Being fairly heavy – dry weight is 1340kg – the car overheats its tyres quickly. Seven gears mean you’ll be shifting a lot more than normal, with third gear seemingly the ideal ratio to find traction off slow corners, owing to the car struggling to contain its power in first and second.Įlectronically controlled brake bias means it can be a little inconsistent when braking, with a near 50/50 brake balance split by default. With good reason too, as thanks to 670bhp, this is the most powerful car in the entire game, and the way it delivers its power is infectiously fun. The 488 Challenge Evo is a part of the newly-created Challenge class (CHL) in Assetto Corsa Competizione. In fact, I had an impromptu drag race against a GT3 machine and the 488 blew it away.
Why surprising? Well, we expected a tame single-make series car suitable for amateur drivers to race in the various worldwide Ferrari Challenge series – a Prancing Horse, if you will.īut what we got was an absolute rampaging stallion of a car. Next up is the slightly surprising Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo The 488 Challenge Evo is brutally beautiful With an engine producing over 600bhp, it’s undoubtedly a quick car, but maybe not quite as precise as the sharp looks may suggest when it comes to cornering. The EVO2 Huracán definitely feels squishier than the existing GT3 cars within the platform, and this sometimes translates to a slightly vague feeling during the corner turn-in phase. The Huracán Super Trofeo and its older sibling are now part of a separate Super Trofeo (ST) class in-game, one of four new car categories coming with the Challengers Pack update.Īt the Hungaroring, the Lamborghini struggled slightly over the larger kerbs, but this is a common weak spot for low-riding mid-engined supercars within the game anyway, an impression amplified by jumping straight from the soft-riding BMW at the same track. Early laps indicate that the default setup tends towards understeer and that the car is surprisingly pliant on the limit, featuring softer-than-expected suspension. Our first impressions of the Lamborghini are that it’s brutal and aggressive-looking, with a gloriously angry soundtrack. Perhaps an indicator of future DLC content to arrive with the already-teased Circuit of the Americas track? Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 Say cheese! The Challengers Pack is off to a solid start then, but the M2 is too slow to match other cars in the game, and it runs in its own TCX category, based on the American TC championship that supports GTWC America races. John very aptly described it as “plug and play motorsport” during the broadcast. However, once the Bavarian beast has been poked with a stick, it bites back, thanks to its lack of downforce in high-speed turns. It rides kerbs extremely well and has masses of inertia, meaning it takes a lot of provocation to make it move aggressively. In many ways, the M2 is akin to a GT4 car, something initially designed for the road adapted for track use. If you have a heavy right foot it can still be a wild ride, but the car generally tends towards understeer – unsurprising, given it weighs over 1600kg. It may well have 350bhp, but the feedback is neutral on turn-in and has masses of torque – meaning you can short-shift out of turns to reduce wheelspin and minimise time loss. The question is, how do they feel to drive, and are they worthy additions to the game? BMW M2 CS Racing The M2 is approachable and friendly, unlike your average BMW motorway tailgater…Īfter only a few corners, the BMW feels like it’s a beginner-friendly car well suited to close pack racing. And despite only a few laps of practice, John was close to the pace of the frontrunners, sharing some of his thoughts on the new content mid-race.Īfter a coffee and tea-fuelled early morning debrief, we’ve collated some of our opinions on all five of the new cars – the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, the BMW M2 CS Racing, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 and the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II.