvoort, the site of so much motorsport history, is a particularly appropriate first European track. Our members from all over the world will enjoy racing there.”
The list of winners of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort reads like a Who’s Who of the first four decades of Formula One, beginning with Alberto Ascari in the first World Championship event in 1952, and including Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Mario Andretti, Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet. But Zandvoort’s greatest master was Jim Clark, winner four times in the five races held from 1963 through 1967.
“In addition to our many fans, who will now be able through iRacing to have the fun of racing on the circuit themselves in the virtual world, we have real-world racers come from all over Europe and the UK to compete at Circuit Park Zandvoort” said Bart de Snaijer, Circuit Park Zandvoort’s marketing manager. “With our partnership with iRacing and their creation of a millimeter-accurate virtual version of the facility, now drivers who are making their first visit will be able to learn our very challenging track before they arrive for the race meet. And everyone will have the chance to get up to speed before the weekend begins.”
de Snaijer noted that while Tarzan, the 180-degree hairpin at the end of the start/finish straight, is the best-known of the dozen named corners on the 2.672-mile track, Scheivlak is the most challenging, and the turn that newcomers will profit most from by pre-race practice in the iRacing service.
“Scheivlak – there is no English word for it – is famous for its high speeds, changes in elevation and the fact that it’s a blind corner”, de Snaijer said. “Drivers either fear or love it. In a fast car a driver approaches the turn at a speed of 260 km/h (160 mph) and can’t even see the start of the turn until they are right on top of it because the track elevation changes. They enter the turn with a speed of 220 km/h (135 mph). The track drops about 10 meters (33 feet) in height and for three quarters of the way through the corner, they can’t see the exit. A driver can only understand the true rush of this turn when he or she has experienced it, whether in the physical world or in the virtual one.”
Circuit Park Zandvoort is the fifth major configuration of the track since it opened in 1948. While no more than a quarter of the original layout is part of today’s modern track, what all iterations have had in common is a combination of dauntingly fast sweeping corners and tight slow corners that demand technical perfection. Circuit Park Zandvoort is expected to join the iRacing track inventory early next year.
posted 5/31/09
posted at gamespot regarding iRacing™
For a while there, the future of NASCAR gaming looked grim. Earlier this year, EA Sports made the announcement that they would not be releasing a traditional console NASCAR game in 2009. EA Sports' president Peter Moore even went so far as to openly speculate about the future of organized racing games coming out of the company. And while it can be argued that EA's NASCAR games have lounged in varying degrees of mediocrity for years, the thought of a major American sport without an accompanying annual game release felt like a sign not just of a waning economy but the beginnings of NASCAR's slide in popularity as the country's most popular form of motorsport.
Enter iRacing, the subscription-based PC racing simulation co-founded by Dave Kaemmer who just happens to be responsible for one of my all-time favorite PC racing games, Grand Prix Legends. iRacing has been around for nearly a year now in public release and, yesterday, the company announced a partnership with NASCAR to create an online racing series set to begin in early 2010. While that still means that NASCAR fans will be bereft of console oval racing for 2009, the promise of driving on iRacing's meticulously laser-scanned recreations of real-life should keep racing fans--at least those with a powerful PC--looking ahead to next year when the series launches.
While the formal partnership between NASCAR and iRacing began in earnest last summer, according to Kaemmer, the two groups have had a connection for many years. "On a personal level, the acquaintance with the folks at NASCAR goes back to the Papyrus days." Papyrus, of course, is the game development studio responsible for the critically acclaimed NASCAR Racing series as well as the legendary Grand Prix Legends. In fact, the NASCAR Racing series was one of the early pioneers of online PC racing games; a seed of sorts from which iRacing's online feature set has grown.
"NASCAR has been interested in sanctioned on-line competition as a form of motorsport for a long time, as have we," said Kaemmer. "The technology in most peoples' homes is now to the point where it is possible, and NASCAR was impressed with what we had produced at iRacing."
While stock cars and oval tracks have been in iRacing for a while, the NASCAR online series will let stock car fans to race wheel-to-wheel against one another in officially sanctioned online events on nearly every track found on the Sprint Cup schedule. Since its opening in August 2008, iRacing has seen more than 12,000 people sign up for the service and the company counts a handful of real NASCAR drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Marcos Ambrose as members. According to Kaemmer, you might even run into a pro or two during your next race session. "They aren't 'guest stars'--they are your competition," he said. "And because everyone races under his or her real name, if it says you are racing against Dale Earnhardt Jr., you are racing against him in real time."
