With the real Rolex 24 at Daytona taking place, OT Contributor Angus decided to run his own in Automobilista 2 offline. Here is how he got on.
NOTE: The races were held and the article was written just before the release of Automobilista 2 v1.6.3.5, which included some AI revisions. As a result, the experience described might not reflecthe current state in AMS2 anymore.
This weekend is all about one thing. Daytona fever.
Yes, the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is taking place right now with a full field of 61 cars taking on the high banks of the Speedway. But not wanting to spend too much time out of the sim rig, I wanted to join in the multiclass action by setting up my very own 2.4 Hours of Daytona against the AI and what better sim to do so than the official IMSA simulator, Automobilista 2? Here is how I got on.
I would avoid racing GTP at Daytona in AMS2 for the time being. Image: Reiza Studios
In the meantime, I instead decided to join the immensely populated GTD ranks with its over 20 car liveries to choose from. For a bit of extra challenge, I went for the most rear-engined, understeer-y, under-powered model available in the GT3 class, the Porsche 911, and it certainly provided the tough task I was after.
Looking for the most competitive race against the AI as possible, I decided to avoid adding any unnecessary disorder like wet weather and Safety Car periods to trip up my computer rivals. As much as I would have liked to contend with varying conditions and strategic implications of Full Course Yellows like the real thing, they make it far too easy to gain on the AI.
For the same reason, I did not choose to multiply fuel and tyre usage which can both cause issues with stint lengths especially in a sportscar environment.
Porsche GT3 at Daytona in Automobilista 2. Image: Reiza Studios
But with the parameters set and my phone set to do not disturb, it was time to hit the track.
A short, 10-minute session of being divebombed and held up on every lap made me realise just how useful Le Mans Ultimate's private qualifying system is. But never mind, avoiding the traffic and getting a clean lap is a challenge in real life, so why not enjoy it.
Multiclass qualifying is not for the faint of heart. Image: Reiza Studios
I may not have set a fully clean lap, but it counted and that is all that matters. Going into the race, I sat on the grid very much in the middle of the GT pack, in the region of 13th position.
There really is nothing better than finding a pace and rhythm and ticking off the laps in an enduro, a mindset that is now far easier to fall into in AMS2. Following the more recent updates to the title's AI, the field spreads out far more realistically than before making for a more immersive racing experience. Cars no longer spend full laps side-by-side unable to separate themselves.
Automobilista 2 AI spreads out nicely in v1.6. Image: Reiza Studios
Early on in each stint, the AI would have a little bit more pace than myself meaning I did end up losing a few positions in the opening laps. But as tyre wear took its effect, I found myself slowly gaining once more. After a while, slower models like the pack of Porsches began to come to me and before I knew it, I was making moves on the infield. It seemed as though my setup was carrying a little more downforce than the AI meaning I could not catch on the banking, but had the pace in the twisties.
Whilst I certainly made passes to move up through the field, the majority of my position gains were through AI mistakes at the bus stop. I cannot count the number of times that I gained positions either by flying past a grass-stricken opponent or catching a slow-moving pack due to a poor AI re-join. No matter the sim, computers simply do not like that corner.
It wasn't long before the first of two pitstops in the race. Though some opponents seemingly opted for three shorter stops rather than two near-full tanks. I am not entirely sure if this strategy paid off for them as the various crash bugs may have hindered their strategies. But considering I managed to finish in fourth place, I would say that most failed to make it work.
Racing at night in AMS2 is gorgeous. Image: Reiza Studios
By far my favourite part of the race was the middle stint, during the long night portion. The lighting in Automobilista 2 makes for a truly immersive experience, especially if you remove any semblance of on-screen HUD.
In the final third of the race, I rapidly caught and passed the green Iron Lynx Lamborghini due to yet another episode of bus stop shenanigans giving me a podium position. But the Huracan appears to have incredible speed in the AI's hands that I simply could not follow. As such, the fake Franck Perera was soon on my tail and desperate for a way past and that soon came as he sent one down the inside of the bus stop and this time kept it on-track.
Just a few laps left to go, a large gap behind and a growing chasm ahead, I resounded myself to a P4 finish. Despite missing out on the podium, it was a fun experience that gives me hope for when Sebring comes around. Because I know the AI handles that simpler layout far better.
