Tsukuba Circuit

Tsukuba Circuit packs so much track in its 1.287-mile space. This track debuted in Gran Turismo 4, and you can race its motorcycle layout in Tourist Trophy. You can find Tsukuba in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan; not too far north of Tokyo. This blog post offers a look at Tsukuba from the realm of Gran Turismo.

Can you believe this is my first blog post about any Gran Turismo track in over three years?

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Tsukuba Circuit

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^ from: greasyblocks.com, by way of photobucket.com - Tsukuba Circuit and its almost 1.3-mile layout.

I blogged about this track in my main blog, "John's Blog Space." So the following advice applies to the in-game version as well. Read the old post of mine here: "Tsukuba Circuit" - John's Blog Space.

With all due respect, Tsukuba Circuit proves that you don't have to be some 12+ mile course to be an ultimate proving ground. Tsukuba is an intense proving ground despite its 1.287-mile length.

All of Tsukuba is really tough. The very first corner is absolutely one you must get right because it can set the tone for the rest of the lap. The two hairpins are both intense. The sharp corner leading to the Dunlop Bridge. is pretty sharp as well. Make sure to keep your racing machine stable after passing the Dunlop Bridge leading to the much sharper second hairpin. The outer portions of the track are high speed. That high speed, however, requires some braking on the very long final corner. Very fast cars can clear this course easily in less than a minute.

The motorcycle variation is a chicane that comes up as you cross under the Dunlop Bridge. That configuration extends the 1.271-mile length to 1.287 miles (2.070 km). This chicane is about as sharp as almost as blind as the chicane after the high-speed backstretch at Fuji Speedway (since its 2005 renovation).

Strategy.

You may want to tune for acceleration since this track is so short. Find a good handling balance for this course. Tsukuba has a little of everything turn-wise. You want something capable enough to take on the hairpins, but also something that doesn't snap on you with the sweeping long final corner.

On the motorcycle front, most of the same strategies apply. This track is infamous for its difficult Yamaha TS250 event in Tourist Trophy to try to unlock it. I will leave it up to you to try to clear that challenge in Tourist Trophy on this track.

Video Preview.

Here is a look at the course from Gran Turismo SPORT:


^ "Gran Turismo Sport Onboard: Mercedes AMG GT3 - Tsukuba Circuit


There you go. Enjoy Tsukuba!





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Circuito de la Sierra

At 16.78 miles (27 km), Circuito de la Sierra is the longest original course based on a real-world location in Gran Turismo history. It isn't the longest original course, however; that honor goes to the 18.82 mile (30.283 km) Special Stage Route X. Circuito de la Sierra is a trip around the Spanish countryside of Andalusia whose length surpasses the 15.76-mile (25.36 km) Nürburgring 24H course by a full mile. The Spanish countryside is the vista as you take your favorite cars in Gran Turismo 6 to take on the many twists and turns of this intense course. This blog post takes a look at this fine Spanish course in Gran Turismo 6.

--- Circuito de la Sierra ---

While it is not the first original course to go longer than 10 miles, it is one of the more challenging courses for its many twists and turns. You can practice and learn this massive course by taking part in the Sierra Time Rally. Learn the course in a piece-by-piece manner. Or if you so incline, try out the full-length challenge with a car given to you. No matter what, this is an entertaining country road course.

Video Preview.

Here is a preview of this course from my friends over on GTPlanet. It is also a sample of the Sierra Time Rally:


^ Gran Turismo 6: Sierra Time Rally HD Gameplay

In the future, I may highlight on the Sierra Time Rally. For now, this post is just a casual look at Circuito de la Sierra. The only advice I would offer is for you to always be attentive and alert for quick bends and undulations in the road to smoothly race this course. Considering the road undulates a lot here, it's obvious you will need a good suspension and handling setup to take on these roads.

I personally like this track. It is a very fun country road race. It can be great for casual drives or having your own country road rallies kind of like the Targa Florio or the Mille Miglia. This is a very long course that is quite fun to race to me. I could never enjoy racing the Nürburgring courses that use the 12+ mile Nordschleife. And normally, I am not into stupidly long courses. However, Circuito de la Sierra hits in a special way to me. Be sure to enjoy taking on every bit of Circuito de la Sierra.





That's it for this blog post. And again, I may discuss the Sierra Time Rally in a future blog post here on "John's Race Space." I hope you enjoy racing this course and the challenges to Circuito de la Sierra. Thank you so much for reading! Take care and be well.

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Deep Forest Raceway's Inspiration?

On GTPlanet, I read an article noting that Deep Forest Raceway could have been inspired by a discontinued race track in Iowa called Greenwood Roadway. At least the layout to Deep Forest Raceway is inspired by this Iowa course.

This blog post is based on this article on GTPlanet. I suggest you read it to get an idea of what I am about to comment on:

Was Gran Turismo’s “Deep Forest Raceway” Inspired by This Abandoned Circuit in Iowa?

You know, I find it absolutely surreal that PD would even have such knowledge of a course like this in creating their Deep Forest Raceway. We all know that High Speed Ring is VERY inspired by Fuji International Speedway, so it's interesting seeing another course provide inspiration to make one of Gran Turismo's original courses. I would be very interested as to how PD was aware of a course like this for inspiration for Deep Forest Raceway. Was Greenwood Roadway track THAT important and special in helping create Deep Forest?

