Project Motor Racing Update 2.1 is live with the free Aussie Rivals Pack, Holden Commodore VF, GT3 and GT4 physics rebuilds, online fixes, and Alpha PC triple-screen support.
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Store links: Project Motor Racing on Steam
Project Motor Racing’s biggest post-launch swing arrives with a free rivalry pack
Project Motor Racing Update 2.1 is live, and its headline is unusually direct for a sim racing patch: Straight4 Studios and GIANTS Software have added the free Aussie Rivals Pack alongside a major rebuild of the game’s GT3 and GT4 classes. The official Project Motor Racing site dated the update July 29, 2026, while several outlets covered the rollout into July 30 UTC, so the practical answer for players is simple: the patch and free DLC are available now.
The tension around this update is that its most visible addition, a Holden versus Ford themed content drop, is arriving at the same time as a deep physics reset for some of the game’s most important classes. According to the official update notes, Update 2.1 changes vehicle behavior, Balance of Performance, suspension, gearing, inertia, center of gravity, turbo behavior, aero sensitivity, tire performance, brake heat, and brake duct options for GT3 and GT4. Straight4 also says saved setups for those classes will no longer work as expected, which is the clearest sign that this is not a light tuning pass.
That creates a rare patch profile. Players get a free Project Motor Racing DLC pack built around a famous touring car rivalry, but returning drivers also need to re-learn cars, retire old setups, and test the game’s new handling assumptions. For a sim audience, that second part is the real story. Content brings people back to the garage; physics decides whether they keep driving.
The Aussie Rivals Pack finally gives the AUS V8 class its other half
The free Project Motor Racing Aussie Rivals Pack adds the Holden Commodore VF to the AUS V8 class and pairs it with a reworked Ford Falcon FG. Straight4’s own update page frames it as the return of the classic Holden versus Ford rivalry, while IGN describes these cars as representatives of the last truly local Holden and Ford clash before later Supercars body changes and the end of Australian car manufacturing.
For sim racing fans, the appeal is specific. This is not another GT3 variant or a generic touring car slot. The Project Motor Racing Holden Commodore VF and 2013 Ford Falcon FG represent a style of racing built around heavy, rear-wheel-drive V8 touring cars, high commitment braking zones, and close-quarters traffic. Bsimracing notes that the AUS V8 class also received a handling and tire overhaul, with updates to aero sensitivity, inertia, center of gravity, brake ducts, brake heat behavior, and new default setups.
That class work is important because nostalgia alone does not carry a sim car. A Ford versus Holden pack only lands if the cars can be leaned on under braking, rotated without feeling canned, and kept alive over a stint as rear tires heat and wear. The sources do not provide lap-time comparisons or independent handling tests, so any verdict on whether Straight4 nailed the behavior has to wait for driver mileage. What is confirmed is that the studio did more than drop a badge into the car list: the Ford Falcon FG has been reworked, the Holden Commodore VF has been added, and the AUS V8 class has received physics-related revisions.
There is also a practical career angle. Operation Sports reports that Career Mode events supporting the AUS V8 class have been updated to include the new Holden. That gives the free pack a place beyond custom races, assuming players want structured use of the class rather than a one-night novelty run.
GT3 and GT4 have been rebuilt around data, heat, and setup consequences
The GT3 and GT4 overhaul is the mechanical core of Project Motor Racing Update 2.1. Straight4 says both classes have been comprehensively rebuilt using real-world homologation data, with changes across Balance of Performance, suspension geometry, differentials, gear ratios, inertia, center of gravity, turbo behavior, aerodynamic sensitivity, and tire performance. Operation Sports reports that the work includes revisions to tire wear and brake temperatures for more consistent long-run performance.
The tire and brake changes are where experienced drivers should look first. Straight4’s notes say temperature now affects tire lifespan, grip, overheating status, scrubbing, and severe wear, while brake heat transfer has been expanded. Adjustable brake ducts are now part of the setup picture, with cooling and aero drag consequences. That is the kind of system change that can alter a car’s operating window, especially in endurance-style sessions where a setup that feels fast over two laps can become fragile over ten.
Naturally aspirated cars now receive intake ram-air simulation, according to the official update post, while turbocharged cars have revised turbo modeling. Those are small phrases with large implications. Ram-air behavior can change how a car builds speed at the top end, while turbo revisions can affect throttle response and traction demand on corner exit. Straight4 has not published a car-by-car public performance table in the provided material, so players should treat this as a full retest rather than assuming old pecking orders still apply.
The studio has tried to soften the reset with new defaults. The official notes confirm new default setups, curated low-drag setups for Daytona International Speedway and Brianza, and a more stable Nürburgring Nordschleife setup. That is useful triage for players returning after the patch. Daytona and Brianza reward efficient straight-line speed, while the Nordschleife punishes nervous platforms and poor compliance. If you are coming back to test the GT rebuild, start from those new baselines before blaming the tire model or reviving a pre-2.1 setup.
