Videogamer writes: "Some would consider the idea that people can derive enjoyment out of spending hours tinkering with spring, damper and suspension settings the first signs of mental illness, but we like nothing more than tweaking gear ratios, adjusting brake balances and getting our toe-in and camber angles just right. So when we heard that the latest addition to Simbin's racing stable included not only a whole host of new cars, but a faithful recreation of the legendary Nordschleife at the Nurburgring, we were practically drooling Castrol Magnatec in anticipation.
GTR Evolution is an add-on pack for Race '07, SimBin's World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) simulation. It builds on the original title by adding souped-up versions of the WTCC cars for a new arcade racing mode, plus a selection of supercars, including the super-sleek Audi R8 and the monstrous 806bhp Koenigsegg CCX. The most notable additions in the expansion, however, are the new tracks. Three variants of the Nurburgring circuit have been added to the already hefty track roster. The shortest of these is the modern Grand Prix circuit, which is the current host of the European Grand Prix. At just over three miles long, it's a pale shadow of the much more famous Nordschleife (Northern Loop), which, at just a shade under thirteen miles long, is an immense test of driving skill."
Simbin has for a long time been a fixture of the sim racing community as the makers of some of the most recognizable racing titles ever made. GTR, GTR2, GT Legends, Race 07 and Raceroom are just some of those games. Recently Simbin has been in the news with rumors of bankruptcy, closing up shop or some form of restructuring. With that going on Shaun Cole of The Simpit was able to sit down via Skype with Jay Ekkel, the licencing manager for Simbin. They talk about the company, its past, its future and a little bit of general sim racing talk.
The company is going through some restructuring there is some great insider stuff in this interview.
SteamFirst: Bundle Stars has the racing themed Turbo Bundle up for $2.99.
SimBin has released another patch for GTR Evolution with quite a lot of new changes. The patch is available for the "online" versions via the Steam client, but info about an "offline" version is still unknown at this time.