It leaves a lot to speculate and wonder. However, it is incredible to know that even extremely rare courses can inspire even some of the most interesting tracks for a racing game. I personally think Deep Forest should return to being a track raced at sunset (or even at night with fog lights!) and be a real forest again. Otherwise, I still think Deep Forest is one of the most formidable racing tracks in all of Gran Turismo.

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Ice Arena

The Ice Arena in GT4 is a simplistic race course at 0.64 miles (1.03 kilometers) in length. You can think of this as a course to practice racing on snow/ice. Gran Turismo 4 debuted snow and ice racing. While Ice Arena is nothing exciting, it is still a more than decent challenge to any rally racer in GT. Most people will probably agree that this course is MUCH easier among snow/ice courses than Chamonix in GT4. This post takes a look at the Ice Arena.

--- Ice Arena ---

Ice Arena is one of only two snow/ice courses in Gran Turismo 4. This course is a fairly basic course allowing you to get a feel for racing on icy/snowy roads. None of the corners are terribly difficult as you take on this course. Only thing you have to have are Snow Tires to race this course. Use Ice Arena to practice your snow racing skills because you'll need them for races at Ice Arena as well as at Chamonix.

One-Lap Description.

You begin on a sweeping long right straight. A fairly high snow bank is inside to your left along with a high snow bank on your right. Try to get a good slide into this corner as its radius expands as you go throught it. Get ready to take on a sharp right followed by a fairly sharp left. Then, get ready for the right-hand sweeper that leads into the first of two straight hairpins. The first on is a sharp left hairpin that has to be taken very carefully. After a brief straight, take on the right-hand hairpin with about a similar radius as the other hairpin. What follows is a sharp left-hand corner. While it is sharp, the road is fairly wide, so you can slide nicely without having to worry about not being able to cleanly escape this corner. A long and sweeping left follows. The final two corners leading to the Start/Finish line consist of a sharp right and a not-so-sharp left. Clear this section, and you'll be more than set to take on another lap around Ice Arena.

Video Lap.

Here is a lap around Ice Arena:


^ "Mr P WRS 111 @ Ice Arena"

Now that you've seen the course and read the post, go get sideways around Ice Arena!





This has been another JGTS post regarding a track in a Gran Turismo. Thank you for reading!

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Circuit de la Sarthe

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the world's greatest races. The action all takes place at the 8.47-mile (13.63-kilometer) Circuit de la Sarthe, which is 1/8 Bugatti Circuit and 7/8 public roads. This semi-permanent course has been raced on since 1923 with many world-class manufacturers and racing constructors winning overall and in class. This blog post is a unique look at this historic racing venue in the Gran Turismo realm.

--- Circuit de la Sarthe ---

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a race you likely won't start in unless you have a great racing resume and loads of talent. So like many other things, you'll have to settle for the virtual realm. There have been lots of "LM Race Cars" in Gran Turismo history. Now imagine being able to put those "LM Race Cars" to the test at the track they are named for- Circuit de la Sarthe and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Circuit de la Sarthe is a very long course that will test the limits of just about every aspect of you and your car. The course comes in two varieties- with and without the chicanes. The proper Circuit de la Sarthe features two chicanes to break up those long blasts down the Hunaudieres (commonly called the Mulsanne Straight). The old Circuit de la Sarthe does not have the chicanes, allowing your car to reach top speed. Most of the course is top speed; the rest is a grinding challenge with a number of tricky and decisive corners. This course is offered in Gran Turismo 5 with the same two versions, but it also includes the old Circuit de la Sarthe carried over from Gran Turismo 4 (Circuit de la Sarthe 2005). Feeling nostalgic? Take on this course without the two chicanes. Since the Circuit de la Sarthe circuit could be run in darkness and with rain, you need to be very careful racing this course at night. It can be tough to see through the darkness while at speed.

One-Lap Description.

NOTE: This description mostly pertains to the main course (Circuit de la Sarthe 2009).

