Version 3.0 of SmartRace for Scalextric ARC brings a lot of new features and improvements, as well as some bugfixes. You can download the update for free through your preferred app store. In this article, we go briefly over the most important changes. For the whole list, please check out the release history.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Using keyboard shortcuts, you can assign a list of actions (such as starting/stopping the event, triggering the virtual safety car or assigning penalties) in SmartRace to certain keys on your keyboard. You can easily connect bluetooth keyboards to your phone, tablet or laptop, using the respective menus of your devices operating system. Any bluetooth keyboard will work. Once you’ve connected a keyboard, you can assign keys in settings > advanced > keyboard shortcuts.
New Weather Widget with Forecast
Using the widget feature in SmartRace, you can now add a new weather widget to the race screen. The widget will not only show the current weather, but also a forecast for you to see when there will be rain. This will allow for even more fine grained tire strategies.
Using the profiles feature, you can easily set up dedicated screens for each type of event (free practice, qualifying, race) and have the right screen load automatically whenever you start a new event.
Throttle Limits for Drivers
As requested by some users, you can now set a throttle limit in each drivers profile. This limit will always overrule any other settings for the controller which this driver is assigned to. This can be helpful if you’re racing with children and would like to ensure that their throttle usage is limited. This could potentially save some money by preventing your kids from crashing your expensive cars. 😀
Automatic Full Course Yellow/Virtual Safety Car or Red Flags on Crashes
If a car crashes and thus doesn’t have any throttle input for a configurable amount of time, SmartRace can now automatically deploy a Full Course Yellow or a Red Flag. You can set this up in settings > driving > controllers.
New Options for Championships
If you’re having championships in SmartRace, you can now add or deduct points using the new points adjustment feature. To do this, go to the detail view of any championship and open the “Points Adjustments” tab. There you can add or deduct points for any participating driver.
You may also configure your own custom point scheme per championship if you’re not happy with the built-in point schemes. You can do this when adding new championship or even edit any existing championship. The points will be calculated dynamically, so feel free to edit the points scheme at any time.
As stated above, there are many more changes which can be found in the release history. Happy racing! If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to reach out!
