PKW Racing on Watkins Glen in Formula Gulf on Wet Tires!!

This is a recording of the first PKW Racing event of the new year! We have played some other games, but this was our first run in Project CARS of the year!

I was able to win this race, although there was some trouble after a couple laps. I kind of felt bad starting in first place, but we didn't have a qualifying run so luck of the draw put me there.

Not sure why we were running on wet tires, must be some kind of bug in this current build. It was pretty crazy though! The tires were running super hot pretty much the whole race, and it was interesting at times to keep the car on the road! Lots of down force helped, though.

It was a close race! Paulbfc and Kamalski were running with me, along with some AI at roughly 60%. I think I accidentally bumped Kamalski off the road towards the end of the race, but until then he was right there with us! Could have been a different result if it weren't for my blunder. Paulbfc was less than a second behind me when we crossed the finish line. It was an awesome race! Very aggressive, but mostly clean.

If you're looking for a group to run with, check us out here:
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/pkwracing

Racing is Life. Anything Before or After is Just Waiting

If you're a member of PKW Racing's Steam group, then you have seen this adage. This is for those of you that might wonder where that came from. I made this trailer from the movie, check it out!




Le Mans is one of the most accurate racing movies ever made. Historians say that this movie is an incredibly accurate portrayal of 24 Hours of Le Mans as it was at the time of filming. This movie was a pet project of McQueen’s, who was a serious racer himself, finishing 2nd in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring. Mario Andretti beat him by only 23 second. Oh yeah, and McQueen’s left foot was in a cast at the time!

The Porsche 908/2 that McQueen campaigned in the 12 hours of Sebring was then entered into the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans as a camera car for the movie. It actually finished 9th place overall, and 2nd place in the P3.0 class. Enzo Ferrari refused to provide the Ferrari 512’s used in the movie unless they won the race… you’ll have to see for yourself if he provided them or not. ;)

The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was significant not only because of this film, but also because it was the first race which used new pitwalls to protect the pit crews. It was also the first Le Mans ever where the drivers started the race inside the car, instead of using the drivers running start from previous years. McQueen had intended to drive in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans himself, but the backers to his film threatened to drop their support if he did, due to the inherent risks of the race. So, faced with the option of driving for 24 hours in the race, or an entire summer while filming the movie, he chose the movie.

Though Le Mans wasn’t successful in the box office, it has become a cult classic. The movie is like a car lovers wet dream. It’s not until 36 minutes into the movie that Steve McQueen speaks his first line. The movie isn’t about storyline, or plot, or sex, or violence. It’s about racing, pure and simple. The American audience didn’t understand this when it was released, but since then it has become a must-see for every serious gearhead. So check it out now!

Buy the Le Mans DVD Today!
http://amzn.to/1ndEp5Y

It's Race Night, and I'm Ready!!

I got a new Logitech G27, so lets roll!! It dropped to $205 on Amazon, so I had to grab it, and good thing I did! It's already jumped back up to $229.99, which is still a great price, but I like mine better. Here's a video of unboxing the G27.

I had bought one before, but it was used (VERY used) and the calibrating gear in it was bad. I should have returned it, but I tried to fix it, and it didn't work out. Don't buy a used G27, unless you're personal friends with the person you buy it from. The wheels online are usually sold after the calibration wheel inside is broken, that's why they're cheat. The wheel works... but will lose calibration after anywhere from 2 hours to 2 minutes, depending on how bad it is.

I had been using my Driving Force Pro with my old G27 pedals, and it was good, but I really missed the clutch and shifter. I saw that these were down to $205 on Amazon, and decided to grab it! I'll be selling my modified DFP now, and the parts from my old wheel to help fund the new one.

As I said in the video, the price on these is VERY volatile. This is still one of the better prices I've seen it at though, so I'd still recommend jumping on it before they raise the price again! The price I see most often is $240 or higher.

You can buy your own G27 from Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/1sfHy5v

Assetto Corsa v0.22 vs Project CARS Build 818

Assetto Corsa and Project CARS are the two big dogs in racing simulation right now. For the most part, people strongly prefer one other, and few people meet in the middle. I prefer Project CARS, and these video's show a big part of the reason why. The graphics in pCARS are vastly superior to AC. The car also responds much better in pCARS, you have to deal with bumps in the track more realistically, and the cars handle much better. You really can't tell why pCARS is better just from the video's, but it's a start, so here you go!



I think this might be the first comparison between Assetto Corsa and Project CARS outside spectator cameras. It's not hard to see why this isn't as popular, of course the camera's are not identical in the two games, and it is very hard to synchronize the cars. Still, I think it's an important comparison, as it shows off the car models, and much more of the world. Both games have imperfections in the spectator mode, but again, it's clear to see the extra amount of effort put into Project CARS graphics.




Assetto Corsa isn't a bad game... especially if you want to modify it. Some of the mods, such as the Shelby Cobra, are absolutely fantastic. The graphics are good, and the game UI is incredibly modifiable.

But Project CARS, wow! There is no in-game support for mods at all, but the negatives end there. The cars handling is tuned to perfection, the graphics are cutting edge, it is absolutely the best looking racing game ever made.

I didn't show the weather component in this video, but you can find many videos I have uploaded of various weather settings, and they are fantastic. This option alone is a huge reason to own pCARS, even if you already have AC.

The online component is also turning out pretty good. Nothing groundbreaking... other than the fact that the game latency is amazing, even if you're playing with people all across the world. I play the game on the east coast, with people from California and the UK, and everyones latency is excellent.

Of course the primary concern of this video is the graphical and audio differences though, and the winner is clear, Assetto Corsa is nice, Project CARS is amazing. :)

The Next Event is Coming Up!

The next group event is coming upon us quickly! Officially, we will be playing RACE 07, unless everyone who comes has Project CARS, in which case we will be racing that, which is exactly what happened last week! Check out the highlights from some of our previous events to see what to expect!

Welcome to the PKW Racing Blog!

Welcome to the PKW Racing blog!

Here you will find information about all things related to cars, but especially simulation racing, particularly with Project CARS. PKW Racing is a group of dedicated racing fans, who are excited to play Project CARS both now during beta, and after its release. We play other games as well though, currently RACE 07 tournaments are open to everyone, as it is a cheap, and well rounded simulator from yesteryear, with countless track modifications and a great collection of classic cars.

In addition to PKW Racing information, there will also be information on other racing games, movies, actual events... anything car related that catches our attention! So hope you enjoy this blog, and join our group to run with us in game!

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/pkwracing