Hello sim racers! 

The cars of the fabled British Touring Car championship are coming to rFactor 2! 

That’s right, at long last some proper tin top machinery will be made available within rFactor 2, as we warmly welcome the cars of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship to the title over the coming months. Beginning with two of the premium marques of the series in the form of defending champions Infiniti and the eye catching Q50, joined by one of the newest models to become part of the seemingly ever expanding series, Toyota, and the stunning Corolla GR Sport. 

These two cars will form the first of several BTCC machines set to appear in rFactor 2 over the coming months, and fit perfectly with the recently announced additions of Donington Park and Brands Hatch, as well as of course our current British marquee circuit, Silverstone. 

A fine mix of front-wheel drive (Toyota) and rear-wheel drive (Infiniti) perfectly showcase just what the BTCC has to offer in the modern era, as the championship continues to go from strength to strength with record grid sizes, multiple race winners and always the most fiercely fought racing anywhere in the world. 

Working closely with tyre manufacturer Goodyear, the teams and the championship themselves, these cars have been laserscanned at team HQ’s, as well as benefitting from a wealth of team and driver data – helping us produce what I am sure you all agree with is an exceptionally true to life and exciting experience out on the circuit. 

The Cars

Infiniti Q50

2021 would prove to be another mighty year for the revitalized Infiniti Q50 in the British Touring Car Championship. Now under the development leadership of Laser Tools Racing, the Q50 returned to the BTCC grid as a late addition to the field from round 6 onwards in 2019, as Laser Tools Racing and Aiden Moffett looked to put early development miles on the car following a few years mothballed following the failed Support Our Paras initiative with the original Q50 programme closed after just one season at the start of 2016.

Moffett would achieve limited success with the new machine during the remainder of 2019, however the real work went on behind the scenes as the Scotsman and his team looked to bring forward an accelerated development programme ahead of a full season assault the following year. 

That hard work appeared to pay off handsomely for the team, as heading into 2020 Laser Tools Racing made a shock swoop for 2017 Champion, Ash Sutton, and right from the very start of the year at Donington Park the new partnership laid down a marker of things to come – showing massive pace to take pole position on the first attempt, and eventually clocking up no less than five race wins and the championship crown. Sutton would go on to repeat his success in 2021, taking a further five race victories’ en route to a second successive championship, a feat all the more remarkable considering the wealth of talent on display in modern BTCC racing.

As for the car, the Infiniti Q50 is something of an outlier within the NGTC rule set employed by British Touring Cars, in the fact that it joins just BMW on the grid as a rear-wheel drive machine, matching the drive train of its road going counterpart. 

Engineered by Laser Tools Racing and running the TOCA / Swindon powertrain package, an engine configuration developed by the series organizers to allow teams who wish to purchase an engine off the shelf, an alternative to developing their own manufacturer derived unit. 

Toyota Corolla GR

One of the many newer generation cars to be introduced in recent seasons to the BTCC grid is the wonderful looking Toyota Corolla. Run by Speedworks Motorsport with support from Toyota UK, the Corolla quickly proved itself to be a very adept touring car machine, having taken the BTCC by storm since arriving on the scene at the start of the 2019 season. Replacing the venerable Toyota Avensis, the very first of the new NGTC specification cars, the Corolla immediately produced a significant uplift in performance for Speedworks, with lead driver Tom Ingram taking an impressive four race victories in the debut season of the car, securing for himself and the team sixth overall in the drivers’ championship, a mighty result considering the single car nature of the squad, and relative inexperience of all concerned. 

2020 would be even better for Speedworks in terms of championship standings, with Ingram ending a hard fought year with a strong championship charge, falling just short of the title at season end, but still ending a mighty impressive fourth overall, with three race victories to his credit. 

2021 would be all change for the team, switching up to a two car effort with revised driving talents of Rory Butcher and young charger Sam Smelt behind the wheel. Now officially a Toyota works team under the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK banner, a further three victories would be added to the team account, as Butcher performed solidly in his new team leader role to secure 7th in the final title reckoning.

Following conventional touring car wisdom, the Corolla is based on a front-wheel drive configuration, and just like the Infiniti mentioned above, runs with the TOCA / Swindon engine power unit. 

