rFactor 2
Announcing the Tillotson T4 Esports Series
Yes, you heard that right - thanks to our friends at KartSim and Tillotson, we have an incredible opportunity to present to the rFactor 2 community. Starting on Saturday 11th September, rFactor 2 drivers will have the opportunity to take part in a new, short, sharp esport racing competition using the very latest Tillotson T4 Series kart - with a chance to win some exceptional prizes, and potentially a seat on a World finals racing grid - in real life karting!
The Series
Held over three days of racing, the Tillotson T4 Esports Series will place drivers right at the very heart of what it means to race competitive karts. Utilizing the newly released Tillotson T4 Series kart in rFactor 2, drivers will have an opportunity to participate in up to four qualification sessions on the day of each race event, with the top 24 drivers progressing to 'Split 1' of the Semi-Final races. Points will be awarded for each race (Saturday and Monday), with the highest scoring 30 drivers progressing to Finals Day on Tuesday evening. Points scored across the two semi-final events will be used to set the grid positions on Finals Day.
- Saturday 11th September - 20:00 CEST - Semi Final, Alaharma, 12 laps, 24 drivers per split, multi split
- Monday 13th September - 20:00 CEST - Semi Final, Kirstianstad, 12 laps, 24 drivers per split, mult split
- Tuesday 14th September - 20:00 CEST - Finals Day, Adria, 15 laps, 30 drivers (Live Stream)
The Prizes
The Tillotson T4 Esport Series is not only an exceptional opportunity to sample this mighty content in rFactor 2, but thanks to the generosity of KartSim and Tillotson Racing, we also have an exceptional prize pool of goodies to give away to one lucky winner.
Not only does the championship victor take home the KartSim Pro UK and EU packs, worth £899, but they will also win an exclusive trip to watch the real world Tillotson T4 Series World finals in Dublin! If the series winner is European based, they will get both flights, accommodation and entry into the event as reward for winning the series. Unfortunately, this offer is open only to European based competitors, should a driver outside of Europe take victory spoils, they will still earn the full KartSim Pro UK and EU packs.
As an additional and somewhat incredible opportunity, alongside this excellent prize pool, the highest ranking driver at the end of the series with a current and active kart racing licence will be given a place on the grid in the real life World finals! Flights, accommodation, kart and starting ticket will be provided - all you have to do is turn up, and test your skills on the world stage!
How to Enter
Entry is simple and open to anyone with an active copy of rFactor 2, and the KartSim content used throughout the series. Run exclusively in the rFactor 2 Competition System, all players have to do is simply sign up for the series within the Competition System, then set a time in any of the four qualification sessions that precede each race. The top 24 lap times will form the top split for each Semi-Final event, with further splits populated from the 25th driver onwards.
Drivers will score points in each semi-final race, so although participation in both events is not mandatory, if you want to score a top 30 championship finish and a place in the Finals Day broadcast, running both races is highly recommended!
Broadcast Details
Tuesday 14th September | 20:00 CEST
rFactor2 Live Twitch
KartSim Facebook
The new Tillotson T4 Series kart is another exciting addition to the growing rFactor 2 KartSim collection in rFactor 2, and with this new Esport competition, we cannot wait to see our community out on the virtual racetrack, with great chances to join in on the real world action too!
Released | KartSim Tillotson T4 Series
Great news for those in the community who look forward to racing in its purest of forms – today we are pleased to be able to bring to you the latest new machine from our expanding KartSim offering – the Tillotson T4 Series.
The Kart
Introduced in 2019 as a cost-effective entry level motorsport series for drivers new on the kart racing development ladder, the Tillotson T4 Series boasts an impressive 225cc Tillotson 225RS four-stroke racing engine, HW diaphragm carburettor, series specific tyres and a maximum rev limit of 6,500 rpm from the TPP-225RS engine.
The kart runs on the European designed and built T4-C1 chassis, using many parts common with the much more expensive CIK karts, but with key design decisions introduced in order to ensure costs are kept to a minimum, and the karts themselves remain accessible to new and inexperienced drivers.
Capacity: 225cc 4 Stroke
Power: 15HP
Engine Weight: 17 kg
Overall weight 69 kg to reduce fuel consumption and provide a more nimble driving experience
PVL Digital Ignition limited to 6,500rpm
Tillotson HW Series carburettor calibrated for the TPP-225RS engine
Engine is sealed, so no tuning is permitted—only adjustment to the valve clearance is allowed
Up to 30 hours engine life without maintenance
Billet CNC machined connecting rod/flywheel for improved strength and reliability
New design Tillotson crankcase with extra support for the higher power output
Despite having been built with a view to offering drivers a cost-effective and easy maintenance point of entry into the world of racing, the Tillotson T4 Series still produces incredibly lively performance that shares many driving characteristics with more established categories. Drivers will have to work hard to keep up the minimum speed in these karts, and nothing but full concentration will do in order to run at the very sharp end of the grid – which we believe makes for a great combination to go racing with!
