One of the longstanding complaints about iRacing is that it seems to understandably focus on adding U.S oval and dirt track content. But that’s being laid to rest with 4 European road circuits come to iRacing in 2021, as the start of plans for much more European-based content in the future.
The four tracks have already been fully scanned and licensed, and will be released in builds throughout 2021. And the circuits are the Hockenheimring, Hungaroring, Red Bull Ring, and most exciting for me, Knockhill Racing Circuit. Along with the rallycross layout for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will arrive as part of iRacing 2021 Season 2.
Most motorsport fans will be familiar with the Red Bull Ring and Hungaroring, especially as they featured in the 2020 F1 season, along with hosting numerous other high profile motorsport over the years. And Hockenheimring also has a long and prestigious history going back to 1932, alternating with the Nurburgring as the venue for the German Grand Prix.
And they’re pretty common venues for inclusion in most sim racing games, as you can see in our Trackipedia list. But it’s harder to find games which feature the challenging and undulating Knockhill circuit in Scotland.
For anyone who doesn’t watch national series including British Superbikes or the British Touring Car Championship, Knckhill is a 1.3 mile (2.0389km) circuit with 9 turns and plenty of elevation changes. This includes the opening Duffus Dip, which is a fast, blind-apex downhill right hander. So even with a record race lap of 41.880 seconds (set by Heather Calder driving a Gould GR55 in the 2018 British Sprint Championship) it packs a lot in.
Knockhill is also the first UK race circuit in modern times to have a license to run races in both clockwise, and counter-clockwise directions.
As a further 4 European road circuits come to iRacing in 2021, it means welcome variation to the venues for the Tarmac-based series, and some new challenges to look forward to. And it’s also exciting to know that iRacing is planning to bring a lot more European content to the subscription-based sim racing service in the future. Hopefully it will include some of the lesser known and officially-replicated circuits, and might mean that the previously scanned UK Rockingham circuit might finally appear (especially as the actual track closed fairly recently).
You can sign up to iRacing, here (and credit your referral to ORD, which we’d appreciate!). And see all the free, and the paid, vehicles available in our full official iRacing car list, here, or check out all of the included circuits, and the others you can buy, in our full official iRacing track list, here.
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