Project Cars 2

We call a professional driver to help us survive this steely sim

- Ben Griffin

It’s tough,” says Nicolas Hamilton, brother of Lewis, professional driver in the British Touring Car Championship, and handling consultant to Slightly Mad Studios. “It’s tough in real life too.” He’s trying to make us feel better after we confess to spinning out numerous times on the driving sim’s new ice tracks, but then, he should know. Hamilton and co visited numerous regions to navigate all manner of loose surfaces, capture their unique challenges, and then pit them against players.

Ice driving – or, in our case, ice crashing – is one component of Project Cars 2’s LiveTrack 3.0 feature which sees courses evolve as you go, weather, time of day, and terrain changing dynamically. Take our ten laps around the Red Bull Ring in a Honda Acura: it begins with light cloud, on the second lap the sky darkens, and by the end it’s become a full-on downpour as puddles pool on the road and our windshield wipers operate at full blast. Likewise, kicked-up dust that hangs in the air for two minutes on Lånkebanen – a period of time Slightly Mad has diligently researched and verified – makes you appreciate the clear air of Daytona.