Online racing gets less waiting, but the rollout is scoped
Update 2.1 also targets a familiar sim racing pain point: dead time around online sessions. Straight4 says Join-in-Progress is now available for active Practice and Qualifying sessions, and Operation Sports specifies that this applies through supported Custom Lobbies. That wording matters. Some secondary coverage describes joining online sessions broadly, but the official source limits the confirmed feature to supported Practice and Qualifying. Race-session joining is not confirmed in the provided official notes.
Even with that limitation, the change should help leagues, community events, and casual groups. Missing the start of a practice session no longer has to mean waiting for a full restart before getting on track, at least where the feature is supported. For a sim trying to build regular online habits, reducing menu time can be as important as adding another car. Players who organize lobbies should still check session settings and supported modes before advertising a fully flexible drop-in format.
Ranked Racing also gets a notification system. IGN reports that registered players no longer need to remain on the registration screen while waiting for a ranked session; once the session is ready, a notification lets them join directly. Straight4’s official notes describe it as a notifications system for when a race is about to start. That is a clean quality-of-life fix, particularly for players who bounce between setup work, menus, and ranked sign-ups.
Straight4 CEO Kevin Boland framed the update as a response to player feedback, according to quotes published by IGN, Simulation Daily, and Hardcore Gamer. The confirmed features support that framing: Join-in-Progress, Ranked notifications, collision improvements reported by IGN and Simulation Daily, and broader stability work are all aimed at the friction around actually racing other people, not only hotlapping alone.
PC triple-screen support is the patch’s biggest hardware signal
For PC sim racers, the standout feature is early Alpha triple-screen support. The official Project Motor Racing update says the triple-screen feature has entered early Alpha, while Operation Sports and Hardcore Gamer both report that it remains in active development. That distinction is important for rig owners: Project Motor Racing PC triple screen support is now present, but the sources do not describe it as final, complete, or fully polished.
Triple-screen support matters because racing visibility is performance-relevant. A wide, correctly configured field of view helps drivers judge corner entry, apex placement, side-by-side overlap, and mirror awareness without relying entirely on virtual camera movement. In touring cars and GT traffic, that can reduce avoidable contact. The update’s timing is also notable because Project Motor Racing is adding improved collisions and online flow in the same patch. Wider hardware support and cleaner close racing are complementary goals, even if the triple-screen implementation still needs community testing.
VR also receives additional attention. Straight4’s update page lists further VR improvements, and Hardcore Gamer reports in-game configuration options in the user interface for VR users. The sources do not provide enough detail to make performance claims about specific headsets, frame pacing, reprojection, or CPU and GPU load. The safe guidance is to treat both VR and triple-screen changes as areas to test after patching, especially if you previously had a stable configuration that depended on workarounds.
Logitech Trueforce support has also been enabled on all platforms, according to IGN, Simulation Daily, and Bsimracing. That should interest wheel users with compatible Logitech hardware, though the provided sources do not specify supported wheel models or offer force-feedback tuning recommendations. As with the handling rebuild, drivers should expect to revisit settings rather than assume their old force-feedback profile still communicates the same tire and brake behavior.
Who should reinstall, retest, or wait for more data
The confirmed availability picture is straightforward. Simulation Daily and Bsimracing report that Project Motor Racing Update 2.1 and the free Aussie Rivals Pack are available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version gets the early Alpha triple-screen feature; Hardcore Gamer notes that triple-screen and VR-facing additions are PC-side items rather than console features. The Aussie Rivals Pack itself is free, according to Straight4’s official page and multiple outlets.
If you mainly race GT3 or GT4, this is a mandatory retest patch. The classes have been rebuilt deeply enough that old setups are specifically called unreliable by the developer. Load the new defaults, try the curated Daytona, Brianza, or Nordschleife presets where relevant, then build from tire temperature, brake duct, and long-run stability data. A one-lap comparison against your pre-2.1 memory will not tell the full story.
If you are a touring car fan, the free Project Motor Racing DLC is the clear hook. The Holden Commodore VF gives the AUS V8 class the missing rival for the Ford Falcon FG, and the class revisions suggest Straight4 wanted the pack to affect driving rather than only collection value. Players with a fondness for V8 Supercars-era machinery have a concrete reason to return, especially because the pack costs nothing.
If you are a PC rig owner, this patch is worth installing but not worth assuming finished. Alpha triple-screen support is exactly the kind of feature that can transform immersion when geometry, bezels, FOV, and camera behavior are correct, but the Alpha label means tolerance for rough edges is required. VR users are in a similar position: improvements and configuration options are confirmed, while performance outcomes remain unverified by the supplied sources.
The broader read is that Update 2.1 is a course-correction patch with a content sweetener attached. The free Holden versus Ford pack grabs attention, but the lasting value depends on whether the GT3, GT4, and AUS V8 physics changes make Project Motor Racing feel more consistent over race distances. That answer will come from laps, setup sheets, and league feedback. For now, the facts are enough to justify a serious revisit.