Q2 May 2022 Announcements so Far

Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit

Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

These two cars mark the first batch of British Touring Car Championship content to come to rFactor 2, which more cars from the premier British racing series set to be introduced over the coming months. Set to release as part of the 2022 Q2 May Content Drop, make sure you stay tuned to the Studio 397 social media channels, website, forum and Discord for more news about upcoming content and features, and when this new drop is set to release! 

BTCC 2021 Cars – Coming soon to rFactor 2! 

The best open wheel drivers in the virtual racing world are getting ready, as we welcome a brand-new season of Formula Pro and the supporting Formula Challenge Series in rFactor 2! 

Formula Pro Car | Steam Store: CLICK HERE.

Back, and bigger than ever before, ladies and gentlemen… Formula Pro is almost at the starting line and ready to go! 

Featuring the best professional esport teams and drivers invited into the new series, expect plenty of big names from the world of virtual motorsport to be taking part this coming season. Can Bono Huis retain the title he won in such dominant fashion last season, will the new year act as redemption for 2021 nearly man Jeffrey Rietveld following his championship charge falling apart before him in 2020? So many questions, and soon we will start to gather the answers! 

Kicking off on May 9th for the opening round of the season, Formula Pro, and the supporting community focussed Formula Challenge seasons (starting May 16th) are looking set to be classics – and we can’t wait to share the journey with you all!

How to Watch

Formula Series | Official Broadcasts | Traxion.GG YouTube / rFactorLive Twitch

If last season is anything to go by, the Formula Pro and Formula Challenge categories are sure to produce some incredible racing moments that Esports fans are going to want to savour! Last year, we had surprise winners, some of the most intense racing anywhere in the world of virtual motorsport, and the sights and sounds of these spectacular formula cars being pushed to within an inch of disaster throughout the entirety of the field – and we are about to go hard all over again, only this time, we plan to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before! 

Once again hosting each of the races with a profession broadcast and commentary team, live from the Motorsport Games Studio in Silverstone, the new season of Formula Pro and Formula Challenge already looks set to be our most intense one yet. 

For those of you unable to take part for yourselves, we have a comprehensive schedule of footage set to play out over the course of the year, with multiple channels available for you to catch all the action live and post event on demand. From YouTube, to Twitch and Facebook, our broadcasting channels have been allocated to offer as wide and accessible number of platforms as possible, so however you like to consume your virtual racing action, we have you covered! 

Check out the key links for our Formula Series broadcasts below:

• Traxion.GG – Twitch, YouTube and Facebook
• rFactor 2 – Twitch
• Motorsport Games – YouTube

How to Follow the Series

Formula Series | Media Partner | CLICK HERE.

Throughout the course of the new Formula Pro and Formula Challenge Series, the team over at Traxion.GG will be hosting a number of interesting insights and deep dives into the championship and its star drivers, with news, reports and behind the scenes footage set to be made available for each race weekend as the series unfolds. 

Should you miss any of the action, fear not, Traxion.GG will bring you the full race reports and insights into key incidents, as well has hosting on demand video for each and every round of the season. Key driver interviews, announcements, breaking news stories and full insight into everything that happens before, during and after the year will all be covered in detail, so you never have to miss a thing about the highest level open wheel series in rFactor 2.

To stay on top of the latest news and discussions, be sure to check out and follow the key social media channels related to these two new series, found on the links below; 

• Traxion.GG – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• rFactor 2 – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

These two new seasons of the Formula Series are sure to be a great way to kick off our 2022 Esports program in rFactor 2, and we cannot wait to get started. Make sure you stay tuned to all of our social channels of the coming days for news about the teams, drivers, liveries, schedules and more ahead of this exciting new season of racing! 

Formula Pro and Formula Challenge – Race 1 Coming May 9th.

Hello sim racers!

Another day, another quality content announcement for rFactor 2! 

Keeping with the somewhat British theme established by our announcement of Donington Park back on Tuesday, this time we head to another leafy suburb of the UK for a racetrack steeped in history and prestige, a place where many of the most iconic moments in motorsport have been made and captured, a place where one either loves it without question, or simply just cannot get their head around how to drive it quickly… that’s right, we’ve been busy scanning and building the wonderful, the sensational, the tricky and the very, very cool Brands Hatch Circuit! 

Built to laserscan data we have captured ourselves, and with no effort spared to make this the most immersive, realistic and accurate representation of the track possible, we are delighted to today announce this beautiful track is coming in the 2022 Q2 May content drop for rFactor 2! 

