McLaren 570S GT4, Mazda RT24-P, KTM X-Bow GTX/GT2 Coming Soon To Raceroom

KW Studios have previewed their upcoming “On The Edge Pack” DLC for Raceroom that will include the McLaren 570S GT4, Mazda RT24-P and KTM X-Bow GT2. Check out their great preview content below.

Overall trailer:

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McLaren 570S GT4:

Today we’ll take you through the McLaren 570S GT4, one of the three cars that comprise our On The Edge performance pack, due to be released at the beginning of April. GT4 is a category that is often under-appreciated compared to more overtly showy series; “What, you want a slower GT3 car?!”. But that’s to miss the point. GT4 is the shining example of a series where the cars need to be pushed to get the maximum out of them: lap-times have to be earned. And the earning is fun. Even better, GT4’s popularity means there are so many models to choose from, and the addition of this McLaren further strengthens Raceroom’s already copious GT4 grid.

When GT4 first launched back in 2007, it was admittedly a little challenging for even the most ardent endurance racing fan to get over-excited about, with what seemed like a pretty stock look and feel. The initial batch of cars were literally barely changed from their dealer forecourt counterparts – just with some race stickers slapped on. The same could be said about OG GT3, released just the year before: just add standard rear wing.

But that was to ignore what these cars represented: a measured counterpoint to the futile but legendary arms races of two decades of GT1, eras of boom and bust that led to epic highs but of so low-lows. The three Golden Ages of GT1 came and went: the late ’90s, the mid 2000s and the sad but inevitable failure of the 2010-12 World Championship that straddled the period of evolution for the GT3 and GT4 categories, but something that proved to be a last hurrah for those primordial beasts. Instead, GT3 and GT4 were laying deliberate foundations for the long-term stability and success we now all get to enjoy.

As GT3 plugged away year after year, evolving and building both respect and performance, so did GT4. Manufacturers realised they could gather GT customers for a relatively low entry cost: particularly in GT4 where relatively little modification was needed. The cars got faster. And meaner. Post 2013, as road cars became more aggressive again after a period of manufacturer fear of using performance as a marketing tool, so did their GT brethren: suddenly the racing butterflies emerging from the production chrysalis were demonstrably weaponised.

The rules allowed a little more tweaking here and there, further enhancing GT4’s racing cred and pulling them away from street versions. McLaren entered the GT4 fray in 2017 with the 570S, their ‘don’t call me baby’ supercar. As with all their range it’s build around a carbon tub, an updated version of their MonoCell core, which is then itself swathed in yet more layers of carbon. It’s a pretty car, but pretty aggressive.

Power comes from a proprietary 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 – optimally sited in a rear-mid configuration – and delivered to the rear-wheels via a seven-speed sequential transmission. It’s good to let that sink in, as again it’s something that reinforces the excitement of GT4. This is basically a road car. But it’s pushing out almost 600hp in road car spec (though admittedly a little restricted in race trim, balanced against weight reductions, aero and engineering upgrades). This is a car that would make you pay attention if you were popping out to the shops, let alone lining up on a racing grid. Things happen very, very quickly in a 570S.

Add GT4 to the end of the model name, and if you don’t find entering a corner at 150mph – even in a sim – a little exciting, then you’re obviously operating in a different world.

The aero is efficient rather than overwhelming. Unlike the fully optimised package of a GT3, in a GT4 you might have the speed in a straight line but in the corners effort is required. And skill. The 570S is plenty fast enough that triggering the ABS when you stamp on the brakes can be seen a sign of success: the racing disks combined with the downforce will typically stop the McLaren before that kicks in, delivering predictable and confidence-building stopping power.

The McLaren’s chassis is renowned for its benign feedback; again, with its wider track and adjustable dampers it’s a car that allows you to build confidence and makes you want to drive round and round until you run out of fuel. And then refuel and get back out again.

