At first I thought this was a rare Dauer Porsche, but no, it's just a 962C with an 'edited' tail. Okay, not 'just' a 962C; it's the finest 12-cylinder Porsche I've ever driven in AC...or any other sim. Every thing feels right: the FFB, the balance, the grip level, the high-speed handling (it kills in Elkhart's 'kink'), the braking, the response to setup tweaks, the sound...everything. It even shrugs off injudicious use of the turbo (long bursts at 100% boost don't flash any red lights). Yeah, it slurps gasoline like tap water, but until 108 octane goes to $40 a gallon, I can handle it. Ten-lap race setup (@ 90% boost).
Why I test at Elkhart Lake. 1. It doesn't have any stupidly slow hairpins or chicanes, which interfere with repeatability...at least the way I drive. Spa would be ideal for testing if it weren't for that ugly, contorted chicane at the end of the lap. 2. The Carousel. Unlike the Nordschleife's Karusel (tight and lumpy), RA's Carousel is the closest thing you'll find to a high-speed, steady-state skid pad (or 'pan' as they call it in Blighty). It will give you an indication of absolute grip, with numbers you can compare, car-to-car and setup-to-setup (anything under 100 mph = pokey; anything over = speedy). 3. The Kink. The scariest turn in North America. Little cars will barely notice it, but big cars will make or break a decent lap-time depending on whether your setup will allow you to take it flat out. Or not.
Why I test at Elkhart Lake. 1. It doesn't have any stupidly slow hairpins or chicanes, which interfere with repeatability...at least the way I drive. Spa would be ideal for testing if it weren't for that ugly, contorted chicane at the end of the lap. 2. The Carousel. Unlike the Nordschleife's Karusel (tight and lumpy), RA's Carousel is the closest thing you'll find to a high-speed, steady-state skid pad (or 'pan' as they call it in Blighty). It will give you an indication of absolute grip, with numbers you can compare, car-to-car and setup-to-setup (anything under 100 mph = pokey; anything over = speedy). 3. The Kink. The scariest turn in North America. Little cars will barely notice it, but big cars will make or break a decent lap-time depending on whether your setup will allow you to take it flat out. Or not.
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