Though wet race conditions were originally to have been modeled in ICR2, that feature was ultimately left out. Nevertheless, I created some new TRACK.TXT and RACE.LP files in an attempt to simulate such conditions at five of the circuits.

The files are available at the bottom of the page. Each ZIP contains a TRACK.TXT and a RACE.LP. Remember to back up your original files, and to rename the TXT file to match the name of your track subdirectory if they differ.

Roughly, the issues which needed to be addressed were those of AI lines and speeds (adjusted in these LP files), reduced tire grip (values of [0 3000 120000000 0 3000 120000000 0] for the TIRES and TIRE2 lines seem to work pretty well - refer to What's the Scoop? section for an explanation of these numbers), and car handling (anti-roll bar and brake bias settings should be set according to the shot below and be kept in those positions throughout the race). Taken together, these settings seem to provide fairly realistic handling characteristics for racing in the wet. And if you are using the Rendition version of the sim, be sure to use the ALT+W toggle to simulate misty rain, as shown in the shot below (click to see larger picture).

        

The major problem with using the existing ("dry") RACE.LP files with this sort of "rain" setup is that straightaway speeds will be proportionally too slow in comparison to cornering speeds. Since there's no variable grip whether you're on- or off-line in the sim, "wet" racing lines won't serve any purpose except to add a bit of visual authenticity; the only caveat in specifying such AI lines in the new RACE.LPs is that, while the AI may be running offline, the player can still run the preferred (faster) line with no disadvantage. So with my new LPs I tried to find a good balance. It's a shame we can't do something about increasing AI spins and "offs," and about further decreasing player visibility (beyond the Rendition toggle) ... nevertheless, as is, this rain racing can be a lot of fun.

I'd recommend having DRY and WET subdirectories under each track directory, in which the corresponding TXT and LP files can be placed while the others are in use (just to avoid any confusion). It might also be a good idea to create and name STG files specifically for rain racing - for example, WETACE.STG and WETQUAL.STG, with the above anti-roll bar and brake bias settings (and whatever other adjustments you choose) already dialed in.

So how do you decide whether a session will be wet? I'd suggest a 10% chance at any given circuit that it will be wet for practice and qualifying, and based on that result, some possibility that the race itself will be wet. (Note that, for qualifying to work in the wet, BLAP values in the TRACK.TXT need adjustment; this has been done in the files available below.) Also remember that, unless you save the race somewhere in the middle and resume using the "dry" (normal) versions of the TXT and LP files, the wet conditions will by necessity persist throughout the race. Obviously the major part of wet-race strategy - the changing conditions and slick versus rain-tire gamble - is not really possible.

I'd love to get feedback from anyone who's tried these, but I will not be updating this area further. The beautifully-implemented changing weather conditions in the newer sims put what little is possible here to absolute shame!

Download the wet-racing files for: