World Track Championship, Racewars S42: W10 Sat. 27th August

Host reviews for week 10

1) *Pf 46* G.P. Suino by parodifumi
26/30 (3,2,2,3,3, 2,3,2,3,3)
Wonderful track. Nicely challenging route which really suites the modest lap distance perfectly, allowing drivers to really develop their lines. The checkpoints seem to have a deliberate but unusual logic to their application, unfortunately I found some of the early checkpoints a bit misleading, or at least unsettling to my braking. The race looks fantastic for the most part, masterfully sympathetic to the environment. But some of the (welcome) barriers set into some corners seemed both a bit of a confidence trap and didn't really look positioned as well as they could be (as challenging as it is keeping the track under these roads).

2) (JCB) The Rough Rider by jcbvortex
26/30 (2,2,3,2,3, 3,2,3,3,3)
Very silky race. It's a bit sparse without a full lobby of drivers to be contending with, which is unfortunate, but it's certainly crafted very well. I had a problem with 2 corners though: The checkpoints on the first corner not helpful at all, having an almost straight checkpoint so close to a 90 turn puts you on completely the wrong line until you've learned to ignore it - a checkpoint you need to ignore is a checkpoint that shouldn't be there. And the corner coming off the bridge is very vague, even after several laps I couldn't visually read the apex (the lighting didn't help TBF), IMO it would really benefit from an apex prop as a visual marker, or perhaps amalgamating the two checkpoints could help. These aren't terrible issues, but when the race only has 5 or 6 turns in it, they stick in the mind.

3) AUTARCH GP by masopelu Sport
25/30 (3,2,3,2,3, 2,3,2,2,3)
This is an incredibly ambitious build, which is really a great success in context of that ambition. It's a LOT of fun to race and just perfect for the issi. It loses a few points here and there on a few criteria, but this is an awesome build.

4) Gp Spa Francorchamps F1 by ooastro
21/30 (3,1,3,2,3, 2,2,1,1,3)
Nice to play F1 race, it's been a while. The route for this one is really good - dynamic and engaging. But there are quite a lot of issues, the 2nd checkpoint on the first turn can only be described as cruel, theres a few cavernous holes around the track, multiple snaplines... it all feels a bit undercooked. But the drive itself is good, it keeps you on your toes - mostly in a good way, but at a few points more of a not so good "where'd the ground go?" kind of way.

5) Paleto Forest Run by lgdead
21/30 (2,1,3,1,3, 3,2,2,1,3)
This is a difficult one to review. It's a pretty good route, It's got its great technical bits (the first section is a really fun challenge due to the angle) and straights and some sweepy bits, but by the 3rd lap I felt a bit tested by the enormously long back straight which feels a little perfunctory compared to the rest. The checkpoints have some issues, there are a few surplus ones, and in a couple of places they're positioned in a way that encourages you to shortcut big sections of track (punishing racers staying on track). It's a good drive, 75% is a really decent track and the other 25% just feels a bit like it's still under construction. I was a bit concerned about some lights and stuff peaking through the track, but they didn't seem to connect in my race at least.

6) B80 City by BernySigl
21/30 (3,2,1,3,0, 2,3,2,2,3)
The broad strokes design of the track is really cool - it's a great transformative route, apart from the bridges it feels structurally meaty and real, and it feels like you're really in a proper creator's track. It has a couple of probs for me... firstly the finer propping falls a bit short in places, some transitions aren't smoothed at all, snaplines, etc. And the most unfortunate thing isn't the numerous lampposts - but balls that can pop up and interfere with the driving have been added.

7) KW# Santa Catalina Island by Koning_Willy_NL
25/30 (2,3,2,1,2, 3,3,3,3,3)
For the most part, a very tightly made and intense track with a lot of 90 degree turns that demands razor focus. Its a great track but the section through the dockyard is just too messy at night and demanded so many checkpoints while still leaving a lot of stuff to hit. It's a shame because apart from a couple of clunky transitions the creator built sections are pretty much faultless (and the buildings look great), it's just the natural environment section eats into its score a bit.