Written by: Rik
Date posted: April 5, 2010
In all the motor racing games I’ve ever played, I’ve found that two things nearly always apply:
Firstly, that although you might have experienced the same track a number of times on a variety of different games in the past, no useful information about the course is ever retained in your memory.
Secondly, there’ll always be a corner on at least one of the tracks that’ll continue to catch you out no matter how many times you practice. Sure, eventually you’ll be able to get around it with no problems around 90% of the time, but there’ll always be that odd occasion when you suffer a mental block and cause your race to end amid a shower of swear words.
There’s one such corner at the Austrian Grand Prix. The track is called the ‘A1Ring’…
1: In order to counter the inevitable disappointment of ending my race, I’m going to use a car that has no chance of winning. Nothing says ‘back of the grid’ like Ukyo Katayama in a Minardi.
2: When you develop a bit of a ‘thing’ with a corner like this one, you start getting it mixed up with other corners on the circuit, and repeating things like “It’s the second one, not the first one” under your breath. The first one’s fine, we’ll be round that no problem.
3: Applying maximum caution, you can make it through the troublesome corner with enough ease to make you think you’ve mastered it. Look here – no trouble at all.
4: It’s all a trick though. To lull you into a false sense of security. We’re now just speeding towards our nemesis now, without a care in the world.
5: All we have to do is brake, and…hang on, it’s not all going to be okay, is it?
6: No, sir, it isn’t. Hmm…now that I sit here in this gravel trap, I’m reminded of something very similar happening in another game.
7: Why, the A1Ring is also featured in the otherwise wonderful TOCA: Race Driver.
8: I wonder if I was any better at taking the corner in that game?
9: Ah well.
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