The GTP class has become one of the crown jewels of iRacing’s sports car racing – a grid of cutting-edge hybrid prototypes that headline the IMSA fields and the Le Mans-style enduros. They may not have the raw downforce of the old LMP1 monsters, but they’re closer, faster and more competitive with each other than almost anything else on the service.
For Season 4 2026, the big news is the arrival of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, joining the grid as the newest GTP and shaking up an already tight pecking order. With it added, the field is now six cars deep – and the gaps between them are tiny. Outside of one car (more on the Cadillac later), lap time really comes down to driving style, track type and personal preference rather than any single car being outright quicker.
This guide breaks down every GTP car in iRacing as it stands today, gives you our drivers’ tier list, and points you toward the right car for the tracks you race most.
The Current List of GTP Cars
There are now six cars in the iRacing GTP class:
- Acura ARX-06 (LMDh)
- Aston Martin Valkyrie (LMH) – new for Season 4 2026
- BMW M Hybrid V8 (LMDh)
- Cadillac V-Series.R (LMDh)
- Ferrari 499P (LMH)
- Porsche 963 (LMDh)
A quick note on the two flavours in the class: most are LMDh cars built on a common-spec chassis with a shared hybrid system, while the Ferrari 499P and the new Aston Martin Valkyrie are LMH machines with bespoke chassis and a front-axle hybrid (effectively all-wheel drive above a certain speed). It’s part of why those two feel distinct to drive.
The Coach Dave GTP Tier List
This is our GTP drivers’ ranking, and it’s inherently biased by driving style, preference and the tracks we test on. With the genuine exception of the Cadillac – which has been the slowest of the group this season – every one of these cars is close enough on pace that the “best” car changes track to track. There is no single “OP” car that wins everywhere right now, and all of them are genuinely worth driving.
With that said, if you pushed us for a single ranking, this is where our drivers land:
| Rank | Car | The short version |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acura ARX-06 | Our drivers’ favourite – fast, planted and confidence-inspiring in the right hands |
| 2 | Porsche 963 | Superb on low-downforce, high-speed circuits; approachable |
| 3 | BMW M Hybrid V8 | The season’s surprise – a brilliant, confidence-giving all-rounder |
| 4 | Aston Martin Valkyrie | The best chassis in the class on the right track; a divisive high-speed feel |
| 5 | Ferrari 499P | Rock-solid consistency, with the odd track where the AWD works against it |
| 6 | Cadillac V-Series.R | Still capable, but the slowest of the group this season |
Treat this as a starting point, not gospel, because the differences between positions 1 and 5 are small, and a driver who suits the Aston or the Ferrari could quite reasonably flip this order.
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Which GTP Suits Which Track?
Because the field is so tight, track type matters more than ever before. Here is a rough guide from our testing:
- Low downforce, low-speed corners (e.g. Daytona): the Aston Martin shines – it consistently posts the highest top speed of the class.
- Low downforce, high-speed corners (e.g. Le Mans): the Porsche is right up there.
- Medium downforce, cooler temperatures (e.g. Fuji): the Aston Martin and Acura lead – at Fuji our drivers actually put the Aston ahead of the Acura.
- Technical, kerb-heavy circuits (e.g. Indianapolis, Imola): avoid leaning on the Aston here – big kerb strikes are its weak spot. The Cadillac, BMW and Ferrari are far happier.
- All-rounders across a mixed schedule: the BMW and Ferrari give the most consistent, confidence-inspiring baseline.
The GTP Cars In Detail
Acura ARX-06 (LMDh)
Built on an Oreca chassis with a twin-turbo 2.4L V6, the Acura is oriented toward oversteer, which makes it a car that rewards experienced hands rather than newcomers. Get on top of it, though, and it’s our drivers’ favourite in the class – fast, planted and, aside from the Aston on certain tracks, about the safest and quickest thing out there. Its main compromise is slightly less traction consistency than some rivals, but the pace and confidence more than make up for it.
Porsche 963 (LMDh)
Built on a Multimatic-derived chassis, the Porsche carries a pronounced understeer bias that makes it one of the more approachable GTPs – forgiving and predictable, if a touch less agile than the sharpest cars. It comes alive on low-downforce, high-speed circuits like Le Mans, where its stability and straight-line manners let you carry confidence through the quick stuff. A great pick if you value a car that won’t bite.
