The Bucket List Episode 4: Lick the Stamp

If you've seen a Touring Car race, you'll most likely agree with me when I say that they are brilliant and so much fun to watch. These cars are quick and agile, and also relatable; looking just like the hatchbacks or saloons that you probably have on your driveway. Not to mention, the racing is pure close-quarters combat, with drivers not afraid to rub panels to get ahead. If I were to come up with a motto for touring car drivers, it would be this: "If you haven't got a dented or scraped panel on the car by the end, you haven't been trying hard enough."

For this entry on the Bucket List, I wanted to experience the fury of a touring car race. The original plan had been to go to the Macau street circuit, infamous for its narrow streets. And when I say narrow, I mean really narrow. Unfortunately, the mod I picked up for Macau had red tarmac, which would've broken the immersion just a little. Not to matter, as I took a look at the FIA World Touring Car Cup calendar and found that the German round is held on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, in particular the Endurance layout that is also used for the 24 Hour race. So this is a class of car that's all about licking the stamp and sending it, on a track where you want to be very careful about going full-send...

For my run, I lined up ninth on the grid in an Audi RS 3 LMS TCR for a two lap race. The thing is, these touring cars don't have anti-lock brakes or traction control, and so I locked the brakes into the first corner. By the time I got back on track, I was down in thirteenth. It was time to mount a comeback drive, and that would have to involve going full-send. In those thirty-one-and-a-half miles, I pushed the car as hard as I dared, fighting my way through the pack and passing opponents where I could. At the end of it all, I finished third, which considering my shenanigans at the start, was better than I could hope for. It also convinced me that touring cars are brilliant no matter where they race.

I used the 2018 WTCR pack by maki123 and Delpinsky, featuring seven cars and authentic liveries from the 2018 FIA World Touring Car Cup season. You can download them here.

Also, I am aware that the driving line is visible in this photo. It's a habit that I have since grown out of on Assetto Corsa...