Announcement

During the third running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, it is clear that there were two major server issues which necessitated red flag stoppages. These were global disconnections caused by a security breach, resulting from the unintentional sharing by race competitors of IP addresses connecting teams to the server.

We have had 180 competitors taking part on 164 different simulators all around the world, and we appreciate the frustrations of any individual drivers or teams affected. A full investigation will be launched at the conclusion of the event, and we will report back on the findings in due course.

Updated 27.01.2023

2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual Statement

Following the conclusion of the 2023 running of the 24 Hours of Lemans Virtual, and the unfortunate issues that resulted in a double red flag stoppage and player disconnects, the technical team of Studio 397 are undertaking preliminary investigations to determine causes and direction of development to be applied to future product updates.

Once again, we apologise to fans and participants of this event for the obvious frustrations these incidents have caused. Issues like these are massively frustrating to all involved in such a considerable production, and we remain determined to use the 2023 event as a platform to expand our knowledge and experience, to help build in a stronger, more robust set of solutions for every online player of rFactor 2.

We are aware that the IP addresses of the servers were inadvertently made public, and we observed unusual levels of traffic during the event, combined with logging of some concerning events taking place during this period. We are not aware of a malicious attack, but will be implementing new procedures to ensure that in future our servers are robustly defended. The use of direct IP addresses for access to multiplayer sessions is clearly not an ideal solution, and we take full responsibility for any inadvertent distribution to non-participants – we are actively working on new processes to allow only permitted users and prevent similar issues in the future.

Additionally, the four instances of spontaneous multiple disconnects that occurred during the race were highly unusual and have only been seen once before in competition. Whilst we have made significant improvements and bug fixes to the multiplayer code of the game in recent years, we are clearly still experiencing problems with legacy low-level networking code. Naturally, this is an unacceptable situation for any multiplayer environment, and we are committed to rewriting this code over the coming months to ensure a better experience for all players.

The spotlight on the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual over the years has been both rewarding and challenging for rFactor 2 and Studio 397. As the most widely visible sim racing event, any issues are thrust into the spotlight by the incredible competitors from around the globe. We aspire to be the most realistic racing simulation experience and will continue tirelessly to ensure that we take learnings, along with the Le Mans organisers to produce spectacular virtual racing events as we move towards the future.

As a leading motorsport simulation product, rFactor 2 has to dig deeply into the advanced world of automotive physics in order to accurately portray many varied characteristics of real world driving and racing dynamics. In order to recreate real world behaviours in a simulation environment, the rFactor 2 software has to undertake a mind-boggling array of calculations from many varied aspects of the car, road surface, ambient conditions and more in order to present a precise and accurate experience to the end user. 

Of these multiple calculations and dependencies undertaken at any given time, one of the key areas to ensuring a robust driving experience comes from the way the physics engineers at Studio 397 interpret tyre data and behaviour characteristics within the simulation. More than simply bolting a standard set of behaviours onto the tyres within the simulation across the full spectrum of cars, each set of tyres has been tailor-made to match their real world counterparts, both in terms of behaviour, but also construction, interaction with the car and surface, and of course how tyres react throughout a range of different potential situations and stress factors on track. 

To help the physics team at Studio 397 understand the very deep and complex construction and reactions of racing tyres, the team have recently struck up an enhanced partnership with the world-famous tyre manufacturer, Goodyear. Working in close partnership as Goodyear seek to expand their own virtual tyre modelling capabilities, Studio 397 have benefitted from an exceptional collaboration and sharing of data and insight of late, data that has gone some way towards rFactor 2 yet further enhancing the already advanced tyre model within the simulation. 

In this new insight video, we took the opportunity to sit down with Tony Ward, Motorsport Marketing Manager EMEA of Goodyear tyres, to discuss how things work with this new partnership and how Goodyear and pushing the team at Studio 397 to make even better and more detailed tyre model calculations going forward. 

rFactor 2 continues to strive forward with our intentions to enhance both the detail, usability and visual fidelity of the simulation in the weeks, months and years ahead. This close partnership with Goodyear is another major milestone in our development intentions, and already the benefits of this early collaboration are bearing fruit with our latest tyre model iteration – one that will continue to be enhanced and refined within rFactor 2 as we further progress with the rFactor 2 title moving forwards.

As such an important aspect of how a car engages with the racing surface, tyres are something that provide a critical impact into the overall driving experience – and working together with Goodyear, Studio 397 are presented with a fantastic opportunity to uplift the racing experience for all our players – one we cannot wait for you to fully experience out on the track!

rFactor 2 – Available Now on Steam

Hello sim racers!

The final day of the year is about to roll around, and with those last dying embers of the 2022 almost in the rearview mirror, we thought now is a good of a time as any to have a quick look back on what has, quite frankly, been a fantastic 12 months for rFactor 2.

This last year, we at Studio 397 have worked exceptionally hard to both increase our rate of development, and continue to offer a healthy stream of new and exciting content for our users to enjoy – and hot dang, that’s been a successful mission!

In terms of the general development direction for rFactor 2, this year we instigated a new and much more ordered update release schedule, pivoting from a somewhat haphazard approach of recent years, to scheduled, quarterly plans that both help us resource, and sets a clear expectation to the community about when new things for the simulation can be expected. We think this quarterly release cycle has worked even better than expected, and we are of course delighted to see our community appear to be pleased with the new structure as well. The quarterly release cycle (Feb / May / Aug / Nov) is something we plan to continue into 2023, as well as the Release Candidate build program we have used for the last couple of years.

In terms of the simulation itself, although rFactor 2 has been out for a number of years now, I’m sure you’ll all agree that the level of progress we have enjoyed in the last couple of years has been nothing short of outstanding, with many fundamental improvements and advancements having been brought on stream in recent months. Does this mean we’ve achieved everything we want with the software, or that we are happy with the current feature set and development? Far from it, we recognise we still have a long way to go in order to push rFactor 2 forwards, and already the early plans for the simulation into 2023 are looking very good indeed – Q1 should be a popular one for our current and future fans!

We remain passionate, committed, excited and determined to bring great things to rFactor 2 in the future, and just like our incredible community, we are highly motivated and excited for 2023 and all that it will bring to the simulation.

Now, seeing as 2022 was pretty packed with goodies, let’s have a look at a few key highlights from the year that’s about to close…

New Content

Number of Cars | 13

Number of Tracks | 9

An unprecedented number of content items came to rFactor 2 this year, and perhaps more significantly than the sheer volume, 2022 proved to be a great year for us in terms of the scale of licences we managed to sign for the simulation. You wouldn’t have to look back far to see a time when some of these licences would feel like nothing short of a pipe dream, so to sit here at the end of the year and reflecting on what we have achieved, not to mention what we already know is coming in 2023, is an incredibly satisfying experience for the studio.

The first of these big licence agreements has to be the introduction of both the often requested Daytona International Speedway, and of course the ridiculously impressive IndyCar championship – two of the best US motorsport has to offer. Both IndyCar, in extension to our relationship back in 2014 with the DW12, and Daytona, proved to be massive additions for a small studio such as ourselves, and with these new relationships, we look forward to working closely together well into the future.

Another big one for 2022 has to be the British Touring Car Championship, and the full 2021 and 2022 grid represented in particularly strong style. As well as this being a great opportunity to partner up with a big brand such as the BTCC, it also allowed us to do something we haven’t done in a very long time – develop a robust front-wheel drive experience within the simulation. We appreciate that the trend of racing fans is to preference a rear driven car, however I’m sure many reading this will agree, the added challenge of learning to master front-wheel drive is a unique and satisfying experience, something that we know a lot of people have taken the opportunity to enjoy with these new cars.