Competition System Esport
Want to earn a chance to race one of these karts in real life, during a World Championship final? If yes, this esport series is for you!
To celebrate the release of this exciting new vehicle into our ever expanding range of KartSim content, we are delighted to launch a limited time esport series run within the rFactor 2 Competition System. Featuring the Tillotson T4 Series kart racing on a selection of the highly detailed and meticulously recreated kart tracks within rFactor 2, from Saturday, September 11th drivers will have the opportunity to begin qualification for the very first official kart racing esport series within rFactor 2!
Hotlap qualification sessions ahead of two semi-final races on Saturday and Monday will be used to form the grid for Finals Day on Tuesday 14th September – a winner takes all sprint to the flag at Adria in Italy, where the biggest prize of a real world drive in the T4 Series World Championship is up for grabs!
More details coming tomorrow on https://www.studio-397.com/ about how to take part in this amazing opportunity.
We Are Hiring!
As part of Motorsport Games, we develop both the rFactor 2 racing simulation and the core simulation technology that underpins all MSG games on PC and consoles. We are looking for people with a deep passion for racing simulation as well as motorsport.
Working remotely from home, potential new colleagues can expect to join a high performing and welcoming team here at the Studio, a collective of people who firmly believe in our vision to build upon and expand the rFactor 2 experience for sim racers and esports competitions around the world.
If you think you might like to join us in this exciting adventure, check out the current job openings on the Studio 397 website - https://www.studio-397.com/2021/09/studio-397-are-hiring/
Announcing Le Mans Virtual Cup | Competition Now Open
Le Mans Virtual Cup Forum | Full details | CLICK HERE
Set to run directly alongside the Le Mans Virtual Series, the Le Mans Virtual Cup starts on September 3rd with open qualification for the first round of the season at the Monza Grand Prix Circuit. Joining via the rFactor 2 Competition System, drivers will have until September 12th in order to secure a place on the starting grid, with points awarded on a per-race basis, across the full three round series and into the grand final at Le Mans in December.
Points will be awarded for finishing positions from the opening three races, with the championship order then determining who takes to the grid in our Super Final round at Le Mans on December 18th. The grid for this race will be formed based on championship order, and for the first 2 drivers across the line, a place on the grid at the main Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual event will be your reward!
More details, click here - https://www.studio-397.com/2021/09/announcing-le-mans-virtual-cup-competition-now-open/
Competition System Blog | Week 20
Read up in full here - https://www.studio-397.com/2021/09/competition-system-blog-week-20/
Released | Zandvoort 2021 V2.50
Today is a day of Zandvoort celebrations, a day to bask in the glory of all things Dutch Grand Prix as we release our massive new build update for the 2021 Zandvoort Grand Prix Circuit within rFactor 2 – completely rebuilding the existing track to better conform with the latest changes and layout design ahead of the return of the Dutch Grand Prix to the Formula One schedule following an absence of 36 years.
For a long time, Zandvoort has been the premier car racing circuit in the Netherlands, having played host to a wealth of National and International grade events since last hosting Formula One racing in 1985. Thanks to the unique beachside setting and a range of technical corners and interesting sectors, the circuit has remained a firm favourite amongst drivers and fans alike, despite often producing processional racing in part due to the narrow racing surface, and lack of significant overtaking opportunities.
With interest in Formula One racing in the Netherlands having exploded in recent years thanks to the rise of Dutch star Max Verstappen, and with the FIA keen to find a way to accommodate the incredible levels of support for the 23-year-old Red Bull driver, it was always something of an inevitability that the Dutch Grand Prix would return to the schedule sooner rather than later. However, without any real serious options to host a race on the existing track infrastructure at Zandvoort, and with Assen firmly considered a bike racing circuit, the Dutch authorities found themselves forced to introduce considerable changes to the venue in order to be able to successfully host the long awaited return of Grand Prix into the future.
What’s new in this build?
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing global pandemic, the return of the Dutch Grand Prix has had to be delayed for a further year into 2021, which has given us here at Studio 397 the perfect opportunity to revisit our free Steam Workshop track ahead of the big event, with a view to bringing the track up to par with the quality of our more recent releases. Initially planned as a full PBR graphics refresh, once we got started we quickly realized the potential existed to look again at the core fundamentals of the way we originally build the first version of the circuit, and the closer we looked at the existing build, the more opportunities for improvement we found – leading us to practically rebuilding the entire track to include more details, more accuracy and an overall better wholesale performance and driving experience than would have been possible if we simply applied PBR treatment to the existing model.
