After a pretty average showing at Monte Carlo, I was looking forward to the next challenge in the WRC Esports Championship. Dropping the technical madness of the Monte for a more speedy affair, Germany is certainly a fun drive. I was confident of a better placing at least, and I set a goal to finish in the top 200 in light of this.
For each round in the WRC Esports Championship, I will be putting in a single attempt after practice in the game’s other modes. This means that a collision or crash is not a reason to reset and my initial placement is final.
Germany Stage 1: Arena Panzerplatte Special Stage
The first stage in this round is a fast and frantic sprint through the German countryside. If the track did loop, it wouldn’t be far off from being a proper Super Special Stage. Truth be told, I was reasonably confident of a good performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnA9F3V7w5Q
Right from the start, you can see exactly what makes the German rally a favorite for those who like speed. The tarmac surface makes the WRC-spec cars very grippy and it takes the power of a handbrake to stop the threat of understeer. This admittedly caught me off-guard a few times so I had to stop the Yaris squirming, dropping precious milliseconds in the process.
Long straights also mean that missing a co-driver’s pace note could prove fatal. Especially with the many roadside obstacles and sharp acute hairpins that aim to catch you off-guard whilst you dash through the countryside.
Disappointingly, this was my poorest performance of the round. Initial placing had me in the top 350, which wasn’t ideal given my aim for the leaderboard. It looked like a stellar performance on the Epic Stage would be a necessity.
https://youtu.be/SBYw3bILblI
Germany Stage 2: Mittelmosel Epic Stage
The elements hadn’t really played a part in the WRC Esports Championship up until this point. Sure, there was the odd time of day change but nothing to really up the ante. That changes now. A misty rain fell on Mittelmosel, just enough to make you second guess that choice to go full throttle on the many straights. As far as I was concerned, it certainly made things a lot more interesting.
Germany’s Epic Stage is one of my favourites in WRC 7. The combination of speedy countryside and technical forest areas is pure rally. Throw in some crazy inclines and Mittelmosel becomes a challenge for even the most hardened WRC pro.
As far as my drive went, I can’t really complain. The lack of visibility made my single attempt a bit more difficult. I had to rely on the co-driver’s pace notes to guide me through some of the faster sections, of which there were many. Sometimes though, my lax approach got the better of me, making for some necessary turn recoveries. Overall, not the fastest run put together but just enough to help push forward after a disappointing Special Stage.
With the better performance at Mittlemosel, I managed to push up more than one hundred places, finishing 221st. This does mean that I finished 21 places outside of my goal for the round but I’m just happy to be improving each week. Round 3 takes competitors back to a snowy challenge in Sweden, which should prove…interesting.
The final results for round 2 can be viewed right here. Fancy giving the championship a go? Check out our review of WRC 7 to see our full impressions.
My WRC Esports Championship So Far
- Round 1 – Monte Carlo: 16:30.171 (366th on PS4)
- Round 2 – Germany: 10:24.081 (221st on PS4)
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