Set to feature both the short Indy layout and the full Grand Prix configuration, Brands Hatch has been a staple venue on the national and international motorsports schedule since it first opened doors to the public all the way back in 1950. Host to Formula One racing on no less than 12 occasions, the last of which was won to great fanfare by home hero Nigel Mansell in 1986, Brands Hatch continues to be regarded as one of the finest driver circuits in Europe to this day, and a track that will surely excite our playing community here in rFactor 2. 

Often a very difficult circuit to master, let’s take a closer look at the 2.433 mile (3.916 km) circuit in more detail ahead of release next month.

The Track

Paddock Hill Bend

So, you think you know hills do you? Well, prepare for something completely different with the run down into Paddock Hill Bend, the opening corner of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. Approached at speed and with a deceleration zone very close to where the drivers pass the start / finish line here at Brands Hatch, the entry into Paddock Hill is a difficult one. Here, the circuit starts to roll away from you on corner entry, forcing the drivers to both brake and steer at the same time in order to set up the entry into the turn, before easing off the brake and positioning the car as it quickly rolls down the hill and into the compression at the bottom of the turn. 

What goes down must go back up again, and this is very much the case here as the cars begin their approach into the Druids Hairpin, climbing sharply back up the hill again using the speed carried through the Paddock Hill section.

Druids

A right-hand hairpin corner approached up hill following the descent through Paddock T1, here is a great place to look for an overtake on your rival competitor. Overtakes at Druids often begin by setting up the car ahead before, during and after Paddock Hill, with a premium on achieving maximum corner exit of the previous turn, in order to sneak a nose inside into the uphill braking zone ahead of Druids.

As you are hauling the car up a steep incline during braking, despite the track beginning to level out into Druids itself, you can really attack the middle pedal here and carry the speed into the apex late on the brakes. Use the brake to help rotate the car through the corner, and don’t be tempted to mount the inside curb, as this will firmly unsettle the car and lose you valuable speed through the corner and the following section into Graham Hill Bend. Get it wrong and drivers always have a safety net of the extended run-off on corner exit, but beware, grip isn’t at a premium here, so use with caution.

Graham Hill Bend

One of the best corners here at Brands Hatch, and again another turn preceded by a steep decline after the exit of Druids, Graham Hill Bend can be taken very quickly indeed if you have the confidence and grip underneath you in the car. With plenty of grass on the outside of the corner, and a bit of extra room to run wide, it is often desirable here to push that little harder in order to really find the maximum potential of the car and grip available. As the track meanders slightly to the left-hand side into the braking zone, drivers will have to apply the brakes in a gradual way in order to keep the car stable and under control, gradually increasing the pressure and utilizing trail braking through the corner in order to help keep everything under control, and improve the rotation potential mid-turn for swift resumption of the loud pedal. 

Surtees

Frustrating. Critical. Frustrating… oh, did I mention frustrating? Surtees is one of those corners that more often than not you will get slightly wrong, and wave goodbye to free lap time all the way down the following straight and into the spectacular Pilgrims Drop. The Surtees corner demands respect and laser focussed concentration in order to really hit your marks and hustle the car through the apex at just the right point of speed vs understeer. 

Approach the turn at the very most right-hand side of track to take advantage of the most circuit width possible, and be sure not to get caught out by a desire to carry too much speed into corner entry, should it compromise your ability to pull the car into the corner and launch successfully onto the following straight. 

Hawthorne Bend

Now on the old Grand Prix Circuit configuration, here we are firmly into the wooded part of Brands Hatch. While this makes for spectacular scenery, the overhanging trees and the lesser used nature of this configuration means drivers can expect to be presented with less grip and a more greasy track surface than has been encountered up to this point. Not an idea situation when approaching a corner like Hawthorn, reached at close to top speed thanks to the previous straight and run through the spectacular Pilgrims Drop. 

Pitch the car into the corner with confidence, scrubbing speed as you go, and try to keep the left hand side wheels as close to the inside curb as possible, but be careful not to hook a tyre on the curb, as that could easily spit you off the racing line from where the speeds are so high it could prove very challenging to recover. 

Westfield Bend

The circuit is at one of its widest points at this stage, with generous (for Brands Hatch anyway) gravel lining the outside of the corner should you get it wrong. Although very separate corners, here Westfield, Dingle Dell and Sheene’s are very firmly interlinked in terms of the flow of the car. Carry the speed through Westfield with plenty of inside curb, and that will set you up nicely for preparing the car into the Dingle Dell / Sheene’s complex that is fast approaching.