Night Lighting and configuration improvements
The track team here at Studio 397 have worked wonders with this new build, adding significant amounts of new and improved detail around the whole of the 4.259 km venue – from the smallest touches to more signifiant and obvious improvements that best reflect how the circuit looks now the layout changes have had time to establish themselves in the real world. Night lighting has been reviewed thoroughly, and offers a great endurance racing experience for drivers looking to get out on track once the sun has set. Additionally, we’ve spent plenty of time sifting through tons of data and reference materials to ensure the actual layout and corners are as accurate as possible to the real world venue, something we have been able to review and adjust now thanks to the ‘new’ Zandvoort having been open to the public for an extended period of time – a luxury we certainly didn’t have at the point of our original release!
New layout – Zandvoort National
One of the immediately noticeable changes for this new update is the introduction of a brand-new layout, as we bring to the simulation the shorter National configuration for the first time. Used primarily for local level small scale events, the National track offers a compelling experience for cars with lower overall performance, adding additional overtaking opportunities with the introduction of a difficult hairpin right connecting the first and third sectors, whilst missing out the fast backstretch of the Grand Prix Circuit that incorporates the Shelvalk – Mastersbocht – Bocht 9 – Bocht 10 complex of corners.
New trackside Assets
For both the Grand Prix and National layouts, the track team here at Studio 397 have worked hard to introduce a full race weekend vibe to the track, from adding an array of new trackside furniture, spectator setups and support worker assets, to generally bringing about the race weekend feel that was lacking from the original release, the changes introduced today as part of the 2.50 build update should add together to vastly improve the overall ambience and experience of running on the circuit in a simulated race environment.
New PBR shader update
Anyone who has been around the world of rFactor 2 for a while will surely be fully aware of our PBR (physically based rendering) shader technology by now. Having committed to using this technology for all new content releases over the last couple of years, we have also remained hard at work reviewing and updating our expansive collection of existing content, with what we believe to be very impressive results as we uplift the visual aspect of rFactor 2 to modern standards.
As can be evidenced by the recent update of our USF2000 or the Sebring International Raceway track, adding PBR shaders marks a significant improvement to the visual experience within the simulation – and with this latest Zandvoort release, that improvement is immediately noticeable to the end user. Simply put, we have reworked every aspect of the circuit and surrounding scenery with the latest PBR materials, which has produced a greatly increased level of graphical appeal across the full weather and time of day spectrum within the simulation. We believe that Zandvoort has turned out to be one of our very best looking tracks following this update, and we can’t wait to see what you think about the visual changes!
New pit buildings and grandstands
Alongside adding PBR materials to the track, we also took the opportunity as part of this build update to completely rework some of the more substantial trackside buildings that make up the unique image of Zandvoort. Developed from scratch, our track artists have created a completely new set of pit buildings to match the current Zandvoort venue in real life, replacing the original structures with an all new build. Additionally, new grandstand structures have been created and inserted into the surrounding areas of the venue, with new spectators and trackside vehicles added into the scene for an immersive race day experience.
Zandvoort 2021 V2.50 Update Notes:
Complete update and rebuild of Zandvoort to track state in July 2021, including curb colours and reported DRS zones at the time.
Any adjustments since July 2021 will be addressed in a post release update.
Major rework of terrain to conform to point cloud data.
All major assets rebuilt from scratch including Pit Building, Grandstands and more.
Barriers remodelled and updated to the latest state.
Added various grandstands and props to simulate a reasonably large event.
All new foliage objects and materials.
All latest new PBR materials.
Added new spectators, marshals, rescue vehicles, generic vehicles, tents and more.
New Night lighting Configurations including lit up Grandstand, Pit Building and Town Centre.
Added 2021 National Layout.
New Camera Files.
New AI Files.
Packed extra files for upcoming loading optimizations.
As we are sure you will be able to tell from this release post and the videos embedded within the article, we are justifiably proud of the work we have undertaken to uplift this circuit to 2021 standards, and we feel that as a predominantly Dutch company ourselves, we now have a version of our home circuit that we can be rightly exceptionally proud to call our own, and one that we truly believe will be loved in equal measure by our many members of the sim racing community.
We cannot wait to see your reactions once you get out onto the circuit for yourselves, and we hope you have as much fun racing the track as we did building it! If you aren’t one of the lucky ones able to secure a much sought after ticket to the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix, fear not, as racing around this track in rFactor 2 is the next best thing!
ROADMAP UPDATE – AUGUST 2021
The latest rFactor 2 Development Roadmap post is now live for your reading pleasure! From the first look at our new and heavily refreshed Zandvoort Grand Prix Circuit, to performance updates, new visual tweaks, freshly improved content and many, many more things!
