A new DLC update for Le Mans Ultimate has dropped today, adding two new Hypercars and Imola to the sim’s car and track roster. But alongside this players can look forward to a host of improvements across the board, including a much-needed giddy-up for the game’s user interface rendering performance.

Previously, LMU’s UI was as quick as a Vanwall around the Circuit de la Sarthe but now Motorsport Games and Studio 397 hope to have solved this, making it as quick as a Ferrari 499P after a Le Mans-focused BoP reshuffle. Ahem. Fingers crossed this does the trick.

AI difficulty has also been reevaluated, with many players previously blown away by the speed of their virtual opponents on track. Conversely, the way AI cars bunch up and ponderously tackle formation laps should have been addressed too, with the aforementioned Ferrari receiving a bit of aural attention surrounding its high-RPM onboard sound.

Other quality-of-life improvements include the sim reverting to the pause menu if your controller disconnects mid-game, while most of LMU’s tracks and cars have received a sprinkling of amendments.

Full session replays can now also be accessed via the pause menu, with larger files now less likely to crash the game. Several other minor tweaks are included in this 2024 Update 1 Patch 1 as part of an ongoing bug-squashing campaign.

What are your thoughts on LMU’s game update, Imola and the Peugeot 9X8 2024 and Lamborghini SC63 Hypercars? What do you make of Le Mans Ultimate’s previously announced four-part 2024 Season Pass DLC plan? Let us know in the comments below.

Le Mans Ultimate July 23rd Update 1—Patch 1 changelog

UI

• Improved UI rendering performance

• Changed the video driver setting label to “Monitor“

• Available resolutions now update based on the selected monitor

• Private qualify now displays correctly in race weekend event creation

• Removed Coach Dave from the possible save locations for car setups

• Stopped the first time account creation from being skipped causing a player to have no account

• Added new background images to the main menu

• Improved car select to not show loading animations twice

• All the unavailable symbols are showcased in account name creation

Replay

• Added the ability to access the full replay while on track via the pause menu

• Added the ability to skip to a specific lap in a replay

• Added more information to the driver panel in the bottom right

• Added class, manufacturer and team number

• Updated icons in the camera select

• Show the camera group selected when changing camera groups

• Fixed a replay-related crash when leaving online races.

• Replays work with the HUD correctly

• Fixed replay un-pause in the replay pause menu

• Fixed large replays crashing the game

• Fixed replay flickering

Driver labels

• Added country flags to driver labels online and single player

• Fixed a scaling issue happening on some larger resolutions

• Added manufacturer logos to the driver labels

• Fixed centre-alignment of driver labels for certain cars.

• Fixed black artefacts on the edge of driver labels.

• Fixed a driver labels-related crash when exiting a session and loading a replay immediately after

• Fixed a driver label-related crash when moving to the next session

Online

• Fixed timezone selection to show the correct timezones accounting for daylight saving

• Fixed that some longer event names would push elements off the screen

• During fixed setup Multiplayer events, vehicle changes are now saved on session change

• Fixed a connection lost issue when qualifying ends in a Multiplayer race

• Fixed an issue where the rear view camera would change when a player joins a race in multiplayer.

HUD

• The pit indicator will now show on HUD elements when a car is anywhere in the pit lane and not just the pit box.

• Multi-stint specific HUD information now only shows in race sessions.

• Onboard menus like the HUD MFD can now be cycled by holding controls.

• Fixed the track map visibility not respecting the player settings

• Fixed the full-view track map being cut off on certain tracks (namely Le Mans).

• Various optimisations to the driver labels and driver overlay HUD elements

Controllers

• Disconnecting a gamepad now shows the pause menu, pausing in single player.

AI and Driving

• Added Lamborghini and Porsche 99 car to “Fill Grid” option

• Remapped AI difficulty from 75 to 105%, and added categories to indicate the difficulty of each setting

• Limited Tyre and Fuel wear to a maximum rate of x3 due to the impact of higher fuel values at Le Mans and the extremeness of flat spots

• Fixed an issue where AI cars on track would fail to react to cars leaving the pitlane

• Added the ability for two cars to share the same physical garage whilst having unique pit spots.

