MILESTONE
This guide was originally submitted December 25, 2002,
exactly two years after the submission of my first-ever game guide (Midnight Club: Street Racing - Capture the Flag Guide). This marks my 100th guide in these two years of writing, and when my first guide was submitted, I never dreamed that I would become such an authority figure on PlayStation and PlayStation2 racing games. Due to support from readers and other guide writers, I have launched my own Web site with my guides as well as an e-mail list to inform others of my writing projects.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds
of readers who have e-mailed me with suggestions, comments, criticisms, and even simply short notes of thanks. It is truly for the readers that I continue to write game guides, and reader feedback and input is definitely welcome. I eagerly look forward to the next two (and hopefully more) years of writing game guides - which will almost certainly be concentrated within my specialty of auto racing games.
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INTRODUCTION
This guide is a list of detailed driving instructions to help players to quickly yet safely drive each circuit in Pro Race Driver. Much of this information comes from my World-famous Racing Circuits Guide (in which the information is based upon a variety of racing games featuring the listed circuits), so there may be a few minor differences between what is printed here and the rendition of each circuit in Pro Race Driver.
Please note that different games will provide different variations on the same circuit. For example, compare Monte Carlo/Monaco (Temporary Street Circuit) in F1 2001 and Gran Turismo 3; the circuit in the former is very tight and narrow, just like the real-world circuit, whereas the latter presents a generally wider circuit. Changes also occur within the same game series; compare the Le Mans circuit in Test Drive: Le Mans and Le Mans 24 Hours. Note also that circuit owners are always considering changes (largely in the effort to improve safety in the event of crashes) and that it may take quite some time for games to reflect these changes; the Monza circuit's initial chicane was changed in 2000 in an attempt to slow cars somewhat, but it was not until F1 2001 that EA Sports made the real-world circuit's alterations to its line of F1-based games.
For those fairly new to racing games - especially those games with a heavy road racing emphasis, such as any F1-based game and games based on endurance racing - it may be a good idea to combine the driving details presented in this guide with information of driving tips presented both in the previous section of this guide and also in my General Racing/Driving Guide, also available EXCLUSIVELY on FeatherGuides and GameFAQs.
DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: A1 RING
This course may only have seven corners, but it is still a highly-challenging technical course for the drivers. The circuit itself is built on a steep hillside, with the Paddock area and the Pit Straight located at the lowest elevation of the course. The significant elevation changes and poorly- placed barriers make this a particularly challenging circuit to safely navigate. This is also the circuit where Ferrari made a major public relations blunder in 2002 by ordering race leader Rubens Barrichello to pull aside in the final few meters of the Austrian Grand Prix to allow teammate Michael Schumacher to win a race which Barrichello had completely dominated all weekend long (Practice, Qualifying, and Race).
Pit Straight: Long and straight; main grandstands to the
left, Pit Lane to the right. Rather mundane, except that the entire Pit Straight has a slow uphill climb into the Castrol Curve. The beginning of the Pit Straight (coming off Mobilkom Curve) is also a bit bumpy.
Turn 1 (Castrol Curve): After a rather mundane Pit Straight, the Castrol Curve is anything but mundane. This is a right- hand uphill corner which requires moderate braking. The Pit Lane rejoins the main course on the right at the exit of the corner. Because of the steep slope of the hill, it is all too easy to drive off the outside of the corner and into the massive sand trap. If you lose your concentration and forget even to slow down, you will likely find yourself airborne once you hit the rumble strip; similarly, if you try to take this corner at top speed, you may find yourself looking up at the ground.
Straightaway: There are a few fades in the straightaway as
the course continues its uphill climb. The end of the straightaway (approaching Remus Curve) has a suddenly steeper grade and demands total concentration.
Turn 2 (Remus Curve): This is a TIGHT right-hand 'J' turn requiring heavy or even severe braking, as well as COMPLETE CONCENTRATION to navigate safely (even when not dealing with traffic). The uphill climb of the circuit continues through most of the turn, plus Remus Curve is even slightly banked toward the OUTSIDE of the corner, making high or even moderate speeds absolutely impossible here. Rolling the right-side tires up on the thin patch of grass on the inside of the Remus Curve will almost definitely result in loss of control of your vehicle. Even worse, this is a blind corner due to the barrier. Aggressive drivers will certainly end up overrunning the Remus Curve on exit and find themselves beached in the kitty litter. If you use the accelerator too soon on exit, you WILL find yourself off-course.
Straightaway: Located at the highest elevation of the course, this straightaway has a fade to the right, then another to the left. After the second fade, prepare for braking before arriving at the Gosser Curve. Make use of the distance-to- corner markers, or else you risk overrunning Gosser Curve.
Turn 3 (Gosser Curve): Another tight right-hand corner, heavy braking will be required here to avoid sliding off the course and into yet another sand trap. This is also a blind corner, due to the barrier on the inside of Gosser. The circuit begins to slowly descend in elevation here.
Straightaway: This is actually NOT a straightaway at all; the course map does not list the right-hand turn, but it is definitely more than just a fade. If you overrun this, you will end up in the same sand trap as before - it is simply extended along the left side of the course from the outside of Gosser until well beyond this unofficial corner.
Turn 4 (Niki Lauda Curve): This is a wide left-hand corner which will require moderate or heavy braking, especially since this is a blind corner due to the slope of the hill on the inside of the turn; even if you slow greatly before entering the corner, you will likely be tapping the brakes as you progress through Niki Lauda. There is another wide patch of sand on the outside of the corner, stretching almost all the way to the entrance of the Gerhard Berger Curve. A short straightaway separates Turns 4 and 5. Note that the circuit turns to the left here; the patch of pavement which continues straight forward will lead you into a barrier.
Turn 5 (Gerhard Berger Curve): This is almost identical to
the Niki Lauda Curve, but with an additional sand trap which begins on the inside of the corner.
Straightaway: Again more than a fade but not listed as an official corner, there is a 'turn' to the right shortly after exiting the Gerhard Berger Curve. About two-thirds of the way along, the course enters a scenic forested area; this 'transition' section is also rather bumpy.
Turn 6 (Jochen Rindt Curve): This is a blind right-hand
corner which can be taken with light braking, or just a small lift of the accelerator; the best way to judge this corner is by using the right-side barrier as a guide. Another sand trap awaits those who run off the outside of the corner. A short straightaway follows Jochen Rindt.
Turn 7 (Mobilkom Curve): This is a right-hand corner which
will require light or moderate braking. The Pit Lane begins
on the right just before the entry to Mobilkom, so be careful not to bump cars slowing before going to the pits.
Pit Entry: Located just before the entrance to the Mobilkom Curve, the Pit Lane is to the right. This is a very long pit lane, so plan to stay out of here as much as possible!!!
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ADELAIDE
The Adelaide venue is a temporary street circuit which was
one of the true gems of F1 racing. Unfortunately, the Grand Prix of Australia is now held instead at Albert Park in Melbourne (which is itself an excellent race venue), but, while Albert Park is definitely a beautiful place to hold a race, it does not have nearly the mystique and the charm that is found on the challenging streets of Adelaide. (Fortunately, Australia's excellent V8 SuperCar series still uses the Adelaide circuit.)
Turns 1 and 2: At the end of the Pit Straight, this very
tricky section begins with a TIGHT left-right chicane which requires moderate or heavy braking; cars will definitely pile up here if there is an incident on the opening lap of the race, as there is virtually nowhere to go should an accident block the raceway due to the closeness of the barriers (although they are fortunately NOT nearly as close as at Monaco). After a VERY brief straightaway, there is a dogleg to the left.
Turn 3: Shortly after passing underneath the pedestrian
bridge, drivers need to begin braking for the blind right-
hand Turn 3. Because the white-painted barriers are so close to the circuit in this opening segment of the Adelaide street circuit, it can be VERY difficult to spot exactly where the circuit bends until one can see the very short escape road ahead... and by this time, it is really too late to safely make it through the right-hand right-angle corner.
Turn 4: About one city block beyond Turn 3, this is a perpendicular left-hand corner requiring moderate braking.
Turn 5: About one city block beyond Turn 4, this is a perpendicular right-hand corner requiring moderate braking.
Turns 6 and 7: About one city block beyond Turn 5, this is a fast left-right chicane which can actually be taken at full throttle with the proper tight racing line. If taken at full throttle, beware the barrier on exiting the chicane. Begin braking at corner exit for Turn 8.
Turn 8: This is a rough right-hand corner which requires moderate braking beginning with the exit of Turn 7.
Turn 9: This is a rough right-hand corner which requires
light braking and a wide racing line... but beware the grandstands on the left on corner exit.
Straightaway: This is the single longest straightaway at Adelaide. Powerful acceleration out of Turn 8 is required, and only the BAREST of tapping on the brakes is needed for Turn 9 to enable excellent passing opportunities along this immense straightaway and the entry to Turn 10.
Turn 10: This tight and nasty right-hand J-turn requires
heavy braking, especially given the incredibly-fast speeds attained along the previous straightaway. This is an excellent to pass on braking entering this J-turn.
Turn 11: Immediately following a left-hand dogleg, this is a J-turn to the left, requiring moderate braking.
Turn 12: This final corner is tricky. Pit Entry is
immediately on the right on corner entry, whereas the main circuit uses the outside racing line. The Pit Lane barrier is set back at corner exit, which means that passing can occur by essentially 'shortcutting' the corner... but then drivers risk ramming the Pit Lane barrier by 'shortcutting' the corner too much.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: BATHURST
This 'world-famous' counter-clockwise circuit (in Australia
and New Zealand) hosted its first 24-hour race in November 2002. The circuit map certainly presents a mostly-technical circuit, but it simply does NOT do justice to just HOW technical this circuit is... and drivers must certainly have their hands full and their hearts in their throats while trying to race here at night in the new 24-hour event!!!!! What makes this circuit so difficult is that the most technical section consists of many tight and fast-approaching twists and turns combined with the continual ascents and descents in the highly-scenic mountains, so that when drivers finally exit the mountainous section, their nerves are extremely frayed. While speed is obviously important in auto racing, the trick to Bathurst is to continually maintain a 1,000,000,000% concentration level for the entire race.
Pit Straight: This is nearly the shortest straightaway of the circuit, and is the farthest point from the highly-technical mountainous section.
Turn 1 (Hell Corner): This may not seem like much on the circuit map, but due to the immense speeds attained on Pit Straight and the near-lack of recovery room for those who miss the braking zone, this left-hand right-angle corner is an extremely dangerous place. It is important to begin braking rather early, especially on the first lap of a race, to try to avoid other cars' accidents (and debris) ahead.
Straightaway (Mountain Straight): This straightaway leaves
the vast, flat, open area of the valley and begins the ascent into the mountains. More and more trees appear alongside either side of the straightaway as the elevation rises, and is in some respect reminiscent of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Mountain Straight has its own crest about halfway along the straightaway, then a long dip before renewing its ascent.
Turn 2: This right-hand 105-degree angle seems rather gentle
on the circuit map, but the ascent of the circuit truly gains momentum here; this fact combined with the inside barrier's proximity to the raceway itself makes this corner semi-blind and extremely difficult, so pristine knowledge of this corner is a necessity to keep from sliding off the pavement. The main ascent of the mountains begins at the entry of Turn 2, so car power will certainly be a necessity... although that power must be continually tempered with both strong braking and feather-light throttle control.
Note: From the exit of Turn 2 to the end of the mountainous section, there pavement is almost always directly bounded by barriers and/or sheer cliff faces. This means that there is literally NOWHERE to go in case of an incident, and thus the raceway can quite easily become blocked. This also means that missing a braking zone will result in the near-instant destruction of the front of a vehicle.
