A polished rally sim lands, a free dirt rocket arrives, and iRacing doubles down on realism—so why are we still talking about sound? We kick off with AC Rally, a brutal but beautiful love letter to Richard Burns Rally that actually works out of the box. Then we dive into iRacing’s Season One plans: Adelaide and Miami join the track roster, Rockingham gets a full rescan without erasing history, and Bathurst is set for a striking visual refresh. It’s a solid content mix that rewards both oval and road racers.

The big headline is the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992.2. Faster, sharper, and now shipping with ABS and traction control, it mirrors the real series and stokes debate. Purists will miss the old razor’s edge, but the new tire spec, improved braking options, and consistent rulesets should elevate racing quality across sprint and endurance. Meanwhile, the IR-18 IndyCar gains a modern hybrid system with in-car energy management and deeper telemetry, NASCAR Trucks benefit from refined CFD and dynamic drafting, and GT3 cars get practical garage improvements and manufacturer-aligned power curves. There’s also a clever on-ramp to dirt: the FIA Crosscar, free to all members, paired with accessible RX tracks to welcome newcomers without dumbing down the physics.

We also tackle the two elephants in the rig: UI and audio. Search lands in the new UI, netcode adds a network quality safeguard, and the team shares progress on a brand-new renderer. The tension lives in the soundscape. iRacing outlines a multi-threaded audio overhaul with global and cockpit reverb and impulse responses tailored to tracks and cars. The vision is right; the wait feels long. We make the case that immersion demands sound parity with physics and graphics, and we invite you to weigh in on what matters most: audio, visuals, or vehicle dynamics.

If you’re eyeing Black Friday, we share real-world buying tips, from avoiding weak “sales” to spotting legit bundle value. Then we want to hear from you: Does the 992.2’s tech make Cup racing better, or does it soften the skill ceiling? Has AC Rally scratched your rally itch? Tap follow, share this with a sim racing friend, and drop a review with your grade for iRacing’s update—what did they nail, and what should come next?

Support the show

Please e-mail the show for any questions, comments or stories/experiences at thechicanepodcast@gmail.com

TGSR/Chicane Podcast Merch Store!: https://trackghost-shop.fourthwall.com

Watch the show in video podcast form on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TGSsimracing

All my links: https://linktr.ee/tgssimracing

Affiliates and Discount Codes

trophi.ai | Use promo code CHICANE12 to save 12% on your membership https://my.trophi.ai/get-trophi?via=CHICANE

Moradness by Daniel Morad I Use promo code CHICANE15 to save 15% off your order. https://moradness.com/

Intro/Outro Rights below:
Song: Low Mileage - Hold You [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/holdyou
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/holdyouAT/youtube

Two minutes of repair can change your whole 24-hour race plan. We kick off with a gritty Monza debrief: late to qualifying, a sausage curb roll that tagged the engine, triple stints through the night, and the math of half-tenths adding up until an hour later you’re on someone’s bumper. We explain how we stabilized, why consistency beat heroics, what team iRating and safety looked like, and how we’re carrying those lessons into Daytona.

From there, we pivot to gear news that actually matters. SimLab opened a US warehouse, which should slash shipping pain for American racers, and early Black Friday discounts are popping across rigs, mounts, and accessories. Simucube laid out its Tuner 3 roadmap—visual redesign, deeper sim integration, telemetry effects, and long-awaited quality-of-life features. If telemetry effects land on Simucube 2, a lot of folks will rethink upgrades. We also touch on fresh releases—NASCAR 25 and Assetto Corsa Rally—flagging early issues and why waiting a week can save headaches.

We also tackle the blue flag debate with a stance built on endurance reality. For multiclass, yield decisively. For same-class, a blue flag is information, not a command—leave space when the move is on, don’t brake for a car that isn’t closing, and avoid blocks. It’s about predictable cooperation, not surrender. Rounding it out, we share a Black Friday buying order that keeps you sane: invest in the chassis first, then wheelbase and pedals, and watch out for duties and VAT that erase “deals.” On reviews, we push for trust signals: long sessions, telemetry, real races, and creators who show the ugly as well as the polished.

If you’re gearing up for holiday upgrades or planning your next endurance, this one’s packed with practical takeaways, credible deals, and a clear code for racing fair. Enjoy the ride, and if it helped, follow, share with your team, and drop a quick review to help others find the show.

Support the show

Please e-mail the show for any questions, comments or stories/experiences at thechicanepodcast@gmail.com

TGSR/Chicane Podcast Merch Store!: https://trackghost-shop.fourthwall.com

Watch the show in video podcast form on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TGSsimracing

All my links: https://linktr.ee/tgssimracing

Affiliates and Discount Codes

trophi.ai | Use promo code CHICANE12 to save 12% on your membership https://my.trophi.ai/get-trophi?via=CHICANE

Moradness by Daniel Morad I Use promo code CHICANE15 to save 15% off your order. https://moradness.com/

Intro/Outro Rights below:
Song: Low Mileage - Hold You [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/holdyou
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/holdyouAT/youtube

A Porsche wheel shows up early, and everything changes. The moment we bolted on the VPG cup-style rim—with its lighter build, crisp stiffness, and tidy 70 mm adapter—the wheelbase came alive. More texture, more trust, and a real sense of what the car is doing made the first test laps feel like a new sim. With a 24-hour run at Monza on deck, we talk about how a lighter rim reshapes force feedback, why build quality matters, and what to expect when you push fresh gear straight into endurance duty.

From there, we put numbers to the dream many of you share: a no-compromise VR rig. We break down a Ryzen 9 9950X3D and RTX 5090 build, why AM5’s longevity matters, and how to think about bandwidth, USB-C, and M.2 lanes before you hit buy. We also get practical about storage for DCS and mod-heavy installs, the right way to connect VR headsets, and why onboard video is a silent performance killer. If you’re aiming at Pimax-level clarity or micro‑OLED headsets, this is the roadmap to high settings without the stutters.

Deals and timing matter, so we weigh iRacing’s Black Friday options—subscription savings versus long‑overdue content discounts—and compare Simucube’s steep SC2 sale against SC3’s early software hiccups. We touch on the ROG Ally vs Legion Go debate for couch laps and travel gaming, and we share where to stream GT racing across IMSA, WEC, and SRO so you can stay wired into the sport that fuels our rigs. The throughline is simple: buy once, cry once—but only after you’ve hit real limits. Budget with intent, flip idle gear, and let the upgrades serve immersion, not impulse.

Ride along for honest takes, clear math, and a few laughs about shipping delays, late‑night cart anxiety, and why “more power” isn’t a flex—it’s a path to better laps. If this helped, follow and subscribe, share with a friend who’s speccing a new PC, and drop a review with your best Black Friday find. What upgrade are you refusing to compromise on?

Support the show

Please e-mail the show for any questions, comments or stories/experiences at thechicanepodcast@gmail.com

TGSR/Chicane Podcast Merch Store!: https://trackghost-shop.fourthwall.com

Watch the show in video podcast form on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TGSsimracing

All my links: https://linktr.ee/tgssimracing

Affiliates and Discount Codes

trophi.ai | Use promo code CHICANE12 to save 12% on your membership https://my.trophi.ai/get-trophi?via=CHICANE

Moradness by Daniel Morad I Use promo code CHICANE15 to save 15% off your order. https://moradness.com/

Intro/Outro Rights below:
Song: Low Mileage - Hold You [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/holdyou
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/holdyouAT/youtube