Updated on 8/27/15: Now includes renders
Today iRacing confirmed what many had already expected, the C7 Corvette Daytona Prototype (DP) is coming to the simulation next month. iRacing staff had talked about the new DP coming for awhile now but this is the first official confirmation.
The Corvette DP will replace the current Riley Daytona Prototype which has been in the sim for over seven years and racing in real-life for a decade. In other words, it’s really old.
The new for 2015 C7 Corvette DP will join the multiclass IMSA Sports Car Championship which also features the Ford GT GT2 and Ruf RT 12R C-Spec. Doesn’t sound like there’s any plans to put the Corvette and HPD head-to-head in the same class like is done in the real life IMSA series. The HPD is moving to the Prototype Challenge series with the Radical.
Speaking of the P2 HPD, the Corvette DP arrives at an awkward time in it’s lifespan. 2016 will be the last year that the car will be ran in competition. Starting in 2017, the real life IMSA series will only be running P2 prototypes in an effort to homologate with the European endurance series. It is believed that a handful of teams that currently sport the DP – which also includes Ford and Riley – will get a jump on 2017 by switching to P2 cars next year, leaving the DP to the history books. Whether this happens or not is unknown but either way, the C7 Corvette DP dies at the end of 2016, making this new iRacing car only current for five seasons.
While the short lifespan of the car is a bummer, it is good to see iRacing finally update it’s prototype offering. It certainly is a no win situation with international racing politics constantly changing the forecast of endurance racing. Hopefully the 2017 regulations will be set in stone soon and iRacing can look ahead at offering a next-gen P2 then.
What I’m really excited about is driving the Corvette DP at next year’s iRacing Daytona 24 Hours, which was pretty awesome this year.
Wait a minute the Riley is one of my favorites. And then the Corvette won’t be used in the IMSA class after a single year? This is not good news.
In real-life, I’m sure it’ll be the prototype in the iRacing IMSA series for the next 2-4 years.
Look at the FW31. It hasn’t been used since 2009 in real life, and they still using it xD
Ugh, I know… If it wasn’t for DWC I think that car would be a ghost town, not that participation is that great now. Old cars = no crowd