On corner exit, the circuit offers generous artificial run-off opportunities where drivers can drop the outside wheel for additional space to accelerate, before the car compresses into the dip and speed carries you forward at what feels like an alarming rate for the approach into Dingle Dell. 

Dingle Dell

Dingle Dell might be a fairly straightforward piece of tarmac on paper, but linked as it is between Westfield behind and Sheene’s up ahead, it makes for an interesting opportunity to try and keep the car within the circuit confines, gather any moments from Westfield, balance the weight transfer and get the braking setup and ready in anticipation for the run down into Sheene’s… a pretty complex situation at the very best of times. 

Sheene’s

Much like back at Westfield, here the inside curb is your friend, but that friendship is a fickle one, so tread lightly or risk having things go sideways very, very quickly indeed. Another of those Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit corners that are attacked at speeds that feel far too fast for comfort, Sheene’s requires the driver to flick down one, maybe two gears and really commit hard into the inside curb. Put on the lock, throw the car into the turn and let the natural momentum carry you over the curb and to the outside of corner exit, but be careful, right after this terrifying experience we need to somehow pull the car back to the right-hand side, and get ready for the sharp left of Stirlings and the following straight. 

Stirlings

Another corner that looks quite slow but in reality has a much higher minimum speed than expected, Stirlings requires quick reflexes to get the car hunkered down in the very short deceleration zone, a quick flick of the ‘box to drop a gear, point it to the apex and get hard on the power for the run down Clearways and into the final corner. 

Clark Curve

The final corner! Clark is a critical corner to get right, as a quick exit here will not only provide a solid close to your current lap, but will also carry speed for the remainder of the straight into the following tour of the circuit. Approached very quickly indeed following a long blast under the bridge on the penultimate straight of the Grand Prix Circuit, be sure to counter for potential understeer here on corner exit, as Clark Curve is deceptively long in radius, and with the way the tarmac is cambered it is very easy to allow the car to drift too far right under power, and into the ever waiting gravel trap and retirement. 

May 2022 Announcements So Far

Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit

Another immensely exciting circuit for rFactor 2, and we’ve still got plenty of announcements yet to come! Make sure you keep an eye on the Studio 397 social media accounts, forum and Discord for all the latest news and features as we continue to build up to our 2022 Q2 May Content Drop here in rFactor 2. 

Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit – Coming soon to rFactor 2

Hello sim racers!

Good news for fans of British motorsport, as today we are absolutely delighted to announce that the iconic twists and turns of the Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit are coming to rFactor 2!

In this new content announcement, we are exceptionally pleased to confirm the much requested arrival of Donington Park in to our sim, one of the most highly regarded and popular race circuits in the United Kingdom, and home to such series as the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), World Superbikes, the Donington Historic Festival and many other National and International grade categories of racing. Having first risen to prominence as a regular on the pre-war Grand Prix schedule, the onset of the second World War would lead to Donington entering a period of disrepair, finding itself like many such venues in the country being repurposed by the British Army to help with the war effort. Following the cessation of hostilities in 1947, Donington Park would take much of the next 30 years to recover as an active racing venue.

Purchased by British entrepreneur Tom Wheatcroft in 1971, the Englishman would spend the next few years investing his own money bringing the circuit back into regular useable condition, as well as relocating his rapidly expanding collection of racing cars into what would eventually become the Donington Grand Prix Collection – the largest collection of Formula One machinery in the world, until its sad demise at the end of 2018 following the death of its owner and founder the previous decade. With Wheatcroft investment and the necessary improvements completed, Donington Park in its modern form would open for business once again in time for the 1977 racing season, utilizing a much changed and considerably safer layout than that of the pre-war Grand Prix configuration of the 1930s. Whilst retaining plenty of the character from the original track, the new Wheatcroft Donington Park was chopped down from the original 5029 km layout to a slender 3.149km configuration, with a further ‘Grand Prix Loop’ added to the circuit in 1986, reviving the original Melbourne Loop section, albeit much shortened from the original track that stretched all the way down into the nearby village of Melbourne itself.

