iRacing.com Teams With JR Motorsports To Announce iRacing 2.0

BEDFORD, MA (May 3, 2011) – The JR Motorsports  No.7 Chevrolet, driven by Josh Wise, will race under iRacing.com colors in two NASCAR Nationwide Series events this summer in support of the all-new iRacing 2.0,  the popular online racing service’s dramatic new software release.  This long awaited release will add many user enhancements and features to the popular online, multi-player racing title and will once again set the bar as the premier racing simulation on the market.
Wise’s No. 7 Chevrolet will don the iRacing 2.0 paint scheme in back-to-back races at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and Iowa Speedway later this summer. This is doubly significant as iRacing.com has just signed agreements with both venues to build the facilities to exacting detail within the simulation.
Wise will debut the No. 7 iRacing.com car during the Kroger SpeedFest in the Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children at the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on July 30th. The race will feature prominent racing all-stars including 2011 Daytona 500 winner, Trevor Bayne and ESPN X Games champion Travis Pastrana as he makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the event.  The .686 semi-banked asphalt oval will be celebrating its 30th year hosting the Nationwide series, and Wise will be looking to improve on his 16th-place finish there last year.
The next weekend Wise will be heading to Newton, Iowa to compete in the U.S. Cellular 250 NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway for his second race in the iRacing.com Chevy Impala on August 6th.  The 7/8ths mile semi-banked oval was designed by former NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace and Wise will be looking to best his solid 11th-place finish last year in the race.
“We’ll be releasing Iowa Speedway prior to the U.S. Cellular 250 so our members can get a taste of what Josh will be experiencing when he races the iRacing.com Nationwide car,” said iRacing.com’s executive vice-president and producer Steve Myers. “Lucas Oil Raceway will follow later in the year as we look to round out our offerings of short tracks.”
“Our friendship with Dale Jr. and his race team go back to the beginning of iRacing so this is a natural progression to an already well-established relationship,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing president. “Our 25,000 plus members know Dale’s passion for sim racing and iRacing. So when it came time to get the word out about iRacing2.0, we called Dale and he happily obliged.”
Gardner continues, “We’re very excited about Version 2.0. Some of the great features will include the new tire model for all cars, improved drafting and more realistic downforce characteristics, Heat/Tournament racing for private leagues/sessions, and optional driver aids (ABS brakes, traction control, driving line, steering aids) for drivers looking to ease their way into the simulation, and much more.”
iRacing.com has a pool of professional drivers in the service. Dale Jr, along with many other pros provide tremendous feedback on the driving dynamics so iRacing can make the experience as real to life as possible for its members. iRacing has always been about allowing fans to not only watch NASCAR on the weekends, but to actually participate in the competition.
”When iRacing approached us about finding a way to work with them in announcing iRacing 2.0 we jumped at the chance to expand on what already is a terrific relationship,” said Kelley Earnhardt,  JR Motorsports General Manager and Co-owner.  “JR Motorsports prides itself on not only being a top tier racing team but a cross platform marketing company and we are excited to show them results on the track and in promoting iRacing 2.0.”
“I am excited that we get to go racing with iRacing this summer on the 7 car but I have to admit I am most excited about the advancements iRacing has made with their product,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr.  “I have had a chance to drive the iRacing 2.0 physics model quite extensively and I am absolutely blown away with what they have done.  I can’t wait for its release this summer so I can trade some paint with the members!”
An an avid iRacer himself, Earnhardt has helped mold iRacing’s online competition and is currently a member of iRacing’s competition board. However, JR Motorsports involvement with iRacing doesn’t end there. Crew Chief Tony Eury Jr., who will be calling the shots for the No. 7 iRacing.com car, has been integral in helping iRacing with its stock car physics model, providing key data and even visiting the iRacing offices to work face-to-face with the iRacing engineering staff. The new JR Motorsports Nationwide car is the very car iRacing scanned when building the car for the service.  Driver Josh Wise, along with Dale Jr’s spotter TJ Majors, are both iRacers. In fact, iRacers regularly hear the voice of Majors as their in- simulation spotter.
“This is the best online racing experience! It’s second to none,” states Wise. “The tracks are as real as it gets. It’s simply a blast getting out on the track with my friends for some good old-fashioned short track racing or drafting at Daytona with a full on-line field of 43 cars. I am really proud to be representing iRacing and their customers in these two races this summer.”
iRacing members can get involved with the 2.0 launch as well. iRacing is kicking off a paint scheme contest – the winner will see his or her design on Wise’s car for the two mid-summer races. iRacing and JR Motorsport staff will judge the submissions and choose the one that best illustrates what iRacing 2.0 is all about.  For more details go to www.iracing.com/paint7. Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 on July 30th and August 6th to cheer on the iRacing 2.0 car.
Those not currently a part of the iRacing community can join by going to www.iracing.com/buy-1-get-2/ where they will be able to find a great special offer.  New subscribers will be able to buy one month and get two free months for only $12. The three-month subscription includes all of the cars and tracks needed for your rookie iRacing season.
Click here to watch an exciting iRacing preview video.