Your journey around Circuit de la Sarthe begins on the front straight of the Bugatti Circuit. The road ahead goes uphill with a long right-hand corner. Atop this section lies the first major hurdle you must clear- the Dunlop Chicane. Brake hard enough to properly take on the left-right chicane as you go under the Dunlop Bridge. The road now snakes right and left as you leave the roads of the Bugatti Circuit and make your way onto the country roads of Le Mans. As you cross under the Pays de la Loire overhang, Tertre Rouge- a sharp right-hand kink- awaits you. Take it just right, and you will have set yourself up properly for the Hunaudieres. Take it wrong, and you'll lose a great deal of speed. Only one way to go after Tertre Rouge- flat out! Go full speed down the Hunaudieres as your car will take a beating from the bumpy road (these are public roads when it isn't 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend). The first of the two chicanes is a right-hand chicane. When you start to notice a few buildings to your left and see the 200 sign marker, that is your cue to brake hard as you negotiate the first of two chicanes. Get a good run out of that chicane to set yourself up for the second straight. The second chicane (to me) is a bit harder because you don't have a very good reference point as to when to brake. So you'll have to use your judgment to find the best braking point. And, oh yeah- brake hard. After the second chicane is the road slowly progressing to the right. When you note a sharp kink to the right, make that your brake point so you can properly take on the very sharp Mulsanne Kink afterwards. Now begins the real driver's part of Circuit de la Sarthe- the second half of the course. Up next lies the road that leads to Indianapolis and Arnage. The road after the Mulsanne Kink has a few kinks to the right. All of the kinks can be taken at full speed except for the one that leads to Indianapolis. Then when Indianapolis comes, slam on the brakes and make sure not to fly off the course upon exit. In case you're wondering, the corner is called Indianapolis because it is banked like the corners at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After a brief straight, slam onto the brakes harder for Arnage. Be extremely careful not to go into the outside wall or get a poor exit out of this section. Up next is the road going to the Porsche Curves. Go full speed until you actually reach the Porsche Curves themselves. The first of the Porsche Curves goes a bit uphill and to the right. Up next is Maison Blanche- two smooth left corners follow along with a very long sweeping right. That sweeping right then flows into a shorter radius left-hand sweeper. A brief straight is followed by a high-speed right-left chicane. As you blast down the straight, you can enter the pits to your right, or you can take on the Ford Chicane. The final two chicanes are both left-right chicanes. The first one is a bit sharp, and the second one is even sharper. Both require hard braking. Go full speed to the Start/Finish line to start another wicked lap around this awesome circuit.

If you are racing the non-chicane version of Circuit de la Sarthe, then just go full speed between Tertre Rouge and the Mulsanne Kink.

Video Lap.

This lap video showcases this fantastic voyage around this awesome French circuit. This is from a good friend of mine online, so I'm pleased to show this one:


^ "GT5 Hot Lap: Peugeot 908 at Circuit De La Sarthe"

Are you ready to take on Circuit de la Sarthe?





Thank you for reading! Have a happy journey around Circuit de la Sarthe!

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Complex String

Complex String is 40 turns and 6.981 miles (11.235 kilometers) of madness. This original racing track will push you and your car to the limit with its various corners and sections. Most of your time here will be spent from the GT3 license tests. You also use this as a test track and as a Time Trial course in GT3 from GT3's Arcade Mode. The most important thing to remember about Complex String is that while it is not a proper race track, it is a very good test track. The blog post you are about to read is my look at Complex String.

--- Complex String ---

Complex String is practical in that it has a pit lane. It is impractical, however, in that this track is more of a test track than a proper racing facility. There are also no grandstands. Laps will be long since this track is long with so many corners. Expect lap times around 5:00.000 to 5:30.000 times in the faster cars. A formula car would lap this course in the 4:40.000 to 4:50.000 range. No matter what you bring here, you will be using this track to test your car's speed and handling capabilities. You also will be using this track to hone your racing skills. So do not overlook this track for testing purposes.

Track Description.

This track can be broken down into five key segments. Let me do so:

• straight and hairpin - front straight with a sharp hairpin.
• chicane alley - slalom-like section.
• right angle row - multiple 90° corners.
• "The Snake" - increasing and decreasing radius corners in succession.
• Corkscrew Lane - chicane section on undulating roads.

When you start a lap at Complex String, your car will quickly climb up to or near its top speed. You then will need to slow it all the way down approaching the hairpin. The next part of the course is a series of chicanes. You practiced this section previously in GT3's license tests. This section is more like a high-speed slalom. Try to find an even balance of speed and handling while not overstepping either boundary. After a quick left-hand corner, a series of right-angle turns follow. Most critical in this stretch of corners is to try to find the quickest line around some gut-wrenching corners. This part of Complex String can be great for practicing dealing with sharp corners on city/street courses. A sharp right that increases in radius upon exit follows after the series of right angle corners. After that is The Snake. This part of the track will drive you nuts as the radius of each corner increases and decreases all the way around. The radii grows greater as you progress through this section. The radii shrinks as you race this course in reverse. The final critical section includes a series of undulating corners. Here, the road goes uphill and downhill, and the corners are almost completely blind. You will need to practice hitting the apexes and driving a consistent line all around. A very sharp left hairpin follows and leads to a brief straight. This brief straight leads to a left-hand kink and two sharp rights in succession. Floor the gas until you meet the sharp right-left chicane. Finally, a very long double-apex right-hand corner leads onto the Start/Finish straight. Continue the madness with another lap around Complex String after crossing the line.

Video Preview.

This almost seven-mile purgatory is showcased in this video lap:


^ "Gran Turismo 3 - Complex String Lap "

Complex String is perhaps the best track in GT3 to test every performance category of your car.





You have now reached the end of another blog post on "John's Gran Turismo Space." Thank you for reading!

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Special Stage Route 7

Special Stage Route 7 is a high-speed battleground sure to please fans of highway battle. It was basically designed with that driving in mind. This course is not practical at all as there is no pit lane. It is 14.47 miles (approx. 23.29 km) long with 20 corners. Drag racing is often done here on some of the long straights of this course, usually where some of the long tunnels open up. Also, this is a course that can be run in dry weather or in wet weather. This post on John's Gran Turismo Space is a look at Special Stage Route 7.