Initially designed with motorbike racing in mind, Donington Park would quickly recapture the imagination of the British racing public, thanks in large part to the natural amphitheatre nature of the spectator banking and exciting layout of the circuit itself, and soon Donington Park would again reverberate to the sound of top level National and International grade racing events. As a long-time friend to Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, Wheatcroft would spend much of the following years campaigning to bring Formula One to Donington Park – a long held dream of the Derby businessman – something that the venue achieved in 1993 as Ecclestone agreed a one-off deal to host that seasons European Grand Prix at the midlands venue. Torrential rain would do little to dampen the party atmosphere trackside during the race, with Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna performing what is arguably the finest opening lap in the history of Formula One as he navigated his reluctant McLaren Ford from fifth on the grid to the race lead in seriously difficult circumstances. Despite what was considered to be a broadly successful European Grand Prix, Donington Park would drop off the F1 radar for a number of years at the end of the season, before an ill-judged attempt in 2009 to win the rights to host the British Grand Prix at a newly proposed reprofiled circuit leading Donington into serious financial trouble, difficulties that would result in a period of time that potentially could see the circuit permanently closed as a racing venue – until a rescue effort by the Wheatcroft family finally arrived in a bid to fix the now wildly damaged track and return motorsport to the circuit ahead of the 2011 racing season.

Eventually Donington Park would be sold to former Formula One Grand Prix driver Jonathan Palmer and his MSV organization, with further investment having been lavished on the circuit facilities in order to bring Donington Park in line with the standards of the other MSV controlled venues – adding much needed spectator and competitor refinements to help re-attract many top level international events to the track. Firmly established as one of the top circuits in Great Britain, as well as being highly regarded internationally, Donington Park offers a great mix of undulations, exciting corners and overtaking opportunities that we are sure will be highly appreciated by the sim racing community here at rFactor 2.

The Track

Redgate

As the opening corner here at Donington Park, Redgate is a critical piece of track to get right in order to carry the speed through the following section at Hollywood, and down into the dramatic sweeps of the Craner Curves. Approached at high speed following the second-longest straight on the circuit, drivers are encouraged to brake deep into the apex of the corner, allowing the car to run out to the very outskirts of the circuit on exit as they bid to unwind as much lock as possible for maximum traction and acceleration through the turn. With such commitment on corner entry possible, drivers will have to be careful not to overcook their approach and run out wide onto the unforgiving grass verge, as deviation too far from the racing tarmac will certainly cost lap time, and can easily lead to spinning the car and collecting the outer retaining walls that line the tarmac.

Hollywood

Named after the adjacent woods that line this leafy midlands circuit, Hollywood is now nothing more than an acceleration zone as drivers head towards the steeply downhill section of the Craner Curves. Although not particularly challenging to drive in any car, the sensation of rising and falling through this section of track makes for a spectacular feeling behind the wheel, as drivers crest the right-hander and get their first glimpse of the imposing right, left, right of the Craner Curves / Old Hairpin section of corners.

Craner Curves

Perhaps the most well-known section of tarmac at Donington Park, and one of the best regarded corner segments in British motorsport, the Craner Curves remain as dramatic a place as any to watch and race cars in the United Kingdom. Approached at full speed following the sweep through the proceeding Hollywood right-hander, here drivers have to practice the fine art of balancing throttle application with a delicate touch of the steering wheel, as many cars will need to scrub off just the right amount of speed as the car goes light over the hill and begins the descent into the Old Hairpin. Watch out for unsettling the car on the run downhill, as any mistakes here will quickly lead drivers to the infield grass banking, where a date with retirement can be the only possible outcome.

Old Hairpin

Despite the slightly misleading name, the Old Hairpin is neither particularly old, nor much of a hairpin turn. Approaching at significant speed from the Craner Curves section of track, many cars are capable of taking the right-hander at significant speed, often with shifting down a couple of gears and carrying as much forward momentum through the apex of the turn as possible.

Although the Old Hairpin represents one of the better overtaking opportunities at the Donington Park circuit, most drivers find it advisable to use this corner to earn a run on their rival ahead – using the convenient possibility of extending the circuit width on corner exit to carry the speed-up the approaching hill, and lining up their rival for a late dive under braking into the McLeans corner slightly further around the lap.

Starkeys Bridge

While Donington Park is certainly famous for its sweeping corners, the track also carries considerable history all around the 4020km circuit layout. Having previously hosted Grand Prix greats the likes of Tazio Nuvolari, Bernd Rosemeyer and Rudolf Caracciola, much of that history can been seen on the modern incarnation of the track – most strikingly at the Starkeys Bridge complex where modern race cars pass next to the old underpass that used to see pre-war Grand Prix greats battle it out for racing supremacy. Now very much to the side of the current racing tarmac, the Starkeys Bridge can still be visited by spectating fans, with a modern extension connecting to the historic arches and passing over the current racing configuration.