Turn 3 (Cutting): This is a left-hand decreasing-radius
hairpin corner with NO room for error; missing the braking
zone will destroy the front of the car. Cutting is a blind corner, so it is imperative to go VERY slowly here, especially since this is a prime place for accidents to occur as cars ram and bounce off the barriers here.
Turn 4: This right-hand corner is rather gentle, but the circuit has a brief crest here which can potentially play havoc with light-weight, high-power vehicles. This caveat aside, it should be possible to power through Turn 4 at full acceleration without incident (unless blocked by traffic).
Turns 5-6: Here, minor braking will be needed to keep off the barriers (still adjacent to the raceway) as the grade of the ascent increases through the right-hand Turn 5. Immediately afterward is the gentle left-hand Turn 6, which leads onto a brief straightaway.
Turn 7: This long left-hand corner requires at least light braking at its midpoint, which is a major dip in elevation. This dip will play havoc with virtually any vehicle, but car control will be EXTREMELY difficult here if a car is even slightly loose (i.e., the rear of the car tends to swing about).
Turn 8: This is a gentle left-hand corner which can be taken
at full acceleration.
Straightaway (Skyline): As the name suggests, this is the highest elevation of the Bathurst circuit (although the mountain continues to climb in elevation to the right of the raceway), and a nice view of the vast plains can be seen both ahead and to the left of the flow of traffic. However, taking the time to admire this scenery will bring death and destruction in the Esses.
Turns 9-15 (Esses): Simply put, this is a nail-biter. The circuit makes a steep downhill descent among the tightest, twistiest turns; again, there is really nowhere to recover should a driver miss a braking zone. This section is where strong braking is REALLY needed. Those using manual transmission can use mountain-driving tactics and gear down one or two gears lower than usual, allowing for 'engine- braking' to occur to save the vehicle's true brakes.
Turn 16 (Forest Elbow): This is a sharp left-hand corner on a steep downhill run which is semi-blind on approach. There is STILL no recovery room for those who miss the corner, so it is imperative that all drivers brake early and HARD for Forest Elbow.
Turn 17: After a brief straightaway, this is a gentle left- hand corner coming out of the mountainous area. No braking should be required here.
Straightaway (Conrod Straight): This is the single longest straightaway of the Bathurst circuit. The descent is very gradual now as the circuit rejoins the vast desolate valley, the trees thinning quickly. The barriers on either side of the raceway slowly begin to give way as well. Fortunately, Chase can be easily seen ahead (in daytime conditions).
Turns 18-20 (Chase): This is a gentle right-hand mini-kink followed by a sharp left-right. There is no barrier on the inside of Chase to prevent cars from simply barreling straight ahead, but the entire area IS filled with kitty litter to severely slow those drivers attempting this tactic. Moderate or hard braking will be required for Turn 19, and drivers may need to tap the brakes again for Turn 20.
Turn 21: After a short straightaway, this is a left-hand right-angle corner onto Pit Straight, with Pit Entry just before the entry of the corner on the left side of the pavement. There is some recovery room for Turn 21, but not much.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: BRANDS HATCH GRAND PRIX
The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit is a fun circuit for racing. Situated within a natural bowl, it is easy for many spectators to see the bulk of the racing action from many points along the circuit. However, traffic is almost always a problem for drivers. Interestingly, along almost the entire circuit, drivers can easily hear the other cars on other sections of the circuit, thus testifying to the compact nature of this venue.
Pit Straight (Brabham Straight): This is the longest single straightaway of the circuit, so powerful acceleration is required out of Clark Curve to make passes or pull away from challengers.
Turn 1 (Paddock Hill Bend): This long sweeping right-hand corner can be tricky at full acceleration, so a gentle tapping of brakes before entering Turn 1 is key. This is nearly a double-apex corner, so take care with the racing line, especially since this begins the downhill descent of the circuit. Taking this corner at full throttle is likely to cause the car to spin before achieving corner exit.
Turn 2 (Druid's Bend): This right-hand hairpin is the
tightest corner of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
Passing on braking here can be advantageous, but is NOT for
the newcomers - especially on the opening lap of a race!!! There is plenty of sand to the outside of the hairpin for those who miss the braking zone.
Turn 3 (Graham Hill Bend): Experts can handle this left-hand corner at full throttle if unencumbered by traffic, although slight braking is preferred here. The course is at its lowest elevation here.
Straightaway (Cooper Straight): This straightaway has a
slight bend to the left. While not nearly as long as Brabham Straight, it is a great place for low-downforce cars to gain race positions.
Turn 4 (Surtees): This left-hand corner requires light
braking to keep to the pavement, and flows quickly toward Pilgrim's Drop.
Straightaway: Following Surtees, the circuit has its longest straightaway. About halfway along this straightaway begins Pilgrim's Drop, which - despite the 'misnomer' - is a gentle descent into Hawthorne Bend.
Turn 5 (Hawthorne Bend): This right-hand right-angle corner will require light to moderate braking, but really adept drivers should be able to get away with only a very slight tapping of the brakes through Hawthorne Bend as necessary. The entry to Hawthorne Bend marks the beginning of an uphill climb for the circuit; this makes this corner a bit more challenging than it would originally appear from the circuit map.
Straightaway (Derek Minter Straight): This straightaway continues the gentle uphill climb of the circuit (which begins with the entry to Hawthorne Bend).
Turn 6 (Westfield Bend): This is a long right-hand corner
which can generally be taken with light or moderate braking; only TRUE experts can safely navigate Westfield Bend without ANY braking whatsoever (and this will really only be due to prime car tuning). Driver who carry too much speed through Westfield Bend will likely find themselves beached in one of the wide sand traps to the outside of the corner.
Turns 7-9 (Dingle Dell Corner): Shortly after Westfield Bend
is a right-left-right chicane complex. If unencumbered by traffic, it is possible to essentially shortcut Turn 8 and make a wide right-hand sweeping arc. Otherwise, moderate braking will be required here to keep to the pavement (or only light braking if the traffic through the chicane is spread wide enough to allow making ample use of the rumble strips).
Turn 10 (Stirling's Bend): This is a left-hand right-angle corner coming very quickly after Dingle Dell Corner (the right-left-right chicane). Moderate braking is a requirement here, especially since there is VERY little grass on the outside of the pavement before the barrier will stop any runaway vehicles. This opens onto Clearways, another long straightaway, so excellent acceleration out of Stirling's Bend will pay dividends for gaining race positions.
Turn 11 (Clark Curve): Slight braking may be desired entering this long right-hand corner, but then it is imperative to power hard all the way to Turn 1!!! Pit Entry is on the right entering Clark Curve.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: BRANDS HATCH INDY
The Brands Hatch Indy circuit is a small but fun circuit for racing. Situated within a natural bowl, it is easy for many spectators to see the bulk of the racing action from many points along the circuit. However, traffic is almost always a problem for drivers. Interestingly, along almost the entire circuit, drivers can easily hear the other cars on other sections of the circuit, thus testifying to the compact nature of this venue.
Pit Straight (Brabham Straight): This is the longest single straightaway of the circuit, so powerful acceleration is required out of Clark Curve to make passes or pull away from challengers.
Turn 1 (Paddock Hill Bend): This long sweeping right-hand corner can be tricky at full acceleration, so a gentle tapping of brakes before entering Turn 1 is key. This is nearly a double-apex corner, so take care with the racing line, especially since this begins the downhill descent of the circuit. Taking this corner at full throttle is likely to cause the car to spin before achieving corner exit.
Turn 2 (Druid's Bend): This right-hand hairpin is the
tightest corner of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Passing on braking here can be advantageous, but is NOT for the newcomers - especially on the opening lap of a race!!! There is plenty of sand to the outside of the hairpin for those who miss the braking zone.
Turn 3 (Graham Hill Bend): Experts can handle this left-hand corner at full throttle if unencumbered by traffic, although slight braking is preferred here. The course is at its lowest elevation here.
Straightaway (Cooper Straight): This straightaway has a
slight bend to the left. While not nearly as long as Brabham Straight, it is a great place for low-downforce cars to gain race positions.
Turn 4 (Surtees): This left-hand corner requires light
braking to keep to the pavement, and flows quickly into McLaren.
Turn 5 (McLaren): This long sweeping right-hand corner can generally be taken at full acceleration.
Turn 6 (Clark Curve): Slight braking may be desired entering this long right-hand corner, but then it is imperative to power hard all the way to Turn 1!!! Pit Entry is on the right entering Clark Curve.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: BRISTOL
First used for NASCAR in 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway is the shortest track on the current NASCAR calendar at 0.533 miles (0.853 kilometers) - thus it is known as 'The World's Fastest Half-mile.' Formerly asphalt, the Bristol, Tennessee, USA, circuit was converted to concrete in 1992, and boasts attendance easily topping 150,000 for NASCAR events. The banking is thirty-six degrees in the corners and sixteen degrees on the straightaways. Passing is difficult at Bristol due to the compact nature of the circuit; the only easy part about racing at Bristol is the ability to be involved in accidents.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: CANBERRA
Canberra is a rather difficult street circuit. This venue is not nearly as tight and compact as at Vancouver, but the corners are definitely FAR worse (and also more numerous), requiring much slower speeds. It is important to keep to the left on Pit Straight to ensure avoiding Pit Lane... unless a pit stop is truly needed or required.
Pit Straight: Pit Entry is on the right half of Pit Straight, so it is important for cars remaining on the main circuit to keep to the left to ensure they do not accidentally go into Pit Lane itself. Also, the Pit Lane barrier is difficult to see on approach, so drivers should commit to either the far- left or the far-right until they have safely passed the beginning of this barrier.
Turn 1: This is a severe-braking right-hand right-angle
corner which will likely see a lot of bumping and grinding on the first lap of a race. During a race, Pit Exit is at the apex of the corner, so it is important for those coming from Pit Straight to keep hard to the left, and those coming from Pit Lane to keep hard to the right.
Turn 2: IMMEDIATELY after exiting Turn 1, this is a long sweeping left-hand corner on a slightly-wider raceway. Full acceleration can be used here, and there is definitely plenty of room to make a well-timed pass. However, drivers must be careful as traffic from Pit Lane merges with the higher-speed traffic coming off Pit Straight.
Turns 3-6: This is an elongated right-left-left-right bus
stop chicane. Moderate or severe braking will be required
for Turn 3 and Turn 5; careful throttle management will be needed for Turn 6 to ensure avoiding the outside barrier.
Turns 7-9: This is a left-right-right complex which in total acts as nearly a hairpin corner. Moderate braking will be needed here, with gentle throttle control throughout. In fact, this section is easier if Turns 8 and 9 are treated as a hairpin corner, making a wide berth to hit both apexes just right. Note that there is an access road BETWEEN Turn 8 and Turn 9, but this is NOT part of the official raceway; nonetheless, this can be rather confusing until the intricacies of this circuit have been committed to memory.
Turn 10: This right-hand corner requires moderate braking.
Straightaway: This is not 'straight' at all. Instead, this 'straightaway' is one long continuous sweeping bend to the left. there are three bridges over this 'straightaway;' it is best to begin braking for Turn 11 once beyond the third bridge.
Turn 11: This right-hand corner requires moderate braking.
Turns 12 and 13: This is a VERY slow left-right chicane, so moderate or even severe braking will be required. Due to the VERY slow speed required here for safe passage, this is a prime place for cars to pile up if one driver is too aggressive.
Turns 14-16: This right-left-right chicane is just as slow as the previous chicane. What makes this worse, however, is that the left-hand corner of this chicane is an actual hairpin in its own right!!! Fortunately, once past the apex of the chicane's own hairpin turn, the right side of the raceway opens up, so those drivers using too much speed through the hairpin portion of the chicane will have a nice expanse of grass to greet them instead of the usual immovable barrier.