Build Updates and Features

Number of Core Build Updates | 6

2022 has also proven a very fruitful (or should that be hectic?!) time for our code team here at Studio 397, as we’ve pushed exceptionally hard to bring a huge number of improvements and additions to the simulation. rFactor 2 at the end of 2022 is a very different, and much improved product over the one we closed out 2021 with. It would be, quite frankly, near impossible to list the full set of changes that came the way of the title over the last year, however, for the benefit of this feature article, we’ve attempted to pull together a few highlights from the year – just in case you might have missed or forgotten them in all the excitement we’ve just been through!

New UI

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

With such a substantial rebuild of the entire rFactor 2 UI experience, below you will find a brief bullet point list of some of the key areas that have been improved or expanded upon when we launched this new build. Please note, these are just some areas of change, as the new UI fundamentally affects the entirety of the rFactor 2 user journey – with some aspects of the new 2022 UI Update adding substantial changes and improvements over the previous UI release. 

• Brand-new audio and visual design across all pages.
• Main menu improvements for clearer navigation, more call to actions and an easier layout to understand for new users.
• All single player related functionality brought together into one area with cross navigation from, and to, any page in this area in order for optimized user flow.
• Enhanced layout of every page to improve user flow and simplify interaction.
• The settings menu has undergone a big update with clearer navigation, an easier layout and simplified user flow with fewer pages.
• The setup area has undergone a big update with clearer navigation, an easier layout and simplified user flow with fewer pages.
• Event screen optimizations and user flow improvements.
• 2 brand-new showrooms.

Real Road 2.0

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

This was a big one for us in 2022, and a key element of further developing our immersive simulation experience in rFactor 2. With this update, we took into account various factors present within a real world track surface and applied that into how our previously static track surface behaves. What does this mean? Simply put, our track surface (on all tracks) now has an element of dynamic functionality, where the surface temperatures, and thus the behaviour and levels of grip they give up, will change and can be influenced by varied factors. These temperature changes can be influenced by things such as geographical location, cloud cover, time of day, ambient temperatures and heat transfer from cars running over the surface of the tarmac. 

As a driver, this means each circuit will offer up varied levels of grip, and produce varied amounts of tyre wear, depending on the factors stated above. Furthermore, this opens up the opportunity for us to now expand how wet tracks dry (or dampen) over time, with covered areas less likely to change surface behaviour as quickly as those open to the elements.  

New Sound Engine

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

A brand-new sound engine was a massive boost to the simulation earlier this year, significantly enhancing the audio experience of the software and really helping to put our drivers firmly in the heart of the racing experience. Onboard and offboard audio have been significantly enhanced from what our players are used to hearing, with a much richer, more detailed and immersive output possible with this sound engine change. 

Another major improvement of our new sound engine is the ability for us to now properly filter between different types of car style within the sim. With this new release, the simulation can now automatically detect when the player is using an open cockpit car in comparison to a close cockpit machine, and adjust how and what audio effects are played back to the driver – allowing us the scope to really up the immersive aspect of the different types of car, and tailor the audio experience to best represent how things would sound within a real racing machine of the type you have chosen. As an additional benefit, we can now support HRFT, which as well as significantly improving the audio experience for headphone users, will also greatly enhance how drivers using Virtual Reality will be able to recognize and interact with the placement of sounds within the simulation environment – yet further increasing the immersive experience of the title. 

Wet Weather Improvements

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

This represented a significant update to how wet weather conditions and racing behaves across the simulation. Here, we have reviewed our wet conditions in rFactor 2, adding a raft of improvements that should make for more immersive and realistic racing in wet conditions, from how the rain falls and dries on the circuit, to how the AI choose their tyres and manage the wet conditions. Drivers will now have to pick the best and most grippy line in all conditions out on the track, and the AI should behave in a realistic and believable way in terms of tyre choice and strategy. It is also worth noting here, users can now select the level of wetness on the track before the session, allowing players to dictate the track surface conditions to their own preferences. 

In-Game Store

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

With the way things have historically been configured to utilize the existing functionality within the Steam Store, we quickly realized that in order to translate our desires for a more robust experience into reality, we would have to go a little further than simply fine-tuning the existing feel – and so, the brand-new rFactor 2 Steam Store was born!

• Consistent, clear design with ease of navigation.
• Clearly shows owned content.
• The store will calculate the best deals, based on owned content and items within the basket.
• Under each content heading, the store will dynamically present you with content you don’t own at the head of the page. 
• When reviewing the basket, the store will show similar, relevant items.
• When collecting single items, the store will recommend packs when they are cheaper.
• After purchase, content gets downloaded and installed right away.

Track Cut System

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

Having reviewed the limitations of the previous iteration, this new system has been developed to both closely mirror how real world circuit racing penalties are applied, whilst also providing a more robust, fairer and clearer way of dealing with on track infringements by drivers. The new cut track and penalty detection system has been optimised for both non race and race events sessions, with appropriate weighting of infringements and penalty issuing developed in accordance to the type of session in which those infringements are collected. 

In terms of track cutting, for the purposes of this new system a track cut is defined as leaving the legal bounds of the race surface and re-joining it and gaining a lasting time or positional advantage from it. The system has a number of parameters in which to calculate the severity of the cut, and what type of penalisation will be awarded.

Once drivers re-join the track, the system then takes some time to consider the situation and to see if the driver is trying to correct for their errors, under control or even going quick enough. This will help reduce false detections and receiving warnings for making a mistake

Sparks

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

Anyone who likes themselves a good motorsport picture has probably seen an early 90s Formula One car kicking up a rooster tail of sparks from the undertray at any given circuit, those types of pictures are firmly embedded in the minds of racing fans, and now you can recreate this for yourself in rFactor 2! The team here at Studio 397 have worked exceptionally hard to not only bring these features to the title, but to ensure they interact properly with the types of cars we have in this simulation, showing off the sparks, rain spray and off track debris kicking up, while also ensuring they behave in a way that is accurate and interacts with the shapes and styles of cars that produce them – another very important step in our quest to continue building upon our aim to mirror real life as closely as possible. 

AI Improvements

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

Yes, we admit this has been a little while in the making here in rFactor 2 land, but this release was a great first step towards offering a substantial improvement to the way the AI responds in game – from more controlled and believable behaviour on the track, to the abolishment of the frustrating on and off throttle pedal control – literally a game changing fix and improvement to the core offline racing experience! 

• Eradicated erratic throttle and brake behaviour.
• Smoothed out steering inputs and car control.
• Improved AI ability to adhere to racing surface and avoid unnecessary off track excursions and spins.

Traction Control and ABS Improvements

More Details | Announcement Post: CLICK HERE

The new ABS functionality utilises the same ABS onboard map as the original implementation, however, with these new developments drivers will be exposed to a much more accurate and realistic set of behaviours. Under heavy braking, when the tyres start locking up the ABS will activate and releases the brakes on an individual wheel basis, until grip returns and the ABS turns off again and brake pressure returns – exactly mirroring the mechanical functionality of real world ABS behaviour. ABS working hard? Expect quite a jolt through the force feedback!In terms of traction control, in this new build we now have three onboard TC maps, these are as follows:

• Onboard TC
• Power Cut TC
• Slip Angle TC.

