The launch of a new season in the sim generally means new cars and tracks. We’ve covered the circuits (Port Royal Speedway, Sandown Raceway and Fuji Speedway), but check out what’s arriving at high speed in the iRacing Radical SR10 preview video featured below.
The existing Radical sports car currently available in iRacing is the SR8 V8, which was originally launched in 2005. And the simulation of the original car offers you a 2.6 litre V8 engine with 360bhp and enough downforce to theoretically drive upside down. Things have moved on since then, and the current SR8 now produces 411bhp in a redesigned body.
But why update the older model, when the new Radical SR10 launched in 2020 gives you 425bhp from a turbocharged Ford EcoBoost 2.3 litre engine with 380 lb-ft of torque? Which means a 0-60mph time of 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 180mph. It also offers a new Hewland GT3-derived six-speed gearbox and lots more in a car weighing just 725kg.
I have a soft sport for Radical for a number of reasons, including the fact they started out by powering sports cars using motorcycle engines back in 1996, and because they’re based just up the road from ORD headquarters in Peterborough, UK. But mainly because they just create cars which are amazing fun to drive, whether virtually or in the real world.
The question will be whether the new Radical is a straight replacement for the existing SR8 V8 in iRacing, particularly as the previous car was one of the free options available with your base subscription. It’d be a shame to split the playerbase by offering a newer, paid DLC car, unless the Radical series expands to offer multiclass racing for drivers of both sports cars. Like many other people, I’d also be keen to see the more entry-level Radical SR3 XX added, to offer a 1340cc or 1500cc sports car which is a little easier to drive for newer sim racers, which would make for an interesting three-car series.
We’ll find out exactly what’s on offer when the iRacing 2022 Season 3 update arrives on June 7th. In the meantime, you can sign up to iRacing, here (and credit your referral to ORD, which we’d appreciate!). And see all vehicles included in your basic subscription, or what you can access by paying more, 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. And keep up with all the latest iRacing news, updates and eSports, here.
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