Turns 17 and 18: Immediately after exiting the chicane, the raceway curves twice to the right. These are gentle curves, but the second will still require light braking since the momentum of the vehicle will try to force it into the left- side barrier. This leads onto Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: CATALUNYA
The Catalunya circuit is challenging, especially the two hairpins and the final corners of the race. This is the same circuit configuration used in modern F1 racing.
Pit Straight: As usual, incredible speeds can be attained
here. Watch for cars rejoining the race from the right side
of the straightaway about two-thirds of the way along its length.
Turn 1 (Elf): This is a right-hand corner which requires moderate braking. Be careful not to hug the inside of the corner too tightly, or you will damage your right-side tires on the barrier. Strong acceleration out of Turn 1 creates great passing opportunities all the way to Repsol. Attempting to take Turn 1 at top speed will either cause you to lose control as you run up on the rumble strips, or send you too far off course to survive Turn 2 intact.
Turn 2 (Elf): Immediately following Turn 1, the left-hand
Turn 2 can usually be taken at top acceleration. With strong acceleration out of Turn 1, this is a prime passing zone.
Turn 3 (Seat): A sweeping right-hand increasing-radius corner which can be taken at full speed with a flawless racing line. This is also a good place to pass slower cars, especially if you have the inside line.
Turn 4 (Repsol): This is a semi-blind right-hand hairpin
corner which requires moderate or heavy braking. The barrier on the inside of the corner rests almost directly against the track, and blocks your view around the corner. This can actually be a good place to pass on braking, but only with extreme caution (and usually only if the car you wish to pass takes the wide line around the corner). Don't come too hot into this corner or else you will find yourself in the sand. After clearing the first 90 degrees, you should be able to accelerate fairly well if not encumbered by traffic.
Turn 5: After a very short straightaway, this is a semi-blind left-hand hairpin, a bit tighter than Turn 4. Moderate or heavy braking will be needed here, or you will definitely find yourself in the kitty litter.
Straightaway: This straightaway fades to the left. Strong acceleration out of Turn 5 can create passing opportunities, especially in the braking zone for Wuth.
Turn 6 (Wuth): With a good racing line, you should be able to brake lightly to clear this semi-blind, slightly-downhill, left-hand corner. Beware the barrier on the inside of Wuth. The exit of Wuth has an immediate fade to the right, so do not commit too much to turning left here, or the front-left of the car will be shaking hands with the barrier.
Turn 7 (Campsa): This right-hand corner can be taken at full speed with a flawless racing line. Note that the official circuit is to the right; do not drive directly ahead onto another patch of pavement, or you will be assigned a Stop-Go Penalty.
Turn 8 (La Cacsa): Severe braking is required for this left- hand corner. While not suggested, you may be able to pass other cars on braking here. As with Wuth, stay off the rumble strips and grass on the inside of the turn, or you will risk losing control of the car. This is a 'J' turn, and the corner seems to go on forever before you reach the exit.
Turn 9 (Banc Sabadeau): Shortly following Turn 8, moderate or heavy braking will be needed here for the right-hand, upward- sloping corner. This is also a 'J' turn which is nearly a double-apex corner. If you need a recovery area anywhere on the course, it will most likely be here. It is possible to pass slower cars here by tightly hugging the inside of the turn, even running the right-side tires on the rumble strips or just slightly in the grass.
Turn 10: Light braking may be needed for this right-hand corner. The key here is to truly hug the inside of the turn and accelerate strongly through the exit. Watch for slow cars here preparing to go to Pit Lane for servicing.
Turn 11: Entering this right-hand corner, the Pit Lane begins on the right, so be on the lookout for very slow cars here. If you take this final corner too tightly, or make a VERY late decision to go to the pits, you will certainly damage the front of the car on a barrier.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARLOTTE
One of the favorite circuits of NASCAR racing, Charlotte is a tri-oval, with Pit Straight actually curved slightly along its entire length. The corners can accommodate two-wide racing if necessary, but single-file racing is best through the turns.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: DIJON PRENOIS
Located in southern France, Circuit Dijon Prenois is a small, hilly, and FUN circuit. Pit Straight is 1.1km (0.7 miles) in length, whereas the rest of the circuit continually twists and turns in the hills.
Pit Straight: This is really the only true straightaway of
the entire circuit. At 1.1km (0.7 miles) in length, this straightaway really should be taken at lower than optimal speeds, due to the necessity for high downforce on the rest of the circuit.
Turns 1-2 (Villeroy): This is a double-apex right-hand
corner. Turn 1 can be taken with light braking, but moderate braking will be necessary for Turn 2.
Turns 3-5 (Hourglass S'es): Careful, precision steering will
be needed to keep the car on the pavement while still negotiating traffic at top speed through these right-left- right S-curves. Turn 5 is sharper than the other corners. There is a continual rise in elevation throughout this section of the circuit.
Turn 6 (Crossover): The shorter configuration of the circuit has simply a moderate left-hand corner here, but the main configuration uses a 135-degree left-hand corner heading toward the Parabolique. Light to moderate braking will be required for Crossover, and plenty of sand on the outside of the corner awaits the not-so-focused drivers.
Turn 7 (Parabolique): This is a right-hand heavy-braking near-hairpin corner which is made much more difficult due to the sudden steep climb in elevation beginning at the entry of the Parabolique. This means that much of the corner is unsighted, thus drivers must have PRISTINE knowledge of this corner in order to truly power through the Parabolique at any great speed. There is fortunately a sand trap on the outside of the Parabolique to collect runaway vehicles, but it is still possible to clear the kitty litter and severely damage the car against the barrier.
Turn 8: This left-hand corner is a long moderate-braking
corner at the crest of the circuit. There is a wide sand
trap on the outside of the turn for those who overshoot the corner, which is especially important since this is a semi- blind corner until the car is safely at the top of the rise.
Turn 9 (Combe): This right-hand corner can be easily
negotiated with only slight braking as needed.
Turn 10 (Pouas Corner): This final corner is a long right-
hand sweeping turn leading back onto the immense Pit
Straight. Slight tapping of the brakes may be necessary for Pouas Corner, especially in high-powered cars. Pit Entry is on the right approximately 1/4 of the way along Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: DONINGTON PARK
This popular British venue is the host of many events, and
has been included in other games. The outside of almost
every corner has a very small strip of grass between the pavement and the sand trap. The Grand Prix configuration inverts the final chicane of the National configuration and adds two lengthy straightaways with two hairpin corners behind the paddock area.
Turn 1: This right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking, and plenty of patience at the start of a race as traffic really jams up here.
Turn 2: This is a long, gentle right-hand semi-corner,
sloping downhill along its entire length.
Turn 3: Continuing downhill, this left-hand corner will only require light braking, if the brakes are needed at all. Due to the downhill slope, it may be difficult to see the apex of the corner as you approach.
Turn 4: Immediately after Turn 3, the course turns uphill to the right here, with light or moderate braking required.
Turn 5: After passing underneath the pedestrian bridge, the course turns to the left here. No braking is required.
Turn 6: This is really just a left-hand fade.
Turn 7: Moderate braking is necessary as the course continues uphill through this right-hand turn. The barrier on the left comes rather close to the pavement, so there is not much grass and sand to stop you if you miss your braking zone.
Turn 8: This lengthy, sweeping right-hand J-turn will require light braking to keep out of the grass and sand as the course continues slowly uphill. This corner opens out onto the longest straightaway at Donington.
Turns 9-10: Shortly after passing underneath the big Dunlop tire, begin braking for the chicane. This is a tight left- right combination with NO room for error. The barrier on the inside of Turn 9 prevents shortcutting, and the sand trap to the inside of Turn 10 severely hinders anyone attempting to shortcut that corner.
Turn 11: After a significant straightaway, this is a tight right-hand hairpin turn onto another significant straightaway behind the Paddock Suite. Essentially, think of this as changing runways on an airport circuit (such as at Sebring) and you should do fairly well here. Moderate braking is required here. If you miss your braking zone, there is a wide patch of kitty litter to the outside of the corner.
Turn 12: The final corner of the circuit is a left-hand tight hairpin. Again, think of this as changing runways on an airport circuit. Moderate braking will be needed here.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: EASTERN CREEK
This 3.93-kilometer (2.456-mile) circuit hosts V8 Supercars, many Formula series, a number of sports cars and sports sedans series, touring cars, production cars, and numerous national and support motorcycle series. The pit straight even incorporates a drag strip, so racecars here can make use of this wider section to pass large packs of slower traffic. This is a high-speed technical circuit, and those with
moderately- or extremely-loose cars will likely find
themselves slamming the barriers and/or sliding through the many patches of kitty litter.
Pit Straight: The longest straightaway at Eastern Creek, Pit
Straight also doubles as a drag strip :-) Pit Entry is
approximately 1/3 of the way along Pit Straight.
Turn 1: This is a long left-hand corner requiring light
braking after the immense length of Pit Straight and the high speeds attained there.
Turn 2: This left-hand hairpin corner requires moderate or
even heavy braking on approach, and perhaps slight braking throughout. This is a somewhat-tight corner, so it is easy to misjudge speed and end up slipping off the pavement and getting stuck in the grass on the outside of the corner.
Turn 3: Almost immediately following Turn 2, this right-hand corner may require light braking to keep from slipping out into the kitty litter on corner exit.
Turn 4: This right-hand corner needs moderate braking to keep to the pavement, although a wide sand-filled recovery area is available if necessary.
Turn 5: Just after Turn 4, Turn 5 is a left-hand corner requiring moderate braking.
Turns 6-7: Turn 6 is a quick right-hand flick leading immediately into the left-hand sweeping Turn 7. Light braking can be useful for Turn 6, whereas moderate braking is required for and throughout Turn 7 to keep the vehicle on the pavement.
Turn 8: Light or moderate braking is needed for this left-
hand corner.
Turn 9: This right-hand hairpin requires moderate or even
heavy braking.
Turns 10-11: Turn 10 is a quick right-hand flick leading immediately into the left-hand sweeping Turn 11. Light braking can be useful for Turn 10, whereas moderate braking is required for and throughout Turn 11 to keep the vehicle on the pavement. This leads onto Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: FUJI
This Japanese circuit is perhaps most notable to North
American classic video game enthusiasts from its appearance
in Atari's Pole Position series in the stand-up arcades of
the 1980s. There are a few of these classic Pole Position
and Pole Position II arcade boxes still in existence,
although the best bet for finding these games now is on the various gaming consoles. However, those who prefer the version of the circuit in the Pole Position series will be rather disappointed at the chicanes added along the faster sections of the Fuji circuit.
Turns 1-2 (Daiichi Corner) This is a double-apex right-hand near-hairpin corner. Due to the immense length of Pit Straight, HARD braking will be required before even thinking of entering Daiichi Corner, and moderate braking will be required throughout this section. There is a nice patch of kitty litter on the outside of Daiichi Corner, but drivers should not expect it to stop a runaway car before the vehicle slams hard into the wall when overshooting this section of the circuit.
Turns 3 and 4 (Sumtory Corner): Ahead, a barrier can be seen; this blocks direct access to the smooth left-hand corner Pole Position enthusiasts know so well; instead, players are forced straight ahead into a tight left-right complex around the barrier, so moderate or hard braking will be needed here on entry. It is possible to power out of Turn 3 and through Turn 4 without braking, unless the car has some severe grip problems and/or is extremely loose (i.e., the back end of the car tends to swing about).
Turn 5 (100R): If the driver's car is properly tuned, there should be no trouble with powering through this wide right- hand sweeping turn, even when navigating traffic. However, cars which are moderately or extremely loose will have plenty of trouble here, ESPECIALLY if encumbered by traffic.
Turn 6 (Hairpin): This left-hand corner is aptly named. Unfortunately, Hairpin comes at the dip following 100R, which can make this corner extremely tricky as the car inherently loses traction; the proximity of the barrier is definitely too close for comfort here due to this drop in elevation (the elevation change is certainly not significant, but it is just enough to cause grip problems in many cars).
