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News · This week

Sim racing news: iRacing Temerario GT3, LMU 1.4.3 and AC EVO Free Roam

Two busy weeks in sim racing. The highlights:

  • iRacing ran three big endurance weekends and named new content for December.
  • Le Mans Ultimate fixed driver swaps.
  • Kunos showed Assetto Corsa EVO's Free Roam.
  • Gran Turismo 7 got a release date for Spec IV.

Every news item comes with a source and date.

This is the first edition of our weekly news roundup, so it looks back on two weeks (26 September – 10 October). From the next edition on, each one covers exactly one ISO week, Monday to Sunday.

By Redactie Goodfellas · Published on

Lamborghini Temerario GT3 in iRacing, new in the December 2026 build

iRacing: Petit Le Mans, Bathurst 1000 and 8 Hours of Indianapolis

The weekend of 25 to 27 September brought the iRacing Petit Le Mans: a 10-hour multi-class team race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with GTP, LMP2 and GT3. According to iRacing's announcement, teams had to declare their drivers in advance (minimum two, maximum sixteen). Fair share was enabled and the disqualification limit was 150 incident points per team. Weather was dynamic and setups were open.

A week later, from 2 to 4 October, the Bathurst 1000 followed with the Supercars at Mount Panorama. The next endurance event on the official calendar is the 8 Hours of Indianapolis for GT3 cars, from 16 to 18 October.

From the pit wall Taking on those 8 hours with a team? Stints, fuel and swaps are quick to map out in our free iRacing stint planner. Our guide How to Plan iRacing Endurance Stints explains how declared drivers, fair share and the 30-second swap timer work.

iRacing Season 4 Patch 1

On 5 October, 2026 Season 4 Patch 1 (build 2026.10.01.01) was released. The main points from the release notes:

  • The old Companion App no longer works after 5 October 2026. iRacing asks everyone to install the new version.
  • The Car Damage Widget now works for all cars, with a wireframe and damage information.
  • Road course start zones and multiple pace car starts remain disabled. iRacing has tested a series of fixes internally and reports progress. For example, the rest of a class is no longer penalised when its class leader jumps the start. There are also new "Form up!" and "Maintain speed!" messages.
  • The "Pedals Force Feedback" setting is now called "Pedals Haptics".
  • A typo in the Kia Optima's fuel fill rate was fixed: a full tank now takes 48 seconds, except under NEC rules (120 seconds).

From the pit wall The old Companion App has had its day; the new version is the way forward. Haptic-pedal users will now find that setting under "Pedals Haptics".

iRacing in December: Temerario GT3 and three tracks

In episode 69 of the iRacing Downshift podcast (9 October), iRacing president Tony Gardner named the content for the December build. Traxion covered the podcast the same day. According to Traxion, the 2027 Season 1 build will bring the Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Circuit Paul Ricard, Circuit Bugatti and Winchester Speedway. Gardner said iRacing has spent recent years upgrading existing content and now wants to release more new content again.

From the pit wall A little patience: this is slated for the December build. For anyone who loves GT3 or European circuits, that should be a good month.

Le Mans Ultimate v1.4.3: driver swaps and track limits

Studio 397 released v1.4.3 on 6 October. According to the official patch notes, online driver swaps were fixed. Damage is now restored correctly after a disconnect. A rare issue where the AI took over the car during a swap is also solved. Track limits were also reworked. They now support specific penalty points and configurable one-wheel or four-wheel detection. They are also stricter at Le Mans (Dunlop Chicane), Interlagos, Long Beach, Paul Ricard and Portimão. The Ford Mustang GT3's BoP weight at Interlagos is correct again. The ADESS AD25 LMP3 was added to the 2026 ELMS championship.

From the pit wall Good news for teams running driver swaps in LMU. Corner cuts at the listed tracks are penalised sooner, so practice is a good moment to revisit your lines.

Assetto Corsa EVO: Free Roam in the Eifel

On 7 October, Kunos Simulazioni and 505 Games revealed Assetto Corsa EVO's Free Roam. According to the press release, it is a 1:1 recreation of parts of the Eifel region. At launch that means the area around the Nürburgring, with the Nordschleife, the surrounding villages and the roads between them. Free Roam works in single-player and multiplayer, with changing weather, a day-night cycle and AI traffic. It will be playable for the first time at the SimRacing Expo in Frankfurt (16–18 October). A public release date has not been announced yet.

From the pit wall Anyone heading to the SimRacing Expo can try Free Roam there first. For the rest of us, it’s a wait for Kunos to name a release date.

Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV and the Thrustmaster T-GT III

On 3 October, Polyphony Digital showed the trailer for Spec IV during round 3 of the Gran Turismo World Series in Singapore. It is a major free update in two parts, in October and December. Part 1 arrives on 15 October with the new Sportsland SUGO circuit, six cars and new features.

The same day, according to Traxion, Thrustmaster unveiled the T-GT III: an officially licensed Gran Turismo bundle for PS5 and PS4. It has a Direct Axial Drive base (5 Nm constant, up to 10 Nm peak), a GT-branded wheel and Raceline pedals with a load cell. Traxion says it can be pre-ordered from 3 December for €699.99. Thrustmaster is also a Gran Turismo World Series partner again. New wheel or a different screen setup? Get your field of view right with our FOV calculator.

From the pit wall GT7 players get Spec IV part 1 for free on 15 October. The T-GT III is for PS5 and PS4; according to Traxion, pre-orders only open on 3 December.

F1 Sim Racing: future uncertain

On 28 September, Traxion reported that several Formula 1 teams have withdrawn from a planned new season of F1 Sim Racing. That is F1's official esports competition. Traxion says it verified this independently. According to the site, F1 is working on "something else" for virtual racing, but teams have not been told what it is. Traxion has asked F1 and the teams for comment, so the news has not been officially confirmed yet.

From the pit wall For now nothing changes for sim racers. We’re waiting for an official response from F1 first.

Coming up

  • 15 October: Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV, part 1.
  • 16–18 October: SimRacing Expo in Frankfurt, with playable Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam.
  • 16–18 October: 8 Hours of Indianapolis in iRacing (GT3).
  • December: iRacing 2027 Season 1 build and Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV, part 2.

Rather race together than just read about it? Check out our race reports or join the Goodfellas Discord.

Sources

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