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iRacing Partners with McLaren Electronic Systems for Online Racing Data Analysis

May 5, 2011

BEDFORD, MA  (May 5, 2011) – iRacing.com, the world’s leading online motorsports simulation service, announced today it is partnering with McLaren Electronic Systems to incorporate the ATLAS Express data analysis software into its system.  As a result, iRacing’s more than 25,000 members will now have access to similar data acquisition and telemetry software used on every car competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship since 2008 and on NASCAR’s standard ECU (engine control unit) in 2012.
In addition to affording its members unprecedented opportunities to increase their understanding of their virtual race cars’ performance with ATLAS Express, iRacing is also releasing an upgraded application program interface (API) that will dramatically enhance the service’s compatibility with an array of external features including motion platforms and external displays.
“With the new iRacing telemetry capability, our members will be able to log detailed telemetry from their virtual race car to disk,” says Dave Kaemmer, iRacing’s chief executive and chief technical officer.  “Using McLaren Electronics’ Atlas Express data analysis application, members who wish to delve into the engineering details in order to improve their cars’ handling will be able to do so, using very similar tools as F1 and NASCAR teams.  In addition, with iRacing’s new real-time telemetry interface, multiple applications will be able to access telemetry simultaneously, allowing easier support for motion platforms, external gauges, and other add-ons from the sim-racing community.”
ATLAS Express is derived from the ATLAS suite of software developed in the 1990s to support McLaren’s own Formula 1 team.  Continued growth and development of the system saw it introduced into a variety of motorsports environments including Le Mans and ALMS sports cars, the FIA World Rally Championship, the FIA Formula One World Championship, NASCAR and IndyCar.  The FIA awarded McLaren Electronics the contract to supply the powertrain control system to every team competing in the Formula 1 from the beginning of the 2008 race season and, in February this year, NASCAR named McLaren as the Official Engine Control Unit of NASCAR for the 2012 Sprint Cup series in support of its impending switch to fuel injected engines.
“Up to now, you had to be a race engineer in a top level race team to access these tools” says Mike Phillips, President of McLaren Electronic Systems’ US division, “and access to reliable real-time data has been a game-changer for car development and race strategy in recent times.  Our link with iRacing will now make this experience easily accessible to the current user community and hopefully new players intrigued by the possibilities this gives them.”
In its iRacing application, ATLAS Express will be primarily available as a tool for analyzing and developing the handling of the members’ virtual race cars.  Where iRacers have previously been able to monitor tire wear and temperature in the pits after completing a lap or laps, ATLAS Express will make available substantially more detailed information regarding performance such as the real time tire surface temperatures, along with critical data such as lateral acceleration, steering wheel angle and damper/spring deflection.
“Up until now, our members have only been able to work on their setups by ‘feel,’ tire wear and temperatures, and by gauging their performance on the stop watch,” says Kaemmer. “ATLAS Express will now allow iRacers to view driver and car performance in a given session to help them tune the car with actual data.”
Beyond powering the ATLAS Express software, the feature-rich API will dramatically increase the functionality of the iRacing service.  For example, broadcasts of online races will now be able to utilize screen overlays of real time on-board telemetry from individual cars, while members will be able enjoy the full benefits of plug-ins for a variety of external custom hardware including vibrating pedals, base shakers and motion platforms.
iRacing is working with McLaren Electronic Systems to develop workbooks and documents specifically designed to help iRacing members take full advantage of the ATLAS Express applications to the iRacing service.  Together with the  ATLAS Express software, the documentation and workbooks are expected to be released before the end of May, 2011.
However, Kaemmer stressed the service will remain user-friendly for members who would rather race than crunch numbers.
“Although engineering a race car is an interesting challenge, iRacing will continue to provide ‘Arrive and Drive’ racing series with fixed car setups for those who prefer turning a steering wheel to turning a wrench.  As has always been the case, members will be free to share their set-ups with other iRacers, so the addition of ATLAS Express to the service figures to make everyone a little – or a lot — faster.”

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iRacing 2.0 New Features

World’s Premier Online, Multiplayer Racing Game to Release Revolutionary Updates over the Summer Months

BEDFORD, MA (April 20, 2011) – iRacing.com today formally announced its most dramatic software release to date – Version 2.0. Coming in the summer of 2011, iRacing 2.0 will feature enhancements across the board for the popular online, multi-player racing title.

In contrast to gaming software brands that typically release a new title once every few years, the online racing game takes advantage of digital distribution to provide regular updates of its service to the more than 25,000 iRacing members four times per year.
“By summer’s end, we will have clearly ‘launched’ a truly amazing step forward in sim racing. It is incredible how far we have come in just three years. I am thrilled to see our vision come to fruition with thousands of people racing online everyday in our service. iRacing is now to sim racing what NASCAR is to stock car racing,” said iRacing co-founder John Henry.
New Tire Model is the Core of iRacing 2.0
At the core of the 2.0 release is the highly anticipated new tire model, which will revolutionize the way iRacing members race online, providing unparalleled realism and the most accurate racing experience ever produced for a PC. The introduction of new tire model will be rolled-out over the course of the summer, along with many of the additional enhancements, beginning in May.
iRacing’s CEO and legendary sim racing developer, Dave Kaemmer and his team have been researching tire properties and working on his newest tire model for over three years. “I have dedicated my professional life, over 20 years, to working on racing simulations and physics models,” said Kaemmer. “This new tire model is our best work ever. It was incredibly challenging and time consuming to develop an understanding, mathematically speaking, of a racing tire at the limit and under all sorts of conditions – and that was just phase one. To then translate that into a working model within the simulation was incredibly taxing – but it was truly a labor of love. The tires are clearly the hardest thing to simulate for any racing title, but I think we’ve nailed it! I believe it is going to bring simulated racing to a whole new level of enjoyment and realism.”
“iRacing 2.0 isn’t a new disc that needs to be purchased. Members will download the updates from our easy to use website, all for free”, said iRacing.com president Tony Gardner. “We  have improved our product so much in the last three years that, along with adding such an incredible list of new features this summer, we feel it’s fitting to celebrate the next generation of iRacing. We will be releasing some of these features in early May and some in August, but frankly we will continue improving the product long after that.”
The company initially launched its service in the summer of 2008 and 400 people joined that first month. Now three years and over 25,000 customers later, the company still provides updates and improvements to the service like clockwork every three months.
“Although we have moved well beyond our initial vision, we are working harder than ever and the features coming out this summer prove it”, added Gardner. “When we first launched we had only a few cars running on about a dozen U.S.-based tracks. Now we have over 30 official series running on over 60 laser scanned tracks from around the world – over 1,500 official races going-off each week, 24 hours per day, not to mention the hundreds of member-run leagues that take advantage of our hosted racing features each week.”
“I want to thank our tremendous real-world partners involved in this including: NASCAR, INDYCAR and GRAND-AM, who officially sanction series on iRacing.com. I also want to thank all of the tracks, car manufactures and racing teams who have worked so hard with us to get everything simulated as realistically as possible. It sure does make it more fun for our members, ”Kaemmer added. “Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank our members for their continued support and passion for race gaming and sim racing. Without them we could never have gotten to iRacing 2.0. It is incredible to think how far technology has come, especially in the last few years, and what could be in the future. We look forward to that journey with our members and many more great years of sim racing.”
Highlights of iRacing 2.0
May 2011

• Early preview of Dave Kaemmer’s new tire model available on the new NASCAR Nationwide car.
• Launch of in-game awards program – over 50 different participation awards members can earn.
• Night racing on road courses using headlights beginning with Sebring International Raceway and the V8 Supercar, Mazda MX5 Cup & Roadster, Corvette C6.R, Riley Daytona Prototype, Pontiac Solstice, VW Jetta TDI Cup and Mustang Challenge race cars.
• New NASCAR “Nationwide” stock car – race the car you watch on Saturdays.
• Okayama International Circuit  (Japan) – the first of several tracks from the island nation.
• New telemetry output for the data hungry racers.
• Private league racing enhancements including: reduced pricing, advanced scheduling, new race session options and additional grid spots to virtually every track.
• Graphic and shader upgrades in-game for more lifelike visuals.
• Complete graphical overhaul of the Skip Barber FSB2000 race car – updating our first car to current standards.
• Opening practice sessions to all license levels (excluding Pro Series).
• Enhanced pitting and damage repair for all cars.
• Preferred/custom car numbers.
• Improved accuracy of the model of physical track sirface to match the laser scanned data better than ever before.