Among its current roster of road and kart courses, iRacing currently includes 25 oval racing circuits, including superspeedways like Talladega and short tracks like Bristol. The developers are currently working on rounding out the Sprint Cup Series track list, said Kaemmer. "We currently have built or are in the process of building all of the International Speedway Corp (ISC) and Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) tracks. Pocono, Indy and Dover are the only three independent tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. We're in the process of building Pocono and we're in discussions with the other two."
Creating those courses involves a painstaking process of laser scanning that Kaemmer says requires the developers to only process only about a half-mile of track per day. As a result, it can take months to build a completed track. The result, Kaemmer says, are "millimeter-accurate virtual tracks", and it's that feature--along with realistic car handling and physics--that the game hangs its racing helmet on.
Ironically, it seems that iRacing's challenging realism might pose a problem for casual NASCAR fans looking to take a spin. With no new NASCAR videogame on the horizon in 2009, fans' only near-term option (beyond dipping in the back catalog) will be iRacing, a game whose reputation of demanding accuracy might turn off the casual drivers. How do Kaemmer & company plan on addressing the needs of the laid-back racers as well as the hardcore crowd? In a word: licenses.
"We assume that everyone who joins iRacing is a novice racer, at least in the virtual world, so the game is designed to be welcoming to new players while remaining committed to serious racing," said Kaemmer. "Our realism means that if you're in it for big crashes and fooling around, this probably isn't the game for you. And that's OK.
"While any member can drive any car in the iRacing garage, including the cars for NASCAR's top three divisions--NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Series--on any track in our inventory, you can only compete in officially-sanctioned multi-car events if you hold the appropriate license. All of our members begin on the oval-racing side of the service as rookies in a Legends Car and then, as their skills improve, they move up through the Late Model, etc. As they become more proficient in races and demonstrate their ability to drive safely with others, they will gain higher grade licenses, enabling them to race in faster and more demanding cars."
When asked if EA's decision not to release a NASCAR game this year affected (or accelerated) the relationship between NASCAR and iRacing, Kaemmer is adamant: "Not at all. We've always been oriented to the PC, and addressing an audience that is looking for fun--but serious fun. We're looking for members who find it fun to learn new skills and who are willing to make a longer-term commitment to the activity. It's more like taking up skiing or tennis, rather than going through the traditional console game lifecycle of a few weeks."
Of course, just like that skiing or tennis hobby, playing iRacing will cost you. Unlike most racing games, iRacing is based on a subscription model, which grants the user basic access to the game and a handful of cars and tracks. Members pay extra for access to additional cars and the lion's share of the extra tracks in the game but, as Kaemmer explains, access to the NASCAR online series won't cost anything extra: "We won't raise prices. There will be no additional fees to participate in any of the NASCAR-sanctioned series on iRacing beyond the regular membership charges. It's just another level of competition available to our members."
And unlike tennis or skiing, you can't injure yourself playing iRacing.
[UPDATE] I contacted NASCAR officials for a comment on the iRacing partnership and here's what Blake Davidson, NASCAR Managing Director, Licensed Products, had to say:
"We have known Dave Kaemmer, the co-founder of iRacing for nearly 15 years, dating back to when he was at Papyrus and created one of the first NASCAR-sim games for the PC. Our late former chairman, Bill France Jr., had the original vision more than 10 years ago to develop a NASCAR-sanctioned online series that people from all over the world could experience from their own homes. We made an initial attempt in 1998, but the technology was not advanced enough to provide for a positive user experience. We have been in contact with iRacing for the last several years and followed their progress closely. We are very excited that the their technology, coupled with the expansion of broadband connectivity has now given us the opportunity to form this partnership."
I also asked Blake about how EA Sports' decision not to release a console NASCAR game this year affected the iRacing partnership. His response:
"EA did release NASCAR Kart Racing on the Wii earlier this year, at title that we continue to be very excited about. However with regard to the other console platforms, we view what iRacing does as being very different from the console gaming offerings. Therefore, EA NASCAR's products played did not play a role in our decision to partner with iRacing."
May 23rd, 2009
posted at iracingworld by Steve Meyers
developer at iracing™
I thought you might like to hear a great story surroundin
We actually have had a dialogue going with NASCAR since the very early days of this company. We have known some of the folks in the licensing department
The real turning point for this deal though was a meeting we had on July 31st of last year that was brokered by Dale Jr. Dale had been advising NASCAR on some of his ideas on what they should be doing in the gaming space and he was pretty emphatic that they sit down and talk with us. When he reached out to us to tell about this we obviously were enthusiast
Now this part right here should make all of you proud of this sport we call sim racing and the importance
We had a terrific meeting with NASCAR, one in which Jr dragged one of his monster computers from his house down so Paul Brooks, Blake Davidson and Nick Rend could demo the software. Jr was the one that actually sat at the computer and toured them through the website and software showing them all the thought and engineerin
I have had a lot of great experience
I know most of you probably tuned in to hopefully see some developmen
As I posted in the forums last week the Lotus 79 is drivable in a developmen
For internatio
I have teased you in the past about a big track announceme
I have always been a wand'rer
Over land and sea
Yet a moonbeam on the water
Casts a spell o'er me
A vision fair I see
Again I seem to be
Back home again in Indiana,
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candleligh
Through the sycamores for me.
