Video game development is full of names that have made groundbreaking steps you’ve never even heard about. Shawn Nash is a behind-the-scenes pioneer responsible for SODA Off Road Racing’s incredible physics, Papyrus’ graphical advancements and iRacing’s use of laser scan data for the physical track surfaces.
This interview with RSC, published in 2021, details his early life and career, through both his own company, Papyrus, Electronic Arts, to his time at iRacing.
If you ever played Papyrus’ seminal Grand Prix Legends then you’ve read his name. Rich began working as a tester on NASCAR Racing (1994) and was with Papyrus at the end. In this interview, published in 2022, we discuss his time at the legendary studio and the design of Grand Prix Legends, including initial feelings of hurt at not being asked to join iRacing.
Studio 397 announced yesterday that they’ll be adding their third BTCC car in the upcoming Q3 2022 content drop (joining the previously released Toyota Corolla and Infiniti Q50) in the form of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance. This car joins the other car content (Caterham and MINI) announced for this update along with the Gateway track.
Here is the full text of their announcement news item:
Hello sim racing fans!
Ah, don’t we all love that wonderful time when we at Studio 397 share with you all the fruits of our labours over the last few months, rolling through that exciting journey of announcements ahead of the latest quarterly update and content drop for rFactor 2?
Since we deployed our hugely popular Q2 2022 release back on May 9th, we have been delighted to hear the waves of positive feedback from the community about our first batch of modern British Touring Car vehicles, and following up on our intention to bring the full grid to life within rFactor 2, we cannot wait for you to get your hands on this next mighty new car! We are sure you will agree, this car is one of the most interesting and exciting brands in the championship, representing one of the very latest models to join this hugely popular series – and to see it in virtual form within our simulation is an incredibly exciting moment for the team – one that we hope you share with us as we step ever closer to release day.
View this video on YouTube. Please consider subscribing to RSC’s channel.
The Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance is an incredibly potent racing machine. Run by the EXCELR8 Motorsport outfit in the UK, and fielding one of the most exciting drivers of the BTCC in the form of Tom Ingram, the Hyundai has already proven itself to be massively quick and capable of taking strong results in the highly competitive world of British Touring Car Championship racing – not to mention one of the most attractive cars on the grid!
Run by Justina Williams, EXCELR8 Motorsport only made their debut in the BTCC for the 2019 season, off the back of a highly successful and long standing association with the Mini Challenge Series (one that continues to this day). Starting life in the series cautiously with the then rather aged MG6 GT cars, it wouldn’t take EXCELR8 long to establish their credentials in the championship, before making a bold move in the winter of that same year to commit to the design, development and build of the brand-new i30.
Unbelievably, that first season with the new cars would yield almost instant results, with both drivers going on to secure podium finishes before the 2020 campaign came to a close. With such obvious potential displayed by the new cars, for 2021 the team expanded yet again, joining forces with Trade Price Cars as they upped the entry to a total of four machines for the new campaign and beyond – a decision that seems to be paying off handsomely for the team, with victories and strong race finishes becoming something of the norm for this exciting new outfit.
This car is particularly special as it represents yet another new manufacturer to the BTCC. Although much like with the majority of the field, the team do not have full factory support from Hyundai, it remains an incredibly exciting opportunity for fans of British motorsport to see the popular Korean marque represented alongside the healthy grid of different cars that hold a place in the modern era of British Touring Car Championship racing.
Having undergone aggressive development over the course of its lifetime within the paddock, the Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance is already a very potent machine in the right hands. Front wheel driven and powered by a Swindon developed Hyundai engine, the car has proven a capable prospect on the many varied types of circuit run within the British Touring Car Championship season.
Working well under ballast and able to manipulate the front end for strong corner entry, the Hyundai is certainly a car to be reckoned with – and being at such an early stage of development, it can only get quicker from here on in..
So there we have it folks, the full list of Q3 2022 content releases have been revealed – and with it, another nice collection of cars and tracks to keep our ever keen sim racing community happy and going quickly! We can’t wait for you all to get your hands on this new content, and we remain excited about the opportunities we have to present new, interesting and diverse content within the simulation. August 8th is right around the corner…
BTCC Hyundai – Coming to rFactor 2 soon!
No replies yet
Loading new replies...
Join the full discussion at the Race Sim Central Community Forums →