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(2/6 )You need to adapt to the car, not the other way around, which doesn’t happen often in the game, and one of the reasons why Polyphony Digital have included it (in my opinion). There’s also a lot to be said for a fully tuned V10 with the rev limit raised to 8,000 RPM, going through a tunnel at full throttle! But the real star of the show this week was the reverse layout of Trial Mountain, which, despite being around for a very long time, isn't one I often run at all.

(3/6) In fact, the biggest challenge for me this week was not so much hustling the car around but learning the track first. Which took maybe an hour on Friday, using a Cobra in a Custom Race (so at least I’m earning while I’m learning). Despite the changes over earlier versions of the game, it still feels like a very old-school track. It’s one of the few tracks left in the games that can really ruin your lap if you go off the line.

4/6 There are very few medium or high speed corners, it’s essentially two straights connected by separate complexes of 2nd and 3rd gear corners. I think the segment from the top of the straight, through the second-gear corners and through the tunnel—in fact, that whole sequence from the climb of the hill to the start/finish straight—is probably one of the best sequences of off-camber turns in the game.

5/6 Knowing where you can pin the throttle and knowing where you have to lift takes trial and error, but it gives a real depth to the track. It’s not as simple as figuring out the line, the braking point, or the gear; it’s about having the right balance on the throttle and knowing when to lift. It’s very satisfying when you get it right.

6/6 Likewise, the climb up the hill of the track in the reverse layout, the second-hander to the bottom of that long straight, is very challenging and requires patience while you’re learning it. Most of the mistakes I made while learning the track were trying to carry too much speed into the corners.