The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam.
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash,
Then I long for my Indiana home.
Fancy paints on mem'ry's canvas
Scenes that we hold dear
We recall them in days after
Clearly they appear
And often times I see
A scene that's dear to me
And finally for one last tease, we have announced two of the three tin tops I had promised earlier (Ford GT, Mustang FR500s) and the third will be announced very soon, hopefully accompanie
Have a great weekend and I hope all of your significan
Steve
iRacing™ tour 2009 update
Hello iRacers!
This weekend at Lowes Motor Speedway was most exciting indeed. If you have not heard yet, the news is finally out… iRacing and NASCAR have finally joined forces! This will officially
New iRacing road warrior, Chris, hopped behind the wheel of Big Blue (our F350 that tows the iRacing trailer) to relieve James from tour duties for a few weeks. Unfortunat
I met Chris at Roush Fenway Racing headquarte
From there, it was on to Lowes Motor Speedway. We had a great location and got to meet many current iRacing members including Brian Postma, Robert Redd, Lee Herron, Mark Bradley, Dustin Harden, Jeremy Sparks, Alan Collins, Mike Bonds, Mark Jones and Michael McGinnis.
Other highlights
Stop by and check us out at Lime Rock Park this Memorial Day weekend as we will be running a hot lap competitio
SCHEDULE UPDATE back to New England:
May 19 & 20: New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Porsche Club of America
May 21: NHMS: Sport Car Drivers Associatio
May 22-23: Lime Rock Park: Rolex Grand AM GT
May 24: NHMS: SCCA New England Region
May 25: Lime Rock Park: Grand AM Koni Challenge Series
May 16, 2009 - iRacing.com is proud to announce it's joining forces with NASCAR to create the sanctioning body's first officially licensed and sanctioned online competition division. The fact that iRacing is now a partner in NASCAR-Sanctioned Online Racing is not only a landmark development for the company, it's a tribute to the talent, competitive spirit and sportsmanship of the more than 12,000 members who have joined the iRacing family since 2008.
"Our members are passionate about racing," said John Henry, iRacing's co-founder and chairman. "They love to drive, and they love to compete. And they do it in the context of their overall love for racing in both the physical and virtual worlds. We're pleased that iRacing has been chosen as the home of NASCAR-Sanctioned Online Racing and expect that many of NASCAR's most avid fans will find iRacing's NASCAR-sanctioned series a great way to deepen their connection to and enjoyment of the sport."
The new partnership represents a bit of déjà vu for iRacing co-founder, CEO and CTO Dave Kaemmer whose previous company, Papyrus Design Group, developed several popular NASCAR simulation titles including the ever-popular NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season.
"This is sort of a homecoming for me and several members of the development team," Kaemmer said. "Our NASCAR roots date back to the 1990s. We're thrilled NASCAR shares our vision of internet racing as a new branch of motorsport. With the power of NASCAR behind us, iRacing and our growing global community are about to take another big step forward."
The new partnership was announced this afternoon at Lowe's Motor Speedway during a press conference hosted jointly by NASCAR and iRacing.com, and attended by representatives from many leading media outlets in the motor sports arena. They heard NASCAR officials confirm what iRacing members already know, regardless of the cars or series in which they compete.
"The iRacing product is so realistic that a number of our NASCAR drivers, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brad Keselowski, A.J. Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose and Colin Braun are already iRacing members," said Blake Davidson, NASCAR managing director of licensed products. "From the beginning these drivers have raved about the incredible accuracy of the cars and the tracks that iRacing has produced and their involvement, along with NASCAR Competition, in the development will make the experience even more authentic."
The fact that NASCAR iRacing will be "authentic NASCAR competition" was underlined by the fact that Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, was much in evidence at the announcement.
"Over the years, many of our drivers have helped develop their skills by participating in virtual training like iRacing," he said. "It's exciting to now have an online NASCAR-sanctioned series like iRacing that will be entertaining for our fans and help provide them with a greater understanding of what it takes to be a NASCAR race car driver."
Further details on the 2010 NASCAR-sanctioned series will be made available later this year.