--- Special Stage Route 7 ---

Special Stage Route 7 was one of the first original courses as Gran Turismo 5 was unveiled proper. The layout looks like a point-to-point course, but it is really an extremely long course. Laps here in the fastest cars will take anywhere between 5:15.000 and 5:30.000 to complete one lap around this course. You can easily earn the PSN Trophy for "111 Meters a Second" with (a certain car in stock trim) just by racing this course. With the Test Course not a part of Gran Turismo 5's track lineup, this track seems like the "replacement" of Test Course since it is so long and high-speed. The time around this course is told to be 2:10 AM. So you basically have this course to yourself in the early morning hours! As for setting your car up, this is where those high-end horsepower upgrades really come into play. Tune your car for a high-speed setup because you'll need it if you want to clear this course quickly. However, you need to have a good handling setup for those few occasions where you'll have to limit your speed and take on some tricky corners.

Your car WILL reach its top speed as you drive around this course. While this is a high-speed course, you still need to do a substantial amount of braking. Bear in mind that this course has about two hairpin corners. It can be very easy to go very wide in these corners after having your high-speed romp around the course. The first hairpin is especially difficult and may well be the most difficult corner on the track. It comes after you have to brake hard to negotiate a hard left-hand corner that goes a bit uphill. The second hairpin at the other end of the track is more like a roundabout than a razor-thin hairpin. If racing the wet version of this course, you will need to brake earlier since your tires don't have as much traction on wet roads as opposed to racing on dry roads.

When racing SSR7, the important thing to remember is to use drafting techniques at speed. Make the most of your passing opportunities when in the tunnels. The amount of turbulence at speed is much less in the tunnels compared to out in the open air. Smooth steering is another high-speed racing technique you must practice. Use smooth steering to cut down on wind resistance as you are racing at speed. Only a few corners require heavy braking, and you only need to use heavy braking in the vicinity of the two hairpins at either end of the course.

Video Preview.

Special Stage Route 7 can be seen below. Click on the link below this video to see it on YouTube (if you are unable to view Flash media). This drive was put on the Wet version of Special Stage Route 7:


^ "Gran Turismo 5 - Special Stage Route 7 (onboard; Calsonic Impul GT-R; no driving aids)"

Enjoy your time around Special Stage Route 7!





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Toscana

Toscana holds a place in Gran Turismo history as being the first track to feature realistic time cycles. It was at E3 2010 when the Italian countryside course featured these time cycles. Late afternoon became a starry night with the track shrouded in darkness. As for the track itself, get ready for an off-road challenge sure to throw you for a loop. When I usually think of Toscana, I usually think of Tuscany- home base to one of Olive Garden's culinary schools. But in the Gran Turismo realm, don't even think about Olive Garden here because you're going to be racing in Toscana rather than enjoy Olive Garden's delicious food. This blog post is all about Toscana.

PLEASE NOTE:
The blog post here is about the Toscana rally course and not any of the generated Toscana courses.

--- Toscana ---

At 2.12 miles (3.41 km) long and with 15 corners, Toscana is an imposing dirt circuit. It features a vast variety of corners ranging from sweeping long corners to tight and technical sections. There are a handful of elevation changes to keep navigating the track interesting. Do not be surprised if you spend most of your time on the outer edges of the track trying to keep your car stable in the corners. The time cycle at Toscana is beautiful in going from afternoon to evening to night. At night, be especially careful navigating this course. I would recommend you not race in Cockpit view in better seeing through the darkness. I especially would not recommend this view for cars that have cockpit views that obstruct the view above you (example: the Citroen C4 WRC in cockpit view).

It is tough to find speed early on in your lap around Toscana. You begin a normal direction lap with a quick chicane that leads to a sweeping right. That sweeping right leads to a sharp left. You must then try to build up enough speed to be able to slide effectively through an increasing radius right. That very long right goes uphill as you enter this zone. At the highest radius of this sweeping right, the radius decreases rapidly and goes downhill. The next section is a "W" like section. The first is a sharp left that leads to a smooth right-hand kink. That right-hand kink eventually leads to a somewhat sharp left. After clearing this sharp left, get ready to meet Toscana's super-sharp hairpin after a brief straight. Get full power out of the hairpin and set yourself up for a brief straight followed by a smooth kink to the left. A rather sharp left follows, and it is attached to a very sharp right-hand corner. Clear that section to make your run down the backstretch. A sweeping left-hand corner awaits you at the end of the backstretch. A long right follows after that. When you clear the long right, a sharp right-hand corner follows. A smooth right-left chicane leads to the finish line.

Lap times at or under 2:00.000 can be expected in some of the faster cars.

Video Preview.

This was the best one-lap video I could find that showcases the full course. This is more of a race than a lap completely run by just one driver. Still, you will get an idea as to what the course looks like:


^ "GT5 - 1 Lap (HD) - Toscana"

Do your best around this course!





That's all, folks! Thank you for reading!

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London

In light of the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games, I figured I would blog to my Gran Turismo fans about London. This is the first-ever real British venue of any kind in Gran Turismo history. This compact 1.19-mile (1.92-kilometer) course debuted in "Gran Turismo 5: Prologue" and is a decent challenge for any GT gamer. How about we take a look at this course in this fabulous city? Welcome [back(?)] to "John's Gran Turismo Space!"

