12/4/2025 – iRacing Leftovers – Episode 0512
iRacers Lounge Podcast – Conversation Topics
Show Introduction
On today’s show, North America’s first Sim Expo is returning for 2026, see what separates you from pro sim racers, possible Simucube 2 updates and Simucube 3 woes, are you willing to buy sim gear from Temu?, Smoke was throwing elbows, an updated FOV guide and it’s Week 12 so you know what is around the corner……
And remember you can follow along with us on your PC or mobile device in real time as you listen to the show and see for yourself all of the great topics and products we’ll discuss by visiting iracerslounge.com and selecting show notes. Hope to see you there..
TITLE SPONSOR READ:
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Special Guest
Garren Batten – The Majors Series
Topics
The Sim Gaming Expo Will Return!
Endurance Scheduler/Solver
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/comment/749236#Comment_749236
Finally Revealed
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/comment/749206#Comment_749206
Porsche 911 Cup (992.2)
Have You Met?
iTelemetry
Seven Levels Of Sim Racing
The seven levels of sim racing are:
Experience: This is the most costly and physically demanding tier. When the user slams on the hydraulic brakes, the belt tensioners crush their chest to mimic G-force deceleration, getting as close as possible to a real race car without smelling gasoline (05:01 Opens in a new window ).
Level One: The Gateway (00:35 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: A gear-driven or belt-driven wheel (like a Logitech G29 or Thrustmaster) clamped to a desk.
Experience: The defining characteristic is the rolling office chair, which slides backward when the user hits the brakes (00:59 Opens in a new window ). It uses potentiometer-based pedals that measure distance, not pressure.
Level Two: The Upgrade (01:20 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: A wheelstand is added to lock the office chair in place. The biggest upgrade is the load cell brake, which measures pedal pressure like a real race car (01:33 Opens in a new window ).
Experience: Users often upgrade to an entry-level direct drive wheelbase (3–5 Newton meters of torque), providing a smoother feel for catching slides.
Level Three: The Permanent Rig (02:00 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: A full, rigid rig is built (made of wood or tubular steel) to eliminate frame flex.
Experience: Visually, the user graduates to an ultrawide monitor, allowing them to finally see the corner’s apex without using a ‘look’ button (02:24 Opens in a new window ).
Level Four: The Gold Standard (02:40 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: A durable and infinitely adjustable 80/20 aluminum profile rig is used, along with a fixed-back bucket seat.
Experience: The display is upgraded to triple screens for genuine peripheral vision (03:03 Opens in a new window ). The powerful 10–12 Nm wheelbase makes a 30-minute race physically demanding.
Level Five: Tactile Immersion (03:26 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: The focus shifts to an ecosystem of details, including a collection of swappable steering wheels (e.g., formula style, deep dish).
Experience: The secret sauce is tactile feedback via base shakers (butt kickers) under the seat, allowing the user to feel curbs and tire lock-up through vibration in their spine (03:49 Opens in a new window ).
Level Six: Virtual Reality (04:05 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: The user switches from screens to Virtual Reality (VR) to be placed inside the car. Wind simulators are added to blow air that speeds up with acceleration.
Experience: The wheelbase torque increases to 20 Nm or more, where crashing without letting go of the wheel could result in a sprained wrist (04:31 Opens in a new window ).
Level Seven: The Endgame (04:47 Opens in a new window )
Equipment: The rig features full motion simulation (heave, pitch, and roll) and active belt tensioners.
Somebody Did Not Like This Post
Has Something Been Wrong All Along?
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/88884/2026-season-1-steering-update-ffb-fix/p1
What Separates Pro Sim Racers?
The video “What Seperates You From Pro Sim Racers?” by Markus Soholm explains that the difference between professional and amateur sim racers is not raw pace or natural talent, but a combination of dedication, mindset, and consistency.
Here is a summary of the video’s main points:
The Real Difference
- Not Superhuman Talent: Pro sim racers are not “superhuman or aliens” 01:02 Opens in a new window . They achieve another level by doing a few things differently, primarily through years of practice and analysis 01:14 Opens in a new window , 01:55 Opens in a new window .
- Time Commitment: Becoming a professional takes thousands of hours for most people, often multiple years, to develop the necessary skill and muscle memory 01:37 Opens in a new window , 02:27 Opens in a new window . It is not a goal to be achieved in days or weeks 02:20 Opens in a new window .
The Path to Improvement
- Focus on Mistakes: The host shares his own journey, where he initially dropped to an incredibly low iRating when he started 03:54 Opens in a new window . His turning point came when a friend noted his pace was fine, but he made too many mistakes (e.g., speeding in pits, under/over fueling, crashing) 05:12 Opens in a new window , 05:24 Opens in a new window .
