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SPACING AND LENGTH
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INTRODUCTION
The Gran Turismo 3 series has completely neglected open-wheel
racing - until now. GT3 presents the opportunity to win up
to six historic modern-era F1 vehicles and race them
alongside the traditional closed-wheel cars the Gran Turismo
series has so thoroughly supported since its inception.
For F1 enthusiasts like myself, this is a very eye-opening
experience. Having never had the opportunity to see open-
wheel and closed-wheel vehicles (this does not include
fantasy-/future-inspired racing games, like San Francisco
Rush 2049) compete against each other in any real-world or
gaming venue, I was absolutely amazed at the agility of the
F1 vehicles compared to any other car in a given race. I am
certainly not a physicist, but I assume that the lack of
vertical height makes an F1 car's center of gravity much
lower, thus allowing it to both respond better to steering
and corner at higher speeds (averaging about 30MPH/50KPH
faster, and up to 70MPH/110KPH faster). For my personal
driving style, I also find it much easier to both induce and
recover from a slide when taking tight corners with an F1
car.
Ultimately, this means - in my opinion - that the F1 cars are
a nearly-sure bet for winning a race. Of course, there are
some races for which an F1 car cannot meet the requirements.
But for the races for which an F1 car IS a legal entry, the
superior cornering and powerful acceleration will usually
result in impressive leads over the rest of the field. Yet
the response to steering could lead to turning just a little
too much just a little too soon, thus rubbing a wheel against
a barrier, and potentially bringing your car to a standstill
if this occurs at the right (or, depending on point of view,
wrong) angle.
However, the cars are not the only F1 influence on Gran
Turismo 3. The Cote d'Azur circuit is virtually (no pun
intended) identical to the real-world Grand Prix of Monte
Carlo (Monaco) street circuit. I have also written a guide
specific to the Cote d'Azur circuit (based on driving guides
I wrote for F1 2000 and F1 Championship Season 2000, with
appropriate modifications), and have included its course
details in this guide; other information has been left in the
original guide, which should be available at the same site
where you acquired this guide (but ALWAYS available at
FeatherGuides).
====================================
ACQUISITION
There are six F1 cars in Gran Turismo 3. Most can only be
acquired by winning specific Endurance races. Even then,
they are assigned at random, so those trying to win a
specific F1 vehicle will likely face the frustration of
running the same Endurance race multiple times. (Of these,
the Super Speedway race is the fastest to win if you have a
fast car already. An excellent vehicle for this race is the
Suzuki Escudo, maxed out to over 1800HP with super-slick
tires; simply ride the walls for about 50 minutes and change
tires once or twice to win the race.) Fortunately, once you
win an F1 car, it can be used in almost all the Endurance
races, instantly giving you a huge advantage over the rest of
the competitors.
Upon winning ALL the Endurance races, you will be rewarded
with another F1 car. Therefore, it is possible to collect
all six F1 cars available in Gran Turismo 3.
So, what are the F1 cars and how can you get them?
Car Acquisition* History**
F094/H Trial Mountain 2 Hours, 10-cylendar driven
Tokyo R246; win ALL by Damon Hill
Endurance races
F090/S Grand Valley 300km, Super 1990 McLaren with
Speedway Honda Power
F686/M Laguna Seca 200 Miles; Nigel Mansell's 1986
Win ALL Professional Williams
League races***
F686/S Mistral/Cote d'Azur **
F687/S Seattle 100 Miles, Ayrton Senna's 1987
Special Stage Route 11 Lotus
F688/S Passage to Colosseo, 1988 McLaren
Roadster Apricot Hill
* Thus information is partly derived from personal progress
in Gran Turismo 3, and partly from the excellent Gran
Turismo 3 Event Guide [J-spec] compiled by Xombe
(available on GameFAQs).
** This information is from the August 2001 issue of PSM
(page 83). However, there appears to be a misprint,
which potentially affects the car history information and
the entry for the F686/S.
*** This is also from the August 2001 PSM (page 83), but I
cannot yet confirm this information.
====================================
TUNING
It appears that Sony and Polyphony Digital were unsuccessful
in obtaining a license from FIA (the body which regulates F1
racing and grants licenses for F1 games), which would explain
the lack of options in some areas. Wheels cannot be changed,
but this is probably not an issue for most players. Also,
there are no N/A Tuning, Intercooler, or Turbo levels which
can be purchased to increase horsepower. However, I have
received e-mails from several people stating that none of
this is due to licensing issues, but the general construction
of F1 cars themselves.