--- London ---

The streets of London are for you to race on in Gran Turismo 5. Being so compact in length, there are not many opportunities to enjoy full-speed racing or not many places to go crazy drifting. What you WILL get is quite a workout on a mostly narrow course. Courses that are so short means that you will need to make your passes and your moves in a short amount of time to have a chance to win. The fastest of cars will be able to quickly breeze through this course. A course like this would suit mostly peppy compacts, touring cars, and low-level GT-spec cars.

One-Lap Description.

London begins abruptly. Maybe not as abrupt as Tokyo R246, but worse (in my opinion). You are blasting down the front stretch on A401 or Shaftesbury Avenue in London as you approach the abrupt hairpin. The very first corner is a super-tight right-hand hairpin. The following road features a very long right-left chicane followed by a somewhat sharp right-hand kink. A moderately sharp and long right-hand corner follows as Trafalgar Square is to your right. After that is a brief straight that follows into a tight right-left-right complex. If you are a drifter, this is a great complex of corners to get sideways with your car. The first right is really just a sharp kink with the Sandwich Centre to your left, and the next two corners are tight 90° corners- a 90° left followed by a 90° right. Blast down Regent Street to prepare to take on the final set of corners. The final corner has two parts to it- the corner itself, followed by a quick and tight left-right chicane. Take this final section just right, then set up a proper racing line so you can negotiate the quick chicane that follows. All that remains is a road that bends to the right leading to the Start/Finish line.

Video Lap.

Gain some video perspective of racing London by looking at this video (click on the link if you are unable to view Flash):


^ "Lap of London in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue"


Now you have some ideas and perspectives about racing London.





London has become one of my favorite cities in the world recently. I usually liked New York City, Paris, and Tokyo; but London is becoming one of my newer favorite cities in the world. Salute to any of you all from London who may be reading this post. Thank you for reading!

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Circuito di Roma

The city of Rome returns for Gran Turismo 5, but in a new form. This 2.16-mile (3.48-kilometer) new Rome Circuit features some more narrow roads and some more elevation changes than the previous Rome Circuit from GT2 and GT3. Get ready for an experience different from the Rome Circuit you may have raced previously. This blog post highlights on what I like to call Neo-Rome (or Nuovo Rome).

--- Rome Circuit (GT5 Version) ---

The Rome Circuit in GT5 (which I call Neo-Rome) takes on a different character than the classic Rome course. Whereas the old Rome Circuit was a technical course worthy of Grand Prix motor racing, GT5's Rome Circuit features more elevation changes and tighter corners than the original course. You are actually racing parts of the classic Rome Circuit when you race in the Normal direction. You still race around the famed Roman Colosseum. What makes this course drastically different from the original Rome Circuit is that GT5's Rome Circuit is more narrow than the classic course. It also boasts more technical corners as well as much more blind sections than the Rome in GT2 and GT3. When you race this track in the Reverse direction, the backstretch leading to the Colosseum is really reminiscent of the trail around the classic Rome Circuit.

According to the Gran Turismo Wikia page, GT5's Rome Circuit utilizes both the classic Rome Circuit (Start/Finish to Turn 4) and the Rome-Night course (Turns 5 through 9) from Gran Turismo 2. Personally, I prefer the classic Rome Circuit. It has more character and is tougher (not to say GT5's Rome is easy by any stretch).

One-Lap Description.

Now a one-lap description. The Colosseum is to your right as you go down the front stretch. You head into a smooth left-right chicane. Halfway through this chicane, prepare to brake hard to set yourself up for two right-hand corners. Actually, this section is more like one very long double apex corner. The proper exit will set you up to go downhill into a fast left-hander. At this section, you'll be going to the far outside as you bank your way inside. What follows is a very sharp right-hand corner. Heavy braking is required to prevent your car from kissing the wall head-on. You'll need to release the brakes briefly before braking moderately mid-turn. A proper exit gives you the best chance to power out of that sharp corner to go full speed down the backstretch. This is the same backstretch in the road leading up to the Colosseum of the classic Rome Circuit. The road ahead will slightly bank to the right and go downhill. As you head downhill, this gives you the best chance to use your car's momentum to properly attack the trickiest corner on the track. A blind left-right chicane with a very sharp right turn follows as you head downhill. Brake hard through the chicane and power out of the corner through the sharp right-hand corner. What follows is a smooth right-hand corner that goes progressively uphill. Before a left-hand corner follows, some moderate braking is needed to keep the car stable. That left-hand corner follows a downhill progression followed by another double apex right-hand corner. Try to keep the car from overstepping the curbing and the white lines on the outside as you navigate this section. Should you survive this, all that remains is a full-throttle run to the Start/Finish line.

Considering the abruptness of the corners and the elevation changes throughout, this is a track that favors a good suspension setup. A setup that allows for efficient use of the tires and suspension. I think a balanced setup for transmission is more than appropriate here. Acceleration is a big key in speed, but this track doesn't require a setting like (for example) Cote d'Azur, where you have stop-and-go driving all the way around. So I would consider a setup that allows for good handling, a smooth ride around the various elevation changes, and with a transmission setup that allows you to properly power through some of the low-speed corners.