Turn 7 (MC Corner): This long, sweeping, right-hand corner is another prime place for full-throttle acceleration.
Turns 8-10 (Dunlop Corner): This right-left-right chicane
will also disappoint Pole Position enthusiasts. Heavy
braking will be needed for Turn 8, with moderate braking required for Turn 9. Turn 10 should be easily taken at full acceleration. Fortunately, the barrier forcing cars to take the chicane is easily visible from a distance on approach.
Turn 11 (Last Corner): This aptly-named corner is the final sweeping long right-hand corner of the Fuji circuit.
Moderately- and extremely-loose cars will have difficulty
here; otherwise, only a slight tapping of the brakes MAY be necessary for Last Corner.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: HOCKENHEIM LONG
Surrounded by multitudes of trees which make much of the circuit rather dark in wet or overcast races, this is the fastest course used for F1 racing in recent years. If not for the Jim Clark, Brems, and Ayrton Senna chicanes, cars would be flying around the course in top gear all the way from the North Curve (Turn 1) to the entry of the Stadium (Turn 10). Except for the right side of the Pit Straight, there is more than enough room to pull well off the pavement should a car have a serious problem on any part of the circuit. Interestingly, Hockenheim's Stadium segment is very similar to an unnamed final segment at Silverstone.
Important Note: These driving instructions are for the old Hockenheim circuit.
Pit Straight: This is an extremely short straightaway
compared to the rest of the course.
Turn 1 (North Curve): This right-hand corner will require moderate braking to keep out of the expansive kitty litter. The Pit Lane rejoins the course from the right at the exit of North Curve. Acceleration out of North Curve is of key importance due to the length of the ensuing straightaway.
Straightaway: Immensely lengthy and lined with trees, speed
is of the utmost importance here. The entire straightaway is an extremely gentle fade to the right. Drift to the left when you reach the grandstands.
Turns 2 and 3 (Jim Clark Chicane): Former games in the series had a patch of pavement heading straight off Turn 2, allowing for shortcutting of the chicane; this is no longer possible, as a nasty barrier blocks any shortcutting attempts. Moderate or heavy braking will be required for Turn 2 (or light braking if not in traffic and using a FLAWLESS racing line which makes judicious use of the rumble strips), but full acceleration can be taken leading out of the chicane.
Straightaway: Yet another long, sweeping straightaway which fades calmly to the right, so powerful acceleration out of the Jim Clark Chicane is imperative to keep from getting passed. Drift to the left before entering the Brems Chicane, and begin braking much earlier than for the Jim Clark Chicane.
Turns 4 and 5 (Brems Chicane): The original course configuration (used in older F1 racing games) did not have a chicane here, and the original pavement remains. However, the official course suddenly cuts tightly to the right and then cuts tightly to the left to rejoin the old pavement. Moderate braking will be needed for Turn 4, and light braking for Turn 5. This right-left chicane has a continual downhill slope, adding to the difficulty of the chicane. Even with the Flags option disabled, the angle of the old pavement to the official chicane is such that it is impossible to blast through this segment at top speed without spinning the car through the kitty litter.
Turn 6 (East Curve): This is a very wide right-hand corner which can be taken at top speed. Strong acceleration out of Brems is key to assist in passing here.
Straightaway: This is yet another long straightaway, but without any fades. Drift to the right for the Ayrton Senna Chicane.
Turns 7-9 (Ayrton Senna Chicane): DO NOT follow the old
course pavement directly ahead unless you really WANT to collide with the brand-new barrier. The official course turns to the left, cuts to the right, and eases left again. It is actually possible to speed into Turn 7 at top speed, lift off the throttle through Turn 8, and accelerate quickly out of the chicane - but this is certainly NOT recommended.
Straightaway: The final long straightaway of the course has extra pavement on the left - this could potentially be a place to pass large numbers of cars. This extra pavement begins shortly after the exit of the Ayrton Senna Chicane, and ends at the entry of the Stadium; thus, if you are on this 'extra' pavement entering the Stadium, you will have a better racing line for Turn 10, allowing you to navigate the corner with less.
Turns 10-13 (The Stadium): This is similar to the final
segment of the Silverstone circuit. However, do not expect
to drive The Stadium the same way you would the final segment at Silverstone.
Turn 10 (Entrance to the Stadium: Agip Curve): Light
braking may be required here, but you should be able to
pass through the Agip Curve without any braking at all
(especially if your racing line began with the 'extra'
pavement on the left before the Stadium). A short
straightaway follows.
Turn 11 (Continuing through the Stadium: Sachscurve): This
is a left-hand wide hairpin turn, requiring moderate
braking. Be careful not to end up in the grass, either
entering or exiting the corner, and beware the barrier.
Straightaway (Continuing through the Stadium): This short
straightaway has a fade to the left, followed by a fade to
the right.
Turns 12 and 13 (Exiting the Stadium: Opel): The first
right-hand corner is somewhat tight, and heavy braking
will be required here; the old course rejoins the current
course from the left on exit, so if you run wide in this
corner, you can likely recover here using the old
pavement. The final corner of the circuit is a right-hand
turn which will require moderate braking. The Pit Lane
entry is to the right just before the official Turn 13.
Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins to the right at the entry of Turn 13 (the final corner of the Stadium).
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: HOCKENHEIM SHORT
In 2002, the long, traditional Hockenheim circuit was dismantled and replaced by a much shorter version. F1 traditionalists worldwide were FURIOUS about this change, as the shorter circuit is no longer scenic and is really too compact for F1 racing (although still better than A1-Ring in Austria). However, the new, severely-shortened version of Hockenheim still retains its characteristic Stadium section, so at least some measure of the old circuit's tradition and history remains. Interestingly, the new, shorter circuit supposedly now handles more spectators than the old, longer circuit.
Pit Straight: This is an extremely short straightaway
compared to the rest of the course.
Turn 1 (North Curve): This right-hand corner will require moderate braking to keep out of the expansive kitty litter. The Pit Lane rejoins the course from the right at the exit of North Curve. Acceleration out of North Curve is of key importance due to the length of the ensuing straightaway.
Turn 2: After a nearly-nonexistent straightaway comes the right-hand 120-degree Turn 2. This corner requires some moderate braking, and it is very easy to slide off the pavement here. Unfortunately, the barrier on the inside of the corner is really TOO close to the pavement, so a driver trying to pass to the inside of a slower car will have literally nowhere to go should the slower car suddenly cut inward in the corner. Just at the exit of Turn 2 is a quick fade to the left.
Turn 3: After a brief straightaway is the left-hand 45-degree Turn 3. It is best to begin braking for Turn 4 at the exit of Turn 3.
Turn 4: Almost immediately after Turn 3 is the right-hand 135-degree Turn 4, leading back onto the old (longer) Hockenheim circuit just before entering The Stadium. Moderate or heavy braking will be required for Turn 4, although there is a significant amount of paved swing-out room so that those in need of a quick recovery can briefly slam on the handbrake to keep off the outside barrier.
Turns 5-8 (The Stadium): This is similar to the final segment of the Silverstone circuit. However, do not expect to drive The Stadium the same way you would the final segment at Silverstone.
Turn 5 (Entrance to the Stadium: Agip Curve): Light
braking may be required here, but you should be able to
pass through the Agip Curve without any braking at all
(especially if your racing line began with the 'extra'
pavement on the left before the Stadium). A short
straightaway follows.
Turn 6 (Continuing through the Stadium: Sachscurve): This
is a left-hand wide hairpin turn, requiring moderate
braking. Be careful not to end up in the grass, either
entering or exiting the corner, and beware the barrier.
Straightaway (Continuing through the Stadium): This short
straightaway has a fade to the left, followed by a fade to
the right.
Turns 7 and 8 (Exiting the Stadium: Opel): The first
right-hand corner is somewhat tight, and heavy braking
will be required here; the old course rejoins the current
course from the left on exit, so if you run wide in this
corner, you can likely recover here using the old
pavement. The final corner of the circuit is a right-hand
turn which will require moderate braking. The Pit Lane
entry is to the right just before the official Turn 8.
Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins to the right at the entry of Turn 8 (the final corner of the Stadium).
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: KNOCKHILL
This circuit is a nightmare for car set-ups, as there are
many tight corners (some with their own significant elevation
changes) connected by significant straightaways.
Pit Straight: Pit Straight is on an uphill slope, which may make standing starts somewhat tricky. It is also quite lengthy. Pit Entry is on the left, where the slots of the starting grid are located; this is a very short Pit Lane.
Turn 1: This heavy-braking right-hand corner is made even
more difficult because it heads downhill. It is very easy to foul up here and get caught out in the sand on the outside of Turn 1.
Turn 2: Almost immediately after Turn 1, this left-hand
corner requires at least a slight tapping of the brakes to
keep to the pavement.
Turn 3: Almost immediately after Turn 2, this right-hand
corner requires moderate braking to keep to the pavement.
Turn 4: Shortly after Turn 3, this gentle right-hand corner
can be taken at full acceleration, but care must be taken on the approach to Turn 5.
Turns 5-6: This tricky left-right complex requires heavy braking on entry; slowing enough on entry allows for powerful acceleration through Turn 6 and onto the ensuing straightaway.
Turn 7: This difficult right-hand corner is on an uphill
climb; if there is no traffic in front to provide an idea of where the circuit is, it is virtually impossible to see the layout of the pavement due to the angle of the hill. This opens onto a nice straightaway.
Turn 8: This is another right-hand corner on an uphill climb; this time, the corner is nearly a hairpin. Strong acceleration out of Turn 8 is required, as this opens onto the lengthy Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: LAS VEGAS
This is a tri-oval which is VERY wide: three-abreast racing
is definitely feasible here; four-wide racing MIGHT be
possible (primarily on the straightaways), but should never
be attempted. Due to the nice width of the circuit, passing
is relatively easy - the difficult part could be getting
enough of an aerodynamic tow (slipstreaming or drafting) to actually make a pass. The gentle, lengthy nature of the corners means that this is a fast race venue.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: MAGNY-COURS
The Magny-Cours circuit is characterized by long, sweeping straightaways, and fairly quick corners. The Adelaide hairpin will almost definitely cause trouble, especially for aggressive drivers, and is one of the slowest corners in modern F1 racing. This is a very fun course to drive (admittedly a very subjective statement), but its layout can produce problems from the standpoint of hearing other cars: Three of its main straightaways are almost exactly parallel to each other with little distance and no large obstacles between them, sometimes making it difficult to determine where other cars are truly located around you as you try to anticipate where the next group of traffic that you will need to navigate is located; listen attentively to the team radio for useful traffic information. The circuit also has extremely wide areas along most of the main course for a car to pull aside should a major malfunction arise.
Pit Straight: Following the tight High School chicane, strong acceleration through the Pit Straight creates good passing chances through Great Curve and into Estoril. However, the tightness of the High School chicane and the incredibly close proximity of the Pit Lane barrier requires immense caution and headache-causing concentration as you come onto the Pit Straight. The Start/Finish Line is about halfway down the Pit Straight; the Pit Lane rejoins the course from the left at this point.
Turn 1 (Great Curve): In accordance with its name, this is a sweeping left-hand corner which can be taken flat-out unless encumbered by a lot of traffic.
Turn 2 (Estoril): Either light or moderate braking will be needed for entering the VERY long right-hand 180-degree
Estoril; in either case, you will almost certainly be tapping the brakes repeatedly through Estoril. It is quite easy to roll the right-side tires off onto the grass, and it is just as easy to slip off onto the grass on the outside of Estoril
- both can easily occur, whether navigating traffic or
driving alone.
Straightaway (Golf): The Golf Straight if by far the longest
of the course and includes several fades to the right.