Check it out on the Studio 397 website here - https://www.studio-397.com/2021/08/roadmap-update-august-2021/
Announcing Zandvoort 2021 | Major Update Coming Soon
As a predominantly Dutch company, here at Studio 397 we are understandably delighted to welcome the return of Formula One racing to the Zandvoort Grand Prix Circuit this year, and we fully anticipate the atmosphere trackside will be something to behold as we cheer on local hero Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team.
In order for Formula One racing to have a suitable facility at Zandvoort, the track owners have undertaken a significant program of work that has touched upon nearly every aspect of the beachside venue, from infrastructure improvements to changes to the circuit layout itself, presenting one of the biggest updates to the track since it reopened in its modern configuration all the way back in 1989. Those changes produced the layout we have become accustomed to in recent years, before further significant upgrades came on stream ahead of the planned return of Grand Prix racing in 2020 – until a certain health crisis delayed things for another 12 months. The major redevelopment work at the track has now been completed, and the return of Formula One racing is right around the corner – presenting a perfect opportunity for our track development team here at Studio 397 to update and refresh our version of Zandvoort to ensure we remain firmly in keeping with the new, current layout and styling.
New corners, re profiled sections of track, run-off upgrades and freshly laid tarmac all make for a very different, but still uniquely Zandvoort experience in 2021, one that we couldn’t wait to revisit and improve upon to ensure rFactor 2 has the most accurate and detailed representation of the circuit anywhere in sim racing. Although our original pass of the track represented a strong initial effort at bringing a modern Zandvoort to the software, we were aware that the time constraints around release and the simple fact construction work at the circuit was still very much underway would mean we left room to improve in our first release, something we have significantly built upon for this new update.
We originally deployed the 2020 version of Zandvoort to rFactor 2 back in May 2020, well in advance of the resumption of racing at the new configuration, and since then we have gathered significant amounts of new data and reference materials for the track. From the graphical uplift to the visuals with our PBR shaders, to having spent considerable time completely reworking the circuit layout itself, this new 2021 Zandvoort represents a massive step forward for the track, and one we cannot wait to share with you all once it releases ahead of the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix!
Zandvoort 2021 Update – Coming soon to rFactor 2.
rFactor 2 Competition System Blog | Issue 19 | Now Available
https://www.studio-397.com/2021/08/competition-system-blog-week-19/
Released | USF2000 PBR Update
Small but mighty. Olden but golden. Weird but wonderful. Call it what you will, the USF2000 in rFactor 2 has proudly flown the flag as one of the most entertaining entry level open wheel cars within the simulation for a number of years now, helping the community produce countless hours of entertainment and racing excitement right from the very first time the car joining rFactor 2, all the way back in 2016.
As a mainstay within the title, and quite frankly a car that we at Studio 397 absolutely love to drive, we just couldn’t allow this classic to grow old and eventually slip off into sim racing retirement following the release of new chassis’ within the USF series. Oh no, she’s far too good for that we feel, and the best way to breathe new life into an existing vehicle…? A full PBR update refresh.
Our art team here at Studio 397 have really gone to town with improving the USF2000 for this new update – practically every single part of the original car has been reviewed, updated and enhanced over the original 2016 release. New textures have been applied to pretty much every piece of the car and driver you can see, especially important when the car has much of the engine and gearbox on display due to the unique way the rear bodywork folds over the internals (or not, as is the case with the USF). As well as texture upgrades, the art team have also applied our latest PBR shader technology throughout, with PBR enhancements having been applied to both the car itself and the many liveries that come included with the 2016 season. All in all, the USF2000 now finally looks just as good as she drives!
In terms of the driver, we have included the new driver model and driver animation into this update, substantially improving the visual aspect of how the driver is represented within the cockpit of the USF2000. Additionally, we will be running a server later this evening featuring the newly updated car and a host of free tracks from within rFactor 2, so if you fancy taking on the challenge of such venues as Lime Rock Park, Portland, Indianapolis, Atlanta Motorsports Park and the Silverstone International Circuit, make sure to stay tuned to the rFactor 2 Social Media feed to find out when servers will be online!
USF2000 v2.24 Changelog:
- All materials converted to PBR
- New chassis textures
- New engine textures
- New gearbox textures
- New cockpit textures
- New steering wheel textures
- New tires textures
- New brake callipers textures
- New brake disc textures
- Updated rims and blur textures
- Added new driver model and new driver animation
- Added new helmet
- Added new helmet skins
- Converted all car skins to PBR
- Updated LODs
- Added all new gloves
This latest update will of course be available as a free download to anyone who has already subscribed to the car on the rFactor 2 Steam Workshop. We remain proud of our ambition to offer a healthy mix of free and paid premium content within rFactor 2, and we hope that as one of our older free car releases, the mighty little USF2000 continues to provide spectacular and exciting racing action for our rFactor 2 community for years to come!