Motorsport news

iRacing's 2026 Season 3, Week 13 (September 8–14) features a full calendar of racing across multiple disciplines, highlighted by the return of the iRacing Suzuka 1000 endurance event and continued competition in the platform's flagship series. The iRacing Suzuka 1000 takes centre stage as a special event this week, recreating the legendary Japanese endurance race held annually at Suzuka Circuit since 1966. The event returned to the iRacing calendar in September 2025 as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. In the weekly racing series, the NASCAR iRacing Series reaches Week 28 of 36 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway), with fixed-setup races on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Monday, and open-setup events spread across Thursday through Sunday. The iRacing Grand Prix Tour continues at MotorLand Aragón (Week 16 of 24), featuring the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance across both fixed and open setups with multiple daily sessions. The newly launched iRacing DTM Series holds Week 7 of 8 at the Sachsenring, with races scheduled at 8:00 PM local time on Thursdays across global regions. The CREVENTIC Endurance Series (Season 6, Week 4) races at the Nürburgring Grand-Prix-Strecke with two sessions on Saturday. Several regular series are off this week, including the Dirt 410 Sprint Car Tour, Dirt Super Late Model Tour, NASCAR Modified Tour, Super Late Model Tour, Vintage Grand Prix Tour, and the Nürburgring Endurance Championship, with these resuming in iRacing Season 4. Week 13 also features curated daily racing series and special formats including iTested (GTP, LMP2, GT3), Left Turn It Up (Gen 4 Grand National), Super Slide (Sprint Car), and Prototype Challenge Fixed.

Codemasters has released Update 1.25 for F1 25, introducing Formula 2 2026 content alongside a fresh Sports Update and expanded hardware compatibility. The patch adds the 2026 F2 season to the game, along with new liveries and regulation changes. Support for SIMAGIC sim racing hardware has also been integrated, broadening the range of compatible wheels and peripherals for players using that brand's equipment.

Codemasters has released a new update for F1 25: 2026 Season Edition that introduces the 'Macarena wing' aerodynamic component alongside the latest Formula 2 liveries. The update brings the sim's car setups and visual content in line with current real-world motorsport specifications, allowing players to experience the 2026 season with up-to-date technical and aesthetic details.

Virtual Racing Community (VRC) has released the Formula Alpha mod for Assetto Corsa, a car designed around the 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations. The mod includes aerodynamic features that reflect the upcoming F1 ruleset, including active aerodynamic elements that adjust during cornering and braking.

Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is receiving a Ferrari-themed expansion that introduces eight vehicles spanning the Italian marque's automotive heritage, alongside a dedicated island environment. The expansion will feature cars ranging from the Dino 206 GT through to the LaFerrari, offering players access to a cross-section of Ferrari's production history within the racing game.

The iRacing Creventic Endurance Series is set to return for its fifth consecutive year of partnership with Creventic, the organizers of the real-world 24H Series. The 2026 season will continue to offer team-based endurance racing across a curated selection of international circuits, maintaining the series' focus on accessibility for all iRacing members. The championship calendar comprises five events, combining multiple 12-hour races with a season-ending 24-hour contest. All 12-hour races will adhere to the established Creventic time slots, with starts scheduled for 01:00 GMT and 13:00 GMT on Saturdays. Full details regarding event schedules, car lineups, and additional series information are available on the iRacing Forums.

Vogt and Basseng have secured a class victory and established a new track record during an RCN (Rennclub Nürburgring) event. The pair's performance marks a notable achievement in the club racing series, which focuses on amateur endurance competition at the Nürburgring circuit. The new lap record set during the outing underscores the competitive standard of the RCN grid and demonstrates the pace achievable by well-prepared machinery and experienced drivers in grassroots endurance racing.