Schwantz Curve

Named after motorcycle great and fan favourite rider Kevin Schwantz, this sweeping uphill left-hander is an easy flat out corner in most modern racing cars, providing little in the way of a challenge ahead of the blind entry into the backstretch of the circuit, as drivers prepare their approach to McLeans, and the beginning of the fastest part of the Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit. 

McLeans

Arguably one of the most deceptively difficult corners of the circuit, at McLeans drivers can easily win or lose considerable amounts of lap time in a corner where overtaking is certainly possible, and the chances of making a small mistake are alarmingly easy to do. Requiring a significant reduction in speed and up to three downshifts, the right-hand turn at McLeans can easily unbalance a car and induce unexpected oversteer moments, often pulling a driver too deep into the apex and unsettling the car over the raised curb on the inside of the turn. Should drivers manage to avoid that fate, it is disturbingly easy to under rotate the car and find yourself quickly running out of tarmac on corner exit, which at best will heavily compromise your speed onto the preceding short straight, and at worst will take you onto the surrounding gravel run-off, potentially losing significant amounts of time to your rivals on track.

Coppice

Much like the previous McLeans corner, Coppice is deceptively difficult to get right in any type of race car here at Donington, with the added jeopardy of the corner leading onto one of the longest straights of the entire lap – get this corner wrong and you will be giving away significant amounts of laptime down the following straight, and making yourself exceptionally vulnerable to attack at the approaching Foggy Esses chicane.

Again, Coppice can present an enticing overtaking opportunity for drivers brave enough to give it a try, however this is certainly one of the more difficult corners at Donington Park, and one that requires a level of precision, patience and confidence from anyone who is looking to wrestle the very best lap time possible from the circuit.

Fogarty Esses

Certainly one of the clearest overtaking opportunities presented to drivers on the Donington Park venue, the Fogarty Esses (or Foggy Esses as it is more commonly known) is a traditional left, right chicane sandwiched between two medium length straights. Approached at something nearing top speed, drivers have ample time to line up an overtake thanks to the removal of the famous Dunlop Bridge, with clear lines of sight into and out of the chicane possible right from the very start of the exit of Coppice. As a reasonably tight chicane, Foggys does benefit from low level curbing, allowing drivers the opportunity to really attack the corner and use significant amounts of curb in their quest to straighten up the chicane as much as possible, and increase the speed for the long run down into the following Melbourne Loop hairpin.

Melbourne Loop

Another exceptional overtaking opportunity, the Melbourne Loop is a traditional right-hand hairpin corner, and is often the scene of many successful overtaking manoeuvres from drivers keen to find a way past slower rivals. Reduced in size considerably from the original Melbourne Loop that formed part of the original circuit, the modern version of this ‘Grand Prix’ addition to the track in approached from a long downhill straight, quickly sweeping to the right before the drivers have to once again climb back up hill and past the old pit lane entry, before getting hard on the brakes for the final Goddards corner. Surrounded by gravel traps should you overshoot your marks and run wide, this is a simple but very important corner to get right, and one that should pay dividends to drivers who are brave on the brakes, and gentle enough on throttle to minimize wheelspin on corner exit, on their way up to the end of the lap.

Goddards

As the final corner of the Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit lap, Goddards presents another very fine overtaking opportunity for our drivers, as well as a great chance to make up lap time on the tricky downhill braking zone into the corner. Here, drivers will need to balance the ever present enthusiasm to push the braking too late into the corner, as it is vital to get a clean run off the turn and onto the Wheatcroft start / finish straight to end the lap. A good overtaking opportunity here can be had either under braking, or more traditionally by forcing the driver ahead to defend into the corner, and out dragging your rival on exit for a pass into the first turn at Redgate.

Benefitting from a full new laserscan and thousands of reference materials, this new track addition for the simulation will represent the most modern and up-to-date version of the track in sim racing, and we can’t wait to tell you more about it and let you try out the circuit for yourselves in the coming weeks.

Exciting times ahead!

Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit – coming soon to rFactor 2

Hello sim racers!