The power cut TC controls how much power is cut when TC activates, with a higher map value simulating a higher level of power reduction. The slip angle TC controls how much lateral (side) slip a car can have before TC kicks in, with a higher map allowing less slip. Not all cars have these two settings, so one or both of these may be disabled, in which case they are controlled by the main “onboard TC” map. Next to this, the onboard TC map also controls the longitudinal (forward) slip the driven wheels can have before TC kicks in, again a higher map means less allowed slip.

Furthermore, additional dashboard ABS/TC lights will be introduced to cars with these features enabled.

Looking Ahead to 2023

With the year over, don’t for one minuite think this means the team at Studio 397 will be taking their collective feet off the gas – far from it, as 2023 is set to be another year of significant change and improvements – with quite a big surprise set to be announced towards the middle of the year ahead…

It would be fair to say that each and every member of the team here at Studio 397 are massive fans of real and virtual motorsport, and I think that often shows through in the commitment to quality and diversity we bring to rFactor 2. From big licences, to continued and enhanced development of the core code within the simulation, we remain firmly focussed on bringing our players the best driving and racing experience we possibly can, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible to achieve within this software.

2023 plans are already very advanced for the future development direction of rFactor 2 and Studio 397 projects, with plenty of exciting things in and around the world of this simulation lined up for you all to enjoy in the coming 12 months and beyond. A lot of what we have planned, even at this early stage, are shaping up to be very exciting for sim racers the world over, and we cannot wait to go on this journey together, and share what we hope will be another year of great developments and enhancements to our favourite hobby.

Final Thoughts

On a personal note, I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of Studio 397 to thank all our fans, both new and old, for sticking with us and continuing to enjoy the rollercoaster ride that is rFactor 2. This past year has been an eye opening experience for us all, as we buckle down and continue working exceptionally hard to bring bigger, better and more important improvements to our favourite racing simulation. The journey isn’t always the easiest one to take, and from time to time we make the occasional misstep, but as in everything in life, the most important thing is always to take all of that collective experience, both good and bad, and feed that into our future learnings to continue to improve and progress going forward.

From new ways of working, further integration into the structures within Motorsport Games, new staff and different roles and responsibilities througout the team, I think we at Studio 397 have worked incredibly well over the course of the past 12 months, and that work continues to put us on a fantastic trajectory for the future – a future that is, in my humble opinion, an incredibly bright one, and one that should continue to bring joy to sim racers the world over for the foreseeable future.

TLDR? I’m pretty stoked for 2023, and I think you all should be too!

Have a great and safe New Year celebration, and we will see you all on the other side in 2023.

Hello sim racers, 

The final car of the Q4 2022 Bonus Pack holiday special is ready to be revealed…. folks at home, please give a very warm welcome to the spectacular Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)!

Loved by fans and drivers alike, the 911 GT3 Cup (992) is a brutal, intense, powerful and dynamic driving experience that allows for exceptional racing and seat of the pants feeling behind the wheel – which sounds to us like a recipe for some incredible moments out on the virtual circuits of the world. 

According to Porsche themselves, the 911 GT3 Cup is the world’s best-selling racing car, and with championships at both national, regional and international levels, often with consistently packed grids of drivers for many consecutive years, that claim is a very easy one to believe. But, why is this car so very popular with fans and drivers? Put simply, the 911 GT3 Cup family of cars, of which this 922 is the most recent, represents exceptional value for money, a thrilling driving experience and one of the most iconic shapes in the automotive world – all of which combines to elevate the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) into the stratosphere of desirability – plus, it’s a damn fine piece of engineering that rarely fails to test your driving abilities to the limit, which is never a bad thing with this type of car! 

The Car

Faster than the 991 it replaces, with more downforce and increased corner capabilities, the new 911 GT3 Cup (992) has been improved in almost every single area, making this the most refined 911 GT3 Cup car built by Porsche to date. With performance now capable of producing 510 hp, plus optimisations around the intake manifold, electronic gearshift and power steering, fully digital cockpit, larger rear wing, and a double-wishbone front axle headlines amongst the onslaught of changes that came the way of the new 911 GT3 Cup (992), the latest in a family of models that dates all the way back to 1990 is a true thoroughbred racecar in every conceivable way. 

Drive | Rear-Wheel

Displacement | 3.996 cm³

Performance | 375 kW (510 PS)

Weight | ca. 1,260 kg (2,778 lbs)

Length | 4,585 mm

Width | 1,902 mm (74.88 inch)

Wheelbase | 2,459 mm (96.81 inch)

There can be no doubt that this is an impressive car on the real world circuits, but in virtual terms, this 911 GT3 Cup (992) is also a highly sought after piece of (virtual) machinery, and a car that has long been desired by the sim racing community here at rFactor 2. With this new build, we have worked exceptionally hard to ensure we have something that can match up to the hype and anticipation of this model introduction, as we paid a great deal of attention not only to the visual model of the car, but how the physics interact with the core simulation software. As always, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with Porsche Motorsport to pull masses of data from the manufacturer into the simulation, but for this car, we’ve also got a bit of an ace up our sleeve – our very own Stig… OK, not Sting, but we do have a racing driver on hand with significant experience in this very car, World’s Fastest Gamer, rFactor 2 ambassador and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany driver, Rudy van Buren!

As an experienced sim racer and Porsche Cup driver, Rudy has been invaluable with his feedback and development support on this car, helping us to get to the point where we believe the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) in rFactor 2 is an incredible likeness to real life – one that we absolutely cannot wait to share with you all when it goes live on Wednesday 21st December! 

Q4 2022 Bonus Pack Announcements:

• Vauxhall Astra BTCC
• BTCC 2022 Update and BOP

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) is the final car reveal of the new, surprise, Q4 2022 Bonus Pack content release for rFactor 2 – right ahead of the upcoming festive holidays – so plenty of time to get out of the action and lock yourself in your racing rig for some on track fun! 

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed bringing this car to rFactor 2, and we can’t wait to hear what you’ve all got to say about it once it becomes available to purchase from the rFactor 2 Steam Store, this Wednesday, December 21st. 

Have fun.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 – Coming December 21st to rFactor 2!

Hello sim racers,

With our (almost) complete field of British Touring Car Championship vehicles now in your virtual racing garages, it’s time to give the cars a fresh lick of paint, and bring our expanding grid right up to date and into the most recent season of racing. With this new release scheduled for just a few short days time, we will add the full 2022 BTCC liveries to the simulation alongside the already available 2021 set, as well as a brand-new Balance of Performance and updates to the existing Goodyear touring car tyres. .

2022 Liveries

This is, of course, the most visually noticeable part of the new update. In motorsport, the livery of a team is one of the most important aspects of the overall branding experience, the way that each team and car can differentiate themselves on the grid, in front of the fans, and the TV coverage beamed into thousands of households around the world. In the British Touring Car Championship, unlike in series such as Formula One for example, the liveries of the various teams are even more important, as often you find very different designs and sponsors on the cars each year, sometimes even between each event!

For this update, we have brought the full collection of the most recent designs into the simulation, separating the 2021 and 22 seasons in the main UI, so our players have the opportunity to recreate whichever season they desire within the rFactor 2.

Working closely with the teams to ensure maximum visual proximity to the real world, each car has been fully recreated to represent how it looked during the season that has just passed, including specific driver variations (of which they were a lot!), to really help bring to life the beautiful look and feel of the 2022 British Touring Car Championship year. From the all new West Surrey Racing design at BMW, to the stunning NAPA Racing UK livery of reigning champion Ash Sutton, the grid looks outstanding – and soon you can drive them all yourselves!

