I wrote Going Nowhere Fast (GNF) to be a comprehensive handbook for race driving on simulators. Although GNF is based on Kunos Simulazioni’s Assetto Corsa (AC) simulator, the principles, explanations, and suggestions given therein are applicable not only to all racing simulators but also to real-life track racing. This Car Set-up Guide (CSG) and my AC YouTube channel are companions to GNF.
GNF is written in a conversational style suited to novice drivers learning how properly to use AC. CSG, on the other hand, is presented in a quick-reference style that enables more experienced drivers to exploit any realistic simulator. As such, this guide assumes that the driver is familiar with the fundamentals covered in GNF: driving phases, corner configurations, handling techniques, on-track tactics, race strategies, psychology of race driving, and the like. The main aim of CSG is to mitigate the frustrations stirred up by an ill-handling car.
Modern, commercial racing simulators have attained the level of realism that is good enough for an amateur track racer to train at home, cheaply. Hence, the simulator should be configured to approximate his car and his local track. Regardless of driving experience, a driver is a temporary novice when learning a new track. So, he should endeavour to minimise the unknowns by selecting a familiar, docile car with a good out-of-cockpit visibility, like the Mazda Miata, BMW E30 M3, or Lotus Type 25, while getting acquainted with a new track. Similarly, he should always use a real-life, laser-scanned, test track, say Suzuka, Mugello, Fiorano, and the like, when learning the handling characteristics of an unfamiliar car. An intermediate driver may accumulate seat-time by starting every driving session with a short, warm-up stint in one simulator, one track, one weather condition, and one car, before moving on to fun antics.
This guide is divided into the following sections: