I spent years racing the top touring cars. Here's what separates them.

Different driver, different car

*This is a bit of a longer post and should be taken

Most touring car comparisons give you a spec sheet and a verdict. This isn't that.

I've raced the Schumacher Mi9, the Awesomatix A800RR, and the Schumacher MTC3 at a serious level across different tracks, surfaces, and conditions. What I found isn't about which car is fastest on paper. It's about something most reviews never talk about: the setup window.

The mountain nobody talks about

Think of every car's performance as a mountain. The peak is the fastest lap time the car is capable of. Everything around the peak is what happens when your setup isn't perfect.

The peak height tells you the car's ceiling. But the shape of the mountain — how wide or narrow it is — tells you something more important: how much you get punished for being off.

A narrow mountain means step slightly off the optimal setup and you lose significant time. You feel it and you measure it. A wide, flat mountain means you can be imperfect in multiple directions and still stay close to the top.

This is the dimension that separates these three cars. Not just how fast they are at their best — but what they demand from you to get there.

The Mi9 — the tallest peak

The Mi9 is the fastest car in this comparison when everything is dialled. That's not opinion, it's measurable. In 1/10 modified, the extra steering and the narrow setup sensitivity that characterises the car both work in your favour — modified power levels demand rotation and mid-corner commitment that the Mi9 delivers better than anything else here.

But the mountain is sharp. Get the setup wrong and you don't just feel it — you see it in the lap times. Big gaps. The car tells you clearly when something isn't right, and it costs real time, directly in tenths.

This is the tradeoff. The Mi9 has the highest ceiling and the most demanding setup window. It rewards drivers who invest time finding the setup and who can work precisely within it. For drivers who can, it's the fastest choice. For everyone else, that ceiling is theoretical.

The A800RR — the widest plateau

The A800RR is defined by one thing: consistency. Whatever setup you put on it, whatever the track conditions, you will be within 0.3 seconds of the car's peak. That's not an estimate — it's what the data shows across different surfaces, grip levels, and setup variations.

The car tends toward understeer. In modified, that costs you at the limit — the Mi9's extra steering becomes meaningful when power levels demand aggressive rotation. But in stock class, where power is more moderate, the A800RR's balance is almost perfect. It's arguably the best stock class car in the comparison.

The setup window is so wide that it effectively removes setup error as a variable. You're not going to find yourself in qualifying, off the pace, wondering what changed from last session. The car just works. That has real value at a track you've never driven, in conditions you haven't prepared for, or when time in the pits is limited.

The MTC3 — the versatile middle

The MTC3 sits between the other two across almost every dimension — peak performance, setup window, and drivability. That sounds like a compromise, but the MTC3 has something the other two don't: mechanical adjustability that's genuinely faster to use at the track.

Inner upper arm height and damper position are adjusted by loosening and tightening a single screw. No shim swapping, no disassembly. Setup changes that take ten minutes on other cars take thirty seconds on the MTC3. Over a full testing day, that adds up to more runs, more data, and more confidence in your setup direction.

The geometry is very similar to the Mi9, which means setup knowledge transfers directly. If you know how to set up a Mi9, the MTC3 is immediately readable. The car is strong in both modified and stock, making it the most versatile choice if you run both classes.

What this actually means for choosing

If you race modified with time to develop a setup and your driving style suits a precise, narrow window — the Mi9 is the fastest choice.

If you race stock, or you need consistency across varied conditions, or setup time is limited — the A800RR removes more variables than any other car here.

If you want competitive performance in both classes with the fastest setup iteration at the track — the MTC3 is the answer.

The mountain analogy holds: the right choice isn't the tallest peak. It's the peak you can actually reach, consistently, under race conditions.

Comfortable isn't always faster. Find your driving style, choose the car, make the setup.

This is based on my personal experience and testing. Results will vary depending on driving style, track conditions, and setup — your experience may be different.