Balance of Performance (BOP)

As we continue to expand our BTCC offering in rFactor 2, this end of year bonus drop provides us with the opportunity to perform a detailed Balance of Performance across the 2021 and 2022 grid. Working just like in real life, the BOP has been developed in order to present a certain amount of parity between the various different types of BTCC car in rFactor 2. This doesn’t mean the cars carry the same characteristics, far from it, however it does mean that, just like in real life, no matter the model picked, drivers should still have a reasonable chance to score top results in any given race.

Now of course the cars of the BTCC differ greatly throughout the grid, so some circuits will certainly favour a particular model or drive type, however with this new update and refreshed tyre model, the difference between choices has been vastly reduced, leaving it up to the driver to extract the ultimate pace of the car.

Of course, as always with things like a Balance of Performance, we wouldn’t be surprised if further tweaks are required in the future as more people get to experience these new cars, but for now at least, things such be much closer between the front rear-wheel drive cars of the series.

TOCA Hybrid – Coming Q1 2023

2022 was a big year for the British Touring Car Championship, with the introduction of hybrid proving to be one of the most significant rule changes of the NGTC specification regulation era. Unlike in other forms of racing, Hybrid in the BTCC acts as more of a traditional boost button type of power deployment, something that both decreases the overall lap time of the cars, and introduces an interesting strategic dynamic for attacking and defending within a race.

For the initial launch of the BTCC cars, Studio 397 utilized the existing ‘Push to Pass’ feature within the sim, however, as we now get very close to realizing the full 2021/22 BTCC field, 2023 will see us take the opportunity to develop a fully fleshed out hybrid functionality for these cars – adding another important aspect of immersion and simulation to this already outstanding set of vehicles. The TOCA Hybrid system is something many of you have been looking forward to seeing, and trust us when we say, we can’t wait to get Hybrid in its many forms introduced into the sim as well! We anticipate the TOCA Hybrid system, as well as the remaining BTCC cars will be introduced as part of the Q1 2023 content drop and update, so not long left to wait now…

Q4 2022 Bonus Pack Announcements So Far

Vauxhall Astra BTCC

2022 and the introduction of the BTCC licence into rFactor 2 has been an incredibly exciting time for us here at Studio 397, and with this last BTCC car of the year adding the total up to six models alongside all the other content we’ve released, it’s been a pretty big challenge to get everyone done – one we are delighted to see has been well received by the sim racing community. We’ve not quite done yet though, as we’ve still got one final bit of content to announce for this Q4 2022 Bonus Drop release, so stay tuned to all the usual rFactor 2 social media channels in the days ahead… we think you’ll like this last one…

BTCC 2022 – Coming December 21st to rFactor 2!

Hello sim racers!

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what’s more jolly than a surprise batch of new content for rFactor 2?

Hot off the heels of the popular Q4 2022 release back in November, this Christmas we have not one, but two new cars coming to rFactor 2! First on the list, as we take a further step towards locking down the full 2021/22 British Touring Car Championship field, we are delighted to introduce the wonderful little Vauxhall Astra BTCC – set to join our already released BMW 330i M Sport, and previously released cars from Infiniti, Toyota, Hyundai and Ford. 

The Vauxhall brand is very well known in the world of touring cars in the UK, and with the return of the Astra, built and developed by the Power Maxed Racing out in Bidford-on-Avon, the car still enjoys some strong performances despite being one of the older models on the current grid. Something of a fan favourite thanks in no little part to often exciting driver line-ups and the bright colour scheme of Power Maxed, the Astra might be small, but it’s certainly still mighty!

rFactor 2 BTCC | Steam Store:CLICK HERE

The Vauxhall Astra made its debut under the current NGTC regulations all the way back in 2017, marking the much heralded return of the British brand following an incredible run of success in the early 1990s through to the mid 2000s, however as per the NGTC rule set, the return of the Astra wouldn’t be a fully works attempt as previous years, with Power Maxed Racing, forming the new adventure with support from the main dealer, but predominantly going it alone following a toe in the water exercise with car sponsorship in previous seasons. 

Run by Team Principal Adam Weaver and Race Director Martin Broadhurst, Power Maxed and Vauxhall achieved instant success with a podium on the car’s very first attempt at Brands Hatch, with 2017 seeing further glory with numerous top 10 finishes throughout the year, including a season best second-place finish at Silverstone. It wouldn’t be long until Vauxhall found themselves back in the winners circle once again, with sophomore driver Senna Proctor and new recruit Josh Cook securing three victories from the opening three rounds of the 2018 season. 

2019 would mark the final occasion the little Vauxhall took a chequered flag in the BTCC, with former double champion and tin top legend Jason Plato taking the final of his 97 victories in the series – a nice synergy of history between the two, as Plato also secured his first BTCC championship racing under Vauxhall colours back in 2001.

Since returning full time to the BTCC following a truncated, Covid affected season in 2020, Power Maxed Racing have run a number of fan favourite and rookie drivers in the team, occasionally showing flashes of pace despite the car clearly starting to show its age against some of the newer machinery that has arrived in the series within recent seasons. 

The car remains a firm top 10 possibility in the right hands, and given a good turn of luck and things falling in the right way could still be a victory contender – but regardless of results, one thing is for sure, the car looks great, and is a beautifully well-balanced and nice handling machine that should be a great introductory experience for players new to front-wheel drive machinery. 

So there we have it folks, the first of a few surprises coming your way, and not long left to go now, so stay tuned and hold tight, we are nearly ready to go…

Vauxhall Astra BTCC – Coming December 21st to rFactor 2!

The brand-new INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge is coming to rFactor 2 this November 28^th.

A new hot-lap competition within rFactor 2 is here, as we team up with the INDYCAR organisation to put on a series of three weekly events in the rFactor 2 Competition System, with the aim to find out which of our community is the quickest behind the wheel of the beautiful Dallara IR-18 INDYCAR within rFactor 2.

Developed as a competitive way to see you through the festive season, with slots suitable for any driver regardless of time zone, the INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge is set to be short, sharp, fun and highly competitive indeed!

Buckle up, get into that virtual cockpit of the rFactor 2 Dallara IR-18 and show us what you are capable of out on the track…

The Series

As the name suggests, the INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge is a test of raw outright pace. Using the current generation INDYCAR IR-18 within rFactor 2, across three very different circuits, drivers can put their ultimate pace to the test – with the fastest drivers from each event in line to win some awesome prizes, and the title of kudos of being the known as the quickest INDYCAR driver in rFactor 2.     

Not the fastest of drivers in rFactor 2? Worry not, even if you aren’t going to be setting the timings screens alight during these events, we have you covered with a range of awesome prizes set to be given out at random to select drivers who set a time – so if you want some fun in a great car, and a chance to win something cool, this is the competition for you!

How to Enter

Participation in the INDYCAR Holiday Hot-lap Challenge is simple – all you need is the rFactor 2 simulation and content, access to the internet and the desire to push yourself to the limits.

Held within the rFactor 2 Competition System, prospective drivers will need to sign up for the INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge event and register for the respective qualification sessions, as detailed in the calendar graphic below. Entry to the INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge is free, providing you own the content for the series.

INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge | Forum: COMING SOON

Calendar

Rules and Regulations

A full list of the rules and regulations relating to the IndyCar Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge can be found HERE.

