Featured image of Willow Springs International Motorsports Park taken with Gran Turismo 7 photo mode.
With less than four weeks, or just about a month’s time now until the new build for the third season of iRacing in 2023 arrives, the teases of possible new content have already begun to hit the internet from iRacing directly.
While we know that the vehicle that nine out of 10 dentists probably approve of, the LMP3 is on its way in time for the June build. Other than that and the high probability that we will get a Dirt Refresh as well in June are the only two things that have been remotely confirmed. No rain, no tracks, and no other features are known just yet.
On Monday (1st May) iRacing gave us a proper tease—a 21-second video from an overhead shot at an unnamed track with an unnamed car zooming from the bottom to the top of the screen. There is sandy, multi-tonal dirt surrounding the asphalt. I’m not going to even remotely explore the idea of rain in a possible desert setting, it just looks like a cool dirt texture.
As much as I wish this could be the historical, and now “lost” speedway known as Riverside International Raceway, there’s like a 99.9 percent that it isn’t, mostly for the fact that iRacing couldn’t go out and even scan it because it has become a shopping mall and housing area. Honestly, it might not even be new content at all, it could just be a Laguna Seca remaster or possibly just a sound remaster… I hope that’s not it, that would be mildly disappointing, but I’m just putting that out there.
If it is new content, many commenters on the internet and the iRacing forums seem to think that it is Willow Springs, and I think that’s probably the right answer. iRacing did scan this track, and iRacing President Tony Gardner told us so, all the way back in—*checks notes*—as recent as 2011.
“Willow Springs International Motorsports Park – Scanned, some production work done, but put on hold for now,” read the line in the list of tracks and their progress at that specific time in history. All of the other tracks on that list exist on the platform today, albeit New Jersey Motorsports Park is STILL a Tech Track with little artwork and mostly just scan data points…
It’s been nearly 12 years since that update was posted, and yet to this day, Willow Springs has yet to make an appearance in any capacity. We’ve all be able to race around the course on recent Gran Turismo titles, so it’s not like it’s an unknown venue. Is that scan data still viable today? Would iRacing have gone and re-scanned it? If it is Willow, do we get all of Willow, including Big Willow, Streets of Willow and Horse Thief Mile?
Another teaser went our yesterday (3rd May) that looks to be two images spliced upon one another.
OK, that’s it, I’m convinced it’s Willow Springs too. There’s still around a month until the new build and the new content that comes with it, so we could be playing the waiting game.
However, I think with these teases coming now, people have already started to put the pieces together and an official announcement could be imminent. We’ll have to see.
Is it Willow? Is it somewhere else not in the United States, specifically California? What do you think these teases could be trying to tell us? I need answers, John iRacing!
The new build and new content for iRacing 2023 Season 3 is expected at the start of June.
