Video game development is rarely about one man, but if it was, then Terence Groening should certainly get a mention for his contributions to the genre as the man responsible for the physics of Sportscar GT, EA’s PC F1 and NASCAR games of the early 2000’s, rFactor, rFactor 2 and every title and rFpro simulator that spawned from ISI’s engine.
This interview with RSC details his early life and career, through to him joining iRacing in 2021.
RSC contains a database of 153 developers, 467 software titles, 374 cars, 42 bikes, 242 tracks and more...Originally working in military simulator design, this Michigan-based studio developed Zone Raiders for Virgin Interactive before moving to Electronic Arts for publishing their second PC title, Sports Car GT, when Westwood Studios (their SCGT development partner) was acquired by the software giant.
Known primarily for their mod-friendly SCGT and rFactor racing platforms, ISI also developed Formula One and NASCAR titles on PC for Electronic Arts, but perhaps their lasting contribution to the genre was the licensing of the isiMotor engine that allowed studios such as 2Pez, Blimey! Games, KW Studios, Motorsport Games, Reiza Studios, SIMBIN Studios, Slightly Mad Studios, The Sim Factory, Tiburon and rFactor 2‘s ongoing developer Studio 397 to begin with or release on an evolution of their software.
Another fork of the isiMotor engine, rFpro, continues to be developed and is used by a wide array of automotive companies for both road and motorsport simulation.
RSC Podcast Episode 7 – Management Simulations, F1 Managers, Always Used To Be Better?Join Jon Denton, Tim Wheatley, Simon Croft and guest(s) as they discuss sim racing and racing games past, present and future.
RSC contains a database of news items. Our #OnThisDay page shows current day and current week of years past...
RSC contains a database of videos back to the 1980s catalogued as intros, laps, trailers, unboxings and more...
RSC contains a database of emulated software you can play in your browser...
Via BMW Sim Live, BMW and iRacing have together announced that the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh prototype will be coming to the sim in 2023.
An image was posted but although the background is from what appears to be Road Atlanta in iRacing, the car itself comes from a photoshoot or render of the real car. I wouldn’t expect this car to release in the first quarter of 2023 unless they acquire data and get it in-game right away.
Edit: It has also been posted on iRacing.com:
The successful collaboration between BMW M Motorsport and the leading simulation platform iRacing enters the next round in 2023. BMW M Motorsport is set to become the first manufacturer in the world to make its new LMDh car, the BMW M Hybrid V8, available to the sim racing community. As with the BMW M4 GT3, real and virtual development of the car run synchronously. The collaboration was officially announced at the BMW SIM Live event on Saturday.
“When it comes to introducing real BMW M race cars to the virtual world, BMW M Motorsport and iRacing have been close and perfectly attuned partners for many years,” said Maurizio Leschiutta, LMDh project leader at BMW M Motorsport. “As the head of such an important project, confidentiality is my number one priority; it would be fatal if the competition discovered the technical details of our car that we want to keep secret. In that respect, I came away really impressed by iRacing’s professionalism. We are making CAD data and findings from our simulator and racetrack tests available to iRacing. They are used as the basis on which to create a realistic virtual version. This gives every sim racer the opportunity to experience the performance of a state-of-the-art prototype and the appeal of BMW M Motorsport.”
“We’re incredibly excited to confirm that the BMW M Hybrid V8 will be coming to iRacing in the coming months,” said iRacing executive vice president Steve Myers. “We’ve been eagerly anticipating the LMDh class for a few years now, and BMW M Motorsport’s support has been indispensable in helping us to bring both their entry and the new class to iRacing. Building this car in the sim has been a joy for our team, and we can’t wait to see the community’s response upon release.”
BMW M Motorsport and iRacing have already worked hand in hand on multiple car projects. The BMW M8 GTE was also transferred from reality to the virtual world, as were the BMW M4 GT4 and the BMW M4 GT3 later. The LMDh project now offers the next opportunity to bring a car on the racetrack in two worlds.
The race premiere of the BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2023 moves closer. The car is currently undergoing intensive testing in the USA. While the car has a special camouflage livery for the tests, the BMW M Hybrid V8 will have a works design in the iconic BMW M Motorsport colours from the start of next year. It was revealed in Los Angeles in September 2022, and can now also be seen on the virtual version of the car.
iR is a subscription-based online service that allows sim racers to race a variation of cars and tracks from all around the world.
