ZCT289 - Lord of the Rings

[Frieshansen]

At first I somehow wanted to include the rings in the terrain but that didn't work. Otherwise there is actually not much to say about this track - the intention should be clear 

I wish you a lot of fun - let´s see who will be the Lord of the Rings.

Many thanks to Audi AG for the official permission for this track!

[Alain il professore]

💬 Track Analysis 💬
(Stunts - Track Review)

🎯 Strengths:
✅ Good variety: The track includes regular roads, bridges, loops, and jumps — a nice mix of elements.
✅ Technical sections: The winding uphill on the north and the sharp corners in the south demand precise driving.
✅ Two major jumps across the river open up risky shortcut opportunities.
✅ Structured layout: The vertical design gives the track a clear flow, especially for experienced players.

⚠️ Weaknesses:
❌ Unclear start: The opening sequence with a loop followed by a narrow road can leave pipsqueaks clueless.
❌ Many sections too straight: A long straight with little challenge — the pacing drops here.
❌ Double bridges: They add little value unless paired with terrain changes or traps.
❌ Minimal terrain usage: The track is mostly flat. A missed opportunity for visual and driving variety.

🏁 Verdict:
A track well suited for time attack and competitive racing, with a few exploitable shortcuts. It would benefit from more dynamic design in the upper section and better use of curves or elevation to break up the monotony.

🏆 Who will find the fastest potatoid trickster UFO shortcut to crush the leaderboard?
💬 Let us know where to avoid displaying real driving talent to rule them all without taking a sweat!

[alanrotoi]

This is a true @Frieshansen. You can also see his personal style watching the other tracks built by him (zct268: Penrose and zct279 - Shortwave).

[HerrNove]

Looking at the top two replays I feel worried for Frieshansen. Arg's lap with the Countach seems to have a lot of margin of improvement (I even managed to be slightly faster than him in the second half of the track!) while MiDiaN with the Quattro seems to have already optimized his replay to the fullest. But we will see what Arg can do with the Audi – German driver on German car could be the key. And obviously Duplode has still to complete his warm up!

However this ends, the enlaced rings are the most beautiful piece of scenario I have seen till now!

[Argammon]

@HerrNove: You maybe on to something.

Initially, I thought the Audi would be the better choice based on @Duplode's balanced bonus estimation:



According to historical data, the cars are balanced when the bonus difference is roughly five percentage points, whereas it's only three points on the current track.

So why does the Countach perform better than expected here?

I think there are two factors:

First, the current track may be more favorable for the Countach than the "average" track used in the historical data.

Second, the Countach delivers stronger-than-expected pace early: From the cars' data sheets, it more than matches the Audi in acceleration and top speed, and its anti-PG quirk is only a minor disadvantage both early and mid-to-late in the race. The Audi's cornering is slightly better, but not by much. Its main advantage is a bouncier setup that enables jump tricks late in the race—@MiDiaN's signature final trick on this track is just one example of these difficult maneuvers that drivers can pull off once they've spent more time on course. As the race wears on, those jumps can shave off crucial seconds in key sections, giving the Audi a chance to claw back time.

In conclusion, it's unclear to me which car is truly better suited for this track.

[Matei]

@MiDiaN's signature final trick on this track is just one example of these difficult maneuvers that drivers can pull off once they've

Neah... this is more interesting:

https://inv.nadeko.net/@patinsbrasil