That’s the point of these cars: they really are fun – but also challenging. A GT4 is the perfect learning environment for drivers who want to hone their racing skills, but also for a veteran looking to prove they’ve got some chops. The 570S looks the business, and is the business. And soon, you’ll be able to drive it in Raceroom.

Mazda RT24-P:

The third car in our On The Edge pack is not just a small step, but more like a giant leap forward for racing kind. Raceroom already features some epically fast racecars: our Formula X class showcases the pinnacle of modern single seater performance; the R18 TDI was the whisper-quiet but rocketship-quick LMP1 of its generation; and the VW ID.R proves that battery power is the quickest way to get to the top of a mountain. Our new addition to the prototype ranks sits up there with them: Mazda’s RT24-P DPi prototype is an absolute weapon – and a blast to drive.

There are few things that can beat the visceral thrill of a modern prototype. Whereas in a single-seater you’re lying down with your head poking out of a 200mph carbon fibre bathtub, in a prototype you’re enclosed in the tight confines of a cockpit, with the big fenders over the front wheels obscuring your lateral views and the sound of the engine reverberating around you – also at 200mph, but usually also racing against GT cars potentially going 50mph slower than you are. You have to drive with your senses in overdrive: you have to be at one with the machine. A prototype cockpit is a claustrophobic but exhilarating place to be.

IMSA forged ahead with its own set of North American prototype regulations back in 2017, sensibly taking a more modest approach based on LMP2 chassis clothed in manufacturer-backed bodykits – something that avoided the worst troughs of the WEC’s own search for its future technical platform. IMSA’s Daytona Prototype International rules set enjoyed an impressive and entertaining run right up to the introduction of the new Le Mans-aligned Hypercar spec in 2022: Mazda went up against Cadillac, Acura and (for a limited time) Nissan in five seasons of hard-fought races.

Mazda have a proud history in sportscar racing, with an almost constant presence in grassroots motorsport capped with occasional high level programmes. There’s the ubiquitous MX-5 (the latest version of which we released last December), but then they also deliver left-field haymakers, like the iconic, Le Mans-winning 787B or the racing RX-7s (whether touring car, pumped-up GTO or rally variants).

In tune with IMSA’s desire to make prototypes have more relevance to fans, the RT24-P incorporated Mazda’s KODO design philosophy – the ‘soul of motion’ – that took cues from its road cars. The aero levels it produces are enormous, empowered by the huge shovel of a front wing mounted under the nose, replete with multiple dive planes, sidepod profiling and rear wing.

Following a difficult first year after Mazda stepped up to DPi, they engaged the legendary Joest team (giants during the Group C era and stalwarts of Audi’s domination of LMP1 in the 2000s) to manage the race programme, and the car’s performance potential was truly unlocked. The RT24-P racked up seven wins and 25 podiums in its career, including prestigious wins at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.

Sure, this DPi doesn’t feature one of Mazda’s legendary rotary units, but it’s still a screamer. Powering this low-slung racer is a two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As a statement that sounds relatively unimpressive: but this highly-tuned AER unit pushes out around 600hp, turning what sounds like something from a family saloon into a screaming monster.

The core Riley MkXXX chassis was developed by North American engineering specialists Multimatic, continuing a relationship with Mazda that had seen the two field a Lola-based prototype in the US. The resulting 930kg package is fast. Very, very fast. We will be releasing the car with plenty of liveries to make single-class races fun, but the best environment will be in proper multi class events: the RT24-P’s natural hunting ground. Expect this car to feature heavily in Ranked races in the coming months.

KTM X-Bow GTX/GT2:

The second car in our On The Edge pack is definitely an outlier in terms of what’s seen as a ‘normal’ GT car, but it shows what can happen if you free your mind. And the KTM X-Bow GTX/GT2 is definitely the product of a mind that’s been allowed to run wild! We’re including both variants of the car, one to fit into Raceroom’s SRO-aligned GT2 category and a second that will sit in a dedicated X-Bow GTX class.