- Embrace Racing: The speaker adopted a new mindset: go into races, make mistakes, and then learn from them for the next time 06:05 Opens in a new window , 06:12 Opens in a new window . He strongly advises drivers who are scared of losing iRating to “send it” and not fall into the trap of avoiding races 06:38 Opens in a new window , 07:09 Opens in a new window .
- Work Smarter: Professional sim racers may spend up to 40 to over 70 hours practicing for a single special event 08:02 Opens in a new window , 08:15 Opens in a new window . To keep up without that time, you must “work smarter” by being analytical, challenging your curiosity, and seeking out coaches, analysis tools, or free YouTube videos to gain access to the “pool of knowledge” about pace and consistency 08:26 Opens in a new window , 08:43 Opens in a new window .
The Ultimate Goal
Enjoy the Journey: The most important takeaway is to enjoy the process of becoming a better driver, including the mistakes and the learning 09:59 Opens in a new window . Chasing only status and good results will eventually lead to burnout 10:22 Opens in a new window . The real meaning is in becoming better not just as a sim racer, but as a person 10:35 Opens in a new window .
Velocity Sim Lounge Houston, TX
Obscure But Useful Tips
This video, “15 OBSCURE iRacing tips that are actually useful!” by DJ Yee-J, provides a comprehensive list of specific and often lesser-known tips to improve performance in iRacing, focusing primarily on oval racing.
The tips cover car physics, UI navigation, track-specific line adjustments, and pit road strategy:
Car Physics and Track Line Secrets
- Paint and Grip
- On tracks where the painted line is on the banking (not the apron), the paint has more grip than the asphalt in iRacing 00:22, allowing drivers to “hook that paint” for better corner speed (e.g., Charlotte).
- Tire Heat and Bumps
- Bouncing the tires adds significant heat, arguably more than sliding them 02:02. This means going over track bumps increases tire temperature, which is a factor to either use to your advantage or avoid to save tire wear.
- Progressive Banking
- At tracks with progressive banking (like Homestead), splitting the lanes (two wheels on one lane, two on the other) can cause the car to get loose 03:29. This can be intentionally used to help a car that is otherwise pushing too tight.
- Brake Bias Adjustment
- Late Model Apron Clips
- Late Model Stock Cars can use well-timed apron clips to gain speed and rotation at high-banked tracks, which allows for more aggressive throttle application 09:14.
Track-Specific Advanced Lines
- Las Vegas: To avoid the worst bumps in Turns 1 and 2, you must either stick the line early on the bottom or go 3/4 to a full lane off the bottom 10:00.
- Darlington: The wall swings away from you on corner entry, which is the reverse of Safer Barrier tracks. To use all the real estate, you must turn right as the wall juts away and then turn back left 10:46.
- New Hampshire: Due to the low banking, nearly every car uses the apron 11:27. Treat the track as being as wide as the apron allows for optimal lines.
- North Wilkesboro (New Rescan): The small concrete strip on the apron in Turn 1 surprisingly provides more grip than the asphalt 12:39.
UI and Pit Road Tips
Timing Loops: Since iRacing uses timing loops, you can briefly exceed the pit speed limit and then slow down to average the speed back out over the section 07:30.
Practice Groups: You can change your practice group via the ‘entries’ tab to be alone on the track for uninterrupted qualifying laps 01:17.
Pit Speed Limit: You can usually run about 1 mph over the posted pit speed limit without getting a penalty 07:03.
FOV Guide
BMW Used iRacing To Keep Drivers Fresh
2025 eNASCAR Champion’s Blog
https://www.iracing.com/2025-enascar-champions-blog-steven-wilson/
Pi Toolbox Plus Now Available
Another Sim To Reality Story
Smoke Throwing Elbows
https://www.instagram.com/gavinropchan/reel/DRdkeR0EZL8
Almeida Racing Academy 3.0
He’s Thinking Ahead
IMSA eSports Global Championship Spotter Guide
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bYMxFkAA5/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ftoQHBW631zKtMTlyLrIVS-r6Vim5VB5/view
Split Races and Familiar Faces
How Long iRacing?
Are You Struggling With The New Bus Stop?
RFK Holiday Showdown
Winter Derby
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/89005/2025-winter-derby
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/89006/2025-fixed-setup-winter-derby
https://www.iracing.com/this-week-iracing-winter-derby-special-event-2025
This Week In iRacing
https://www.iracing.com/this-week-in-iracing-december-2-to-december-8-2025/
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We are in the regular rotation… (Mike)
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IRLP Polar League
Atlanta Winner – JUSTIN THOMPSON
Darlington Winner – RYAN CARWILE
Points After Darlington
Hardware/Software
You Didn’t Know You Needed It Until You Had It
Possible Updates To The Simucube 2 Pro?
Temu Has Sim Racing Gear?
Simucube 3 Pricing Concerns?
Results
NASCAR iRacing Series
Official Series
Sunday Fixed-Winter NiS – Phoenix
- Mike- Pdnf car was super super tight. I qualified 15th out of 26 and split two Nim Cross is in here and I invited him to our league and on lap 30. The guy in front of me just spun out all by himself and somehow someway I couldn’t miss him and took the right front off the car
Global Endurace
- Mike, David, Greg, Tom p5- Was as high as 2nd, to big 12 min wrecks, plus only 5 cars still remaining lead us to stop with about 8 hours to go.
Gen 4
- Ellis – P at Chicago land. Top split 19 cars there were two splits. Qualified fourth. Ended up leading some laps, but made a bad pit. Call on tires and fuel ended up having a pit under green when others didn’t eventually caught a lucky caution. Got a lucky dog back to the lead lap and made my seat way up to 12 out of 19 to finish P12.
B Open
- John – P5 This was a good race on old Atlanta. Two cautions in the first 10 laps. Green rest of the way. I stayed out on first set of tires for 50 laps. A bit of a gamble that paid off. Guys that pitted early lost a lot spots on the track they never got back. My tires at the end were good enough to pick up two spots in the last 10 laps. First B open in a while and felt good to finally get a top 5 and NOT GET WRECKED. But, the fun was short lived because I got a P26 at Auto Club my next race. Got taken out on lap 1 in turn 4. Too much damage – I was done.
Ring Meister
- Mike – P street stock. DNF ran into the guy in front of me when he slowed down more than I expected to in a king corner that caused me to spit off my car was against the wall so I held the brake and was waiting for the field to pass before trying to reverse but sure enough they wrecked in the same king and came sliding sideways and destroyed me some 30 seconds later
- Started Paul position went off a little bit but that was enough to get past and I could never catch the guy again and finished P2
- Qualified fifth. Ended up spinning in a heavy breaking zone and a few cars hit me and I lost all steering DNF.
- Started on Paul position quickly lost the lead but then was in second holding up third and fourth we actually went three wide at one point one guy wrecked off, threatened to protest me, but it was just a racing incident. On the final lap, the leader lost connection and then me and another guy were fighting for the win, but I couldn’t catch him P2.
- Qualified on pole position and he ended up finishing second.
- Then top split qualified fourth fell to six got back to fourth made a mistake and went off. Had to turn around backwards ended up finishing P 13.
- Pole. Lost to lead pretty quick but then on the real fast left-hand kink turn I got to the guys inside and I predicted that that he would go off if I got to his inside sure enough that’s what happened. He ended up in the grass. I got the lead a few corners later, though I was out of control and shoved it in the wall, headfirst and wrecked from the lead DNF.
IMSA
- Hall – P2 high at tona, 0-2 for finishing first lap at Spa
- Brad W – P4 (GT3-Daytona) Started in p8 and was up to p3 by T6. GT3 leader started too soon so we ran up on the Prototypes in T1. Needless to say it was all about avoiding the spinning cars. I did not have the pace of the top 2 but was just a bit quicker than p4. Managed to stay in p3 for about 80% of the only to get punted by p4 getting into the Lemans Chicane. This dropped me to p6 and over the final laps i was able to get bay to p4 and on the bumper of p3(the guy who punted me). I made a few attempts to get by but he was in the Porsche so while I could get to him he was too strong for me to complete the pass. I also did not want to do to him what he did to me.
- P1 GT3(Nurburgring) Started p2 but slipped to p3 at start. The three of us were much quicker than the rest of the field so I knew it would come down to us. P1 went wide through the stadium section and fell to p3 about 15 minutes in. Traffic caught us and p1 was knocked off course getting into the last chicane by a GTP. That gave me the lead before pit stops. Was able to maintain and stretch it to 4 seconds over the remaining time in the race. A little redemption from earlier in the week where I was wrecked out of p1 by a spinning GTP car.
- William – P9 and P6 – Nurb GP Both top split, nothing remarkable about either race. Didn’t have the pace here that I found later in the week but unfortunately didn’t get time to run another one. Sitting P4 in Division 3 IMSA with one week to go. Need a really strong week at Spa, but thankfully as we will find out I have found a ton of pace there.
Draftmaster
- Mike- 87 at Daytona qualified ninth out of 19 top split. Drove up to fourth but then faded back to finishP7.
