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Home » Blog » The Power of Digital Archiving of Historic Motorsport – Part 2
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The “track” featured in this entry differs significantly from the typical race track layout that has become the standard for most motorsport disciplines. Reminiscent of a rally stage, the highly detailed 10 km-long hill climb “Course de côte du Mont-Ventoux” by user jccr features long stretches broken up by winding roads and hairpin turns. The Mont Ventoux Hill Climb began in 1902 as a prestigious event for both cars and motorcycles, attracting competitors to its challenging roads, and the official competition continued until 1976. Although the original race has ended, the tradition lives on through revival events, where classic and modern vehicles tackle the mountain in non-competitive settings as a celebration of the rich motorsport heritage of the stage.
The car mod featured for the hill climb is the one-off Alzen Porsche 996 Biturbo 4.0, aptly dubbed “Turbinchen” due to its characteristic high-pitched turbo whistling. Created with permission and real data from Jürgen Alzen of Alzen Motorsport, the modding team led by Matthias Neelen (username AccAkut) has faithfully recreated the now 21-year-old VLN championship entry car for Assetto Corsa, which competed at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Back in the day, the privateer-developed car beat factory DTM teams from Opel and Audi by 10 seconds around the ring during qualification, but due to tremendous fuel consumption and reliability issues, it never won the race.
The mod features the car’s first iteration from 2003, featuring a 740 bhp output and a rear-wheel-drive configuration, as well as the later 2005 iteration, with a rear-biased AWD system and a detuned power output of 600 bhp. The car is described as having “GT3 speed with a manual shifter,” a claim that is backed by the fact that it competed right before the GT3 class rose to prominence – a class that remains one of the most popular in racing to this day.
Although the later, more refined AWD version might seem ideal for hill climbs, the first RWD iteration truly shines for those seeking a challenge. The AWD model, with its rear-biased setup, is more forgiving and accommodates aggressive throttle use, while the more unstable RWD version, featuring an adjustable old-school turbo, entices you to make multiple runs. After your initial run, you’ll likely want to increase the turbo boost with each subsequent attempt, pushing the limits further.
For this particular hillclimb, the key is knowing when to apply the throttle in the hairpins without spinning out, a challenge made even tougher by their sudden transitions to steep inclines of over 10%, compared to the 7.5% average gradient on the rest of the climb. Fine throttle control is essential in the RWD setup to keep the turbos spooled, which will help you manage the iconic old-school turbo power surge that can easily lead to loss of control on these treacherous surface changes. Maintaining consistent throttle pressure and avoiding abrupt inputs is crucial to prevent rear instability and ensure smooth power delivery through the fast, twisty turns and those tricky hairpins, where feathering the throttle may be necessary.
When possible, the driver must anticipate turbo lag by modulating the throttle and timing these inputs with surface changes and the resulting weight transfers in the car. This creates a two-fold need for careful throttle management: to keep the turbo spooled as much as possible to maintain consistent power output and to prevent lift-off oversteer. Although climbing uphill increases traction by concentrating weight on the rear tires, the Porsche’s rear-engine layout still demands caution. The driver must avoid braking too hard or lifting off the throttle too quickly, especially in winding corners, as either action can cause the rear end to swing out, potentially sending the car off the road and into the forest.
This car/track combination requires a delicate balance between throttle and brake inputs, making it a true tightrope walk for the driver to reach the top, but when you finally reach the top with the 100% boost setup it will be worth it.
Missed the first entry of the series? Read it here.
