The 2022 Audi R8 LMS EVO II turned a lot of heads. Not just because of the car's upgrades, but also because WRT hired a well known motorsport legend; Valentino Rossi. Ross had been linked to Ferrari on several occasions before, racing in the Gulf 24H with the prancing horse. And yet, somehow Vincent Vosse was able to convince The Doctor to move to the German manufacturer after what can only bescribed as an illustrious MotoGP career.
Expectations then were high for the R8 and it’s fair to say it delivered. Both in real world and on ACC.
The R8 has always been a sweet-handling car. Its four-wheel drive has provided a good balance from the beginning, and that remains true today. Perhaps it's worth pointing out the balance from my point of view, as it's the most noticeable factor of the R8. At most tracks, the initial balance is good, not perfect, but respectable. It feels as though the car is very versatile by default, allowing you to easily tweak the overall feel to match the circuit.
Notoriously, the R8 struggled with understeer. The mid-engined, all-wheel-drive system has mostly been to blame for that. And it's not completely fixed with the 2022 car either. Arguably, that is still its biggest weakness. However, consider that some drivers out there prefer an understeering car over an oversteering one. I'm mostly pro oversteering, but the fact that the R8 is stable means that understeer isn't a problem in every area. A good setup, both in terms of car setup and hardware, will help you dive into the nose of the car and guide it through the corners better.
The overall handling improvement allows you to do just that. It means you'll run different lines compared to some other cars, such as the BMW M4 GT3 or the Mercedes AMG GT3, but they're a good match nonetheless. Personally, I've set some of my better lap times with the Audi R8 GT3.
The car's predictability aids in making it controllable in pretty much every situation. Noticeably, the car doesn't feel fast. But from my perspective, R8s never have. They are fast, but you don't necessarily feel it like you would in something like a Ferrari 488 or a McLaren 720S. Not that this is a problem, as it means the car doesn't intimidate you or send your senses into overdrive. You always feel like you're in control, without a snappy rear or front end trying to plunge you into every wall it sees.
Speaking of which, although the car is predictable and controllable, there's a limit to all of that. It doesn't seem to like curbs that much (or at least in my hands it doesn't). It gets bent a bit out of shape when I try to force it into a corner earlier to counter the understeer. And at times, the limit of traction on the rear feels completely indestructible, until the next lap when I suddenly find myself in the barrier after it lets loose without warning. That's the area where it lacks the most for me: warnings. The car feels so balanced and planted that you hardly notice it's not that good at giving you feedback. The natural limits of the car are already high, meaning you can push it to its limit fairly easily. But once you're there, you might find yourself dancing on the line. Get it right, and she'll put a smile on your face. Get it wrong, and you find yourself gobsmacked and tricked by the suddenness of when she cuts loose.
Image credit goes to: Kunos Simulazioni