As of a few days ago, another new car was added to the fold on iRacing Arcade—the Caterham 7. That marks nine unique miniature race cars to drive around in on what I keep hearing called “cute iRacing” around the communities I roll in. I think that’s pretty spot on, I mean, just look at these cars… They are ADORABLE!
So, yeah, the further up the iRacing Arcade ladder one goes, the faster and more technical each new car gets. What are those cars, exactly, and what should an iRacing Arcader expect when they first jump into one? Let’s dive in, shall we?
FROM FIAT TO GTP
It starts with one little tiny Fiat when you open up shop in your cozy little barn. The easiest car to handle, the Fiat 500 races are short, but will help players understand the mechanics of the platform. From there, Arcaders will graduate to the Touring Car, which is just a little bit faster and harder to control. It’s also a bit of a tank, so players will have to get their elbows out to make moves around the computer opponents. Wrapping up the beginner cars is the Formula Junior, which is the first of a few open wheel cars. The perfect car to find out what the “Big Head Mode” actually does.
Moving up the ranks means faster, more uncontrollable cars. The Caterham 7 fits in this area, more of an intermediate machine that will oversteer if players give it some gas before finishing a corner. Conversely, the FIA Formula 4 has much more downforce, which results in understeer in fast corners. Two open wheel cars with completely different driving styles. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a little less planted, and can easily get upset by curbs or contact, but this is another car that players will often get rough and rowdy with, and my personal favorite to add the “Glass Rocket” boost to.
The LMP2 is the first prototype in the game, which means tons of downforce and understeer, but another car that is extremely satisfying to hit all the marks in. It is just slightly easier than the final car on the list, the GTP, which is fast, furious, and a machine that always rides on the crispy edge. In between the two prototypes is the top level open wheeled beast, the Formula GP. I personally love the engine sound on these, and they are insanely quick in a straight line as well.
As I mentioned earlier, while many would consider this a cozy racing title, each of the nine cars drive incredibly different to one another. Some are more suited for the track with fast corners, while others will thrive on tracks with chicanes and hairpins. Some cars will never have to worry about hitting track limits while others will look at one of those orange bollards the wrong way and be served a two-second slow down penalty. I’m looking at you, Imola and Bahrain, especially trying to make it through those opening corners in the Formula GP or GTP.
THE SERIES WHERE YOU’LL COMPETE
Throughout the career, players will be able to compete across all of the different championships, whether the car is owned or not, based on the Team Level currently achieved. At the start, some cars may come as gifts, such as the Touring Car for winning the Fiat 500 Challenge. However, later on, players will need to make the purchase on the cars themselves. Make sure there’s enough Garage space, or that will need to be upgraded as well! Those championships include:
Fiat 500: Fiat 500 Challenge (Week 1 to Week 4)
Touring Car: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (Week 5 to Week 8), IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Endurance (Week 1 to Week 6)
Formula Junior: Formula Junior Cup (Week 9 to Week 12)
Caterham: Caterham Academy Series (Week 1 to Week 6)
Formula 4: FIA F4 Challenge (Week 1 to Week 6)
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: Porsche Cup Sprint (Week 7 to Week 12), Porsche Cup Endurance (Week 2 to Week 12, Even Weeks only)
LMP2: IMSA VP Sportscar Challenge (Week 7 to Week 12), IMSA VP Sportscar Challenge Endurance (Week 7 to Week 12)
Formula GP: Cosworth Cup Sprint (Week 1 to Week 6)
GTP: IMSA Sportscar Championship (Week 1 to Week 6), IMSA Endurance Championship (Week 1 to Week 11, Odd Weeks only)
If a player needs to use a Rental car, the winnings will be slightly less, but they’ll still get to compete and earn points in the championship. Rental cars cannot utilize boosts, either. Also, once an Arcader gets to a point in their career and unlocks Hired Drivers, they can send someone like Gauge West or Tony Carster to compete on their behalf.
By unlocking or purchasing cars in Career Mode, those same cars can be used for both Free Play and Multiplayer features as well. That doesn’t mean players can’t join a lobby with their friends if they don’t own the car they are racing, it just means that they’ll have to rent a car for that as well.
ONGOING TIME ATTACKS
- Time Attack #1: Miami International Autodrome | GTP
- TIME TO BEAT: 34.676 seconds by YT | FINNASTRI
- Time Attack #2: Miami International Autodrome | Caterham
- TIME TO BEAT: 40.276 seconds by YT | FINNASTRI
- Time Attack #3: Motorland Aragon (Reverse) | Formula Junior
- TIME TO BEAT: 47.126 seconds by YT | FINNASTRI
Time Attacks can be accessed through the Multiplayer Tab on the Main Menu
Check back in on Tuesday mornings for our Weekly Career Mode walkthrough. Next week, we’re taking a look at all of the different tracks you can race on with on iRacing Arcade!
iRacing Arcade is available on Steam NOW, and it will also release on Xbox and PlayStation consoles later this year.
For more information regarding iRacing Arcade, visit www.iRacingArcade.com.
To learn more about iRacing Studios, visit iRacingStudios.com.
