Season 9 of RCCO World eX in 2026 will feel like a fresh start for the unique sim racing community, as the sporting format is evolving and, even more importantly, the eX ZERO will drive very differently thanks to a new tyre model and an further improved ABS system developed by World Champion Devin Braune.
The biggest technical news is the completely reworked 2026 tyre model for the eX ZERO Evo, which changes how drivers have to approach every corner and every stint and also introduces tyre wear for the first time in the history of the sim racing series.
Devin Braune has focused on tyre temperature and wear, reducing the ability to overdrive the car and making the front tyre temperature behaviour more realistic to avoid excessive overheating. The tyres now offer more consistent grip across different temperatures and over a full stint, with a better balance of wear between front and rear, less mid‑corner understeer at high speed and a stronger influence of tyre wear on actual lap times. The result is a car that rewards clean, precise driving.
Hand in hand with the new tyres comes a refined ABS and braking behaviour that further transforms the driving experience. The trail‑braking phase is now “completely different from before”, as Devin Braune puts it, with many drivers likely to move brake bias and ABS a bit further forward to get the most out of the new package.
Instead of attacking the corner by trailing all the way to the apex and then flooring the throttle, Season 9 driving will be about a strong, controlled braking phase, a short coasting period and then careful throttle modulation for maximum pace. Those who push beyond the limit must be prepared to deal with snaps of oversteer; these are not particularly difficult to correct, but they do cost time, especially over a race distance.
Behind the scenes, the update is the result of a close collaboration within the World eX community. Series organiser Steffen Walter emphasises that this is a “fantastic update” for the eX ZERO, praising Braune for the extensive work on the tyres and overall car behaviour. Early feedback from drivers like Patrick Winzenick has been enthusiastic, describing the car as “hardly recognizable anymore” in a very positive way and highlighting how well it already behaves while triple World Champion Julius Martin admitted he completely has to change his driving style.
Beyond the car itself, the sporting side of Season 9 is also stepping up. A new Teams’ Championship will be introduced, allowing a maximum of three cars per team, with the best two finishers scoring points for the squad. This format keeps things fair for smaller teams while encouraging strong line‑ups. The race format will also become even more entertaining, with the reversed‑grid of the sprint race expanded from the Top 8 to the Top 10 whenever 15 or more participants are on the grid.
Season 9 will begin on March 3 and feature eight regular events on the first Tuesday evening of each month plus the traditional Super Final that crowns the World Champion at the end of the year. One of the highlights will be once again a race on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife, joined by at least one city street circuit.
To give the community a change to adapt their driving style during the off-season, Brno will stay on the dedicated World eX server until the end of the year. Practice will then continue at Barcelona, Road Atlanta and the Red Bull Ring, with many community members expected to join the regular “Meet & Drive” sessions on Tuesday evening to get up to speed with the 2026 package.
Driver registration for Season 9 is open on the dedicated Discord server.