August 2011

• New Tire Model for all cars.
• Enhanced aero model for improved drafting and more realistic downforce characteristics.
• Heat/Tournament racing for private leagues/sessions.
• Driver aids available for private leagues and Rookie series (ABS brakes, traction control, driving line, steering aids, etc.).
• Enhancements of new sound system.
• Endurance racing and driver swaps.
• Suzuka Circuit  (Japan).
• Iowa Speedway (USA).
• Ford GT race car.
• Honda LMP ARX-01C race car.
• Live pop-up chat on member site.

Current highlights of iRacing.com

• Inexpensive – Standard one-year membership is less than $9 per month. Try it for one month for $5 to learn more first hand. Use Promo code PR-FIVEDOLLAR when joining.
• The most accurate, realistic and feature rich simulation in the world.
• Centralized member website with ease of use being the cornerstone; Regular automatic updates free with membership.
• Live stats, tracking and scoring for every race.
• Robust and passionate community including forums and live chat.
• State-of-the-art graphics.
• Head-to-head racing with same field size as real world racing – some tracks capable of racing up to 60 cars.
• Fully integrated and professionally developed iRacing driving school.
• Over 60 officially licensed and laser scanned tracks.
• Over 25 officially licensed and authentically reproduced cars.
• Over 100 private leagues using iRacing.
• Unlimited racing 24/7: over 1,500 official race each week, unlimited open practice, unlimited time trialing, unlimited testing on track.
• Ability to race any car at any track, anytime you want, utilizing the hosted racing feature.
• Dozens of special events each year: iRacing Indy 500, iRacing Daytona 500, Club style competition, World Cup of iRacing.
• Most prestigious Pro Series in sim racing sanctioned by NASCAR, INDY CAR and GRAND-AM, with thousands of dollars in cash prizes, full press coverage and live broadcasts.
• Fully integrated real-world and sim racing news site (inRacingnews.com) and webcast show (iRacingTV) covering the racing action.
• Mixed class racing, open setup racing, fixed setup racing, night racing on ovals.
• License and division system automatically categorizes each member into the level that they are interested in: from casual race gamer looking to just have some fun to serious competitors looking for the best competition sim racing has to offer.
• World class, live customer service and support.

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Watch Intel / iRacing.com GP Series World Finals Recap

insidesimracing.tv presents The iRacing Intel Gp Series World Finals. iRacing and Intel brought the 10 best sim racers from around the world and put them head to head with $4,000 going to the winner. The competition takes place in Hannover Germany at Cebit and in conjunction with the Intel Extreme Master tournament going on. Watch as Greger Huttu, Bastien Bartsch, Ray Alfalla and the rest of the best drivers fight it out over big money. Incredible footage provided by Andreas Nie.

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ARC Brake, G25 and G27 Pedal Mod

ARC_Brake is a modification dedicated to the Logitech G25 and G27 pedals that let you have a smoother and more progressive brake pedal. This version has only one new piston with two new springs (two different stiffness) for a more effective and precise effect. With the Arc Brake installed you can easily reach the limit even in the hardest brakings.

Arc Big Brake is a modification dedicated to the Logitech G25 and G27 pedals that let you have a smoother and more progressive brake pedal. This version has two pistons (one for clutch module and one for brake module) for a more effective and precise effect. It consists in two new pistons with their respective springs placed in place of the original Logitech G25/G27 brake and clutch pistons/springs. Brake and clutch pedals are also linked together by a larger brake pedal plate. It is a "must have" for those who don't use the clutch pedal. This versions gives more control, smoothness and feeling respect the "normal" Arc Brake.

for more information please visit http://www.f1driving.it/en/arc-brake

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Sim Racing Station PEDALS MOD Kit optimizes the Logitech G25/G27 pedals

Sim Racing Station PEDALS MOD Kit optimizes the Logitech G25/G27 pedals.

It improve the feeling and the confort first of all for throttle and brake.

More feeling in driving with 3 higher pedals +
New dumper system for brake +
Spacer blocks (like G27) for a good "heel and toe".

PEDALS MOD Kit consists:
- 3 pedals extensions in steinless
- second spring for brake
- rubber for brake
- spacer blocks for brake and clutch
- key and bolts
- instructions

And vey small price..

and here's the video:

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