Most significantly, there is NO choice of tire compound; only
Medium tires are available. However, given the horsepower
and agility advantage of the F1 cars to virtually all other
entrants in a given race, you should gain a significant
enough lead over the rest of the field that stopping in the
Pits to change tires should not present a problem; if
anything, one or two cars may gain a lap back the first time
you pit to change tires. On most circuits, you will need to
change tires about every 5-7 laps, depending on your driving
style and how often you bang the barriers and/or other
vehicles. Also, because of the lack of tire choice, an F1
car cannot participate in any dirt-based Rally race.
Gear Ratios CAN be adjusted to fit your personal driving
style. I find that for most circuits, a fairly low gear
ratio is best, providing excellent initial acceleration for
races with a standing start, and excellent acceleration
exiting tight corners. However, for Test Course and Super
Speedway, a rather high gear ratio (combined with the lowest
possible settings for both Ride Height and Downforce) is best
to provide a faster top-end speed; in this case, riding the
rails may be necessary at Super Speedway, especially if the
tires are very worn (orange tire indicators) or practically
non-existent (red tire indicators).
====================================
INPUT FROM OTHERS
Please note that the e-mails included here are only edited
for formatting purposes and - if necessary - language.
I often receive e-mails from others on my game guides, and
this one in particular from GTXpert and ViperMask (e-mail
addresses withheld per request) has some good information:
Let's take F094/H for example.
F is for the formula the car was in...(In this case
Formula 1)
0 is for Cylinders in the engine...0 is 10 6 is well 6
cylinders.
94 is the year. In this case 1994.
/H is the driver...in this case Damon Hill...
Now for a REAL LIFE counter part you need to know what
team the driver was
on...in this case the F094/H is the FW-16 Williams Renault
driven by Damon
Hill in 1994.
the /S cars are for Ayrton Senna and the /M car is Nigel
Mansell (you know
that already)
Here's a more complete detailed list of the cars. Maybe
there were more in
the Japanese version.
F094/H - 1994 FW16 Williams Renault V10 - Goodyear - Damon
Hill
F094/S - 1994 FW16 Williams Renault V10 - Goodyear -
Ayrton Senna - This is
the car he got killed in.
In my opinion having the Ayrton Senna cars in the game are
a great tribute
since he was a legend and a superstar in Japan. Ayrton
Senna car info from
this URL: http://www.csn.ul.ie/~snake/res_senna.html.
If your interested here is some info on his death but it's
not much...
May 1st 1994 2:17 PM San Marino Grand Prix 7th lap Fatal
crash where his
tyre came off and punchered his helmet...Pronouced dead at
hospital.
A more detailed story about his death is here:
http://www.sennadasilva.com/
In an earlier version, I noted that F1 cars seem to have more
trouble than closed-wheel cars with the Corkscrew at Laguna
Seca. This e-mail from XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX gives a great
explanation on how to handle one of the trickiest sections of
racetrack on the planet.
From: "Shawn Lamey"
To:
Subject: Gran Turismo Guide to F1s
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2001 20:10:57 -0600
Jamie, I just read your guide to the F1 cars
containened in GT3 - A Spec. It was a great read, and
informative to boot. (Thanks for clearing up the\
alphanumeric designations of the different cars. Maybe
they'll put a Greg Moore CART car in next time.) I
particularly noticed your statement about the F1's
handling of Laguna Seca's 'Corkscrew' turn seems to be a
bit touchier than that of closed wheeled sports cars.
After running the Laguna Endurance race (and only having
an Altezza GT-LM to show for it at the end of 2 hours), I
noticed that the best way to take the turn is the hit the
brakes hard and downshift on the crest of the approach
(right where the skidmarks are, on the right hand side),
slow right down and take the turn. While the approach
requires you to scrub off speed VERY agressively, you do
get some return on your investment. If you go to
the inside as best you can and and hit the accelerator
about a third of the way down the hill, the F1's grip the
following curve at full power beautifully, brushing the
track markers ever so slightly. The downwards grade also
give you an extra shot of momentum, and you rocket around
the corner hitting a respectable 150 before having to
slow down for the next sharp corner. Thanks again
for taking the time to write such a great guide.
