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SPACING
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INTRODUCTION
Why a guide specific to a single circuit in Gran Turismo 3?
The Laguna Seca circuit can be a bit tricky; those who have raced the circuit in other games (such as Newman-Haas Racing) are already quite familiar with the technical expertise required to be successful at this venue. Laguna Seca is certainly not as difficult as Cote d'Azur/Mistral, the ultra- technical street circuit based on the real-world Monaco Grand Prix circuit used for F1 racing, but Laguna Seca is still likely to be a challenge for newcomers to the Gran Turismo series.
Located in Monterey, California, USA, Laguna Seca Raceway
hosts many events every year, including the Grand Prix of Monterey featuring the Shell 300 (part of the CART/FedEx Championship Series), the International Superbike Classic (SBK/AMA Superbike Series), Rolex Monterey Historic Races, and Monterey Sports Car Championships (the American Le Mans Series). Laguna Seca is the home circuit of Mazda, and is also used by Skip Barber Racing School, Freddie Spencer M/C School, Sea Otter Class Bicycle Races, California Superbike School, TracQuest Driving School, and the S.C.C.A. Regional Races.
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CIRCUIT OVERVIEW
In terms of aesthetics, Laguna Seca is itself not a really beautiful circuit, unlike Deep Forest or Grand Valley. On the other hand, races here are at dusk, and the orange light of the setting sun certainly helps the with visual impact of the venue. However, the angle of the sun and the extensive orange glow cast some rather long shadows in some areas of the circuit, rendering those areas rather dark; trying to spot a dark-colored car in these shadowed areas can be rather difficult.
There is generally ample recovery room along both sides of
the pavement. However, there is a lot of sand just along the pavement around much of the circuit, so dropping the right- side or left-side wheels off the pavement can both slow the car, and kick up a lot of dust to obscure the vision of trailing vehicles. Drivers must be especially wary - especially in an Endurance Race - of the final corner, as cars often spin out in the sand and throw a large cloud of dirt into the air.
Without question, the most famous and most difficult section
of the circuit is the Corkscrew, a moderate left-right
chicane on a nasty downhill mini-mountain just meters beyond the crest of the circuit. Also difficult is the final corner, a tight left-hand perpendicular corner with a concrete barrier almost flush up against the pavement to block any attempts at shortcutting the corner. Mastering these two areas is key to successfully obtaining a Super License, as one of the license tests is to complete a full lap at Laguna Seca within the time allotted.
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SAMPLE LAP TIMES
To give readers an idea of the lap times possible at Laguna Seca, twenty-two sample lap times for twenty different cars are given here. Except the F090/S (one of the F1 cars, which can only use Medium Tires), Super-soft Tires were used for all vehicles listed here. Virtually all the cars listed here were used in their stock configurations.
Acura NSX 276 HP 1:40.889
Aston Martin V8 Vantage 550 HP 1:30.495
Castrol Tom's Supra 450 HP 1:20.137
Chevrolet Camaro SS 324 HP 1:33.000
Chevrolet Corvette C5R 610 HP 1:21.904
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 379 HP 1:39.925
Citroen Xsara Rally Car 286 HP 1:32.390
Daihatsu Mira TR-XK Avanzato R(J) 169 HP 1:40.155
F090/S 725 HP 1:09.864
F687/S 888 HP 1:07.984
Falcon XR8 Race Car 881 HP 1:18.382
Ford Focus rally Car 299 HP 1:33.254
Gillet Vertigo Race Car 419 HP* 1:20.529
Gillet Vertigo Race Car 724 HP** 1:14.961
Honda S2000 246 HP 1:35.955
Honda S2000 LM Race Car 586 HP 1:18.835
Honda S2000 Type-V 246 HP 1:39.112
Jaguar XJ200 Road Car 516 HP* 1:25.017
Jaguar XJ200 Road Car 970 HP** 1:19.874
Jaguar XKR Coupe 369 HP 1:38.292
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car 295 HP 1:29.550
Lister Motor Sport Elise 200 HP 1:36.381
Mazda 787B 937 HP 1:18.635
Mazda Demio GL-X 98 HP 1:53.759
Mazda RX-8 281 HP 1:38.022
Mazda Savanna RX-7 Infiniti III (FC.J) 209 HP 1:38.891
Mine's Lancer Evolution VI (J) 394 HP 1:28.525
Mini Cooper 1.3i 61 HP 2:05.836
Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R(J) 373 HP 1:29.579
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR(J) 544 HP 1:24.200
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI 301 HP 1:30.214
Rally Car
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR(J) 305 HP 1:35.254
Nissan 240SX Fastback Type X (J) 197 HP 1:40.460
Nissan Silvia Ks (S13 1000cc.J) 172 HP 1:42.097
Nissan Z Concept 572 HP 1:23.007
Opel Astra Touring Car 454 HP 1:21.942
Pagani Zonda S 1042 HP 1:19.763
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 588 HP 1:17.144
Renault Clio Sport Race Car 474 HP 1:23.053
Subaru Imprezza Rally Car 299 HP 1:30.883
Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version 981 HP* 1:22.380
Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version 1825 HP** 1:25.256
Toyota GT-One Road Car 600 HP* 1:14.283
Toyota GT-One Road Car 1068 HP** 1:09.744
Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex 207 HP* 1:33.701
Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex 369 HP** 1:24.639
TVR Griffith 500 340 HP 1:24.435
Volkswagon New Beetle 2.0 115 HP 1:57.068
* Stock
** Maxxed
To put these times in perspective, the fastest real-world lap time of the current circuit configuration was set by CART's Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves at 1:07.722 (118.969MPH/190.350KPH).