A brand-new season of racing action is right around the corner – ladies and gentlemen, Season 2 of the Competition System is here, and it’s almost time to qualify for the 2022 Formula Challenge season! 

Formula Challenge

Using the mighty popular Formula Pro open wheel race car within rFactor 2, but now with a reduction in power to 600hp specifically for the Formula Challenge Series, this season looks set to welcome any and all drivers from within the rFactor 2 racing community. Open to all via the rFactor 2 Competition System, the hotlap qualification process will be used to decide which split a driver will be allocated for the upcoming season, with the top split racers featuring on live broadcasted races with a chance to win qualification into the top level Formula Pro series – the highest profile open wheel race series in rFactor 2. 

Once the Challenge Series begins, drivers will have access to the updated Formula Pro car, including Push 2 Pass and updated tyre behaviour – changes that will be released as part of the May Q2 content drop for rFactor 2. 

What is Qualifying?

Formula Challenge qualification will feature the updated Formula Pro open wheel car, and run on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Drivers will be able to log as many laps as they wish, with the fastest laptime for that driver counting as their entry into the hotlap leaderboard. At the end of the qualification period, the top 26 drivers will be offered an opportunity to join the top split Formula Challenge series, with further splits opened up depending on your position on the hotlap leaderboard. 

When Does it Run?

Qualification for the new season of Formula Challenge will open on Monday 28th March, with sessions run for three weeks until Monday 17th April. Sessions will be 105 minutes in length, running every 3 hours from 01:00 to 22:00 CEST each day.

How Do I Participate?

The hotlap qualification session and the Formula Challenge series will be run through the rFactor 2 Competition System. Drivers can access the Competition System by selecting the ‘Competition’ tab on the main rFactor 2 UI, and navigating to the ‘Formula Challenge’ event. 

Competition System Season 2

That’s right, a big few weeks are ahead for our rFactor 2 multiplayer fans, as we are today delighted to welcome back the hugely popular Formula Challenge series alongside the launch of our new Competition System Season 2 collection of races. During this period of activity in the Competition System, we have built upon our successful first foray into a season structure, with the return of our popular Rookies Cup races in the recently updated Alpine A110 Cup car, adding a collection of interesting new and free circuits into the schedule to ensure we always have something for everyone to race within the simulation. 

Moving on to the Open Wheel Sprint, the immense USF 2000 returns, this time taking in new tracks from around the world. New Zealand makes an appearance in the form of Teretonga Park and Highlands Motorsport Park, sitting comfortably alongside such classic venues as Zandvoort, Silverstone, Adria and of course, the track pretty much tailor-made for these types of car – Lime Rock Park. 

Those of you wishing to try your hand at something a little more powerful, the second season of our official INDYCAR Open Challenge headlines our new season here in the Competition System, with the mighty Dallara IR-18 INDYCAR visiting some of the finest road course in the world, from São Paulo to Portland, by way of Indianapolis, Spa, Zandvoort and Sebring – it should be a great few weeks of racing for those that find themselves with a need for speed! 

Rookie Cup

Car: Alpine A110 Cup (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily, at the beginning of every hour

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 20 minute race

Open Wheel Sprint

Car: USF 2000 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily, 30 minutes past every hour

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 25 minute race

INDYCAR Open Challenge

Car: Dallara IR-18 INDYCAR (Steam Store: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily at 9pm CEST and 1am CEST (3pm EST and 7pm EST)

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 40 minute race

With the main series of racing taken care of, finally, as has proven to be exceptionally popular at the conclusion of Season 1, the ‘Race of the Season’ returns once again, with a live broadcast top split race set to showcase some of the finest racers within the rFactor 2 Competition System. This season, qualification for our ROTS event will close on Friday 1st May, with the top split server race set to be broadcast live on the Traxion.gg YouTube channel Saturday 9th May. The Race of the Season is a great opportunity for every driver in rFactor 2 to enjoy online racing against their rivals, with multiple splits based on qualification times, get ready for an incredibly tough event, where only the best of the best will succeed! 

Race of the Season

Date: 9th May 2022

Time: 21:00 CEST

Qualification: Hotlap competition until May 1st

Number of Drivers: 30

Race Details: Ligier JS P320 LMP 3 at Nürburgring Nordschliefe 

Live Steam: Yes – TraxionGG YouTube

Formula Challenge qualification and Competition System Season 2 races open on Monday 28th March – we can’t wait to meet you out on the track!