====================================
CAUTION
One of my dreams is to see an F1 race take place at Laguna
Seca. However, given the aerodynamic requirements of today's
real-world F1 vehicles, the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca probably
renders this dream unrealizable.
While Gran Turismo 3 does allow F1 cars to race at Laguna
Seca (a semi-fulfillment of the dream), the Corkscrew is
particularly troublesome. Many traditional closed-wheel cars
have trouble on the Corkscrew as well, but the F1 cars seem
to have an even harsher time clearing the Corkscrew safely.
Admittedly, this may be simply a misperception (especially
since both CART and Dayton Indy Lights - American-based open-
wheel winged-racer series - both race at Laguna Seca), or
perhaps due to my highly-aggressive driving style, but it is
a caution worth noting nonetheless.
====================================
THE COTE D'AZUR CIRCUIT
'To finish first, first you must finish.' The Cote d'Azur
circuit is a highly daunting temporary street course,
especially from the Driver View, as the barriers are FAR too
close for comfort, and passing is extremely difficult for
even expert drivers. All drivers must be constantly wary of
slow or stopped cars around the many blind corners. The most
significant key to simply finishing a race at Cote d'Azur is
SURVIVAL, which means a slow, methodical, patient race. If
at all possible, try to qualify on pole before beginning the
race, thus giving you a better chance of clearing the first
corner without incident. While driving this circuit, players
may want to have "I Will Survive" playing on auto-repeat!!!
Sample Time: I have been able to make a lap of the Cote
d'Azur Circuit in 1:28.618 using the F687/S
(914HP).
Pit Straight: Not straight at all, the 'Pit Straight' fades
to the right along its entire length. Near the end, the Pit
Lane rejoins the main course from the right.
Turn 1 (Sainte Devote): This is a TIGHT right-hand semi-blind
corner; heavy braking is required long before reaching Sainte
Devote. To the left on entering this corner is one of the
few areas to pull off the course if there is a problem.
Overshooting the corner results in smashing against the
unmoving barrier, but if you slide into the barrier at a good
angle, you can slip along it and around the corner. The
uphill portion of the course begins here.
Straightaway (Beau Rivage): Not really straight with its
varying-direction fades, the circuit climbs steeply uphill
here. Because of the fades, this is actually NOT a good
passing zone; you may think you have enough room to pass a
slower car and actually pull up alongside it, but then you
and the slower vehicle will end up bumping each other and/or
a barrier because of a fade. Even worse, the sun is directly
at the top of the hill here, making visibility very difficult
for quite some time until your eyes can adjust to the
brightness (another reason to try to qualify on pole before
the race begins).
Turn 2 (Massanet): This is a sweeping decreasing-radius left-
hand blind corner requiring moderate braking on entry and
light braking as you continue through the turn, unless you
ride the right-side barrier. The exit of Massanet is the
highest elevation of the circuitŠ which has only just begun,
even if it IS all 'downhill' from here!!!
Turn 3 (Casino): Hard braking will be needed for the right-
hand Casino. This corner almost immediately follows
Massanet, and begins the long downward trajectory of the
course. This corner is actually wider than most, to the
extent that a car in trouble may be running slowly along the
barrier on the outside of the corner. Be careful not to
scrape the left-side barrier while exiting Turn 3; similarly,
do not overcompensate and scrape the right-side barrier at
the apex of Casino, or ram into the barrier of the tiny pull-
off section to the right on exiting Casino. If you have
extreme tire wear, brake VERY early for Casino, or else you
will find yourself sliding into the wide paved recovery zone
to the outside of Turn 3.
Straightaway: About halfway between Casino and Mirabeau,
there is a potential glitch in the game, resulting in a
corner worker (wearing red) flickering on the left side of
the course.
Turn 4 (Mirabeau): Following a long downhill straightaway,
heavy braking is needed for this right-hand blind 'J' turn.
A small pull-off area is provided on the left on entry. If
you miss the braking zone, your front end will be banging
against yet another barrier. This corner continues the
course's downhill slope, which adds to the difficulty of the
turn.