KTM (that’s Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, in case you didn’t know) were historically best known for their off-road motorbikes. Founded 89 years ago, it’s another company with a proud legacy that flew under the radar for a long time before bursting into the international consciousness. First up was moto-cross success in the ‘70s followed by a slew of incredible results at the epic Dakar rally in the ‘90s (KTM went on to win the motorcycle category every year from 2001-2019!); then small-cap sports bikes before moving into top-flight MotoGP. But in 2008, amongst all this two-wheel focus came something unexpected: the X-Bow. Four wheels not two. Steering wheel not handlebars. Driver not rider.

The original X-Bow was clearly designed by engineers who usually work with two wheels and some choices show that, like the transverse engine mounting, the way the gear ratios are spaced and that the car is very softly sprung from the factory. Although it obviously came from a different place to most GTs, there was still a precedent: models like the BAC Mono and Ariel Atom had showed their was still a hunger for lightweight racers in the classic Lotus mould, taking cues more from single-seaters and sports bikes than classic GTs. With the appearance of an insectoid, steroidal go-kart, the X-Bow quickly became a popular and cheap entry point into wind-in-your-face racing, and with some modifications was allowed to race within the FIA GT4 category.

The next step was for a radical new bodywork and aero package. Race specialists Reiter Engineering helped build a closed-cockpit version of the X-Bow GT4 for the 2015 GT4 season, which introduced the front-pivoting canopy clam-shell. But the cars still retained the buzzbomb DNA of the original, despite its mini prototype looks, and it certainly retained the principle of _really_ annoying people driving more expensive, ‘real’ GTs.

In 2020 came the X-Bow thunder in the form of the GTX and GT2 Concept twin-sisters. Continuing its development partnership with Reiter, KTM’s GTX/GT2 is an even more aggressive-looking machine. The impetus for the new design was partially provided by the SRO’s new GT2 category, but, as with their success in bikes, it was also a natural evolutionary step for KTM: this is a company who prove themselves at each rung of the ladder before launching their next assault. Despite going up against the might of supercar manufactures (again), the X-Bow GTX/GT2 proved it could win against its more mainstream opposition (again).

Although there’s the stark visual difference to previous models, it is based around the same Dallara-designed carbon monocoque as the original X-Bow and the GT4. Aesthetically this is an unapologetically modern design: low-slung with sharp lines and a big rear wing hung on swan-neck mounts. It’s a car that looks epic from all angles: from the heavily raked nose with its modernist LED lighting pack to the rear with minimalist, red monster-eye brake lights mounted above fighter-style slatted vertical ducts.

Thanks to the massive, almost panoramic windshield, driver visibility is particularly impressive, roll-cage intrusion aside. And even then, because the roll-cage sits inboard and isn’t physically connected to the canopy, it just accentuates the star-fighter feel.

Both models feature the same engine, which is a tuned version of Audi’s 2.5-litre TFSI turbocharged inline-five unit. It’s got an unmistakable rasping exhaust note with little turbo chirrups thrown in, familiar to anyone who’s driven the R8 GT3,. However, the GTX features a more GT3-compliant 532bhp, whereas the GT2 engine has been tuned up by Lehmann Motorentechnik to hit the 600hp limit of the GT2 series. Weighing a fraction over a metric ton, it technically has more power than a Veyron! Which is then where the hand that gives is balanced by the one that takes away: to balance this outrageous performance against its GT2 opposition, the SRO added a mighty 295kg of ballast – which unfortunately we have also added virtually for accuracy.

The two have a very similar resultant power to weight ratio, but the GT2 will keep going and hit higher top speeds where the GTX runs out of steam. But it still means the GTX is quicker over any lap by a few seconds at least: it’s just more capable in braking zones and is stronger in corners. The transmission in both cars is a Holinger MF six-speed sequential, while adjustable dampers manage the challenging job of keeping this rocket ship on the (perhaps not so) straight and (hopefully not too often) narrow.