R3E | RaceRoom confirms Ford and Peugeot Super Touring legends are in development

In terms of officially licensed Super Touring race cars, RaceRoom already has a clear lead over the competition. This lead is set to be extended over the course of the year with the addition of two more models.

The development of the Ford Mondeo and Peugeot 406 has been confirmed; images from the development phase have also already been published.

The Ford Mondeo stood out from the other cars in the touring car era of the 1990s particularly because of its V6 engine. This required various technical adjustments by British company Prodrive to lower the center of gravity and optimize the weight distribution.

The car shown is one of the later and significantly more competitive Mondeo versions. It is a model from 1999 or 2000. This can be recognized not only by the curved headlights, but also by the considerably wider track and the more closely fitting front fenders compared with the 1997 and 1998 variants.

While Ford eventually won the British Touring Car Championship title in 2000, Peugeot was denied comparable success in this racing series. The 406 did not achieve a single race victory there.

In Germany, however, the situation was different: Laurent Aïello competed with the Peugeot 406 in the STW against the established German manufacturers and secured the championship title in 1997. He also finished runner-up in 1998 and placed third overall in 1996. This made him by far the most successful driver of a Peugeot 406.

Aïello switched to Nissan in the BTCC in 1999. However, the Nissan Primera is unlikely to appear in RaceRoom in the near future.

“The only car we are not currently pursuing is the Nissan Primera, as there was no possibility of reaching a licensing agreement with Nissan,” explained Christian Wacker-Baur, Director of Strategy and Sales at RaceRoom.

He also confirmed that the Mondeo was made possible by a new licensing agreement with Ford. This also includes the Mustang GT3, which is scheduled to be released for the platform on August 4 together with three other DTM models.

With the two additional Super Touring vehicles, the fleet will grow to a total of ten models, including the Alfa Romeo 156, Opel Vectra and Volvo S40. The new models are scheduled for release “in the near future.”

Historic vehicles, race tracks and possibly Formula 1

Following the confirmation of these two models, Wacker-Baur also provided an outlook on further planned content for RaceRoom.

“The NSU TT is a small racing car that is very popular in RaceRoom, but has so far been a standalone model,” he explained.

“We are working on two small ‘brothers’ for this car so that it does not remain alone. In the near future, we will be able to create a vehicle class around the NSU TT.”

The compact rear-engined racing car dates back to the 1960s. This suggests that two more small-car models from the same era are planned.

Wacker-Baur also announced an extensive Nürburgring update for December. This is set to include liveries from the most recent 24-hour race as well as “two or three” new vehicles from the event.

“Cup” cars for one-make championships with a “French flag” are also in preparation. No specific models or manufacturers were named. However, the Alpine A110 Cup is not an option, as it was already added free of charge at the beginning of the year.

Formula 1 content could also play a role in the future.

“There is a small chance that we will be able to take up the subject of Formula 1 in RaceRoom,” said Wacker-Baur.

“I cannot provide many details yet, but there may be a chance that we will receive a car.

That would be extremely interesting, and I am convinced that a Formula 1 experience in RaceRoom would be a major enhancement.”

Backend systems and multiplayer championships

As part of the same announcements, it became known that automated multiplayer series and championships are being developed. Points are to be recorded and evaluated across multiple ranked races.

A new backend system is also being created. Although this may seem less spectacular at first glance, it is intended to enable comprehensive improvements to the frontend for sim racers. These could include, for example, a driving school or single-player events with predefined settings, allowing users to select a prepared race configuration immediately.

“You can simply click on it and immediately receive a race configuration that, from our perspective, offers an entertaining combination,” explained Jean-Francois Chardon, Head of KW Studios.