Turn 5 (Great Curve): Following an extremely short
straightaway, this left-hand hairpin is one of the slowest in
Gran Turismo 3 (rivaled only by certain segments of the
Complex String circuit). If you have excellent braking
ability, you can actually PASS (a rarity!!!) by taking the
tight inside line, or you can pass by riding the right-side
rail around Great Curve; otherwise, it would be best to drive
through Great Curve single-file. Cars tend to bunch up here,
so try not to get stuck behind a pack of traffic entering
Great Curve.
Turns 6 and 7 (Portier): This pair of right-hand corners form
a 'U' shape, but neither can be taken at any respectable
speed without riding the left-side rails. Between these two
corners is a pull-off area on the left. Turn 7 is the
slowest of the two corners, and is the most difficult in
terms of the almost-nonexistent view of the track. If you
can accelerate strongly coming out of Portier, you can pass
several cars entering and driving through The Tunnel.
Straightaway (The Tunnel): This 'straightaway' is actually a
very long right-hand decreasing-radius fade in a semi-tunnel
(the left side provides a clear view of the water). Unlike
the REAL Tunnel (or its versions in F1-based games),
visibility here is excellent. Start braking for Nouveau
Chicane shortly after entering back into the sunlight.
Chicane (Nouveau Chicane): The course narrows as you come
around the chicane, but then 'widens' back to 'normal' at the
exit. Unfortunately, there is a very nasty barrier here to
force you to keep to the official circuit; short-cutting is
simply not possible here. If your tires are very worn (tire
indicators orange or red), Nouveau Chicane will cause you A
LOT of headaches. If you happen to ride up on the rumble
strips, you may find a corner of your vehicle banging the
adjacent barrier at just the right angle to either bring your
car to a standstill or tip the vehicle in a bad direction.
Turn 8 (Tobacco): This left-hand corner is best taken with
moderate braking. The barrier prevents a good view around
the corner on approach, but taller vehicles can be seen
nonetheless.
Turns 9-12 (Swimming Pool): This is essentially a double
chicane around the swimming pool in the classic 'bus stop'
configuration. Turns 9 and 10 form a tight left-right
combination, for which moderate braking is required (although
experts with fresh tires and a flawless racing line can clear
Turns 9 and 10 without braking). After an extremely brief
straightaway, Turns 11 and 12 form the opposite configuration
(right-left), but are even tighter. This opens out onto a
short straightaway where you MIGHT be able to pass ONE car.
Turns 13 and 14 (La Rascasse): This is a tight left-right
chicane requiring heavy braking for Turn 13 and VERY heavy
braking for Turn 14. Even worse, Turn 14 is a 'J' turn, so
the racing line is also very important here. The Pit Lane
begins to the right at the exit of La Rascasse. If you have
very worn tires, La Rascasse will also cause you significant
amounts of frustration as you slide uncontrollably toward the
outside barrier.
Turns 15 and 16 (Anthony Hoges): A tight right-left chicane,
these are the final corners of the Monaco circuit. The
course narrows here through the chicane, then 'widens' to
'normal' for the Pit Straight. Moderate or heavy braking is
required entering Turn 15.
Pit Entry: The entrance to the Pit Lane is to the right
immediately after clearing La Rascasse. Given that La
Rascasse is a blind corner, on every lap, expect a slower car
here headed for the pits. Keep hard to the right to avoid
the narrowing barrier on the left when entering Pit Lane.
Here are a few things I would like to see in future
incarnations of the Gran Turismo series in relation to F1:
1.) Include more F1 circuits, past and present. Some
suggestions: Adelaide (Australia), Suzuka (Japan), Spa-
Francorchamps (Belgium), Monza (Italy), and especially
the high-speed Hockenheim (Germany).
2.) Acquire the appropriate license from FIA to allow for
more-recent F1 cars, a wider range of tire compound
selection, etc.
Also, it would be GREAT to see an F1 game using the Gran
Turismo 3 physics and graphics engines. The F1 cars in GT3
are pure beauties in visuals and in handling, and all the
technology and hard work put into GT3 should be fairly
adaptable to an all-F1 game.
CONTACT
For questions, rants, raves, comments of appreciation, etc.,
or to be added to my e-mail list for updates to this driving
guide, please contact me at: FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if
you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful
to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via
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address.
To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2
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latest version will always be posted at FeatherGuides, while
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regularly-scheduled posting updates.
=======================================================================
Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford
=======================================================================
Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a
remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are.
- Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_
=======================================================================
What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_
=======================================================================