League / Hosted Races
IRLP Polar Series
Week Five – Darlington
- David – P 12, got loose right in front of someone, they couldn’t avoid, had aboutg 1min 40 of damage
- Justin – P wrecked ?
- Brad – P wrecked out. I just don’t like this car at all.
- John – P parked. Wrecked on lap 52. Damage was repairable, but I figured no need to go on.
Grass Roots Racing
GTP/GT3 League – Spa Endurance Race
- William W – P2 – p3 overall – 15% chance of rain during session so thought I was clear but didn’t even think about the possibility of loading to a wet track. Struggled in the beginning and really bad in quali. Started well back in the field and spun myself twice getting too far off line on the wet trying to make things happen. Stayed on wet tires about 2 laps too long. But boy or boy once I put the drys on I was fastest on track by literal seconds. It felt so good and it was really fun searching fo the best dry line. Mad at myself for losing about 20 seconds on the spin because this was an easy win if not. But either was it was a lot of fun. Both my races this week were pretty fantastic.
- Brad W – P4 in class and P5 overall. What a fun race! The track started 50% wet and was really perfect for the start. Worked through avoiding the early spinners and managed to settle into a decent rhythm and made progress toward the front. The track was perfect for dry tires at the first stop and was a blast to keep pushing and finding grip. I was surprised that we would need a second stop just for fuel. Pitted and on my out lap I just flat out messed up going into Pouhon. Forgot to downshift and I spun the car but ended up in more of a death slide. I was trying to get it straight and managed to re-enter the track in a very dangerous way that almost killed David. Definitely a code brown! Had this been a dry race I would have had no chance at a top 5, just did not have the pace.
- David – P8, don’t start with dry tires in the rain, but gained spots on attrition cause I did keep it on the track
Elbows Out Racing League (LMP2 and GT3 Wednesday Nights)
- William- P4 – Nurb GP- completely botched qualifying and didn’t set a time. Started in the back and immediately started the push for the front. Was able to miss a lap 1 wreck in stadium and pick off a few more on pace. Entered th pits in 5th and lost the position to 6th in cold tires. Was able to get back to 5th on pace and 4th didn’t put enough fuel. Held off a hard charging guy who is much quicker than me fo the last few laps for a strong finish.
Hosted-
- Ellis – P 87 that Daytona P2 I was gonna win it, but the guy blocked
- Supercar at outlon Park P4
- Carb cup at Daytona. Qualified P2 out of 24. lead most relapse, including the last one, but the guy who was pushing me, shot me up perfectly and got around me on the last lap and won the race P2.
- Pick up cup at Phoenix got wrecked out running fifth
- Then pick up cup wrecked out again.
- And finally finish P4.
- Then pole position and led every lap and got a 6 point5 second gap on the field in won the race winner winner chicken dinner first win with the new gloves a new sim socks
- Trying to go back to back I get the Paul position again this time I’m gapping the field. I have about a two second gap and I’m lapping traffic and as I lap the car as I go by him, he turns right right into me as I’m going by him, ended up sending in a protest.
- Then pull position again took off leading, but some alien with a 6000 eye rating came from the back and caught me in overtake me and won the race and I finished P2 best of the rest Title idea
- Then started P2 and finish P2. The winner was about a 10th or two faster than me.
Final Thoughts
Words Spoken in Closing Audio Clip -“”Thank you for listening to the iRacers Lounge podcast make sure to go subscribe to us on iTunes, SoundCloud, or Google Play, Facebook & Twitter, See You On The Track .”
TITLE
- iRacing Leftovers
Description
On today’s show, North America’s first Sim Expo is returning for 2026, see what separates you from pro sim racers, possible Simucube 2 updates and Simucube 3 woes, are you willing to buy sim gear from Temu?, Smoke was throwing elbows, an updated FOV guide and it’s Week 12 so you know what is around the corner……
So sit back, relax and join us on the iRacers Lounge Podcast.
iRacers Lounge Podcast is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Podbean, Spreaker, Podbay, PodFanatic, Overcast, Amazon, and other podcast players.
Sponsors:
Hosts:
Mike Ellis – https://x.com/mikedeanellis
David Hall – https://x.com/dmixmage
Greg Hecktus – twitter.com/froozenkaktus
Donnie Spiker – https://www.instagram.com/spikerman19/
Brad Wrenn – https://x.com/bradwrenn
John Kerley – https://x.com/KerleyJohnE
Justin Pearson – https://www.facebook.com/justin.pearson.5811
Bobby Jonas – https://x.com/bjonas71
William Westbrook – https://www.facebook.com/william.westbrook.35
Kris Randall – https://www.signalcraftstudio.com/
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