This weekend marks the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most challenging endurance races on earth. To celebrate, Le Mans Ultimate’s latest update offers a free Hypercar alongside a host of quality-of-life improvements outlined in the patch notes.
2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 joins Le Mans Ultimate
When it launched earlier this year in Early Access, Le Mans Ultimate only featured cars from the 2023 World Endurance Championship. To rectify this, the June update adds the 2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 to the grid as a free download. This year not only marks BMW’s return to Le Mans but also the 25th anniversary of the German manufacturer’s historic win at Le Mans with the V12 LMR.
BMW’s latest Art Car livery will also make its virtual debut in Le Mans Ultimate ahead of this weekend’s endurance race. Designed by New York artist Julie Mehretu, the striking design was unveiled on May 21, leaving Motorsport Games just a few weeks to add the complex livery to Le Mans Ultimate.
Driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns and Rene Rast, BMW's number 20 car will sport the new Art Car livery at this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“We are delighted to bring the latest BMW Art Car to Le Mans Ultimate, said Motorsport Games and Studio 397 CEO Stephen Hood. “The Art Cars from BMW are truly iconic for motorsport fans and the 2024 version is no different."
"I know sim racers around the world will be eager to get their hands on the car before it races at Le Mans this weekend and we are delighted to be the first platform to showcase this livery virtually, giving the community an extra special treat to whet the appetite ahead of the eagerly anticipated race start on Saturday.”
In addition, the existing Hypercars have been updated with 2024 liveries. This is just the start of Motorsport Games’ content plans, with more 2024 cars and circuits set to be added in four DLC packs this year. Pricing details for the DLC are yet to be confirmed.
Le Mans Ultimate June 10 2024 Update Patch Notes
Along with the new content, Le Mans Ultimate’s June update adds a host of quality-of-life improvements requested by the community. These include a HUD radar for monitoring opponents trying to overtake you, a replay mode, and netcode improvements for a smoother online experience.
More details can be found in the extensive patch notes below.
Known Issues
We are seeking to urgently hotfix the following issues:
- Full formation lap at Sebring automatically DQs the driver when they pass the pitlane before the race goes green.
- When in two by two formation before speed limits are shown the UI does not tell the user when he is out of position and this results in penalties. The user should stay close to the red barrier in this situation to avoid penalties. Drivers should maintain a steady speed and be two by two during this phase.
It has been brought to our attention that following plugin “RaceHub_rF2_SMM_x64.dll“ from Asetek is currently causing crashes. We recommend disabling it until it is updated.
Please see our full list of Known Issues
New Features
Replays
Replay controls are now available in three sections of Le Mans Ultimate. You can access them during a race through the watch option on the monitor screens, by using the instant replay keybind (default “r”) while on the track in Race Weekend, and by loading into past sessions via the main menu.
Driver Labels
Driver Labels have been introduced to displaying a driver’s name above the car. This feature offers customisation options in gameplay settings, allowing you to choose when the labels are shown – whether during Single Player, Multi Player, or Always. Additionally, you can easily toggle this feature on and off while on the track simply by pressing the Tab key.
Radar
We have incorporated the highly requested proximity-based Radar into our HUD to offer users insights on possible hazards, blind spots, and challenging corners when navigating the track. This is optional and can be turned on and off in the settings menu.
- Shows on track cars, and cars active in the pit lane
- Only shows cars very close to the user
- Shows yellow when a car is nearby, and red when alongside and close enough to be nearly colliding
Improved Race Starts
Race start procedures have been reworked and improved to provide a clearer experience for our users. This includes a few new UI elements to help ensure the driver is in the correct location on the track and following the rules of the formation lap.
- New HUD elements for instructions during formation laps
- Improved penalty management:
- Drive Through penalties for poor behaviour, however allows users to get back into position in the case of minor incidents
- Disqualification for extremely poor behaviour
- Disqualification for leaving the pits before red lights when not taking the start. This is due to the potential to make extreme amounts of time up.
- Improved management of drivers not taking the start online.
- Improved management of cars being slow or crashed, and allowing the field to pass them with out penalisation.
- Management of crashed or exceptionally slow cars, and being allowed to pass them.