The official INDYCAR Holiday Hot-Lap Challenge is a new, quick fire and super intense esport competition for those with a taste for going quickly! Supported by INDYCAR and set to feature some great prizes, make sure you get signed up, and lay down those fast laps to beat the competition!

Hello sim racers, 

The time for talking is over, finally we are here, ready to go and locked and loaded – the Q4 2022 rFactor 2 update and content drop is now live!

The final scheduled drop of the year, and one we’ve been looking forward to for quite a while here at the studio. Although a little smaller than usual in terms of new and improved features, one of the most important things on the community wish list we’ve heard in recent months is the desire for us to prioritize some improvements with our AI code – improvements that you tell us will help elevate the user experience for rFactor 2 in an offline environment. Well, we’ve heard you loud and clear, and now we are delighted to bring the first wave of these improvements to the simulation – on and off throttle behaviour be gone! 

As well as looking at the way the AI behaves, we’ve also taken the opportunity to review how our players can interact with the many varied content offerings within the title, and we quickly came to the decision that a new store experience would be required in order to simplify the content ownership experience – adding a more user-friendly and front facing store, and making it easier and quicker to see what you own, and how to most effectively make new purchases without spending more money than necessary. 

Note for release: Due to the conclusion of the licencing arrangement with Formula E, the Monaco E-Prix Circuit will be removed from sale within the rFactor 2 Steam Store during this launch. The new London E-Prix will be added to the existing Formula E pack for new purchases going forward. 

New Content – Cars

New content is always nice, and seeing as we are all very much fans of motorsport here at the Studio, we enjoy bringing new and exciting content to the simulation almost as much as you all enjoying driving them! For this Q4 release, we continue our quest to complete the 2021/22 British Touring Car Championship field, as well as introduce our first of the new Hypercar class – even before the car gets to race in the real world! Without further ado, let’s take a look at the shiny new machinery we’ve got on offer with this new release…

BMW 330i M Sport

BMW 330i M Sport BTCC | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

Our latest British Touring Car Championship content is here, as we introduce the incredible BMW 330i M Performance to the rFactor 2 – a car that have enjoyed much success in the world of the premier tin top touring car series in the UK. A nice new rear-wheel drive car alongside the previously released Infiniti, the BMW should be another great addition to our expanding tin top collection in rFactor 2, and offers a very different, but equally rewarding experience for those who venture out onto the virtual track.

Vanwall Vandervell LMH

Vanwall LMH | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

Developed by Vanwall Racing, this car marks a welcome return for the once dominant British marque. The Vanwall LMH has undergone significant amounts of real world testing as the team continue in their quest to gain entry into the leading World Endurance Championship for the years ahead. Developed fully by the Vanwall team in collaboration with Studio 397, this car is the definition of benefitting from real world data, and collaborated by Vanwall drivers, so the experience should be as close as is possible to get to putting yourself behind the wheel of one of these outstanding new breed of race machines. 

New Content – Tracks

New cars are great, but without tracks, these little beauties can’t really do anything – so as we’ve tried to achieve in previous quarterly updates, we’ve worked hard for this Q4 release to ensure we’ve got a nice collection of new venues on which to race, and in all honesty, we couldn’t be more delighted with this great collection of very different circuits on which to try your hand.  

Bahrain International Circuit

Bahrain International Circuit | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

Starting out with the big hitter, Q4 sees a public release of the beautiful Bahrain International Circuit for rFactor 2. As well as being a great high profile track within its own right, what makes this release particularly special is the fact our Bahrain track will be the very first laserscanned version of this circuit in sim racing, really putting you, the driver, absolutely in the heart of what it is like to tear up the tarmac on one of the better modern race circuits that feature in such series as Formula One and WEC. What’s more, the track comes with four unique configurations – including the crazy outer loop layout!

Croft Circuit

Croft Circuit | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

Based in North Yorkshire, and probably little known to anyone outside the UK and BTCC fandom, Croft is an incredible national club racing circuit that promotes outstanding racing opportunities, whilst providing an exceptionally enjoyable experience for drivers behind the wheel. Short, sharp, technical and in parts very quick indeed, Croft isn’t just a touring car track, but a circuit that is an absolute delight for any kind of racing car, fast or slow. As always with new track content in rFactor 2, Croft benefits from a detailed laserscan and reference materials, meaning this digital version of the British circuit is the most accurate and up-to-date version anywhere in sim racing – a true delight to drive and race. 

Thruxton Circuit

Thruxton Circuit | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

When you think of fast circuits in Europe, you probably imagine Monza, right? Well, maybe that should be revised a little, as Thruxton is an incredible layout that the bravest drivers can take on full throttle for much of the lap. Despite being so exceptionally fast, unlike Monza, the track surface is far from smooth and flat, meaning anyone who ventures out for a drive on this circuit will have to have every bit of their skills on display – go too fast, lose concentration, and you are heading for a monster shunt! Such an incredibly exciting layout to drive, and another one that promotes exceptional racing, this laserscanned version of Thruxton is of the highest detail, and also certain to provide a lot of fun in any type of car. 

London E-Prix

London E-Prix | Steam Store: CLICK HERE

Developed directly by Formula E themselves, the new ExCeL London circuit is one of the more technical, fast and challenging layouts on the modern Formula E calendar. Exceptionally unique thanks to the part indoor section at the start of the lap, and featuring some fearsome corners that need nothing less than total commitment in order to squeeze out a competitive lap time, the London E-Prix circuit is a Formula E track, but not quite as you’ve come to know it. 

Take out the Gen1 or Gen2 Formula E car, or even something low powered, and you will be in for an incredible rollercoaster ride of thrills, one not to be missed! 

Known Issues
Thruxton: AI has a tendency to experience issues on curbs with rolling
Vanwall: Excessive sparks from AI in certain situations.

So, let’s take a look at what is included in the new November 2022 build: 

The Update

Client: 9873443 

Dedicated Server: 9873452

General

• Enabled Alt+F4 and X closing the game
• Fixed a rare crash when changing cameras
• Fixed game crashing with “null” in controller.json
• Fixed game crashing when pressing escape to monitor
• Added Key Assignment to toggle Freelook Mouse Control
• Improved package install speeds
• Updated DRS regulations to be restricted in all zones by default and not allowed if there are no drs zones.
• Added RFM parameter “RearFlapNoZonesAllowed” to allow DRS when no zones are available.
• Fixed online temp car not lighting correctly at night.
• Improved visibility of pitbox marker at night.
• Fixed anonymous steam IDs being reported in the results.xml when players left the server before the file gets written.
• Sped up Race Event creation in MAS Tool regardless of size/age of pkginfo.dat
• Fixed premium content unavailable offline

Track Limits

• Added Relaxed Track Limits Mode
• Added Penalties Only display mode
• Added Test Day support for GDB Settings (via Practice settings)
• Increased penalties for passing illegally and increased time to return place.
• Made it possible to change modes in Dev Mode
• General improvements to pit lane, removing unnecessary reports inside the pitlane, and fixing pit exit line cut detection if content is setup correctly.
• Reworked Track Limits dialogue to use HUD Font and add indicator strip
• Updated track limits display, showing all warnings and penalties via messages.
• Fixed AI editor adding connections from pit lane to main path where the game should not (in some cases due to waypoint locations)
• Fixed an issue where going off track again before penalization would not continue the investigation.
• Added ability to configure Track Limits display in HUDs, but fix to set display if not configured.
• Added “HUD” option to Display position options for Track Limits Info, when set at this it will be placed where the HUD configures. You can manually adjust the position otherwise.
• Added sample parameters to default HUD
• Removed loose fonts from ModDev and fixed font loading from mas files
• Added HUD editor support for Track Limits element

Headlights

• Added Headlight Pulse. Defaults to J key. On activation headlights will pulse 4 times for a second. Previous headlight state is retained and this will not cause issues with headlight requirements.
• Set Auto Headlights to turn on at night even if not required.
• Fixed an issue with Headlight assignment not being kept after a driver swap.
• Fixed Max Headlights PLR value not being respected
• Updated Headlights to be culled based on the position of selected vehicle. Note in Freelook mode to make sure you have selected the vehicle you are focusing on if you are having issues with the headlights not being rendered.