BMW M Hybrid V8 (LMDh)
The BMW shares its Dallara-based platform with the Cadillac but drives like a very different animal – and since the start of Season 4 2026 it’s been one of the standout cars on the grid. It’s extremely solid, with a great chassis that gives you a lot of confidence, and it remains an excellent all-rounder across a mixed schedule. If the old knock on the BMW was that it was competent but unremarkable, that’s no longer the case – it’s become one of the easiest cars to be consistently quick in.
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Aston Martin Valkyrie (LMH)
The newest addition, and arguably the most interesting. As it stands, our drivers rate the Valkyrie’s chassis as the best in the class. In low-speed corners it’s very nearly unbeatable, and on circuits that don’t ask you to climb big kerbs it’s quick by a genuine margin – it also consistently records the highest top speed of any GTP.
There’s a clear trade-off, though. In high-speed corners it can feel like “an aircraft carrier” – as if all the downforce is on the rear with little left for the front, which is unpleasant for certain driving styles. And it does not like big kerb strikes: tracks like Indianapolis and Imola expose that weakness. But on the right layout it’s devastating; at Fuji our drivers put it ahead of even the Acura. Worth noting this is still an early read – it’s a new car and everyone’s banking seat time – but the ceiling looks very high.
Buy Aston Martin Valkyrie Setups Here.
Ferrari 499P (LMH)
The Ferrari runs a bespoke chassis with a twin-turbo V6 and, as an LMH car, a front-axle hybrid that effectively makes it all-wheel drive. Its calling card is consistency – strong medium and high-speed stability and excellent traction make it a dependable, repeatable car on most tracks. The flip side is that on certain layouts the AWD characteristics can work against it, and the braking window is narrow enough to catch you out. When it suits the track, though, few cars are as trustworthy.
Cadillac V-Series.R (LMDh)
It used to be the only naturally-aspirated car in the class, with a 5.5L V8 on a Dallara chassis. It’s still a well-balanced, stable car – particularly good over kerbs, where it’s one of the most composed on the grid. This season, however, it’s been the slowest of the six for our drivers, and while some of that may come down to driving style, it’s the one car currently sitting a little off the outright pace. Don’t write it off on kerb-heavy circuits, but on raw lap time it has ground to make up.
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Final Thoughts
The big takeaway for Season 4 2026 is how close this class is. With the Aston Martin Valkyrie added, there are six genuinely competitive prototypes, and – Cadillac aside – the differences come down to driving style, track type and preference rather than one dominant car. You’ll see grids converge on the “meta” pick in official races out of habit, but honestly, every car here is worth driving, and the right choice is the one that matches how you like to drive and where you race.
If you’re chasing outright pace and you gel with an oversteer-biased car, the Acura is our drivers’ pick. If you want approachability and speed on fast circuits, the Porsche. For a rock-solid all-rounder, the BMW. And if you want the most exciting new toy with the highest ceiling on the right track, the Aston Martin Valkyrie is well worth your time.
There’s no single best car – for Season 4 2026, the class is extremely close, and the right pick depends on the track and your driving style. If our GTP drivers had to name one, it’s the Acura ARX-06, but the Porsche, BMW and Aston Martin are all right there with it.
Yes – our drivers rate its chassis as the best in the class right now. It’s near-unbeatable in low-speed corners, records the highest top speed of any GTP, and is quickest by a margin on circuits without big kerbs. Its weak spots are heavy kerb strikes (like Indianapolis and Imola) and a high-speed corner feel that doesn’t suit every driving style.
It changes track to track rather than one car being fastest everywhere. The Aston Martin has the highest top speed and is quickest on kerb-free layouts; the Porsche excels on fast, low-downforce circuits like Le Mans; and the Acura is the most consistently rapid in the right hands.
The Porsche 963 is the most approachable, thanks to a forgiving understeer bias that makes it predictable at the limit. The BMW M Hybrid V8 is also a great, confidence-inspiring all-rounder for drivers stepping up to the class.
It’s been the slowest of the six for our drivers this season, so it has some ground to make up on raw pace. That said, it’s still one of the most composed cars over kerbs, so it’s far from a write-off on kerb-heavy circuits.
No – that’s the defining thing about the class right now. Aside from the Cadillac sitting slightly off the pace, every GTP is close enough that track type, temperature and driving style decide the outcome. All of them are genuinely worth racing.