Turn 3 (Adelaide): The right-hand Adelaide hairpin is
EXTREMELY tight. The key here is to brake EARLY, as you will be downshifting from your top gear to your lowest gear
rapidly; if you begin braking too late, you will be off in
the grass. If you accelerate too soon out of Adelaide, you will be rolling through the kitty litter and losing valuable track position. Even 30MPH is likely to be too fast here.
Straightaway: Acceleration out of Adelaide is important for passing other cars here. There are a few fades in the course here.
Turns 4 and 5 (Nurburgring): This is a right-left chicane
which will require light braking. It is possible to fly through Nurburgring without braking by making use of the bright-green extension on the inside of Turn 5; however, this extension is significantly shorter than it was in F1 Championship Season 2000.
Turn 6 (180 Degrees): This is quite true - the official name
of this corner is '180 Degrees' according to the official Web site of Magny-Cours. This is a wide left-hand hairpin nestled well within the Estoril hairpin. Running too wide here will put you out in the sand; running too close to the apex could put you up on the rumble strips and force you to lose control. While this corner is not as slow as the Adelaide hairpin, you really do not want to try pushing very much faster here.
Straightaway: The third of the three parallel-running straightaways, this 'straightaway' has several fades before the Imola chicane.
Turns 7 and 8 (Imola): This right-left chicane should require light braking, except for cars with a flawless racing line. The bright-green extension on the inside of Turn 8 is longer than in F1 Championship Season 2000, which could well be used for top-speed navigation of the chicane. A short straightaway out of Imola sets up the Water Castle curve.
Turn 9 (Water Castle): Somewhere between a standard 'J' turn and a hairpin, this is an increasing-radius right-hand corner leading into the final straightaway of the circuit.
Turns 10 and 11 (High School): There is a false line of pavement to the right as you near the official chicane; this false pavement runs directly up to an immovable barrier (I believe this is the Pit Entry for other forms of racing at the circuit). The official chicane requires moderate braking on entering, and allows for a VERY short burst of acceleration on exit. If you completely miss this chicane, you will blast through the sand trap and break the front end on a perpendicular barrier blocking any direct access to Pit Lane.
Turn 12 (High School): On entry, the Pit Lane begins to the left. The official corner is a TIGHT right-hand turn which requires moderate or even heavy braking; wheel lock is very much a possibility here, especially in wet conditions. If you miss the corner, you will blast through the all-too-brief sand trap and ram directly against a barrier and bounce backward into any cars behind you. Speed is an extreme concern here; it is virtually impossible to go too slow, but going too fast will definitely result in a crash (with great possibility of bouncing into follow-up crashes with other cars, or with another nearby barrier).
Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins to the left at the entry of
Turn 12. The Pit Lane has its own sharp right-hand turn
almost immediately, so it is best to begin slowing (or
rather, barely accelerating) as you leave the High School chicane.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: MANTORP PARK
Like Eastern Creek, Mantorp Park uses one of its
straightaways as a drag strip. This time, however, the width from standard road course to drag strip is more impressive, allowing road course racers MUCH more room for passing along the drag strip portion of the circuit. This is a high-speed circuit, although strong braking will be required for many
corners; fortunately, there is plenty of recovery room in almost all areas of the circuit.
Pit Straight: Unlike Eastern Creek, Mantorp Park's Pit
Straight does not double as a drag strip; instead, the drag strip is just to the right as cars pass along Pit Straight. The Pit Straight itself is relatively short, so any passing here requires INCREDIBLE power out of the final corner and/or outbraking a competitor into Turn 1.
Turn 1: This is a left-hand corner requiring moderate
braking.
Turn 2: After a too-brief straightaway comes the right-hand hairpin at Turn 2. Moderate braking will be needed here, and light braking may be required throughout, especially if a car is loose.
Turn 3: Shortly after the hairpin is a gentle right-hand bend which can generally be handled at full acceleration.
Turns 4-5: This is a double-apex right-hand section leading onto the drag strip portion of the circuit. Moderate braking is needed for Turn 4, while full acceleration can be used in Turn 5. However, those who miss the braking zone for Turn 4 can turn in the sand trap and slide sideways onto the staging area for the drag strip, then power ahead at full acceleration without having lost too much time.
Straightaway: This is the drag strip portion of the Mantorp Park road course. This is a rather wide stretch of pavement, so there should be no problems with passing slower cars here. Not surprisingly, this is the longest straightaway of the road course.
Turn 6: At the end of the drag strip, this right-hand increasing-radius hairpin corner requires moderate or heavy braking on approach, and judicious throttle management throughout to keep from sliding the car off the pavement.
Turn 7: Light braking may be required for this left-hand
bend.
Turns 8-9: This is a double-apex right-hand increasing-radius section leading back toward Pit Straight. Moderate or heavy braking is required for Turn 8, while gentle throttle management can alleviate the need for braking in Turn 9 IF the car has slowed enough for Turn 8. Pit Entry is on the left side of the pavement at the entry of Turn 9.
Turn 10: This is a left-hand right-angle corner requiring moderate braking. This leads onto Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: MEXICO
This circuit reopened for use in a CART race in November
2002, many months after its originally-scheduled grand
opening. Pit Straight is immensely lengthy, but the rest of the circuit consists of mainly high-speed twists and turns. Drivers who prefer slightly-loose cars AND are excellent at countersteering and/or drift-style racing should perform well at Mexico.
Turns 1-3: The end of Pit Straight is a moderate braking zone for the right-left-right chicane that begins the difficult twisty portion of the circuit. If not encumbered by traffic, shortcutting across the chicane (or at least making ample use of the rumble strips) will save a lot of time and allow the driver to maintain momentum for the following straightaway.
Turns 4 and 5: This is a left-right complex which can be
rather tricky. Moderate braking is needed on entering Turn
4, but the car must be slowed even more in order to safely handle Turn 5 without getting caught in the kitty litter to the outside of the corner.
Turns 6-13: This is the S-curve section. Interestingly, the corners begin with a right-hand tight corner, then the corners gradually decrease in radius and 'tightness' while the slight distances between the corners keeps growing gradually. After the final corner of this section (the fourth left-hand corner), the S-curve section empties onto another long straightaway which runs through a popular Mexico City baseball stadium.
Turn 14: Essentially the Curva Parabolica of Mexico, this right-hand wide hairpin corner can be taken at full acceleration with slight or no braking required. On corner entry, however, there is a rather significant bump - if a car is not tuned correctly, this bump can cause a problem for drivers. Pit Entry is on the right immediately before entering Turn 14.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: MONZA
This historic high-speed track hosts a highly partial pro- Ferrari crowd - affectionately known as the 'tifosi.' The 2000 Italian Grand Prix is the race in which a volunteer corner worker was killed at the Roggia Chicane, due to all the flying debris from the first-lap multi-car collision caused by Heinz-Herald Frentzen missing his braking zone.
Pit Straight: Strong acceleration out of the Curva Parabolica can create prime passing opportunities along the Pit Straight, the longest straightaway at Monza. The Pit Lane begins on the right shortly after exiting the Parabolica.
Turns 1-3 (Rettifilio): The new chicane here is a tight right-left with a gentle right turn back into line with the original pavement. The chicane is blocked by a barrier, but the inside of Turn 1 has a paved 'extension' which may be of benefit. Even with Flags on, shortcutting the chicane TO THE RIGHT OF THE BARRIER can be done at top speed, thus lowering lap times; shortcutting to the left of the barrier results in a Stop-Go Penalty.
Turn 4 (Biassono): This sweeping right-hand corner among the thick trees can be taken flat-out. To the left is a long, wide area of sand, but the corner is so extremely gentle that the sand should not be needed for any reason unless you blow an engine or severely puncture a tire.
Turns 5 and 6 (Roggia): Despite the flatness of the Monza circuit, this chicane is extremely difficult to see on approach unless traffic is present to mark the pavement for you, so it is very easy to overrun the chicane. This is a very tight left-right chicane, so moderate or heavy braking is required; shortcutting through here at full throttle is possible by making use of the new, narrow, bright-green extensions on the inside of each corner, as the CPU us rather tolerant of shortcutting here (compared to previous incarnations of the game). There is a large sand trap for those who miss the chicane altogether.
Turn 7 (First Lesmo): This right-hand corner requires
moderate braking. There is a wide sand trap on the outside
of the corner, just in case. Beware the barrier on the
inside of the corner. About 150MPH is the maximum speed
here, or you risk slipping off the course and into the kitty litter. If you shortcut the first two chicanes of the game, this will be the first time you absolutely need to use the brakes.
Turn 8 (Second Lesmo): This right-hand corner is a little tighter than First Lesmo, and also has a significant area of kitty litter on the outside of the corner. Moderate braking will be needed here. Again, beware the barrier on the inside of the corner. Generally, about 140MPH is the maximum speed here to keep from sliding off the pavement.
Straightaway/Turn 9 (Serraglio): This is really just a fade
to the left, but the official course map lists this as a
curve. Counting this as a fade, this marks about the halfway point on the longest straightaway of the Monza circuit. There is sufficient room to pull off the course here on either side if necessary, except when passing underneath the first bridge. The circuit is extremely bumpy between the two bridges.
Turns 10-12 (Ascari): The Ascari chicane is more difficult
than it seems. Turn 10 is a left-hand corner requiring at least light braking. This is followed immediately by a right-hand corner requiring moderate braking. Turn 12 can be taken at full acceleration if you slowed enough in Turn 11. Wide areas of grass and sand are available for those overruninng any part of the chicane. Still, unless encumbered by traffic, experts may be able to take Ascari at full throttle with a flawless racing line which makes use of the rumble strips as well as the bright-green 'extension' on the inside of Turn 10. Unfortunately, F1 2001 does not provide the real course's paved swing-out area at the exit of Ascari.
Straightaway (Rettilineo Parabolica): This is the second- longest straightaway at Monza and a prime passing zone, especially with powerful acceleration out of Ascari.
Turn 13 (Curva Parabolica): This final corner is a very-wide increasing-radius right-hand hairpin. Light or moderate braking is required on entry, but after about one-third of the way around the hairpin, stand on the accelerator all the way through to Rettifilio. The outside of the Curva Parabolica has an immense expanse of kitty litter, but this really should not be necessary unless you suddenly need to take evasive action to avoid someone else's accident. After the Lesmo corners, the Curva Parabolica is the third and final place where braking is a definite MUST.
Pit Entry: Shortly after exiting the Curva Parabolica, the
Pit Lane begins on the right. This is perhaps the shortest
Pit Lane in all of F1; there is virtually NO room for deceleration once leaving the main course, so cars going in for servicing will begin slowing at the exit of the Curva Parabolica.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: NORISRING
Due to the track layout and the surrounding scenery,
Norisring primarily has the feel of an inner-city street circuit. The circuit itself is rather small and thus extremely easy to learn, yet it is VERY difficult to master.
Pit Straight: The single longest straightaway at Norisring,
Pit Straight is also the widest straightaway, allowing plenty of room for passing slower traffic. Pit Entry is on the right side about 1/4 of the way along Pit Straight; the lane for Pit Entry actually begins at the exit of the final corner.
Turn 1: Things start with a BANG at this left-hand SHARP hairpin corner. What makes this corner so nasty is that there is virtually NO recovery room for those who miss the braking zone or do not brake hard enough - there is definitely a reason why SEVERE braking is required for this initial hairpin corner.
Turns 2-3: Essentially an overglorified chicane, this is a right-left complex which leads the raceway around and behind the main grandstands. Both corners here are perpendicular corners, but the sand on the inside of Turn 2 makes car control virtually impossible if touched. The exit of Turn 3 has a brick extension alongside a brick wall; this extension is more than wide enough to provide an extra lane for passing slower traffic and/or for making a wide sweeping run out of Turn 3.
