Sim Racing — news

The upcoming Kings of the Ring DLC for RENNSPORT will introduce the KTM X-BOW GT2 alongside the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit and two additional vehicles. The expansion is scheduled for release in September 2026.

iRacing has launched Season 4 of 2026 with a full slate of racing across multiple disciplines from September 15th to 21st. The week marks the start of a new competitive season featuring NASCAR, dirt oval racing, and endurance events alongside newly introduced series and formats. The headline special event is the iRacing Britcar 24 presented by Cosworth, which brings the historic 24-hour endurance race to the virtual platform. Originally established at Silverstone in 2005, the real-world Britcar 24 has featured everything from GT machinery to touring cars and club racers. The iRacing version will run GT3 and GT4 machinery through a full day-night cycle at Silverstone. In the weekly championship series, the NASCAR iRacing Series continues its 36-week campaign at Bristol Motor Speedway (Week 29), with races scheduled across multiple time slots in both fixed and open setup formats. The Dirt 410 Sprint Car Tour reaches Week 30 at Lucas Oil Speedway, while the Dirt Super Late Model Tour contests Week 32 at Knoxville Raceway. Additional oval series include the NASCAR Modified Tour at Concord Speedway and the Super Late Model Tour at Lanier National Speedway. New for 2026 Season 4 is the FIA Cross Car Championship at Rookie level, introducing mixed-surface rallycross racing in the nimble FIA Cross Car. iRacing has also debuted a Track Day series at Summit Point Raceway, featuring multiclass racing with a variety of road cars including Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Mazda MX-5, Caterham 420R, TCR machinery, and the Radical SR8. Open qualifiers run every 30 minutes. Regional GT3 and FIA F4 tours continue with hourly splits across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe regions. Specialty series include Ring Meister at the Nürburgring Nordschleife (this week featuring the Caterham 420R), Draft Master Challenge by SIMAGIC at Talladega, and Rain Master Challenge by Podium1 for wet-weather GT3 racing at Summit Point.

Next Level Racing has introduced the GTLite Air, a new entry-level foldable sim racing cockpit designed for users seeking compact storage without sacrificing core functionality. The rig is priced from $149 and supports direct-drive wheel systems, addressing a gap in the budget-conscious segment of the sim racing hardware market. The cockpit features adjustable GT-style seating and a collapsible frame, allowing users to store or transport the rig when not in use. The design targets sim racers who operate in space-constrained environments or prefer flexibility in their setup configuration.

Rennsport has officially confirmed the KTM as the first vehicle in its upcoming Kings of the Ring downloadable content pack. The Austrian manufacturer will be among three new cars arriving in the next content update for the sim racing title.

SCS Software has outlined the mechanics of courier jobs within the forthcoming Road Trip mode for American Truck Simulator. The developer provided specifics on how players will engage with delivery contracts as part of the new gameplay feature, though full details of the system remain to be disclosed in subsequent announcements.

Fanatec has launched the Eifel Trophy, a new esports initiative that bridges sim racing and real-world motorsport. The competition combines racing in iRacing and Assetto Corsa EVO with Porsche Cup events held at the Nürburgring. The format incorporates qualifying rounds and offers hardware prizes to competitors. The initiative leverages Fanatec's position as a leading manufacturer of sim racing peripherals while integrating two of the most popular racing simulators on the market.

