iRacing has released the racing schedule for 2016 Season 1. This is something I have been anticipating, mainly because I’ve been curious about where they would go with dynamic weather. Just as I suspected, all series will run dynamic weather except for the fixed setup series, which will use default weather settings.
If you build iRacing setups at all, you can go at least a couple of different ways with this weather variable. You could build about 3 different setups for each track, one for about 72°, another setup for about 78°, and yet another for about 84°. For most of us, that is an impractical approach. Most of us have other things going on outside of iRacing, and some run more than one series. A more practical approach is to build one setup for 78° and partly cloudy. In other words, default weather conditions. Beginning with 2016 Season 1, all OSRacing.net setups will be built for default weather conditions and 50% track usage. (OSR League Members note: all league races will now be run using default weather conditions.)
Beginning with 2016 Season 1, all OSRacing.net setups will be built for default weather conditions and 50% track usage.
Another significant change in the iRacing 2016 Season 1 Schedule is the introduction of a new standard qualifying procedure.
All oval series will have a solo two minute warm up followed by a five minute qualifying session with two timed laps. The qualifying sessions will be attached to each race so your times will be specific to each race.
As for interesting races on the schedule, here are a few of the highlights.
The iRacing Legends Series will visit Concord Speedway in Week 8. As you know, iRacing made Concord a “free” track, part of the basic iRacing package. Legends do well at Concord, so this will be a nice addition to a Legends Series schedule that has become somewhat repetitive.
The iRacing Late Model Series and SK Modified Series will visit the all new Southern National Motorsports Park during Week 10. This should be a fun track if it’s anything like the real world version.
The iRacing Street Stock Series will also visit SNMP during Week 11, and Week 9 takes the Street Stocks to Rockingham Speedway, then to Phoenix International Raceway circa 2008 in Week 12. These bigger tracks are unfortunate ventures for the Street Stock Series when they’re better suited for tracks like Langley Speedway and New Smyrna Speedway, two excellent tracks that are not on the Street Stock schedule at all. The Street Stocks will also get their turn at Concord Speedway in Week 6.
The iRacing Super Late Model Series heads to SNMP in Week 9 as iRacing pushes the track in all short track oval series. Super Late Models will also head to Bristol Motor Speedway in Week 1. Unless there is some significant change in the Super Late Model springs and/or chassis configuration/physics (which there could be), I’ll be interested to see what kind of setup iRacing can get to work for this car on this track.
The Tour Modified will also pay a visit to Rockingham Speedway during Week 2, and SNMP during Week 10. In Week 11, the series will race at Gateway Motorsports Park. This seems unusual for the Tour Modified, and I’m sure most of us will skip it.
That’s it for next season’s highlights. There’s plenty to enjoy in iRacing in 2016 Season 1. I look forward to our league races as we will run many of the same tracks and all six of the true short track cars.
This is a really good editorial on the 2016 S1 short track schedules which in the cases you noted, are not short tracks at all. It leaves me wondering why Rockingham and Phoenix were included in the Street Stock schedule at all.
They certainly don’t seem appropriate for Street Stocks in particular.