Turns 4-5: Turn 4 is a right-hand kink just before the left- hand hairpin at Turn 5. It is important to begin braking before Turn 4, then slam HARD on the brakes for Turn 5. Fortunately, the exit of the hairpin is onto an unbelievably- wide straightaway (the same width as Pit Straight), so the braking required here is not quite as severe as for the initial hairpin corner at Turn 1.
Turn 6: Very quickly after the second hairpin is the left-
hand full-throttle kink onto Pit Straight. Those vehicles going to Pit Lane will keep hard to the right here coming off the second hairpin and through Turn 6.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: NURBURGRING
^>From a driving standpoint, the hilly Nurburgring circuit is very much characterized by its tight corners, some of which are semi-blind turns. Tire wear is a definite issue in long races here, especially in wet conditions. Even more important, however, is braking early for almost every corner; perhaps only the narrow streets of Monaco require more braking than does the Nurburgring circuit.
Pit Straight: This straightaway is fairly long, but the Start/Finish Line is near the exit of the final corner. The Pit Lane rejoins the course near the end of the Pit Straight, just before the Castrol S.
Turns 1 and 2 (Castrol S): Moderate braking is required
before entering this right-left 'S' curve. It is quite easy
to miss seeing the entry to the Castrol S unless traffic is present to mark the corner for you. Until you know the course really well, expect to find yourself driving straight ahead into the recovery area. Turn 2 is actually somewhat of a double-apex left-hand corner, so do not go too wide initially on exit. Also, be careful not to drive too wide exiting the Castrol S. Caution must be taken here on the first lap of a race, as the traffic truly bunches up here.
Turn 3: Light braking or a quick lift of the accelerator will be necessary for this left-hand corner. However, hard braking will be required for the Ford Curve ahead. Beginning at the top of Turn 3, the course moves downhill.
Turn 4 (Ford Curve): This is a hard right-hand corner, practically a 'J' curve. The course continues its downhill slope here, which significantly adds to the difficulty of the turn, especially in wet condditions. Braking too late here means a trip through the kitty litter, while riding up on the inside rumble strips usually means losing control of the car. This is definitely NOT a place to pass unless absolutely necessary.
Straightaway: The course fades to the left here. If you can accelerate well out of the Ford Curve, you should be able to pass several cars here as you continue downhill.
Turn 5 (Dunlop Curve): Severe braking for this hairpin is a must, unless you really want to drive through the sand. Again, rolling up on the rumble strips on the inside of the curve may cause you to lose control of the car; however, I have several times induced slight wheelspin of the right-side tires on the rumble strip, which helped to swing the car around the corner just a little faster. The course continues gently uphill here toward the Audi S.
Turns 6 and 7 (Audi S): Entering the left-right Audi S, the uphill slope of the course increases, making it very difficult to see the course more than a few feet ahead. The exit of Turn 6 is the crest of this hill. Unless traffic blocks your racing line, the entire Audi S section can be taken at top speed if you have a good racing line, so good acceleration out of the Dunlop Curve will be very beneficial for passing entering Turn 6 and/or exiting Turn 7.
Turn 8 (RTL Curve): With the rise in the course entering the left-hand RTL Curve, this appears to be identical to Turn 6 on approach. However, you MUST use moderate braking entering the RTL Curve, or you will definitely be off in the grass on the outside of the curve. After a short straightaway, this corner is followed by the gentler BIT Curve.
Turn 9 (BIT Curve): This right-hand curve will require light
or moderate braking, depending on how much acceleration was used in the brief straightaway following the RTL Curve.
Turn 10 (Bilstein-Bogen): This is a gentle right-hand semi- corner which can be taken at full throttle. From here to the Veedal S, the course makes its final and steepest upward slope.
Turns 11 and 12 (Veedal S): This is an extremely tight left- right made even worse for the drivers by its placement at the very crest of the hill. For those who overshoot the chicane, there is a newly-added barrier to collect you and your car.
Turn 13 (Coca-Cola Curve): A 'J' turn to the right, moderate braking is required here to keep from sliding off the course. The entry of the Coca-Cola Curve is also where the Pit Lane begins, so cars may be slowing on approach to go to Pit Lane for servicing. This is the final corner of the circuit.
Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins at the entry of the final corner. It is extremely important to slow down before entering Pit Lane; if you come in too fast, you will certainly damage the front of the car on the barrier. Keep tight to the right for Pit Entry, to allow those continuing the race to have the prime racing line to the left of the pavement.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ORAN PARK
Like Suzuka in Japan, Oran Park includes a bridge where the raceway crosses over itself. However, Oran Park is generally a slower-speed circuit than Suzuka, primarily due to the lack of long straightaways and the many moderate- and severe- braking corners. Fortunately, the circuit is almost entirely
flat; even the ascent to and the descent from the bridge is
so gradual that elevation is really not an issue when working on car set-ups for Oran Park.
Pit Straight: Pit Entry is about 1/3 of the way along Pit Straight, although the entry lane for Pit Entry begins at the exit of the final corner (on the right); this 'extra lane' is also quite useful as a swing-out area for the final corner, if necessary, but a barrier directly against the pavement here still requires some amount of moderate braking for the final corner.
Turn 1: This is a gentle left-hand kink which itself can be taken at full acceleration. However, it is best to begin braking well before Turn 1, since the nasty Turn 2 follows IMMEDIATELY.
Turn 2: This tight left-hand corner requires moderate or even severe braking. This 135-degree corner leads underneath the bridge, and because there is precious little recovery room, missing the braking zone for Turn 2 will obliterate a vehicle almost instantly.
Turn 3: Shortly after passing underneath the bridge is the right-hand Turn 3, a nasty and tight 135-degree corner. With the lack of a recovery area, moderate or severe braking is a MUST for Turn 3.
Turn 4: A paved chicane area which is not used for the Grand Prix configuration appears on the right; immediately following this is Turn 4 itself. This is yet another nasty and tight 135-degree corner leading onto the bridge. There is a moderate recovery area to the outside of Turn 4, but moderate or heavy braking is still required to keep off the grass.
Turn 5: INSTANTLY beyond the bridge is a junction; the Grand Prix circuit heads to the right here with yet another nasty right-hand corner requiring moderate or severe braking. It is best to begin braking just as the car comes onto the bridge itself.
Turns 6-7: Shortly beyond Turn 5, this is an overglorified right-left chicane. Light or moderate braking will be needed here to keep to the pavement.
Turn 8: Beyond the overglorified chicane, this is a left-hand corner which needs light or possibly moderate braking.
Turns 9-10: Again, this is an overglorified right-left
chicane. Expert drivers can squeak through here with no braking whatsoever, but most drivers will likely need light braking to keep to the pavement here. There is also a slight crest on entry here, and a dip exiting Turn 10, and these features can certainly play havoc with a car's handling (especially with lightweight cars).
Turn 11: This final corner is on a slight incline as it leads onto Pit Straight. Moderate braking is needed for this left- hand 135-degree corner.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: OSCHERSLEBEN
This is a primarily flat circuit, so ride height need not be
a problem. However, there are several slow hairpin corners plus plenty of other corners which require moderate braking. The recovery areas around the circuit are not very significant, so it really is best to keep to the pavement at all times.
Pit Straight: This is the longest straightaway at
Oschersleben.
Turn 1: At the end of Pit Straight, this is a semi-gentle left-hand corner. This corner itself does not require braking, but Turn 2 (which follows immediately after the exit of Turn 1) DOES require braking, so it is perhaps best to begin braking just at the entry of Turn 1 at the latest (of course, braking works best in a straight line).
Turn 2: This right-hand 270-degree corner requires moderate
or even severe braking to keep from sliding off the pavement. Once in the corner itself, careful throttle management is required to keep from overspinning the drive wheels and sending the car sliding off the raceway.
Turn 3: After a short straightaway, this is a left-hand
hairpin corner requiring moderate braking. The entire turn
is banked slightly, but it is definitely not enough to help
to 'catch' a car which is carrying too much speed into and through Turn 3.
Turns 4-6: This is a triple-apex left-hand complex with requires increasing braking with each corner.
Turn 7: IMMEDIATELY following Turn 6, this right-hand hairpin requires moderate braking (if the vehicle is not already slowed enough after the triple-apex section) and feather- light acceleration to remain on the pavement.
Turns 8-10: This right-left-right chicane requires increasing braking with each corner. It is possible to completely bypass Turn 9, but this requires running through the kitty litter. Careful acceleration is needed from the apex to the exit of Turn 10.
Turns 11-12: At the end of the second-longest straightaway at Oschersleben is an overglorified right-left chicane. It is important to use light or even moderate braking for Turn 11 to avoid the sand trap. By making judicious use of the rumble strips, drivers can save a few milliseconds of time - and may also even be able to make a pass.
Turn 13: This is a 30-degree right-hand corner which requires light braking.
Turn 14: After a VERY brief straightaway, this final turn is
a right-hand 150-degree turn leading back onto Pit Straight. Pit Entry is to the left just before corner entry.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: OULTON PARK
Overtaking is often difficult at this tight venue. This circuit is also somewhat rough on brakes in long races, in part due to the traffic jams (especially at the first corner at the beginning of a race). The two lengthy straightaways (one with a tight chicane) can be a great place to pass if gearing and downforce are set correctly.
Pit Straight: The Pit Straight here is rather long compared
to most, so powerful acceleration is absolutely necessary.
Turn 1 (Old Hall Corner): This right-hand corner begins a
slow downhill run along The Avenue and Dentons. Slight or moderate braking is required for the corner, put strong acceleration is needed on corner exit.
Turn 2 (Cascades): This tricky left-hand corner requires moderate braking as the pavement leaves the Fosters circuit using this left-hand J-turn. This opens out onto the longest straightaway of the circuit, so hard acceleration is needed here to gain race positions before the next corner.
Straightaway (Lakeside): Named for the lake to the left of
the pavement, strong acceleration is needed here.
Turn 3 (Island Bend): This left-hand corner (more of a fade than a corner) can itself be taken flat-out, but moderate braking is really required due to the hairpin which follows almost immediately.
Turn 4 (Shells Oils Corner): This right-hand hairpin is
rather slow, making this a prime place for passing on braking on corner entry, and for passing on horsepower on corner exit.
Turns 5-7 (Foulstons): This tight left-right-left chicane
truly disrupts any sense of speed, but can be good for
passing on braking FOR EXPERTS ONLY due to the signs blocking
a clear run past the chicane.
Straightaway (Hilltop): This long straightaway is a wonderful place for high-horsepower cars to pass slower traffic, especially if there are multiple cars all trying to draft off each other.
Turn 8 (Knickelbrook): This right-hand corner can be taken at full throttle unless blocked by traffic. A pristine racing line is needed (perhaps with the assistance of the rumble
strips) to keep on the pavement. There is a paved chicane on the inside of Knickelbrook, but it is not used for TOCA racing.
Straightaway (Clay Hill): This long straightaway has a left- hand bend.
Turn 9 (Druids Corner): This right-hand corner will require light braking to keep to the pavement as the car muscles its way along a slow uphill climb.
Turn 10 (Lodge Corner): This right-hand J-turn requires moderate braking on entrance to keep out of the sand and grass. Once safely though Lodge Corner, it is imperative to power hard along Pit Straight to make a few passes. ==============================================
DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: PHILLIP ISLAND
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is host of both V8 Supercars and some of the high-profile international motorcycle series. The circuit combines high speeds with VERY slow hairpin corners, making car set-up a bit more of a compromise than usual in auto racing.
Pit Straight: The final corner is gentle enough that braking should not be necessary, so Pit Straight is FAST.
Turn 1: This gentle right-hand corner may not require any braking at all; however, depending on car set-up, moderate braking may be required. In any event, there is plenty of sand to catch those who miss the braking zone.