Video Lap.

Here is a video lap around GT5's Rome Circuit:


^ "Gran Turismo 5 - Audi R8 5.2 FSI Chrome Line on Rome"

I still think there should be two Rome Circuits in GT5- this one and the classic course. The chances we'll see the classic Rome Circuit is pretty unlikely, but wouldn't you love to see it make a come back?





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Rome-Night

Rome-Night in Gran Turismo 2 is the ultimate example of a perfectly fine track not being utilized. In no way is this track sacred. Its problem lies in just not being utilized in GT2. You know you have to use this course in a Gran Turismo 2 Super License test. Other than that, there are very little ways this track is utilized in-game. So get ready to read this post about this under-utilized course.

--- Rome-Night ---

^ Rome-Night is one of the most seldom-used race tracks in Gran Turismo history. Because you don't use this track consistently, it is perfectly fine not to know the first thing about tackling this track.

For reasons I am unsure of, this course is seldom utilized in Gran Turismo 2. I thought the point of including certain tracks was for them to be utilized and raced on competitively. You could argue about Motor Sport Land not being used much for anything. However, nothing about Rome-Night suggests this course is sacred or special.

One-Lap Description.

Your tour of Rome-Night begins on the front straight with a river to your left. Two smooth right corners await you as you enter the city after going below a bridge. Keep to the inside through this section. After going under another bridge, a sharp left kink awaits you. That's followed by another left kink and then a right-hand kink. A brief straight follows into a somewhat sharp right-hand kink. After this final kink, a long and smooth right-hand corner leads to the backstretch. As you go down the backstretch, there is an uphill progression. Be ready to start braking hard as the cross under the Texaco sign at the top of the hill. This is because the road goes downhill into a sharp right-left complex. Brake somewhat hard at the sharp right-hand kink to set yourself up for the sharp left-hand kink that follows. Go too far inside the left-hand kink, and your car will tag the inside barrier hard. So be careful here! A series of three right-hand corners await you next. The first of these three rights is the sharpest. The other two just require minimal braking while establishing a solid racing line. You're going uphill again as you head into a blind, yet smooth left-hand corner. A trip downhill leads to an uphill right-hand corner. You start to go uphill as the road smoothly shifts to the right. Then as you head beyond the crest of the hill, a left-hand hairpin awaits. Heavy braking is required here. Try to go far inside while staying in-bounds. Graze some curbing on the inside if you can. The road after the hairpin shifts to the right and is followed by a left-hand corner that requires some moderate braking. Be careful trying not to tag the outside wall as you try to clear this corner. A fairly long straight leads to the entrance to Pit Road and the final two corners- both right-hand corners. The first one could be taken without lifting off the throttle. You may enter the pits after this smooth right, or you could take on the final corner. You'd better brake hard in the final corner because it comes up incredibly sharp. Floor the gas as you exit the final corner to complete one lap of Rome-Night.

Video Lap.

Here is one video lap of this course I just described:


^ "Thurzo_FTO LM Race Car @Rome Night"

--- Commentary on Rome-Night ---

(taken from a "John's Blog Space" entry)

This is one of the most underutilized tracks in Gran Turismo history simply because a perfectly-fine track simply isn't being used much. When you put a track in a racing game, you expect to be able to utilize that course fully (or at least to a great degree). Gran Turismo 2 did very little with the exception of using this in a license test. And it isn't like this course is Circuit de la Sarthe or Indianapolis. It's a city street course that looks perfectly fine as a racing venue. Trouble is, it was never used or utilized in a favorable manner. It's actually quite depressing considering this is a perfectly fine and pretty challenging race course. It was just never utilized to where it can be respected. Hell, even Rome's SHORT course got more attention than Rome-Night. It makes you wonder, why would Polyphony Digital include a perfectly-fine racing course, but not put a series of races together to race this course? It's a shortcoming that I'm sure PD has learned in putting tracks in games.

If you're going to have a track in the game, make sure to utilize it fully. Gran Turismo 2 has too many shortcomings that really make it my least favorite of the GT games. People are likely going to disagree with me all because I didn't praise GT2 well enough. Fact is- too much failed execution to really make me love this game more than Gran Turismo 1. I even went back and enjoyed GT1 even while GT2 could have been MUCH better. I'm saying all of this as a Gran Turismo fan. I'm not some Microsoft "fanboy" who works for Microsoft hating on Gran Turismo any chance I get.

If you're going to market a game with a series of tracks, make sure to utilze all of them and give them the loving attention they deserve. Not utilizing Rome-Night is like not giving a plant abundant sunshine or water. You know what happens when plants lack sunshine or water? They die, and Rome-Night is just that dead plant in the pot. And it isn't likely any water or sunshine will revive this dead plant of a track for the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. So enjoy this track while it remotely lasts in Gran Turismo history...





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Motor Sports Land

Motor Sports Land in Gran Turismo 2 is a small course that is like an Easter Egg. It is a great track for low-horsepower cars as well as a nice drift track for more powerful cars. Use it for drifting or for pushing low-powered cars to the limit. As much fun as this track can be, it would have been a great track for Gran Turismo 5, especially with kart racing. This blog post looks back on the Easter egg of a race track- Motor Sports Land.