iRacing has announced the Suzuka 1000, a special event team endurance race scheduled for November 12th at 08:00 AM. Competitors will pilot GT3 machinery around the full Suzuka International Racing Course layout for 1000 kilometres (173 laps), with five race time slots running from Friday 22:00 GMT through Sunday 00:00 GMT to accommodate global participation. The event features a single-class GT3 grid comprising 12 car models, including the Acura NSX GT3 EVO 22, Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO, Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 2020, and Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). Teams must field a minimum of two drivers and a maximum of 16, with fair share driving time enforced. Entry requires a Sports Car license at Class C or higher, or Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Dynamic weather will be active throughout the race, and setup tuning is unrestricted. Balance of Performance will be finalised closer to the event date. Incident penalties include Stop and Go penalties after 40 incidents, with disqualification triggered at 150 incident points per team. The Saturday 12:00 GMT time slot will receive a broadcast via RACESPOT on iRacing.com/live. The Suzuka 1000 is inspired by the real-world endurance race held annually at Suzuka Circuit in Japan since 1966. The event returned to the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar in September 2025 after a five-year absence. iRacing members can register teams through the Special Events page.

The iRacing DTM Series continues this week with racing at Sachsenring, one of Germany's most prominent road racing circuits. Races are scheduled for Thursday evenings across multiple time zones, with 8 PM start times in AEDT, CET, ET, and PT to accommodate the global iRacing community. The series employs a straightforward race format designed to replicate the intensity of the real-world DTM championship. Each race runs for 55 minutes, matching the duration of actual DTM events. Competitors use the same car models as the 2026 DTM series, with fuel tank capacity limited to introduce strategic pit stop decisions during the race. More details about the iRacing DTM Series are available on the official iRacing website.

Ralf Kraus and Tim Banerjee claimed their second consecutive podium finish at the sixth round of the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN), taking third place in the R3 class. The result capped a strong performance for Team Automobile Theisen, whose four Opel Astra OPC entries finished between third and seventh in class among 167 starters. Kraus held a top-three position from the start in car #48, reporting that the engine delivered full power throughout the rev range after issues in the previous round. Banerjee took over at the halfway point and maintained third place to the finish. "We would have needed rain to challenge the stronger Renault Clio for second," Banerjee explained, adding that despite sunny conditions, numerous accidents and Code 60 cautions disrupted the race. Simon Overmann and Holger Bruning finished fifth in class in car #50. Bruning, competing in what he described as his final RCN round of the season, praised the car's performance and expressed satisfaction with improvements made in two target sectors. Maya Niepenberg made her RCN debut as a starter driver, reporting that she gained confidence with each lap despite contact from other competitors during the race. Christopher Bartsch set the fastest lap time for the Theisen team—9:37.2 minutes—during his stint in car #649 in round 14. Jürgen Neuhoff and Jan Eisenburger completed the team's strong showing with seventh place in class in car #46. The series returns to the Nürburgring on 26 September for the seventh and penultimate round of the season.

The 2026 Polish Rallycross and Autocross Championships are entering their final stretch, with the penultimate round taking place at Autodrom Słomczyn near Warsaw on 12–13 September. The venue will host competitors from both the domestic championship and the FIA Central European Zone Rallycross series. Following recent rounds in the Czech Republic and Latvia, drivers return to Polish soil for what could be a decisive weekend in several categories. In the SuperCars class, Zbyszek Staniszewski holds a commanding lead and may secure the national title this weekend. However, competition remains fierce in the lower categories, with several battles likely to extend to the final round in Poznań. In the Seicento Cup, Jakub Kabat leads by eight points over Maksym Guranowski, while the RWD Cup features a tight contest between young drivers Kacper Sokulski and Krystian Pietraszko, separated by just five points. Łukasz Zoll continues his bid to break the dominance of Czech competitor Castorala, who currently holds a seven-point advantage. Beyond the Polish championship battles, the weekend will also feature races counting towards the FIA CEZ classification and the Czech Rallycross Cup, promising a competitive programme across multiple series.

iRacing has announced a comprehensive visual and environmental update to Summit Point Raceway ahead of the 2026 Season 4 launch. The refresh includes renewed track surfaces, updated scenery, enhanced foliage detail, and improved lighting systems across the venue. The update also introduces the Jefferson Circuit configuration to the track's available layouts within the simulation.