Turn 2: This is a long left-hand hairpin corner requiring moderate braking. The speeds here are definitely slow, but not quite as slow as for the other hairpin corners of the circuit.
Turn 3: This is a gentle left-hand corner which should
require light braking at most. However, toward the end of
the corner, it is imperative to begin braking for Turn 4.
Turn 4: The first of the REALLY slow hairpin corners, this right-hand corner requires moderate or even severe braking, depending on if/when braking began in Turn 3 itself.
Turn 5: This is a barely-noticeable kink to the right, but
this is listed as an official corner on the circuit map.
Turn 6: This is another REALLY slow hairpin corner, this time to the left. Moderate or severe braking will be required for Turn 6 as well.
Turn 7: This is a barely-noticeable kink to the left, but
this is listed as an official corner on the circuit map.
Turn 8: Turn 8 is a high-speed sweep to the right, requiring only a light tapping of the brakes if necessary.
Turn 9: Light or moderate braking is needed to keep to the pavement in this sweeping left-hand corner.
Turn 10: This is the final hairpin corner of the circuit, and it is also very SLOW, requiring moderate or (most likely) severe braking on approach.
Turn 11: Coming out of Turn 10, this left-hand corner may require light braking, but throttle management is the true key to remaining on the pavement in Turn 11.
Turn 12: This final corner is a long sweeping left-hand arc back onto Pit Straight; Pit Entry is to the left just before corner entry.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ROCKINGHAM OVAL
'Oval' is really a misnomer in the case of Rockingham Oval. This circuit is essentially shaped like a square with an adjacent triangle attached to its side. If a car is tuned properly, NO braking will be required unless the driver cannot get low enough in a corner and drifts toward the wall. All corners are also banked, although Turn 3 is banked less than the other corners. It may actually be beneficial to simply SLIDE through the corners, depending on car set-up and driver experience.
Turns 1 and 2: These are left-hand perpendicular corners, although the corners themselves are long and semi-gentle. Pit Exit is from the left beyond the exit of Turn 2.
Turn 3: This is a 45-degree corner.
Turn 4: This is a 135-degree corner which is long and semi- gentle. Pit Entry is to the left just before corner entry.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ROCKINGHAM ROAD
This is a 'stadium circuit' (similar to the Indianapolis
Grand Prix circuit used in F1 racing) nestled within the Rockingham Oval circuit. Turn 4 of the Rockingham Oval venue is used, as is the Pit Lane and Pit Exit lane; otherwise, the Rockingham Road circuit makes use of the vast infield area.
Turns 1-3: Just beyond the Start/Finish Line, the Rockingham Road raceway has a left-right chicane off the oval portion and onto the oval's Pit Exit lane; a barrier prevents drivers from simply powering ahead along the oval. Once on the oval's Pit Exit lane, the pavement makes a gentle curve to the left while merging once again with the oval portion of the venue. (Note that the chicane itself can be straightlined, but moderate braking will still definitely be
required.)
Turns 4 and 5: This is a harsh double-apex left-hand hairpin off the oval and onto the infield portion of the circuit. This hairpin corner will require moderate or severe braking.
Turns 6 and 7: After a short straightaway, this is a pair of right-hand perpendicular corners. Moderate braking will again be needed here for each of these corners .
Turns 8 and 9: This is a left-right chicane which requires light or moderate braking, depending on car set-up and traffic conditions.
Turns 10 and 11: Again, this is a set of left-hand perpendicular corners. Moderate braking is required for both, but this section can be treated as a single left-hand hairpin turn.
Turn 12: This left-hand 135-degree corner requires moderate braking to keep on the pavement.
Turn 13: Here is a TRUE hairpin corner to the right,
requiring moderate or severe braking. This is perhaps the
best place to pass via outbraking an opponent.
Turns 14 and 15: This is a pair of left-hand corners. The first of these corners will require moderate braking, but the second corner can be handled nicely at full acceleration.
Turn 16: This is also a true hairpin corner, this time to the left and leading back toward the oval portion of the circuit. Moderate or severe braking will be required here; the handbrake can be used here effectively if carrying too much speed into Turn 16.
Turn 17 (Oval Turn 4): This is the final corner of the oval portion of the circuit. Note that for the Rockingham Road circuit, however, Pit Entry is on the left at the APEX of this corner.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: SANDOWN
This circuit appears easy on the circuit map, but is a very different beast on the pavement; numerous test drives and practice sessions are definitely required to truly come to grips with Sandown.
Turn 1: The initial corner is a left-hand near-perpendicular corner requiring moderate or severe braking after the lengthy Pit Straight. There is fortunately A LOT of recovery room for those who miss the braking zone.
Turns 2 and 3: This is a right-left chicane which should
really require light braking. However, it is quite feasible
to straightline this chicane; those with extensive rally
racing experience will already be quite adept at this tactic.
Turn 4: IMMEDIATELY following Turn 3, this is a NASTY left- hand acute-angle corner which requires moderate or severe braking. Most importantly, the 'recovery area' here is extremely tiny, so missing the braking zone for Turn 4 will definitely result in severe car damage against the barrier on the outside of the corner.
Straightaway: This is the longest straightaway of the
circuit, with a slight fade to the right just shortly beyond Turn 4. The straightaway also crests at its end.
Turns 5-8: This is a left-right-left-left complex which requires harder and harder braking with each corner. The entire complex makes a left-hand 120-degree bend overall, but it is comprised of some rather fast-approaching corners with little recovery room.
Turns 9 and 10: This is a right-left chicane requiring
moderate braking on approach, but powerful acceleration
through Turn 10 and all the way to the end of Pit Straight.
Turn 11: With Pit Entry to the right at corner apex, this is
a gentle left-hand bend onto Pit Straight which can be taken
at full acceleration.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: SEARS POINT
Sears Point Raceway is one of only two road courses used in NASCAR racing. This circuit is also notable in NASCAR due to the need for two Pit Lanes - one on each side of the raceway near the Start/Finish Line. Road course and street course specialists will certainly love Sears Point, even if using a standard NASCAR-spec vehicle :-)
Pit Straight: There really is NO 'Pit Straight' per se, since the main Pit Lane curves around the outside of final corner (a hairpin turn) while the secondary Pit Lane begins to the inside of this hairpin turn. There is a semi-significant bend to the left about halfway between the final corner and Turn 1.
Turn 1: This is a fast left-hand bend taken at full acceleration and beginning an uphill climb.
Turn 2: Shortly after the first corner, this is another left- hand bend which can generally be handled at full acceleration. However, due to Turn 3 which closely follows, it is best to begin braking for the next corner at the apex of Turn 2.
Turn 3: This is a right-hand blind corner due to the
hillside. Those who miss the braking zone and/or forget to turn (the actual corner itself is VERY difficult to spot on
approach) may be able to benefit from the wide paved recovery area. Since the recovery area is paved, it is relatively easy to maintain a moderate level of speed and rejoin the race. However, because the recovery area is paved, it is also quite easy to keep on sliding across the pavement and slam into the barrier.
Turns 4 and 5: This is a left-right section which dips at the entry of Turn 4, crests, then begins a gentle downhill run toward Turn 6. The elevation changes in this section can cause handling problems, especially for lightweight cars.
Turn 6: This is a right-hand right-angle corner around a tire barrier (placed specifically to prevent shortcutting the corner). Those with good drift-racing skills can implement those abilities here (and at Turn 7 as well) to pass one or two cars through the corner (but beware the barrier at the apex). Like Turn 3, Turn 6 has a wide paved recovery area for those who overshoot the braking zone; this recovery area is the largest at Sears Point, so a GREAT amount of effort is required to slide all the way across it and slam into the distant barrier to damage the vehicle.
Turn 7: This is a right-hand 135-degree corner around a tire barrier (placed specifically to prevent shortcutting the corner). Those with good drift-racing skills can implement those abilities here (as at Turn 6) to pass one or two cars through the corner (but beware the barrier at the apex).
Turn 8: Immediately at the exit of Turn 7, this is a quick left-hand bend which can be taken at full acceleration.
Turns 9-14 (S-curves): The raceway keeps switching from left
to right, all the way back to Pit Entry for the primary Pit Lane. The overall trend of the raceway here is a gentle downhill slope, although some corners will require light braking to remain on the pavement.
Turn 15: This is a tight right-hand hairpin corner with some paved swing-out room (but not very much). Pit Entry for the primary Pit Lane is to the left well before this hairpin corner, while Pit Entry for the secondary Pit Lane is to the right on corner exit.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: SILVERSTONE
The Silverstone International circuit shares much of the same pavement as the Grand Prix circuit used for the annual F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain; in fact, the pavement for the two circuits even cross at approximately two-thirds of the way around the International circuit. Once the International circuit leaves the Grand Prix circuit, however, the ensuing S-curves are incredibly tight and tricky, although straightlining by making use of the rumble strips will often help to save time.
Pit Straight: The Start/Finish Line is directly at the beginning of the Pit Straight. There is no room for error on the right side of the track, as the Pit Lane barrier is directly against the pavement.
Turn 1 (Copse): This is a moderate right-hand corner which
can be taken at full speed with a pristine racing line, but
be careful to not run off the course at the exit of the turn. The best racing line is to tightly hug the apex, but the Pit Lane barrier is right there against the pavement, so it is imperative to keep the right side of the vehicle from rubbing the barrier. Copse exits onto a long straightaway.
Straightaway: The Pit Lane rejoins the main course from the right about 1/3 of the way along the straight.
Turns 2-3 (Maggots): This is a left-right S-curve. Turn 2 can be taken at full speed or with very quick tapping of the brakes, but Turn 3 requires moderate braking to keep to the pavement.
Turn 4: This tight right-hand J-curve can easily surprise newcomers to this version of Silverstone; fortunately, there is plenty of sand to the outside of the corner to catch the unwary. With the heavy braking required to safely clear this corner, this is a prime place to pass on braking.
Turn 5-7 (Ireland): This tight set of S-curves can be taken
at full throttle with no traffic by straightlining the
corners using the rumble strips. Otherwise, expect to be frustrated by slow traffic in this tight left-right-left complex. There is a fade to the left on exiting Ireland.
Turn 8: There is a fade to the left immediately before
entering this tight right-hand hairpin, which makes the
hairpin itself much more difficult. Fortunately, pavement
from the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit crosses the International circuit here, so those who go wide on the hairpin can generally make use of the Grand Prix pavement to recover and get back onto the International pavement.
Straightaway (Farm Straight): From the right side, the Grand Prix pavement rejoins the International pavement. Both circuits follow the same pavement for the remainder of the lap. With good acceleration out of the hairpin, good passing opportunities can be made here.
Turns 9-13: This final segment of the circuit is very similar to The Stadium at Hockenheim. However, these similar segments cannot be approached in the same manner.
Turn 9 (Bridge): Immediately after passing underneath the
pedestrian bridge, you will enter a complex similar to The
Stadium at Hokkenheim. This is a right-hand corner which
can likely be taken at full speed.
Turn 10 (Priory): This left-hand corner will require
moderate braking.
Turn 11 (Brooklands): Another left-hand corner, this one
requires heavy braking. There is a small sand trap for
those who miss the braking zone.
Turn 12 (Luffield): This set of right-hand corners
essentially forms a 'U' shape, and requires moderate or
severe braking to avoid sliding off into the kitty litter.
The entry to Pit Lane is on the right shortly leaving
Luffield.
Turn 13 (Woodcote): Barely a corner but more than a fade,
the course eases to the right here. The right-side
barrier begins abruptly here (be careful not to hit it).
Pit Entry: The Pit Lane begins to the right between Luffield and Woodcote. The new Pit Lane has a gentle right-hand swing, so you can come into Pit Lane at top speed and have plenty of room to slow.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: T1 CIRCUIT AIDA
Aida is a fun and fairly quick circuit. There are many high- speed areas, tempered with a few J-turns to slow the cars. Fortunately, there are NO CHICANES at Aida, which is absolutely great for aggressive drivers.