--- Motor Sports Land ---

^ Motor Sports Land is like a go-kart track for big cars. (ORIGINAL PICTURE CREDIT: Gran Turismo 2)

While its name may sound like some family fun center or a theme park, Motor Sports Land is a proper permanent race track. It isn't a practical track, however; because there is no pit lane to this course. Its primary purpose would be to test your car's handling capabilities. You could use it to test your car's ability to take on switchbacks as well as powersliding into corners. More aggressive drivers could use this track to drift around. No matter what, this is a non-practical track that can be great fun to drive around. This track is mostly flat all the way around. Hardly any elevation changes come between you and your enjoyment of this track (not to say that elevation changes are bad).

One-Lap Description.

The lap begins with a smooth left-hand corner. The next section is a moderately long left-hand corner. You'll need to brake fairly hard as you approach this long left corner. You'll need to quickly tackle the right-hand corner that follows immediately after clearing the long left. After the right-hand corner, a quick left kink follows. A brief straight leads up to a hard left-hand corner. After an even shorter straight upon exit, a sharp right-hand corner followed by a sharp left follow in succession. Up next is a sharp right-handed hairpin. As you exit that hairpin, get ready for a somewhat long right-left chicane followed up by two sharp left-handed corners. What lies after that final corner is the Start/Finish straight. One lap of Motor Sports Land is complete after that final left-hand corner.

Video Lap.

I tried to find a video lap, but the best I could find is a drift lap. So let one GT drifter show you the way around Motor Sports Land:

^ "[GT2] Hachiroku drifting at Motorsports Land"

If you ask me, this track would be perfect for Gran Turismo 5 for both karting and drifting. I'm not sure if this track was somehow succeeded by MotorLand or not. Still, Motor Sports Land can be quite fun. Give it a try when you play Gran Turismo 2's Arcade disc!





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Seoul Central

The first GT foray into the Korea Republic began in GT4 with the inclusion of Seoul Central. This is a high-speed romp through downtown Seoul, South Korea. Its 1.69-mile (2.72-kilometer) length is short. In the fastest of cars, laps will literally fly by. In fact, you race 19 laps around Seoul Central in GT4's GT World Championship (notwithstanding is the fact you race this course in the Reverse direction in GT4's GT World Championship). This blog post is a look at Seoul Central.

--- Seoul Central ---

Seoul is the capital of South Korea. It is a major place for tourism as well as technology. Korean companies headquartered in Seoul include (thanks: Wikipedia) Samsung, LG, and Hyundai among others. You can show some Korean pride racing here with a Hyundai or the Proto Motors Spirra (Proto Motors is now Oullim Motors). Gran Turismo 4 is the first Gran Turismo to feature anything Korean- whether cars or tracks.

Seoul Central is situated within downtown Seoul, South Korea. It is a track with wide-open streets and only a few real challenging corners. It is otherwise a place to enjoy high-speed racing. A lot of people thought Seoul could have been longer. Then again, many people think every track should be as long as the Nürburgring Nordschleife just to be interesting.

One-Lap Description.

Try to carve a good enough line through the roundabout. Get up to speed and be met immediately with a moderately slow right-left complex. After a quick chicane, the road narrows heading into the next corner- a left-hand corner. The road then widens out and is followed by another left-hand corner that takes you onto the front straight. A rather quick lap is complete as you blast down the front straight.

If your car gets up to speed quite well, there's really no need to pile on horsepower. The only thing that will really trip you up setup-wise is if you can't take on the sudden corners around Seoul. So it's probably best to have a good top speed setup while also having a good setup for the corners. You almost have to prepare for this course like Tokyo Route 246. The only difference is that Seoul Circuit is at least less than a mile than Tokyo R246.

Video Lap.

Here is one lap around Seoul Central:


If I find a better video, I may update this one.





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Super Speedway

Before being succeeded by GT4's Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway (which it is based on), Super Speedway was the first true oval featured in Gran Turismo history. I say true superspeedway because it is a proper oval unlike Test Course. Super Speedway brings oval racing to the forefront. In GT3, it was the first-ever Endurance race on an oval with the Super Speedway 150 Miles endurance. There would be another endurance in GT4 for this track (as Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway). It would be succeeded in Gran Turismo 4 (and in oddly enough... Tourist Trophy) by the track for which its layout is based on- Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway. This blog post is a look at Gran Turismo's high-speed playground (besides Test Course)- Super Speedway.

NOTE: This blog post concerns both Super Speedway AND its successor, Twin Ring Motegi - Superspeedway. However, most of the focus is on Super Speedway. They are essentially the same track.

--- Super Speedway ---

^ Get your high-speed rush around Super Speedway! (original picture credit: Gran Turismo 2)

Super Speedway is only four turns as its layout is based on Twin Ring Motegi's oval. Despite this, this is a tricky oval. There is modest banking in the corners and hardly any banking on the straights. This, then, feels more like a road course than any average oval. A good general setup for this track will have to involve both horsepower and top speed. Here is where going for the high-end NA or Turbo upgrades will mean a whole lot here. Those high-end horsepower upgrades are okay because you don't have to worry about any super-tight corners. A transmission setup for top speed doesn't hurt here, either. You also have to consider suspension and aerodynamics options as well to make the most of your runs here.

