The iRaceForLife seminar in Dallas, Texas is just wrapping up, and we’re getting some very exciting news coming from iRacing! iRacer Randy Freeman got to have a sit-down with iRacing president Tony Gardner, and ask him some questions about what the future holds for the sim. If you are an iRacing member, you can check out this link, or check out the summary below.

Thirteen topics were covered in the Q&A:

1. The next build for iRacing will be coming out March 10th (sheesh, iRacing’s new build on the 10th and Assetto Corsa’s Dream Pack DLC the next day? Oh boy!). There will be a large change as to how springs are handled in car setups. This will make for more authentic setup-making.

2. There will be more updates to the simulation of drafting. The A car’s will be able to pick up a draft from up to 1.5 seconds back. Side drafting has also been overhauled. Alpha testers have reported positive impressions.

3. There will be a new interface coming to the sim. It will begin with the next build, but more extensive changes will come in the future.

4. There will be no changes in the tire model in this upcoming build

5. Dynamic track conditions are in progress! This will include track temperatures, rubber buildup, and dirt getting on the tires. This is a seperate feature from weather. (If you look at the below image from last year, at the bottom-right corner, you’ll see a preview of dirt build-up on tires)

6. A problem in Indycar is that sometimes drivers drive off the racing portion of the track to gain an unfair advantage. Tony stated that they are looking at options to penalize offending drivers.

7. Another issue that is plauging qualifying sessions is that sometimes people will “burn fuel” for their qualifying sessions. That will make the car lighter, leading to faster times. iRacing is recognizing this as an issue as well.

8. iRacing is looking at ways to revamp qualifying. The Star Mazda series is already experimenting with different formats. One option they are throwing around is blending Qualifying into the Race sessions.

9. Tony stated that Fixed IndyCar is the 5th most popular series on the iRacing service. They are looking to possibly have a Fixed Road series to go along with it.

10. Over 130,000 people have signed up for the iRacing service since it started. Over 55,000 of them are currently active. They have a 5-year plan for the service to keep going, and intend to keep it running for the next decade or longer.

11. There were some plans for Ferrari and other automakers to come to the service. However, the deal ended up being too expensive and it didn’t work out.

12. Most of the other questions were stock car related like, no in car track bar adjustments for NASCAR’s.

13. Animated Pit Crews are in the works!

That is a lot of content to be looking forward to, and it sounds like iRacing will be around for a long time for us to enjoy. Also, we have a breaking news announcement, that the new iRacing trucks will be coming soon! They have just released a new video, showing off the Chevrolet Silverado and the new Toyota Tundra trucks!

These new vehicles were scanned a couple months ago, and they will be making their way to iRacing “Soon™”. There is no word on if a Ford will be coming to the service, but since they have the Ford Fusion and Mustang, I’d say it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

What are your thoughts on the Q&A with Tony Gardner? You excited for the new trucks coming to the service? Let us know!