Graphics

• Improved in Game Exposure in VR
• Fixed omni lights being falsely applied to objects with Omni not enabled
• Added ability to set an emissive map on the Terrain shader. Intended for baking distant lighting into terrain.
• Fixed delta not resetting correctly after a driver swap
• Fix crash when trying to display the game in borderless on a third monitor with a different solution than the first.
• Fix using the resolution of the first screen when displaying on any other using borderless.
• Fixed a crash when changing monitor when in fullscreen.
• Fixed changing resolutions in windowed mode.
• Fixed reverting resolution picking the wrong resolution to revert to. Used to pick the first with the same width.

UI

• Settings across the UI can now be adjusted more quickly:
• Right mouse button: 10x multiplier
• Middle mouse button: 50x multiplier
• Holding down left mouse button:
• 5x multiplier after 2 seconds
• 10x multiplier after 4 seconds
• Greyed out setup settings (including the name and value) that cannot be adjusted
• Fixed camber setup setting description
• Ambient and track temperatures in the event screen are now shown in Celsius of Fahrenheit based on the selected units
• MultiView monitor side angle setting has been limited to 90 degrees in graphics settings
• Updated refreshing of setup list
• Fixed subscribing to “All” content collection in the First Launch Wizard
• Fixed setup settings becoming greyed out when one of the step values is “N/A”
• Fixed multiplayer admin session controls
• Fixed setting next race length (note: new race length will be displayed after switching to another session, e.g. practice → qualifying)
• Fixed restart race button being disabled during a race session
• Fixed showing percentage for the singleplayer “Race time” setting when “Race criteria” was set to “% Track Time” or “% Track Default”
• Fixed “Torque split” setup setting description typo (read wheels → rear wheels)
• In multiplayer session controls, fixed selecting spectators when there are more than one
• Fixed selecting driver/spectator in multiplayer session controls when there’s a driver and spectator with the same name on the server
• Fixed not being able to delete the first replay in the list

AI

• Fixed erratic throttle and brake inputs
• Fixed waypoint lookahead to fix jerky steering motion
• Fixed an issue with driveline noise that could cause AI to brake partially off track and spin, or cut too much
• Fix for problematic behaviour introduced in RC where AI would lose track of the target waypoint or get stuck driving the wrong way.

Physics

• Refactored engine code

Sound

• Minor fixes
• Fixed an issue with sounds disappearing (other, similar issues still exist!)
• Fixed a rare crash when loading AI cars using the new sound system
• Fixed issue with sounds disappearing

Live stream overlayModding

• Added the ability to animate any maps UVW via Scroll and Step options on IBL Standard and IBL Standard Blend shaders.
• Fixed buggy background on telemetry debug screens in ModDev.
• Added OnScreen ModDev Tweakbar for debugging Car Cockpit readouts and debugging of LED values. 
• IBL Road Shader: Added the ability to blend out alt normal map via RDT.b
• IBL Vegetation Shader: Added optional detail map with extended blend options.

Known issues

• Skip updates button on package install is unresponsive
• Going off track and returning on track with a return pass message visible will reset the counter to 5 seconds
• There are some issues around track limits violations being converted into time penalties if you finish the race before the violation is evaluated.
• Transmission sounds don’t play correctly
• Setup list doesn’t work correctly in mod dev

AI Updates

AI Improvements | More Details: CLICK HERE

Probably one of the most popular changes to rFactor 2 we could have done, improving our AI has been something we have long had on the internal ‘to-do list’ here at Studio 397, and now we finally have some enhancements to share with you all. It would be fair to say that underneath the noise, the base rFactor 2 AI is already a very solid offering with some powerful features, however this always proved to be a little too buried behind the obvious issues around how the AI controls the cars – issues that have been introduced to the simulation in historic updates, and further regressed in the years since. 

Well, with this new update, we have very much looked at eradicating these problems, so now the AI should accelerate and brake realistically, with much smoother and more controlled behaviour behind the wheel, leading to cleaner, smarter and more sensible racing against the computer controlled opponents – a big plus for offline players. These changes, plus a substantial cleaning up of the admitted messy legacy code, should act as a superb base for us to build from and move forwards in the weeks and months ahead. 

New Store

In Game Store | More Details: CLICK HERE

One of the main goals for the new store page is to help our players identify the best deals for any given content combination. What we want to achieve is to help our players avoid duplicate purchases, and give you the power to make smart buying decisions, that reduce unnecessary expenditure and content fragmentation, whilst providing the tools to very easily gain a full overview of everything you own, have in your basket, and have available to purchase in future. 

With a snappy new design and the ability to purchase, download and install within the simulation itself, we think this new store is a great step forward in the rFactor 2 user journey, and one that should make navigating your way through the various content offerings of the simulation easier than ever before.  

Headlight Flash Button

AT LAST! Nothing more to really add here – for the longest time we’ve had it in the back of our minds to include the ability for our drivers to quickly flash their headlights and let the car in front know they are being lapped, and now, finally, we are here, and it is available as part of this new build. Not normally something we would feel is significant enough to put in a special mention on the release notes, but seeing as it’s been such a long time, and so heavily requested, it only feels right we have a few words to celebrate the moment… 

Car Updates

As part of the continued push to enhance and develop not just the core simulation, but the content within as well, within this new Q4 2022 update and content drop we have a few changes to some of our previous content releases – starting with some of the cars found within rFactor 2….

Cadillac DPi v1.11

• Adjusted LOD distances
• Fix for inters
• Minor cam tweak
• Corrected Team names
• Updated sounds to new engine
• Fix for suspension bug

Ligier JSP 320 v1.19

• Added ability to turn off position display
• Various sound updates
• Added custom brake pressure smoothing
• Added new traction control system
• Fixed drivers face on lower LODs

Ligier JSP 217 v1.19

• Fixed ripple file and raindrop file
• Added new sounds for new sound engine
• Added new traction control system
• Updated TC and pit limiter sounds to new standards
• Fixed collision model not being solid

Norma M30 v2.53

• Added new sounds for new sound engine
• Added new traction control system

Caterham Academy v1.09

• Set default caster to 6 degrees(max)
• Fixed missing wheels in cockpit
• Made cockpit labels show at night
• Fixed issues with rims
• Made gauges visible at night
• Adjusted gauge glass material
• Update tires with stiffer sidewalls and less grip delta from track rubber
• AI revised significantly
• Added new camera to match real onboards
• Fixed missing basemat material