Turn 1: After a moderate-length Pit Straight, Turn 1 is a right-hand J-turn requiring moderate braking and gentle throttle control throughout. While passing on the outside line is indeed possible here, it is not suggested.
Turn 2: Shortly after Turn 1, this is a gentle left-hand
corner which can generally be taken at full acceleration with
a pristine racing line making use of the rumble strips (especially on corner exit)... unless encumbered by traffic.
Straightaway: This 'straightaway' has three fades - left- right-left - which can essentially be straightlined; those with experience in rally racing will already have this essential time-shaving skill in their arsenal of racing tactics.
Turn 3: Immediately after the final fade of the preceding 'straightaway,' the circuit makes a right-hand bend here as the venue makes a slow rise. This corner requires moderate braking. Note that the crest comes after corner exit, so while speed out of the corner is important, it is quite possible that there will be an incident jut over the rise - therefore, drivers must be prepared to quickly take evasive action coming over the crest.
Turn 4: After a second mini-crest comes the right-hand Turn
4. Moderate braking is required here as is a tight racing
line along the apex for this J-turn.
Turns 5 and 6: Almost immediately after Turn 4 comes a pair
of left-hand corners. These are fairly gentle corners requiring only light braking, but the straightaway connecting Turn 5 and Turn 6 is simply too long to permit treating this section like one elongated hairpin corner. Slow cars tend to REALLY slow for the Turns 4-5-6 complex, so powering out of the corners and braking heavily and late entering the corners will help with passing in this section.
Turns 7 and 8: This section begins just beyond the pedestrian bridge over the raceway. This is a set of left-right J- turns, each requiring moderate braking. Again, slow cars tend to be REALLY slow here, so powering out of the corners and braking heavily and late entering the corners will help with passing in this section.
Turns 9 and 10: This is a pair of VERY gentle right-hand corners requiring NO braking whatsoever, so long as the driver can keep a good racing line. These corners essentially form one wide sweeping elongated hairpin turn to the right.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: VALLELUNGA
This Italian venue is primarily a high-speed circuit with semi-gentle curves that require only very light braking, if any braking is required at all. However, on the back side of the circuit, there is a set of hairpin corners which requires moderate or hard braking, thus slowing things down considerably. So long as drivers master this 'additional' section along the back side of the circuit, there should be no problems attaining success at Vallelunga :-)
Turn 1: At the end of Pit Straight, this is a gentle left-
hand bend. There is pavement which continues straight ahead, but this is not used. Little braking is needed here, if any.
Turn 2: Shortly after Turn 1, the raceway makes a gentle right-hand bend. Little braking is needed here, if any.
Turn 3: If any, little braking is needed for this long,
gentle, sweeping right-hand bend.
Turn 4: This is a rather wide hairpin corner to the right, requiring moderate braking on approach and careful throttle management throughout.
Turns 5 and 6: This right-left section should not require any braking whatsoever, except perhaps by the most powerful of cars.
Turn 7: This begins the tricky section of the circuit. This
is a right-hand hairpin corner requiring moderate braking.
Note that there is virtually NO recovery room should a driver miss the braking zone for Turn 7.
Turn 8: After a brief straightaway, this is an even tighter hairpin corner, this time to the left. Severe braking will be needed here, especially since there is NO recovery area to the outside of the corner until corner exit - and this is primarily a steep hillside which risks to cause a vehicle to flip onto its side or roof.
Turns 9 and 10: This left-right section requires light
braking for most cars, or moderate braking by high-power vehicles.
Turn 11: This final corner is a right-hand hairpin requiring light braking. Drivers must avoid shortcutting the corner even by a few centimeters, as a barrier protrudes all the way up to the pavement itself at the apex of this hairpin turn. Note that Pit Entry is to the left (the inside of the corner) just beyond the apex but before corner exit.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: VANCOUVER
Perhaps most popular for the annual CART race (one of three
in Canada - the others being in Toronto and Montreal), this
is a TIGHT street circuit. This means that there are AT MOST two lanes of racing (and passing in most areas is very dicey at best), and that there is NOWHERE to go in case of a mistake or an accident. Due to the barriers, ALL corners are semi-blind.
Turn 1: This is a wide right-hand hairpin corner, with Pit
Exit at the apex. This is actually one of the two best
passing zones at Vancouver, but passing here means keeping a VERY tight line on corner entry and hoping that the brakes do not lock up and cause the vehicle to slide across the pavement and into the outside barrier.
Turn 2: Immediately after Turn 1, this is a left-hand right- angle corner.
Turn 3: After a VERY short straightaway, this is a right-hand right-angle corner onto the long back straightaway.
Straightaway: This is the longest straightaway at Vancouver. Passing here is possible, but definitely still tricky due to the narrow nature of the circuit. The 'straightaway' has a semi-significant bend to the right about 1/3 of the way along its length, but this can be handled at full acceleration (even with side-by-side racing).
Turn 4: This is the other prime passing area, a right-hand right-angle corner. There is some extra room on the inside of the corner, so crossing over the rumble strips can be quite useful for passing.
Turn 5: This is a right-hand hairpin corner, requiring
moderate braking. If there is no traffic here, some good speeds can be carried through Turn 5.
Turns 6-9: This is a left-left-right-left complex which is rather tricky, especially since the raceway narrows between Turns 6 and 7. Harder and harder braking will be required while passing through this section.
Turns 10-12: This final section is the trickiest, both to see and to drive. There is an overhead highway on the left side of the raceway approaching Turn 10; at the TINY break in the wall, the raceway makes a hard left-right-left onto Pit Straight. GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD LEADS TO PIT LANE!!!!! Moderate or even severe braking is required to definitely be able to keep to the pavement without banging any of the barriers here at the tiny opening.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ZANDVOORT
This is one of the trickiest race circuits on the planet.
While not as technical as Monaco, the difficulty level is
still definitely rather high. There are really only two high-speed sections along the entire circuit; the rest of the circuit is filled with twists and turns combined with changes in elevation; for much of the circuit, there is NO room for error, as - similar to a street circuit - the barriers come almost directly up against the raceway itself.
Pit Straight: This is one of only two sustained high-speed sections at Zandvoort. Pit Entry is on the right about 1/3 of the way along Pit Straight; the Pit Entry lane begins just after the exit of Turn 14.
Turn 1: This right-hand hairpin requires moderate or even severe braking to keep out of the vast area of kitty litter on the outside of the corner. Careful throttle management will also be needed throughout the corner once past the apex.
Turn 2: After a quick fade to the left, Turn 2 is a right-
hand corner requiring moderate braking. This enters the main area where there are barriers almost directly against the pavement on both sides, so making any mistakes in this section of the circuit can be extremely costly, creating A LOT of work for the pit crew (and thus longer pit stops).
Turn 3: IMMEDIATELY after Turn 2, this left-hand hairpin
corner requires even more braking. From the apex of Turn 3, the circuit begins a noticeable uphill trajectory, which can make corner exit slightly difficult.
Turns 4-6: The raceway crests at the apex of Turn 4, a gentle right-hand bend, then dips at the apex of Turn 5, a gentle left-hand bend; the raceway then crests again at the apex of Turn 6, another gentle right-hand bend. This is the second high-speed section at Vandvoort. At one point, the right- side barrier does give way, but generally, the barriers are almost directly up against the raceway on both sides.
Turn 7: Moderate or severe braking will be needed for this
long right-hand corner. There is a steeply-banked elongated sand trap on the outside of the corner to help slow runaway vehicles, but it is still possible to slam into the barrier on the other side of the kitty litter; also, should a car slide sideways into the sand, the sudden deceleration rate and the angle of the slope here risks to cause the car to roll onto its side and/or roof.
Turns 8 and 9: The circuit map shows these as two distinct right-hand corners, but it is best to approach these as one 270-degree decreasing-radius corner. Moderate braking is needed entering Turn 8, but the braking pressure must be slowly increased to safely make it to the exit of Turn 9. There is a large sand trap to the outside of this section, but by the exit of Turn 9, the raceway is again bounded VERY closely by barriers.
Turn 10: Moderate braking is required for this left-hand hairpin corner. There is not much recovery room to the outside of Turn 10, then the barriers again closely protect the raceway.
Turns 11 and 12: This is the absolute worst section of the circuit. This is a NASTY right-left chicane: a right-hand perpendicular corner instantly followed by a left-hand hairpin turn around a large sand trap bisected by a barrier. There is NO shortcutting possible here, and those carrying too much speed into this chicane will DEFINITELY destroy the front of the vehicle on the barrier.
Turns 13 and 14: These final two corners again appear as distinct turns on the race map, but should also be treated as one massive hairpin corner. Turn 13 may require light braking by high-power vehicles, but ALL cars should be able to power through Turn 14 at full throttle. This leads onto Pit Straight.
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DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: ZOLDER
This circuit can be fun but tricky, especially in wet racing conditions. It is generally a high-speed circuit, but the chicanes and few tight corners will certainly test a driver's guts.
Turn 1: This left-hand corner will require light braking to remain on the raceway. The outside of the corner begins with a good recovery area, but by corner exit, the outside barrier is almost directly against the pavement. Pit Exit is at corner exit on the right.
Turn 2: Turn 2 is a right-hand hairpin corner with a
decreasing radius. There is some good sand-filled recovery space on the outside of the corner. Light braking will be required initially, but the braking pressure must be slowly increased in order to remain on the circuit itself.
Turn 3: Light braking will be needed with most vehicles to
keep them on the pavement for this right-hand corner. There
is little room for error on either side of the pavement
through Turn 3.
Turns 4-6: On approach, the back side of the paddock area is
to the right of the raceway. Then the circuit makes a left- right-left chicane which requires moderate braking. Turning too soon will be costly, however, as the left-hand barrier does not give way until after the apex of Turn 4. The inside of Turn 5 is filled with sand, so straightlining this chicane may not be very beneficial. Fortunately, the swing rate of the corners is not very great, so turning left just a little bit can allow drivers to make ample use of the inside rumble strip for Turn 5, and then straightline Turn 6; however, if encumbered by traffic, this tactic will likely result in a collision with one or more competitors.
Turn 7: This left-hand bend can be taken at full
acceleration. However, at corner exit, it is best to begin braking for the next corner.
Turns 8-10: This is a rough right-left-right chicane with a much wider swing rate than the former chicane, so straightlining this chicane will never be a viable option. Due to the much greater angle of each corner, moderate or even severe braking will be required to slow enough for safely negotiate Turn 8 and properly set up the approach for Turn 9. Most cars should be able to handle full acceleration from the apex of Turn 9 through Turn 10.
Turn 11: Except for the most powerful of vehicles, this right-hand corner can be taken at full acceleration. There is a nice recovery area to the outside of the corner, however, for those who may need to make use of its services.
Turn 12: This left-hand bend can be handled at full acceleration without problems.
Turns 13-15: Severe braking is required for Turn 13, a right- hand J-turn. Exiting Turn 13 leads into a gentle left-right chicane which can be handled at full acceleration.
Turns 16 and 17: After passing underneath an advertisement comes a 'junction.' Pit Entry is directly ahead, whereas the main circuit makes a left-right chicane. Moderate braking will be needed to slow enough to handle the chicane without getting bogged down in the sand trap. Like the initial chicane of the circuit, the left-side barrier protrudes all the way to the apex of Turn 16, so it is not possible to turn early to have a better racing line. Because of the 'junction' setting here, those going to Pit Lane should remain hard to the right side of the circuit (perhaps even with the right-side tires just slightly OFF the pavement) to allow the best-possible racing line for those remaining on the circuit itself.
CONTACT INFORMATION
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 PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail address.
To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://feathersites.angelcities.com/
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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_ =======================================================================
