Sim Racers Love the Nurburgring in the Winter

I shared those photos on my profile and couldn't help but dream about drifting there in those conditions. I've been trying to get more seat time in the new EA Sports WRC game, but I've been too busy with personal matters. While browsing earlier today, I noticed that one famous Sim Racing enthusiast has just uncovered a unique mod for Assetto Corsa.

That's right; someone has taken the time to make a version of the Nordschleife covered in snow. Some modders have attempted this before, but the physics could have been better. I started downloading the mod as I watched Jimmy go onto the track in a 2000 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Thankfully, it's free to do so if you've got an account on this particular racing sim database of cars and tracks.

If you've read any of my previous stories, I'm a massive fan of drifting on the snow. I already had a snow-covered layout from Ebisu in Assetto Corsa, but it's certainly not as impressive as the Green Hell. While Jimmy went for an AWD car, I went for the White Comet of Akagi when I loaded up the mod. Translation for you non-Initial D nerds: the white Mazda RX-7 FC3S that Ryosuke Takahashi drove in the anime series.

I didn't even hook up my Logitech G29 steering wheel, and it's still fun to play by just using a keyboard. I feel that I'll spend a lot of time sliding around the 12.94 mile (20.832 km layout) this winter with no time target in mind. You can fiddle around with the settings and opt for a slippier-than-normal surface. And if all you want to do is go sideways, then going for the drift challenge might be much more fun.

You don't need a high-power D1GP machine to have fun here, and you'll be able to learn a lot of weight-transfer skills by the end of each lap. If the Toyota Corolla AE86 Hachiroku is a car that trains its driver, going at it in the snow might increase your appetite for doing so in the real world. Booking an ice-drifting session in Sweden would be a unique Christmas gift for someone if you can afford prices of more than $2,000 per session.

YouTube is teeming with videos of people drifting their RWD cars in the snow these days, and I'm already planning to get in touch with my local race track to convince them to set up a drift day as soon as it becomes a Winter Wonderland.