Hyundai i30 BTCC v1.19

• Fixed normals on left mirror indicator light
• Updated showroom viewing distance
• Slight fix on body AOS map
• New onboard sounds
• Updated windows material
• Changed year to 2021
• Fixed driver names
• New aerodynamics (including recalculated drag, downforce, ride height sensitivity)
• Updates to brake system performance, mainly different brake pad compounds, recalculated braking torques and heating/cooling
• Removed gearshift protection
• Additional differential ramp angles and preload options
• Removed 20mm steering rack lock limiter that is required for FWD cars by BTCC regulations to make leaving garage easier
• Small adjustments to weight distribution and CoG height
• Forced restriction for tyre compounds to be the same on front and rear axle
• Removed rear brake cooling options
• Front brake duct adjustment has now 5 settings
• Small tweaks to clutch parameters
• Recalculated engine longevity
• Small volume changes on onboard sounds
• External Sound update
• Adjusted telemetry information
• Fix for incorrect aero balance
• Force BTCC class tyre restriction for BTCC series tracks
• Fix for wet compound texture now showing up correctly once on a track for restricted tyre compound options
• Fixed cockpit position
• Fixed base material
• Fixed camera clipping

Toyota Corolla BTCC v1.35

• Fixed milky look on some windshields
• Slight fix on body AOS map
• Updated sounds to latest standards
• Small volume corrections
• Adjusted cockpit camera clip planes
• Adjusted cockpit camera position
• Fixed driver names
• New aerodynamics (including recalculated drag, downforce, ride height sensitivity)
• Updates to brake system performance, mainly different brake pad compounds, recalculated braking torques and heating/cooling
• Removed gearshift protection
• Additional differential ramp angles and preload options
• Removed 20mm steering rack lock limiter that is required for FWD cars by BTCC regulations to make leaving garage easier
• Small adjustments to weight distribution and CoG height
• Forced restriction for tyre compounds to be the same on front and rear axle
• Removed rear brake cooling options
• Front brake duct adjustment has now 5 settings
• Small tweaks to clutch parameters
• Recalculated engine longevity
• Adjusted telemetry information
• Fix for incorrect aero balance
• Removed AI downforce bias tweak
• Force BTCC class tyre restriction for BTCC series tracks
• Fix for wet compound texture now showing up correctly once on a track for restricted tyre compound options
• Adjusted sound volumes
• Fixed camera clipping
• Fixed base material

Austin Mini Cooper v1.09

• Removed 20th onboard cam
• Moved head position lower and slightly forward
• Minor tire revision, more wet grip, less realroad sensitivity
• Made shift times slightly slower
• AI tweaked to better match player
• Forcing clutch use for valid shifts
• Fixed AI CRR
• Removed shift protection sound
• Slightly better wet grip
• AI correlation tweaks in the wet
• Onboard idle sound loop fix
• Small volume changes to opponents from outside and cockpit views
• Fixed base material

Dallara IR-18 v1.69

• Updated track names in upgrade file
• Fixed spelling mistake in HDV

Formula E 2022 v1.11

• Enabled omni lighting on body
• Fixed spelling mistake with driver name
• Fixed “misc” object popping on max detail

Ford Focus BTCC v1.17

• Added new onboard sounds
• Fixed some mesh issues
• Changed year to 2021
• Fixed driver names
• New aerodynamics (including recalculated drag, downforce, ride height sensitivity)
• Updates to brake system performance, mainly different brake pad compounds, recalculated braking torques and heating/cooling
• Removed gearshift protection
• Additional differential ramp angles and preload options
• Removed 20mm steering rack lock limiter that is required for FWD cars by BTCC regulations to make leaving garage easier
• Small adjustments to weight distribution and CoG height
• Forced restriction for tyre compounds to be the same on front and rear axle
• Removed rear brake cooling options
• Front brake duct adjustment has now 5 settings
• Small tweaks to clutch parameters
• Recalculated engine longevity
• External sound updates
• Fix for incorrect aero balance
• Force BTCC class tyre restriction for BTCC series tracks
• Fix for wet compound texture now showing up correctly once on a track for restricted tyre compound options
• Fixed cockpit camera position
• Fixed base material
• Fixed camera clipping

Infiniti Q50 v1.17

• Updated sounds to latest standards
• Small volume corrections
• Fixed driver names
• New aerodynamics (including recalculated drag, downforce, ride height sensitivity)
• Updates to brake system performance, mainly different brake pad compounds, recalculated braking torques and heating/cooling
• Removed gearshift protection
• Additional differential ramp angles and preload options
• Small adjustments to weight distribution and CoG height
• Forced restriction for tyre compounds to be the same on front and rear axle
• Removed rear brake cooling options
• Front brake duct adjustment has now 5 settings
• Small tweaks to clutch parameters
• Recalculated engine longevity
• Fix for incorrect aero balance
• Remove AI downforce bias tweak
• Force BTCC class tyre restriction for BTCC series tracks
• Fix for wet compound texture now showing up correctly once on a track for restricted tyre compound options

Track Updates

Cars aren’t the only content to get the update treatment. In this new release drop, we’ve also taken the time to put together a few improvements to Spa-Francorchamps – although the 2022 layout update isn’t available yet, but stay tuned for that one in future…

Spa-Francorchamps V1.43

• Updated Road, Grass and Foliage materials
• Track Limits refinements and fixes
• Adjusted AI to reduce chances of AI trying to pass in unrealistic places
• Various terrain gap fixes
• Fixed collision gap inside Malmedy
• Fixed Armco material inconsistencies at night
• Fixed minor animation issues with marshals
• Minor optimizations for performance and loading times

Competition System Season 7

Competition System | Season 7: CLICK HERE

A new quarter drop has arrived, and that means it’s time for a new season of Competition System races! That’s right, the in-game rFactor 2 Competition System has been refreshed with a new collection of interesting and exciting content combinations for you to enjoy. As always with the Competition System here in rFactor 2, we have looked to curate a collection of races and series that offer a mix of totally free and paid DLC content, with differing types of cars and tracks that should appeal to all preferences and experience types. From the popular and exciting Rookie Cup races in the Caterham Academy (don’t be fooled by the ‘rookie’ title, these cars are a blast to race), through to our scheduled racing events in more powerful machinery, if you like taking your rFactor 2 experience online, then we should have something for you!

Entry to the Competition System in rFactor 2 is easy, just click on the ‘Competitons’ tab on the front page, browse the available events, and click on register – and don’t forget, entry into the Competition System is totally free, all you need is a copy of rFactor 2 and the relevant content and you are all set to race!

You can check out the latest offerings in Season 7 of the Competition System on this link, however, please find below a brief summary of the upcoming schedule for this new season of racing: 

Rookie Cup Hourly

Car: Caterham Academy (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily, at the beginning of every even hour (00, 02, 04, 06 etc)

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 20 minute race

Rookie Cup Weekly

Car: Caterham Academy (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Weekly, Mondays at 21:00

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

Open Wheel Spring Hourly

Car: Tatuus MSV F3-020 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily, at the beginning of every even hour (01, 03, 05, 07 etc)

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 25 minute race

Open Wheel Spring Weekly

Car: Tatuus MSV F3-020 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Weekly, Wednesday at 21:00

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 25 minute race

Touring Car Challenge

Car: BTCC (Steam Store: CLICK HERE)

Qualifying: 1x Hot lap split qualifying Monday 7 – Thursday 10 Nov / LRP

Times: 1 x Race every Friday 21:00 CEST

Hot lap qualifying: This sets the split for the season – points awarded each race will determine split for race 2-6

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, changed to lap count (roughly 25 mins)

Stock Car 2018x

Car: Stockcar 2018x (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: 1 x Race every Sunday 21:00 CEST

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 45 minute races

BMW M4 Class 1

Car: BMW M4 Class 1 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: 1 x Race every Thursday 21:00 CEST

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 45 minute races

Hotlap Fixed

Week 1 hotlap Fixed (except, tyres, brake bias, steering lock and fuel) 

That’s it then folks – Q4 2022 is here at long last. Buckle up, turn on those rigs, and we will see you out on the virtual race track very soon indeed – have fun! 

Q4 2022 Update and Content – Available Now 

Hello sim racers!

It’s that time of the year again, another new quarterly update and content drop, and also the time when we launch our latest online adventures with the new Competition System season! 

Unbelievably, we’ve hit our seventh season of the Competition System today, and in the previous six seasons of racing I’m sure it would be fair to say that the action on track has produced some really memorable moments – we’ve seen some great camaraderie between the drivers, respectful (for the most part!) action, and some real nail biters right through to the chequered flag – so let this be a fair warning to you all, for Season 7 we want to go bigger, better, faster and more dramatic than ever before! 

As we head into Season 7 of the Competition System, we’ve put together a collection of new and returning favourites for you to enjoy together out on the virtual racetrack. In our popular ‘Rookie Cup’ events, the mighty Caterham Academy returns for another campaign, marking the third season of competition for this car since it was added as a free addition to rFactor 2 back in the Q3 2022 August content drop. As usual, the Rookie Cup will feature a collection of hourly races through the season, with weekly events supporting the series on Monday evenings. 

With the Rookie Cup and Open Wheel Sprint forming the backbone of the new season, we’ve also taken the opportunity to introduce not one, but two new series to the system. For this quarter, we are delighted to return the StockCar 2018x car and the BMW M4 Class 1 – two exceptionally popular cars in rFactor 2, and two vehicles that are both freely available on the Studio 397 Steam Workshop page. We thoroughly expect both series will provide plenty of dramatic and exciting racing, so make sure you get signed up quickly to secure your place on the grid!

Joining the rFactor 2 Competition System is easy, head over to the ‘Competition’ tab on the main UI, navigate to the event(s) you are interested in via the tiles at the bottom of the screen, click register, and you are done, it’s that simple… 

What are you waiting for, see you out on track soon!

Season 7

Dates | 7th November – 18th December

Series | Rookie Cup (Hourly), Rookie Cup (Weekly), Open Wheel Spring (Hourly, Open Wheel Sprint (Weekly), Touring Car Challenge, Stockcar 2018x (New Series), BMW Class 1 (New Series), Hotlap Fixed

Rookie Cup Hourly

Car: Caterham Academy 

Times: Daily, at the beginning of every even hour (00, 02, 04, 06 etc)

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 20 minute race

Rookie Cup Weekly

Car: Caterham Academy (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Weekly, Mondays at 21:00

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

Open Wheel Sprint Hourly

Car: Tatuus MSV F3-020 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Daily, at the beginning of every even hour (01, 03, 05, 07 etc)

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 25 minute race

Open Wheel Sprint Weekly

Car: Tatuus MSV F3-020 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: Weekly, Wednesday at 21:00

Format: 10 minute practice, 5 minute qualifying, 25 minute race

Touring Car Challenge

Car: BTCC (Steam Store: CLICK HERE)

Qualifying: 1x Hot lap split qualifying Monday 7 – Thursday 10 Nov / LRP

Times: 1 x Race every Friday 21:00 CEST

Hot lap qualifying: This sets the split for the season – points awarded each race will determine split for race 2-6

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, changed to lap count (roughly 25 mins)

StockCar 2018x

Car: Stockcar 2018x (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: 1 x Race every Sunday 21:00 CEST

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 45 minute races

BMW M4 Class 1

Car: BMW M4 Class 1 (Steam Workshop: CLICK HERE)

Times: 1 x Race every Thursday 21:00 CEST

Format: 10 minute practice, 10 minute qualifying, 45 minute races

Hotlap Fixed

Hotlap – Fixed setup, with the exception of tyres, brake bias, steering lock and fuel 

The new Season 7 of the rFactor 2 Competition System is now live within the main UI of rFactor 2. 

Hello sim racers! 

The latest in our line of laserscanned Formula E circuits is about to hit rFactor 2, as we proudly introduce the innovative and very different ExCeL London Circuit. 

Developed and built by Formula E themselves for use within rFactor 2 – this is truly the ultimate representation of this circuit in sim racing.

Having caused quite a stir when the current location made its debut on the Formula E calendar, the ExCeL London Circuit is a perfect mix of drama, excitement, innovation and controversy that Formula E racing thrives upon. 

Coming in at a surprisingly lengthy 2.252 km and comprising no less than 22 turns, the ExCeL London Circuit runs along the famous Thames waterfront through a series of tight and twisty corner combinations, before dramatically diving into and back out of the ExCeL London arena, a highly unique proposition for drivers to get accustomed to in a top level racing series, and something that we think will provide a unique and rather challenging experience within rFactor 2. 

Formula E Pack | Steam Store:: CLICK HERE

Uniquely identifiable thanks to the part street, part indoor area layout of the track, it would be fair to say that this is a circuit unlike any other within the world of rFactor 2. 

To really emphasize this unusual arrangement, drivers can be in no doubt about their surroundings right from the very off, as a lap of begins immediately within the indoor section of track. Here, grip will be at an absolute peak thanks to the specially laid asphalt, before diving out onto the main part of the outdoor portion of the lap, and with it the unpredictability of street racing. 

As is always the case with a tight and twisty Formula E street circuit, here the walls line the full perimeter of the track, waiting to invite the unwary driver into an early finish or lengthy stop for repairs, and with 22 corners plus the aforementioned transition from indoor arena to the streets of London itself, that risk is amplified yet further as the cars squirm their way through the circuit fighting for each and every inch of available tarmac. 

Aside from the obvious focal point of the arena itself, London also features a number of interesting corner sections and diverse challenges for the drivers to overcome, not least of which is a steep downhill drop from the exit of turn 5 into the outdoor section of 6, 7 and 8. Here, as well as the change in road surface, drivers will have to quickly acclimatize to the additional acceleration offered by the descent, before plunging back into darkness and hard on the brakes into the tight 6 and 7 complex, getting as close to the wall as possible in a bid to shave off those all important last few thousands of a second.  

Studio 397 have worked exceptionally closely with the series for the creation of this DLC, and as such, the detail and levels of accuracy for this new track are second to none. Ever wondered what it would be like to race on one of the most distinct venues in Formula E – well, wonder no more, as the London ExCeL Circuit s coming to rFactor 2 as part of the Q4 2022 November release in just a few short weeks time.  

Q4 2022 Announcements so Far

• Bahrain International Circuit
• BMW 330i M Sport BTCC
• Vanwall Vandervell LMH
• AI Improvements
• Croft Circuit
• Thruxton Circuit

Another exciting new track with something a little bit different! The London ExCeL Circuit is Formula E, but not quite as you’ve known it before. Tight and twisty, technical and exciting, inside and outside – a track that has it all, and one we can’t wait for you to give a go for yourself when it releases this November! Remember, stay tuned on studio-397.com and the rFactor 2 social media channels for more news and announcements as we continue to build towards our Q4 2022 update and content release for rF2 – exciting times ahead! 

London ExCeL Circuit – Coming to rFactor 2 this November!