Race Starts

• Fixed slow AI in chicanes during formation laps at low difficulty

• Improved formation lap guidance to avoid pileups caused by concertina issues

• Various small fixes to formation lap warnings and penalties

• Fixed formation lap occasionally counting drivers as 10km ahead of the leader, leading to disqualification

• Improved formation lap behaviour when held up by other cars, with better UX and improved scoring

• Fixed a condition where getting a penalty during the formation lap, then crossing the finish line before the lights go green, would result in an extra lap being added to the lap counter

• Improved erratic driving warning to restrict weaving and rapid acceleration/deceleration during formation laps in double file

• Fixed an issue where it would take around 2 minutes at Le Mans for pit exit light to go green if a driver

• taking the start fails to pass the pit exit. It should now take around 30 seconds

Visuals

• Improved the visual progression from dry to damp track

• Fixed Safety Car lodding out very quickly when it is in the pitlane

• Improved cockpit displays with expanded options for aligning text

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

• Fixed a tyre temperature information-related crash

• Fixed the leading “:” character on chat messages

• Fix damage appearing on the wrong end of the car in car vs car collisions

• Fix electric motor (MGU) and shift sounds not playing back in replay and online

• Fix disallowed xml characters being able to end up in the results.xml meaning results not being able to be processed online

• Fixed an issue where the game would crash if there was no race leader

• Fix for temp car freezing in online sessions

Circuits

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola)

• Initial release

Bahrain International Circuit

• Minor common texture optimisation

Fuji Raceway

• Improved AI block path to improve overall speed when racing

• Minor common texture optimisation

Circuit de la Sarthe (Le Mans)

• Moved back fast rolling start position to just before Esses du Karting.

• Updated left / right lines for fast rolling start

• Tightened cut corridors at Tetre Rouge exit

• Adjusted AI fuel estimates

• Adjusted default weather for Qualifying

• Minor common texture optimisation

Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Monza)

• Adjusted AI fuel estimates

• Minor common texture optimisation

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimao)

• New AI Block Path and minor ai tweaks.

• Adjusted AI fuel estimates

• Minor common texture optimisation

Sebring International Raceway

• Fixed flickering (especially at night) tree outside T4

• Fixed roadline material error after Tower bend.

• Adjusted AI fuel estimates

• Minor common texture optimisation

Spa Francorchamps

• Adjusted AI fuel estimates

• Minor common texture optimisation

Vehicles

General

• Optimised driver model

• Updated HUD to fix alignment issues

• Corrected fuel and energy estimates

• Updated default setups

• Tweaked AI at all tracks

Hypercar

BMW M-Hybrid LMDH

• Fixed texture naming issue causing conflicts with 499P

• Made art car livery slightly brighter

• Fixed engine rpm downshift protection threshold being too high

• Updated external sounds

• Updated frontal sounds

• Fixed bug in sound json

Cadillac V-LMDH

• Fixed mesh error on flag display

Ferrari 499P LMH

• Fixed hybrid deploy light being too large

• Fixed 2024 tire textures not appearing

• Fixed #83 windshield texture

• Better engine sample for high RPM on throttle onboard sound

Glickenhaus SGC 007 LMH

• Restricted rear seat movement to stop clipping with driver

• Fixed RPM LED colour

Lamborghini SC63 LMDH

• Initial release

Peugeot 9X8 2023 LMH

• Updated HUD to use new features

• Added correct Qatar numbers

• Restricted rear seat movement to stop clipping with driver

Peugeot 9X8 2024 LMH

• Initial release

Porsche 963 LMDH

• Updated Proton driver suit

• Updated HUD to use new settings and made text larger

• Fixed holes in shadow mesh

• Fixed talent file not recognizing driver names

Toyota GR010 LMH

• Adjusted external sound volumes

LMP2

Oreca 07 LMP2 v1.25

• Optimised driver model

• Fixed brake lights and rain lights not showing correctly

• Updated HUD to fix alignment issues

• Updated default setups

• Tweaked AI at all tracks

• Adjusted overall aero balance

GTE

General

• Optimised driver models

• Updated HUD to fix alignment issues

• Updated default setups

• Tweaked AI at all tracks

Corvette C8.R GTE v1.25

• Updated RPM LEDs

Ferrari 488 GTE v1.25

• Updated RPM LEDs