Question Time: The Track You Didn't Appreciate Until Driving It In A Sim

[Paul Jeffrey]

For our next question to the community, can you tell us about a track that you didn't appreciate until driving it in a sim..?

This one was submitted by community member @Nick Hill and I think it a very interesting topic. Many of us have our favourites on which to drive and watch motorsport, but has any circuit caught your attention via a simulation, when the real deal left you feeling a little cold towards it?

I'd have to agree with the message from Nick, where he references Silverstone as one such circuit, I too have never been a fan of the real deal, until taking to it virtually in various different games.

So, which one is it for you?

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[Atticvs]

View attachment 302490
For our next question to the community, can you tell us about a track that you didn't appreciate until driving it in a sim..?

This one was submitted by community member @Nick Hill and I think it a very interesting topic. Many of us have our favourites on which to drive and watch motorsport, but has any circuit caught your attention via a simulation, when the real deal left you feeling a little cold towards it?

I'd have to agree with the message from Nick, where he references Silverstone as one such circuit, I too have never been a fan of the real deal, until taking to it virtually in various different games.

So, which one is it for you?

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VIR. I found the layout unassuming at first and didn't really know what to make of its 'mini-Nurburgring' moniker.

Now that I have actually driven it in a proper sim (Automobilista), I do...

The thing that strikes me the most about it is just how little leeway it gives you with your lines (Climbing Esses), shifting points (Turns 3-4-5-6) and even your throttle and brake applications (Hog Pen & Oak Tree, respectively). Get most of these just slightly wrong and you have not only messed up your laptime, but have flown or slid off the track as well.

I rank it as the 4th most difficult circuit in the world after the Nordschleife, Bathurst and Macau.

 

[F_B]

Actually COTA.
I had some races there in Iracing with the LMPs and GTs and especially in the faster cars it is quite interesting and very technical, which I like. Still no competition for classics like Road America, Road Atlanta etc but good nonetheless.

 

[Nick Gregory]

Not really any track in particular, but ovals in general. A lot of people (even here) think that driving on an oval is just turning left 2 times a lap. As Jeff Gordon once said "the corner starts way over there, and finishes way over there". Whether it be stock cars or Indycar, an oval can provide just as much of a challenge as a road course.

 

[Peugeot905]

Not really any track in particular, but ovals in general. A lot of people (even here) think that driving on an oval is just turning left 2 times a lap. As Jeff Gordon once said "the corner starts way over there, and finishes way over there". Whether it be stock cars or Indycar, an oval can provide just as much of a challenge as a road course.

I agree the concept of driving a oval may be easy but can you be faster than everyone else? How can you control the car when the downforce lower and lower. In oval racing there are also less ways for you to gain time over the opponent.

 

[Matthias]

Hungaroring

 

[flykas]

Actually I did not appreciate any track until I drove it in a sim. And the first track that I really liked was Nurburgring

 

[Ruy Horta]

Laguna Seca.

 

[MCTomyum]

Shanghai International Circuit for sure. Absolutely hated it until I drove it in AC.

 

[kedy89]

Slovakiaring

 

[bertiesparty]

Okay, obviously if you're able to drive a track in real life then you can skip over the sim part, but I think the sort of tracks which one is likely to appreciate as a spectator and as a driver aren't necessarily the same.

I think Silverstone is great as a spectator, hate driving it in sims. In contrast plenty of tracks produce pretty boring racing but are great fun to drive.

Overall though Bathurst. Forrest's Elbow has to be the single most on edge, challenging braking zone of any corner on any circuit I've ever encountered, and the rest of the run downhill doesn't come far behind.

 

[Ghoults]

I think this goes both ways. Some tracks are much more fun that you'd assume while others are a bit let down despite their good reputation.

I think vir is good example of something being better that you thought. I don't think even knew about the track before iracing. Very fun track with all kinds of corners. It is not a track like lime rock park where on every corner you are right on the edge of destruction but it still has couple of corners where the risk versus reward is very high. Other track that I really really like in sims despite it being labelled absolutely attrocious is indy road course. Those first corners are very very nice to drive in just about anything and the mickey mouse section in the middle only feels unnecessary slow in f1 car. The new last corner section is fine as well. A really enjoyable track and I think f1 really hurt its reputation.

Another track that really surprised me positively is the old imola with its additional chicanes. Those are surprisingly fun imo. I thought I'd hate the track but gave it a go anyways. Screaming through the tamburello going flatout into tosa and then through the acque minerali is just great imo. Variante alta is just awful though. But the last corners are pretty fun too and the track as a whole is more than sum of its parts.

Thruxton is surprisingly fun track as well. Despite being really fast it doesn't really have any straights. You are constantly turning right most of the time. It is much more fun track to drive than you'd assume. The high speed and the precision and the line you need present a very fun challenge imho. I have never raced this in a sim I think but I'd imagine it is pretty scary in fast cars. As for british tracks I kind like the new silverstone too. And just about all the south american tracks in automobilista were positive surprises.

As for disappointments daytona road course is pretty obvious. Just hairpins and chicanes. I kind of had a slightly positive picture in my mind about as I read some old sportscar articles. Barber is another surprising let down for me. It just feels like you never really get up to speed. Everytime you even touch the loud pedal there is a hard braking zone waiting for you followed by off camber tightening corner with finicky late apex. Cota is another obvious one. Those slightly tightening fast corners are mostly just annoying. And I like corners that tighten up. But the cota ones just feel like they squeeze you on corner exit. Also not fan of laguna seca. At one point it was my #1 track I wanted to drive in a sim. The older version of the track without the twisty bits in the beginning of the lap is pretty good but the modern one feels castrated somehow.

 

[decapnz]

I didn't realise how vast Silverstone was until VR

 

[sPACEje]

Circuit Paul Ricard, my local track, it's so challenging and all based on momemtum. Though it was a boring track by it's design, not at all.

 

[Max Melamed]

Just a recent discovery in ACC - Misano. It turns out I actually really like the layout. It appears that there is an overtaking oportunity every 2 secons. Very great track with challenging corners.

 

[o Tiger Feet o]

Probably Daytona '24 hour road course' & Long Beach for me.

 

[Steve Worrell]

I have a new found appreciation of Herman Tilker tracks since driving F1 2018 (my first try at the f1 series of games).

In particular Bahrain and Russia. Other notable tracks include:
Road Atlanta
Turkey
Lime rock (both chicanes)
Most American tracks actually

 

[F_B]

I have a new found appreciation of Herman Tilker tracks since driving F1 2018 (my first try at the f1 series of games).

In particular Bahrain and Russia. Other notable tracks include:
Road Atlanta
Turkey
Lime rock (both chicanes)
Most American tracks actually

Bahrain, yes. I really dig that circuit.

 

[Caleb Lee]

To be real, Bathurst. I've watched it many times, and I mean, I knew its reputation and anyone with eyes can see that it's difficult. When I set out to learn the track, I knew it was going to be "hard." Boy was I wrong! It was near impossible, and I had some of the most fun I've ever had in a sim laughing at my fails through the second sector, and misjudging braking coming down the hill (note: doing this will put you deep in the sandtrap if not worse). After complete and utter failure, the satisfaction of nailing an apex and mastering the art of braking on this track was unrivaled in all of my sim racing experiences. Appreciate doesn't even cover how much I love driving that track.

 

[Papifix]

for me clearly Suzuka, no lap is equal by the curve combinations