The AI is far from perfect on the banking of Daytona. Image: Reiza Studios
It seems that despite its official affiliation with IMSA, the venue of the series' opening round may not be fully optimised for the series' cars.
First and foremost, where the real world rules state that slower class cars must hug the inside line with faster cars going up high on the banking, the AI line in AMS2 sees them running halfway up the banking making hesitant faster class AI. When running the GTP or even LMP2 classes, this means you breeze past your competition on the straights to an assured win. This may be the reason to avoid top classes, but even running lower categories is not without its issues.
Come off the banking side-by-side with an AI car into Turn 1 and the racer on the inside will often clip the inside pit wall, rapidly eliminating half the field. The same is true when racing into the bus stop chicane on the back straight. Wheel-to-wheel action on the brakes often leads to cars sliding out wide and sometimes even finding a wall.
AI crashes at the bus stop are not uncommon. Image: Reiza Studios
Luckily, once I had dialed the AI Aggression down to Low, these concerns were somewhat less frequent - though still happened - and I could run a fairly competitive race. That is not to say it was a frustrating experience however as racing the collection of GT cars available in AMS2 all whilst being lapped by prototype machinery was an extremely immersive and enjoyable experience that I would do again.
Taking place on 2 February from 2pm CET, we will be taking to the banking one more time with a multiclass event featuring GT3 and LMDh machinery. After an hour of practice and 25 minutes of qualifying, we will go to battle for a whopping 2.4 hours with real weather, so who knows what might happen. Be sure to sign-up here!
Have you tried running a recreation Daytona 24 in sim racing yet this year? Let us know how it went in the comments!
NOTE: The races were held and the article was written just before the release of Automobilista 2 v1.6.3.5, which included some AI revisions. As a result, the experience described might not reflecthe current state in AMS2 anymore.
This weekend is all about one thing. Daytona fever.
Yes, the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is taking place right now with a full field of 61 cars taking on the high banks of the Speedway. But not wanting to spend too much time out of the sim rig, I wanted to join in the multiclass action by setting up my very own 2.4 Hours of Daytona against the AI and what better sim to do so than the official IMSA simulator, Automobilista 2? Here is how I got on.
The Setup
As much as running the top class is fun as you dice through traffic all whilst fighting opponents, there are a few obstacles that dissuaded me from driving a GTP car in this fake Rolex 24. But I'll get to them later.I would avoid racing GTP at Daytona in AMS2 for the time being. Image: Reiza Studios
In the meantime, I instead decided to join the immensely populated GTD ranks with its over 20 car liveries to choose from. For a bit of extra challenge, I went for the most rear-engined, understeer-y, under-powered model available in the GT3 class, the Porsche 911, and it certainly provided the tough task I was after.
Looking for the most competitive race against the AI as possible, I decided to avoid adding any unnecessary disorder like wet weather and Safety Car periods to trip up my computer rivals. As much as I would have liked to contend with varying conditions and strategic implications of Full Course Yellows like the real thing, they make it far too easy to gain on the AI.
For the same reason, I did not choose to multiply fuel and tyre usage which can both cause issues with stint lengths especially in a sportscar environment.
Porsche GT3 at Daytona in Automobilista 2. Image: Reiza Studios
But with the parameters set and my phone set to do not disturb, it was time to hit the track.
QualifyingFor The Rolex 24
When I race against the AI, especially for a long race, I do not want to run hours of practice before hand just to be on-pace with the field. As such, I selected about 108% AI and went straight into qualifying.A short, 10-minute session of being divebombed and held up on every lap made me realise just how useful Le Mans Ultimate's private qualifying system is. But never mind, avoiding the traffic and getting a clean lap is a challenge in real life, so why not enjoy it.
Multiclass qualifying is not for the faint of heart. Image: Reiza Studios
I may not have set a fully clean lap, but it counted and that is all that matters. Going into the race, I sat on the grid very much in the middle of the GT pack, in the region of 13th position.
A Fun 2.4 At Daytona In AMS2
Starting from the mid-pack, I did have to restart a few times due to sizeable pileups at Turn 1 with the AI's cavalier approach to the T1 inside pit wall. But once things got going, the race quickly fell into the standard monotony of endurance racing.There really is nothing better than finding a pace and rhythm and ticking off the laps in an enduro, a mindset that is now far easier to fall into in AMS2. Following the more recent updates to the title's AI, the field spreads out far more realistically than before making for a more immersive racing experience. Cars no longer spend full laps side-by-side unable to separate themselves.
