On paper,Assetto Corsa EVO 0.7 looks like just another content update. In reality, however, two Kunos decisions weigh far more heavily than any new car: the anticipated arrival of official modding, and a Safety Rating by proximity that changes the way a clean driver is measured. This is where the real interest of this version lies.

Modding is coming sooner than expected, and that’s no mean feat.

Timing is everything. Modding tools were announced for post-v1.0, but Kunos is now releasing them, via an Assetto Corsa EVO SDK App available today. The first version is limited to solo car creation, with tools close to those used by developers; custom liveries and circuits are on the roadmap.

The fact that we’re ahead of schedule counts, because we know what modding did to the first Assetto Corsa: an extraordinary lifespan, supported by a community that enriched the game far beyond what the studio could produce on its own. Opening this site even before 1.0 is the clearest signal Kunos has yet sent of its long-term vision for EVO. What remains to be seen is the true scope of the tools once in the hands of modders, but the intention is set early on.

A Safety Rating that finally measures the right thing

The other real topic is the new Safety Rating, already active since May 29 on the Daily Racing Portal. Most simulators rate safety by the number of incidents in relation to distance. The problem is well known: the best way to climb the ladder is to drive alone, away from traffic, and farmer your score without ever fighting.

The EVO SR takes the opposite approach. It measures the time spent wheel-to-wheel, without contact. Riding close and cleanly raises the score; riding isolated earns almost nothing; causing contact lowers it. Kunos adds impact data analysis to separate the aggressor from the victim (a recurring weakness elsewhere, where both drivers in a fender-bender suffer the same penalty), and scales the penalty according to severity, from ignored suction rubbing to heavily penalized pile-ups.

In principle, it’s the right target: it rewards contact driving rather than avoidance. The real question is the same as for any online ranking system: will the community eventually find the loophole to exploit? We’ll find out over the coming weeks on the Daily Racing Portal.

Cars and everything else

The content follows, without being the heart of the matter. Four vehicles enter the garage: theAudi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport Evo Kit, the retro-styled Porsche 935 (2018) that shares its base with the previous one, and a classic Datsun 240Z, declined in road and prepared versions. Alongside, a new particle system reworks smoke, dust and spray, and adds weight to collisions.

In the end, the 0.7 is most valuable for what it says about EVO’s trajectory. Advancing modding and rethinking the Safety Rating are two fundamental bets, not boxes to be ticked. If they live up to their promise, they will have a greater impact on the future of the game than any car specification sheet.