The Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3 is the latest addition to iRacing’s ever-growing lineup of GT3 cars. It was released for Season 1 of 2024 and replaced the Audi R8 LMS, now available as legacy content. Here is what you need to know to get the most out of the new Audi.
Introducing the Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3
The Audi R8 LMS is a car based on the road-going R8 model and is designed for customer racing teams. The original GT3 model was first introduced in 2015 but has received two major upgrade packages: the EVO I for the 2019 motorsport season and the EVO II for the 2022 season.
The EVO II package includes multiple improvements including restyled aerodynamics, chassis adjustments, engine characteristic changes, more flexible traction control and a wider variety of damper setup options.
This upgrade will be the final one for the R8 model as Audi will stop production of the R8 racing cars (Audi R8 LMS GT3 and GT4) and factory support to any of its customer teams in 2024.
The Basic Car Characteristics
The core specification of the EVO II version is quite similar to the original Audi GT3. The Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3 is a mid-engine car powered by a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine. The EVO II is slightly more powerful than its predecessor (585 vs 576 horsepower), lighter (1235 vs 1270 kg) and features a different aero package spearheaded by a striking new rear wing.
If you enjoyed driving the Audi GT3, the upgrade will not bring many surprises. The car is still very responsive and has excellent all-around grip but tends to snap if a driver is not careful with their brake release on corner entry or throttle application during early acceleration. Some potential pace of this car is in the setup because it can be tricky to manage this behaviour consistently.
- Here at Coach Dave Academy, our team of professional drivers and engineers already have developed high-quality qualifying and race-trim setups for this car, all of which you can get as a part of our iRacing setup subscription.
Steering and Cornering
The Audi R8 LMS EVO II naturally has plenty of natural rotation compared to other mid-engine cars. The goal with springs, dampers and ride height setup is to find a good balance between stability and mechanical grip, much like with the Audi R8 LMS.
You get four-way adjustable dampers in the EVO II (slow and fast bump and rebound), but it is not a game-changing option for open setups, just an extra bit of fine-tuning for suspension. The majority of your work needs to be done with ride height and splitter adjustments – it is recommended that you keep track of iRacing’s in-game aerodynamic balance reading in the setup menu to get your car in the perfect operating window.
Power Delivery and Braking
The Audi R8 LMS EVO II is one of the few GT3 cars with a naturally aspirated engine, providing excellent response to throttle application. The new traction control system is quite intrusive, and the car often needs a bit of coasting or low throttle application before accelerating, even on low TC settings.
TC and ABS settings range from 1 for the minimal intervention to 10 for the highest intervention. Positions 3 and 4 are the manufacturer’s recommended baseline settings, but in iRacing, optimal settings depend on the overall setup. Usually, drivers use TC and ABS settings between 3 and 6.
Preload differential is a crucial setup tool for this car to control rotation and acceleration. You can increase the differential when there is an over-rotation during the transition between the throttle and brake in low to mid-speed corners.
Aerodynamics and Bodywork
The aero package of the EVO II generates more rear downforce than before due to the new rear wing. With the aero balance therefore naturally shifted backwards, the car has become more stable and predictable at high speed but has gained understeer and lost some straight-line speed.
Front and rear anti-roll bars (ARB) are the main tools to adjust this behaviour. You can change the configuration of the ARB arms (called “ARB blades” in the setup) and the ARB size (called “ARB outer diameter”). Lower values of ARB arms and smaller ARB size will soften the roll stiffness of the suspension, increasing body roll but decreasing mechanical understeer. These settings will make the cornering behaviour more like the previous Audi GT3.
Where You Can Race It
GT3 racing is among the most popular in iRacing, so you have plenty of championships to choose from with the Audi R8 LMS EVO II.
C licence
The C licence unlocks the GT Endurance VRS Series, the GT3-only championship with 3-hour races held during weekends. You must register as a team, including at least two drivers. All GT3 cars, from the vintage Ford GT GT3 to the latest Audi, are available.
B licence
Four more championships are available with the B licence: two multiclass (IMSA Endurance Series and Global Endurance Pure Driving School Tour) and two for GT3 class cars only (GT3 Fanatec Challenge and GT Sprint VRS Series).
- The most casual choice is the GT3 Fanatec Challenge. It features 20-minute races with a fixed setup and up to 20 drivers on the grid. The calendar is similar to the GT Endurance VRS Series.
- The GT Sprint VRS Series shares the same calendar and selection of cars as the GT Endurance VRS Series, but the race length is only 40 minutes.
- The IMSA Endurance Series is the most accessible option to get into multiclass racing with the new Audi. In this championship, you will race in GT3 cars with modern LMP2 and LMDh prototypes. Although you must enter as a team, it can include only one driver.
- The Global Endurance Pure Driving School Tour is a similar multiclass championship to the IMSA Endurance Series, but races last 6 hours.
A licence
At the top of the iRacing championship ladder is the multiclass IMSA iRacing Series, available for A licence drivers. You can participate in the open or fixed setup championship – apart from the setup restrictions and race length, they are the same.
Here is the summary of all regular races available on iRacing for the Audi R8 LMS EVO II:
| Series | Licence | Cars | Schedule | Race length | Max grid |
| GT Endurance VRS Series | C | GT3 | Weekends, 3 time slots | 180 minutes | 60 teams |
| GT3 Fanatec Challenge Fixed | B | GT3 | Every 2 hours | 20 minutes | 20 drivers |
| GT Sprint VRS Series | B | GT3 | Every 2 hours | 40 minutes | 30 drivers |
| IMSA Endurance Series | B | LMDh, LMP2, GT3 | Weekends, 3 time slots | 160 minutes | 50 drivers |
| Global Endurance Pure Driving School Tour | B | LMDh, LMP2, GT3 | Weekends, 3 time slots | 360 minutes | 50 teams |
| IMSA iRacing Series Fixed | A | LMDh, LMP2, GT3 | Every 2 hours | 35 minutes | 50 drivers |
| IMSA iRacing Series Open | A | LMDh, LMP2, GT3 | Every 2 hours | 45 minutes | 50 drivers |
Final Thoughts
The Audi R8 LMS EVO II GT3 is a competitive choice for GT3 championships in iRacing, especially if you prefer a mid-engine car with good rotation and do not mind spending some time in the garage to improve the setup. But the car has a narrow setup window, and the fastest setups likely will be quite demanding for the driver.
- Watch our iRacing Lap Guides for Spa-Francorchamps on the Coach Dave Academy YouTube channel to study how to handle this car on track in more detail.