Automobilista 2 AI spreads out nicely in v1.6. Image: Reiza Studios
Early on in each stint, the AI would have a little bit more pace than myself meaning I did end up losing a few positions in the opening laps. But as tyre wear took its effect, I found myself slowly gaining once more. After a while, slower models like the pack of Porsches began to come to me and before I knew it, I was making moves on the infield. It seemed as though my setup was carrying a little more downforce than the AI meaning I could not catch on the banking, but had the pace in the twisties.
Whilst I certainly made passes to move up through the field, the majority of my position gains were through AI mistakes at the bus stop. I cannot count the number of times that I gained positions either by flying past a grass-stricken opponent or catching a slow-moving pack due to a poor AI re-join. No matter the sim, computers simply do not like that corner.
It wasn't long before the first of two pitstops in the race. Though some opponents seemingly opted for three shorter stops rather than two near-full tanks. I am not entirely sure if this strategy paid off for them as the various crash bugs may have hindered their strategies. But considering I managed to finish in fourth place, I would say that most failed to make it work.
Racing at night in AMS2 is gorgeous. Image: Reiza Studios
By far my favourite part of the race was the middle stint, during the long night portion. The lighting in Automobilista 2 makes for a truly immersive experience, especially if you remove any semblance of on-screen HUD.
In the final third of the race, I rapidly caught and passed the green Iron Lynx Lamborghini due to yet another episode of bus stop shenanigans giving me a podium position. But the Huracan appears to have incredible speed in the AI's hands that I simply could not follow. As such, the fake Franck Perera was soon on my tail and desperate for a way past and that soon came as he sent one down the inside of the bus stop and this time kept it on-track.
Just a few laps left to go, a large gap behind and a growing chasm ahead, I resounded myself to a P4 finish. Despite missing out on the podium, it was a fun experience that gives me hope for when Sebring comes around. Because I know the AI handles that simpler layout far better.
Daytona AI In Automobilista 2
As aforementioned, there are a few limitations to Automobilista 2's AI system, especially at Daytona. Whilst a recent comparison around the likes of Sebring and Imola versus LMU and iRacing found that the Brazilian game's AI is rather competent, this most recent experience has left a sour taste.The AI is far from perfect on the banking of Daytona. Image: Reiza Studios
It seems that despite its official affiliation with IMSA, the venue of the series' opening round may not be fully optimised for the series' cars.
First and foremost, where the real world rules state that slower class cars must hug the inside line with faster cars going up high on the banking, the AI line in AMS2 sees them running halfway up the banking making hesitant faster class AI. When running the GTP or even LMP2 classes, this means you breeze past your competition on the straights to an assured win. This may be the reason to avoid top classes, but even running lower categories is not without its issues.
Come off the banking side-by-side with an AI car into Turn 1 and the racer on the inside will often clip the inside pit wall, rapidly eliminating half the field. The same is true when racing into the bus stop chicane on the back straight. Wheel-to-wheel action on the brakes often leads to cars sliding out wide and sometimes even finding a wall.
AI crashes at the bus stop are not uncommon. Image: Reiza Studios
Luckily, once I had dialed the AI Aggression down to Low, these concerns were somewhat less frequent - though still happened - and I could run a fairly competitive race. That is not to say it was a frustrating experience however as racing the collection of GT cars available in AMS2 all whilst being lapped by prototype machinery was an extremely immersive and enjoyable experience that I would do again.
Automobilista 2 Online Daytona 2.4
Luckily enough, here at OverTake we are organising our very own 2.4 Hours of Daytona on Automobilista 2 as part of the Racing Club.Taking place on 2 February from 2pm CET, we will be taking to the banking one more time with a multiclass event featuring GT3 and LMDh machinery. After an hour of practice and 25 minutes of qualifying, we will go to battle for a whopping 2.4 hours with real weather, so who knows what might happen. Be sure to sign-up here!
Have you tried running a recreation Daytona 24 in sim racing yet this year? Let us know how it went in the comments!
