iRacing announces 2026 Season 1 Initial Release

iRacing has published the initial 2026 Season 1 release notes, with the new season scheduled to officially start on December 16 at 0000 UTC. The announcement covers new content, Sim UI additions, vehicle and track updates, AI support, and localization changes in the official release notes post.

What changed

Cars

Added two new cars: FIA Cross Car and Porsche 911 Cup (992.2).
Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) launches with rain racing support and AI support.
Dallara IR18 received art updates and a completed Hybrid System update.
Toyota GR86 received physics and systems updates based on the latest real-world data.
NASCAR Truck Series aerodynamic model was updated using additional real-world data.
GT3 class cars received another round of updates.
Hundreds of new vehicle setups were added.

Tracks

Added Adelaide Street Circuit.
Added Miami International Autodrome with five configs.
Added two Dirt Road configs: Lucas Oil Speedway - Off Road and Winton Motor Raceway - Rallycross.
Rockingham Speedway - Oval was remodeled with new laser scan data, while the 2012 version remains available.
Mount Panorama received a comprehensive art upgrade.
Track initialization was updated for water, puddles, wetness, dust, debris, and driving lines.
Oval Refresh updates advanced rubber density, rubber distribution, and thermal flow to improve lane dynamics and multi-groove racing.

Features

Sim UI adds Options Search.
Four Black Box pages were repackaged into standalone widgets: Lap Timing, Relative, Standings, and Weather.
Widget Editor now allows customization of size, position, and transparency for nearly all UI elements.
Non-sim iRacing app adds French, German, Italian, Portuguese (European), and Portuguese (Brazilian).
AI support was added for Adelaide Street Circuit, all five Miami configs, and Rockingham Speedway - Oval.

We should confirm league schedules, car eligibility, setup baselines, and any broadcast/UI instructions against these Season 1 changes before opening registrations or practice.

From the changelog

Structured change list parsed from the official notes.

cars

[h2] 2026 Season 1 Initial Release Notes \[2025.12.08.03] [/h2] ---------------------------------------------------------- The iRacing 2026 Season 1 Release Build is out of the paddock and on the starting grid! This is one of four major annual releases for iRacing, and adds new content, features, upgrades, and a toolbox-full of fixes for 2026 Season 1, which officially starts on December 16th at 0000 UTC! We have wasted no time in advancing our new Sim UI towards the next level of awesome and have added several new features for this release, including: Options Search, four Black Box pages have been repackaged into standalone Widgets, and substantial UI customization is now available via the new Widget Editor feature! Standalone Widgets are read-only UI elements you may place anywhere on your screen to monitor important data, including: Lap Timing, Relative, Standings, and Weather. Options Search will let you short-cut navigation and control of all of your iRacing Options. Additionally, with Widget Editor, nearly all UI elements can now have customized size, position, and transparency. The iRacing stable expands with two new bays for two brand-new cars: the FIA Cross Car and the Porsche 911 Cup (992.2)! We have updated the aerodynamics model for the NASCAR Trucks using additional real-world data to keep the simulation authentic. The Dallara IR18 has completed an ongoing Hybrid System update, and the art team has refreshed the car to match. The Toyota GR86 has also had a bumper to bumper physics and systems update based on the latest real-world data. The GT3 Class Cars also demanded another suite of updates continuing from last season to really optimize that racing experience. iRacing’s newest track offerings bloom in South Australia, with Adelaide Street Circuit, and in Florida with Miami International Autodrome! To go along with our brand new FREE Dirt Road car, we had to add two New Dirt Road Configs: Lucas Oil Speedway - Off Road and Winton Motor Raceway - Rallycross! Rockingham Speedway - Oval has been remodeled to the modern age with new laser scan data, while the historic 2012 track remains preserved for continued use. Mount Panorama has received a comprehensive art upgrade. Our simulation engineers have worked hard this season to optimize the initial parameters and properties tracks start their existence within the Sim, including water, puddles, and wetness, and dust, debris, and driving lines. The Oval Refresh project returns with advancements to rubber density and distribution, thermal flow, and ultimately improve lane dynamics and multi-groove racing. And finally, new languages have been added to the non-in-Sim iRacing application, including: French, German, Italian, Portuguese (European), and Portuguese (Brazilian)! Grab your raincoat, as the Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) is ready for rain racing. AI Drivers have also been fully programmed to race for the gold with the Porsche 911 Cup (992.2). AI Drivers have already mastered all of the new pavement tracks (Adelaide Street Circuit and Miami International Autodrome), and also notched Rockingham Speedway - Oval in their belts with their spare time. Season highlights include: [*] FIA Cross Car \[FREE!] [/*][*] Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) [/*][*] Adelaide Street Circuit [/*][*] Miami International Autodrome (five configs) [/*][*] Two New Dirt Road Configs (Lucas Oil Speedway - Off Road and Winton Motor Raceway - Rallycross) [/*][*] New Scan Data Config: Rockingham Speedway - Oval [/*][*] New UI Feature: Options Search [/*][*] New UI Feature: Widget Editor [/*][*] New UI Feature: Standalone Widgets (Lap Timing, Relative, Standings, and Weather) [/*][*] Improved track dust and water initialization [/*][*] Dallara IR18 (Art and Hybrid System updates) [/*][*] Toyota GR86 (Physics and systems updates based on the latest real-world info) [/*][*] NASCAR Truck Series aerodynamic model updates [/*][*] GT3 Class Car updates [/*][*] Oval Refresh Updates: Rubber and rubbering improvements for multi-groove racing [/*][*] New languages have been added to iRacing, including: French, German, Italian, Portuguese (European), and Portuguese (Brazilian) [/*][*] Rain racing for the new Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) [/*][*] AI Racing comes built-in with the new car: Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) [/*][*] AI Racing is available at seven new track configs! (Adelaide Street Circuit, all FIVE configs for Miami International Autodrome (Grand Prix, Marina Loop, MIA Loop, Extended MIA Loop, and Extended Marina Loop), and Rockingham Speedway - Oval) [/*][*] Hundreds of precision-crafted new vehicle setups [/*]

features

Visit our 2026 Season 1 features page here: [url="https://www.iracing.com/seasons/2026-s1/"]https://www.iracing.com/seasons/2026-s1/
Full 2026 Season 1 Release Notes and details can be found on the iRacing forums here: [url="https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/89188/2026-season-1-initial-release-notes-2025-12-08-03"]https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/89188/2026-season-1-initial-release-notes-2025-12-08-03

iRacing announces 2026 Season 1 Initial Release

What changed

Cars

Tracks

Features

From the changelog

cars

features

Official sources

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