iRacing is hosting the Britcar 24 presented by Cosworth this weekend as part of its Special Events calendar. The 24-hour endurance race will take place at Silverstone Circuit's Grand Prix layout, featuring GT3 and GT4 machinery in a multi-class team format. The event runs from September 18–20, with the race scheduled for September 19 at 3:30 PM. Dynamic weather is enabled. Participants must form teams of between two and 16 drivers, with all declared drivers required to meet a minimum lap threshold relative to the team's total distance. Teams must hold a Sports Car license at Class C or higher, or Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Registration opens 60 minutes before the event, followed by a 30-minute warm-up and an eight-minute qualifying session (two laps). Splits are determined by iRating, with up to 60 teams per split. The disqualification limit is set at 250 incident points per team, with Stop and Go penalties administered after 100 incidents and every 20 thereafter. The GT3 field includes 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). GT4 competitors can race the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, BMW M4 G82 GT4 Evo, Ford Mustang GT4, McLaren 570S GT4, Mercedes-AMG GT4, and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. All cars have been Balance of Performance adjusted; final figures may be updated on Wednesday before the event. Four time slots are available: Friday 22:00 GMT, Saturday 7:00 GMT, Saturday 12:00 GMT, and Saturday 16:00 GMT. The Saturday 12:00 GMT split (8:00 a.m. ET) will be broadcast live via RACESPOT on iRacing.com/live. The event is open setup, allowing teams to configure their cars freely. More details are available on the iRacing Special Events page and forums.

Assetto Corsa Rally version 0.6 has been assessed as a compelling single-player experience for sim racers seeking refuge from the competitive pressures of online multiplayer environments. The mod delivers visual fidelity and gameplay depth that appeal to drivers prioritising immersive rally simulation over networked competition. The latest build emphasises offline rally content, positioning itself as an alternative for those fatigued by the social friction and toxicity sometimes encountered in online racing communities. Early impressions suggest the mod maintains the technical foundation of Assetto Corsa while tailoring its focus toward solo campaign and practice-oriented play.

Studio 397 has announced a significant update for Le Mans Ultimate scheduled for 15 September, with a focus on online performance optimisation and network code improvements ahead of the sim's inaugural official 24-hour Le Mans endurance race. The official 24-hour event is set for 24–25 October. To prepare the community, the developer will run a series of team-based test events featuring driver changes. On 15 and 17 September, a 90-minute race at Le Mans will be added to the weekly event schedule, featuring Hypercar, WEC LMP2 and LMGT3 classes. A separate 6-hour race at Silverstone is planned for 18 September, starting at 08:00 UTC, open to ELMS LMP2, LMP3 and LMGT3 machinery. The standard 4-hour Silverstone event will continue on other weekend days. The test series concludes with a 12-hour Le Mans race on 25 September at 08:00 UTC, accommodating up to 62 cars.

MOZA Racing has unveiled the first teaser for a new direct-drive steering wheel base featuring built-in PlayStation 5 support. The company plans to reveal full details of the device at Tokyo Game Show 2026. The development is part of a partnership between MOZA and Polyphony Digital, with both companies collaborating on hardware with native support for Gran Turismo 7. MOZA previously became an official partner of the Gran Turismo World Series. The key advantage of the new base is that PlayStation users will be able to operate MOZA's direct-drive wheel without additional adapters or converters. It remains unclear whether this will be an entirely new model or a modification of an existing base. Full specifications, pricing, and exact release date are expected to be announced at Tokyo Game Show 2026.

A comprehensive buying guide for iRacing's 2026 Season 4 has been published, offering advice on vehicle and track selection alongside strategies for managing in-sim spending. The guide covers optimal car choices for the season, recommended tracks to prioritise, and methods for maximising value through Participation Credits and cost-effective progression paths for drivers looking to build their content library without excessive expenditure.

SMP Esports has opened preseason test servers for two Russian sim racing series: the RAF Championship in the BR03 Cup class and the RAF Trophy in the SMP TCR Russia class. Participants can now access the test environment to prepare for the upcoming seasons. The SMP TCR Russia series will feature a newly developed Audi RS3 LMS with updated physics, developed with input from AG Team based in Kazan. The car will compete against both generations of the LADA Vesta TCR, including an earlier version with balanced physics for competitive parity. In the BR03 Cup class, drivers may use both versions of the sports prototype with balanced physics, as well as a historical 2021-specification variant to add variety to the grid. Participants are encouraged to use the test period to familiarise themselves with the cars and provide feedback to the organisers. Full details on downloads, test formats, schedules and regulations are available in the official SMP Esports community channels on VKontakte and Telegram.