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CIRCUIT DETAILS
Given the many corners and moderate-length straightaways, high-horsepower cars would likely be best served to use a somewhat low-medium gear ratio to make use of powerful acceleration. Depending on driving style, a high brake balance (20+) can be very useful as well, especially to pass on approaching the Corkscrew.
Turn 1: This is actually just a slight 'kink' to the left
just underneath the pedestrian bridge at the Start/Finish
Line. On exiting this 'corner,' Pit Exit rejoins the main circuit from the left. From here, the circuit slopes gently downhill to Andretti Hairpin.
Turn 2 (Andretti Hairpin): This hairpin is actually a little more than the standard 180 degrees. Moderate or heavy braking will be required on approach, especially for cars with an extremely high horsepower output (700+ HP). The best racing line is to approach from far-right, roll the left-side tires on the rumble strip at the apex, then drift back to the right on exit. The cones here block the old Pit Exit, which used to rejoin the main circuit at the exit of Andretti Hairpin. Cars which overshoot Andretti Hairpin will find themselves beached in the vast expanse of kitty litter to the outside of the hairpin.
Turn 3: This right-hand corner will require moderate braking for most vehicles in the game. Beware of sliding outward on exit, as the barrier is not very far off the pavement.
Turn 4: Another right-hand corner, this turn can be taken
with either slight braking for high-power vehicles, or flat- out by all other cars; both alternatives depend upon a solid racing line. Again, beware of drifting off the pavement on exit, as the barrier is not very far off the pavement.
Straightaway: About two-thirds of the way along this straightaway (just past the end of the grandstands), the circuit bends very gently to the right. This can be a good place to judge the braking zone for Turn 5.
Turn 5: Moderate braking will definitely be required here for this left-hand corner, unless you really want to slide out into the sand on the outside of the corner and into the nearby concrete and tires.
Turn 6: A bridge marks the entry of Turn 6, which is a good reference point in case the distance-to-corner markers are knocked down or out of position during a race. Except for the highest-power vehicles, the left-hand Turn 6 can be taken flat out by experts by using the rumble strips at the apex and exit, IF a pristine racing line can be held at full throttle. On both sides of the pavement on exit, sand awaits those who slide off the circuit or misjudge this corner. A long uphill climb begins here.
Turn 7: Literally a few meters from the highest point of the circuit, this extremely gentle right-hand 'kink' could be taken flat-out if not for the upcoming Corkscrew. For most cars, braking must begin no later than Turn 7 to avoid colliding with the barrier entering the Corkscrew.
Turns 8 and 8A (Corkscrew): This is the world-famous
Corkscrew, one of the trickiest sections of racetrack on the planet. There is little run-off room through the Corkscrew, which is a moderate left-right chicane on a steep downhill mini-mountain which takes cars from the highest to the lowest point on the circuit. Cars with moderate or high horsepower output are likely to have plenty of trouble here, whereas low-power cars will not have the speed to cheat gravity (without even trying). If the tires are worn, expect plenty of trouble here.
Turn 9 (Rainey Curve): This left-hand corner at first appears to be only a perpendicular corner, but continues on beyond the pedestrian bridge, making this corner trickier than one might assume. A solid racing line is key here, but may be hard to set up at high speeds coming off the Corkscrew. Those who overrun Rainey Curve will be in the grass, but the barrier is not very far away.
Turn 10: After a brief straightaway, this right-hand turn is bounded by a barrier, obscuring a clear view of traffic around the corner and blocking any shortcutting. Moderate braking is required here for most cars, although plenty of sand-infested recovery room is available to the outside of the pavement. If heading to Pit Lane, it is possible to keep up a rather fast speed to Pit Entry by purposely swinging out into the sand and passing slower cars keeping to the pavement.
Turn 11: This 125-degree left-hand corner is bounded on the inside by a concrete barrier. Those who overshoot this tight turn will be in the sand to the outside of the corner, then banging the barrier beyond. Strong acceleration out of Turn 11 will allow for good passing opportunities along Pit Straight and down to the entry of Andretti Hairpin.
Pit Entry: This begins to the left just before the entry to Turn 11. However, there is virtually no deceleration room before Pit Entry has its own nasty tight left-hand corner, so adequate deceleration is a MUST while still on the main circuit or else the vehicle WILL ram the barrier in Pit Lane.
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Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford
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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_ =======================================================================
