iRacing to update damage model for specific cars

iRacing will implement a revised damage model for at least five cars in the game when the 2021 Season 2 update arrives.

A brief teaser trailer has been revealed, showcasing the Formula Renault 2.0, Dallara iR-01, Street Stock, 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS and Ford Thunderbird all crashing into each other.

For single-seater vehicles such as the Formula Renault and Dallara, that means the wheels can fly off during an impact. The scene of the Street Stock crashing on an oval is reminiscent of an event in Wreckfest.

It’s not just the visual damage effects for certain vehicles that will change, either, but how the cars behave during wheel-to-wheel contact and how steering wheel peripherals behave during an impact. The net result should be more authentic crashes, but once the novelty has worn off, less incentive to pull off desperate overtaking manoeuvres due to heightened potential consequences.

If you’d like to watch just over two minutes of virtual cars crashing, watching the trailer below.

One thing of note is that the vehicles showcased, so far, are either old or fictional. The update will also not be for every car in the game.

Damage modelling is a particularly tricky beast when it comes to the licensing of current, branded or official vehicles. To understand this more, we have an article coming later today that investigates the vagrancies of why some games have toned down damage levels in recent years.

There’s no official date for the update yet, but as soon as such information is available, we’ll let you know.