- Disabled damage before the race starts
- Green lights show on screen in the HUD
- Audio prompts for going to the grid, and when the green flag is shown
Coach Dave Academy Setups
We have now partnered with Coach Dave to help expand the setup options available for free to our users for Hypercars with more due in future.
Feature Improvements
Netcode
We have been diligently working in substantial refactoring of our Netcode. Although this may not be immediately noticeable to our users, it will lay a more robust groundwork for our development team to incorporate upcoming features and fixes.
General Fixes and Improvements
General
- Added the ability to “Fill Grid”, this will run with a higher number of entries in classes with the most unique cars possible.
- Hypercar class will run with 2023 Le Mans grid, + unique hyper cars from 2024 (BMW, 12 Porsche, 83 Ferrari)
- LMP2 & GTE classes will load 2023 Le Mans grid with this setting
- Game will balance enabled classes evenly for the size of the track
- Improvements to car select screen
- Added the ability to select cars by year
- Condensed car select icons to only show for the current car
- Added Thrustmaster LCD Support
- Added a time out on opening mas files, so that if they become corrupted, the game does not stay forever stalled
- Various crash, performance and micro freeze fixes
Gameplay
- Disabled blue flag penalisation by default
- Added ability to adjust what position cars are on track to enable blue flag at pit exit. This ensures the light is accurate at Spa pit exit, and also the user can not drive until the field has passed.
- Fix for timing to work correctly on first lap out of the pits when paddock is not near the start finish line
- Fixed issues with fixed setups not applying correctly online
- Fixed an issue where a player’s car would not rotate in the pit box if there was another immediately behind
- Disabled automatic fuel suggestion after pitting which would result in Hypercars having their fuel ratio incorrectly changed
- Adjusted grids on fast rolling starts so they are more spread out
- Scaled down the strength of steering help so that what was previously low, is now high.
Graphics / Visuals
- Onboard cameras will now show interior correctly of cars, so you can see mirrors and the wheel display
- Fixed mirrors being white at night when disabled
- Fix for path based cameras jumping around on switching to them first frame
- Fix for a car joining the server changing your view when looking behind
- Fixed issues swapping from borderless to windowed.
Physics
- Added physics calculations for front wing stall
- Added tyre slip curve developments
- Ensure LMDh always have SOC when in pits
- Disabled damage when in the pit box (other cars hitting you, will not damage you – but will damage them).
- Fixed an issue with motor maps not working as intended
AI
- Fixed sudden AI crashes at times, such as when crossing the start line on race starts
- Fixed AI above 100% not being as fast as they should
UI / HUD
- Fixed an issue with being able to exceed 100% in a player’s profile for various stats (e.g. DNFs)
- Fixed order of cycling of MFD
- Fixed negative sector times showing on MFD
- Improved Cockpit Readout options, with the ability to align and force units.
- Disabled translations on cockpit displays.
- Fixed motor map and regen levels not displaying
- Refined Driver Name abbreviations in UI and HUD
- Fix for time zones showing wrong start time in event schedule
- Various UI fixes
Car Updates June 2024
Hypercars
Rebuilt tyres using latest updates. This improves the accuracy of the carcass stiffness as the tyre heat is generated. Also includes a better way to simulate (incorporate masses) from the inner liner. Tyre warmup has also been very slightly increased as part of the changes.
Implemented new code feature which allows contact pressure sensitivity to be altered at different sliding speeds and temperatures. The result is the tyre produces better feedback. The tyre also ‘grips up’ with a different characteristic particularly as the tyres warm.
Oreca LMP2
Updated tyres using the latest updates. This improves the accuracy of the tyre’s carcass stiffness as heat is generated. Also includes a better way to simulate from the inner liner (by incorporating masses). Built to a higher level of detail to be more in-line with hypercar tyres meaning stiffnesses and contact patch profiles are more accurate. The tyre has a tighter overall ‘lateral / longitundinal’ spring rate due to a small change in construction, which helps reduce the optimum slip angle to be more accurate.
We have also activated the feature already present in hypercar tyres that ensure the slip curve has more realistic drop-off beyond the peak.
Finally, we implemented a new code feature which allows contact pressure sensitivity to be altered at different sliding speeds and temperatures. The result is the tyre produces better feedback. The tyre also ‘grips up’ with a different characteristic particularly as the tyres warm.
GTE
Applied latest tyre model slip curve developments which were previously only on Hypercars, ensuring a more accurate drop-off beyond the peak slip angle. Additionally low temperature tyre performance has been slightly reduced, ensuring more caution must be taken on cold tyres.
Finally, we implemented a new code feature which allows contact pressure sensitivity to be altered at different sliding speeds and temperatures. The result is the tyre produces better feedback. The tyre also ‘grips up’ with a different characteristic particularly as the tyres warm.
Vehicles – Detailed Notes
Hypercars
General
- Added 2024 teams
- Added track-specific tyre compound restrictions
- Added 2024 tyres styling to 2024 teams
- Use real world per-track BoP as a new base for ongoing BoP update
- Adjusted air reference conditions for engine power curve
- Adjustments to aero sensitivity to ride heights
- Adjustments to engine throttle map
- Adjustments to TC maps
- Updates to default setups
- Added Coach Dave Academy setups
- New collision sound values
- Changed throttle input behaviour for sample playback
BMW M-Hybrid LMDh
- Initial release
Cadillac V-LMDh
- Fixed small body mesh smoothing issue
- Darkened steering wheel hud a little
Ferrari 499P LMH
- Updated seat movement limits
- Updated RPM LEDs to match optimal shift point
Glickenhaus SGC 007 LMH
- Adjusted driver LODs
- Updated seat movement limits
- Reversed engine mixture map order, so 0 (the lowest) is now for Safety Car
- Adjusted engine power curve between idle and 4000rpm
Peugeot 9X8 LMH
- Re-enabled driver lods
- Updated seat movement limits
- Added 2024 teams(Qatar only)
Porsche 963 LMDh
- Adjusted driver LODs
- Updated seat movement limits
- Fixed front collision points being too forward
Toyota GR010 LMH
- Updated seat movement limits
- Added 2024 teams
Vanwall Vandervell LMH
- Updated seat movement limits
- Fixed spelling mistake in low detail chassis lod out
- Reversed engine mixture map order, so 0 (the lowest) is now for Safety Car
LMP2
Oreca 07 LMP2
- Updated seat movement limits
- Minor swingman cam fix
- Changed how we display differential settings in garage (a word instead of a sign)
- Updated to latest tyre
- Reduced AI wet front tyre wear
- Updated Default Setups
- Adjusted diffuser’s sensitivity to ride heights
- New collision sound values
- Changed throttle input behavior for sample playback
GTE
General
- New V.07 Tyre Model
- Added new front wing sensitivity curve
- Allow the ability to take no fuel during pitstops
- Updated Default Setups
- New collision sound values
- Changed throttle input behaviour for sample playback
Aston Martin Vantage GTE
- Fixed rain drops not showing on side windows
- Fixed body showing dirt all the time
- BOP adjustment: +2% engine at LM, -10kg at LM
- BOP adjustment: +5L fuel capacity at non-LM tracks
- Added front wing stall effects
Corvette C8.R GTE
- Updated seat movement limits
- BOP adjustment: +1% engine at LM
- BOP adjustment: +12.5kg at non-LM tracks,: +4L fuel capacity at non-LM tracks
Ferrari 488 GTE v1.23
- Fixed number plate clipping at higher lods
- BOP adjustment: +10kg at LM, +3L fuel capacity at LM
- BOP adjustment: +12.5kg at non-LM tracks, +4L fuel capacity at non-LM tracks
- Added new front wing sensitivity curve
- Minor update to refuelling time at LM
- Onboard at 60 mph bad sample loop fixed
Porsche 911 RSR GTE v1.23
- Updated seat movement limits
- Fixed spelling mistake with driver LOD
- BOP adjustment: +10kg at LM, +2L fuel capacity at LM
- BOP adjustment: +12.5kg at non-LM tracks
- Added new front wing sensitivity curve
Circuits
All Tracks
- Updated fast rolling start location, recommended lines and fast rolling start grid spacing.
Spa Francorchamps
- Updated Pit Exit Blue Light on track location (keeps pit exit closed for longer on race start)
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