Racing this track (or Twin Ring Motegi - Super Speedway) is very simple. Turns 1 and 2 do not require any braking since these the radius of these two corners are wider compared to Turns 3 and 4. A fast car with good grip can hug the absolute inside without needing to lift off the throttle. The toughest part of the course is Turn 3 because that sets up the lower-radius corners of this oval. A poor entry into Turn 3 will really take away your speed. This is an oval, but you have to treat it like a road course. A good exit out of Turn 3 will help you to get a good exit through Turn 4 and on to the Start/Finish line. Be careful not to tag the outside wall coming out of Turn 4.


Lap times will be fairly quick. So therefore, you'll be running this track for just about anywhere between 27 and 35 seconds in most cars. You will also be running for a large number of laps.

--- Super Speedway Over Time ---

Let's take a look at Super Speedway. This track did not exist in GT1 and is not in GT5 (in fact, no Twin Ring Motegi tracks in GT5).

Gran Turismo 2.

In an interesting way, GT2's version of Super Speedway had a unique layout where Turns 3 and 4 were covered by some high covers. The track itself has some lines in the road kind of like a highway. See for yourself how a lap around Super Speedway looks like:

Gran Turismo 3.

Gran Turismo 3 looks more like a proper oval with the surroundings and with the road textures than GT2's version. The track has taken on a different character as well:

Gran Turismo 4 (as Twin Ring Motegi - Super Speedway).

The same mechanics and techniques of Super Speedway apply, but the proper race track Super Speedway has been based on has finally been featured in GT4. Here is the track:



Unfortunately, this track can NOT be found in Gran Turismo 5. GT5 does not include Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway, but you can race Daytona and Indianapolis in GT5. It's a shame, really, because NASCAR would have its intermediate oval to compliment the superspeedways of Daytona and Indianapolis.





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Hong Kong

Hong Kong is often seen as the New York City of the Far East. This neon-lit urban paradise is a very imposing track in Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy. The narrow roads and sudden corners will test even the best of drivers. While Hong Kong is usually known for its lovely light shows at night, you are mostly racing this course in the late evening. It comes in at 1.81 miles (2.91 kilometers) with a handful of tight corners and narrow roads.

--- Hong Kong ---

Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China features this course played out mostly around the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kong. It is a track that can best be described as a stop-and-go track. The track features many slow corners. Any braking setup for this track would have to be almost identical to the braking you do at Cote d'Azur. A track like Hong Kong would favor a setup that is a balance of quick acceleration and solid braking. Unlike Cote d'Azur, however, you can afford to go a bit faster for a bit longer. Its unusual late evening setting can make seeing a bit difficult. Personally, I would have preferred this to be a race deep in the night as Hong Kong really comes alive. But, enjoy the late evening setting.

One-Lap Description.

The race starts out on a fairly short straight that has a right-hand kink. A double-apex right-hand corner is your first area of concern. To your left is a lot of water- that's Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. The road you'll travel down is known as the Avenue of Stars. A good exit out of this section will set you up for the straight that follows. Don't be fooled by the right-hand kink- take it the wrong way, and you'll hit the outside wall hard. So be careful negotiating the upcoming kink. Up next is a sharp left that takes you away from the watery portions of Hong Kong back closer to land. A sharp left-hand corner follows with a good amount of runoff road in case you go wide upon exit. The next corner you will encounter is a sharp right. This leads onto the backstretch. If you are racing and are trying to make a pass, you'll have only two lanes of road to make your move, so make your passes quickly and cleanly. The road ahead leads into a series of kinks. As the road narrows, prepare to brake VERY hard as you approach a nasty left-hand hairpin that takes you into the heart of the city. As you go through the heart of the city, the road widens after the hairpin. A left-hand turn takes you onto the next street. This next street is rather long and leads to a somewhat sharp right-hand corner. You can attack the inside aggressively for a smooth transition to the next straight. This straight features the entrance to pit road to your right as well as lots of neon lighting from the buildings. Three straight sharp corners in left-right-left fashion await you heading towards the Start/Finish line. The sharp left takes you towards a building's tunnel. That right-hand corner is pretty tough and pretty sharp, so use caution. As you exit the tunnel, a sharp left-hand tunnel takes you back onto the front stretch to begin another tour of Hong Kong.

Video Lap.

The following is a video lap around Hong Kong. This will give you a look at this course. I thank the individual for allowing this video to be embedded:



And there you have it.





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New York

Racing on the streets of New York City was a dream that became true for GT fans in Gran Turismo 4 (followed by Tourist Trophy and Gran Turismo PSP). Many GT4 gamers took a bite out of the Big Apple and enjoyed full speed racing through Times Square and Central Park among other locales. Those bites of the Big Apple were enjoyed on both four wheels and two, since you can also race this course in Tourist Trophy. You can also take photos around not only the New York circuit, but certain Photo Mode locations around New York City. There is even a 76-lap endurance race you can run in GT4 featuring a lot of muscle cars. This blog post is a look at the GT4 and Tourist Trophy track of New York.

BEFORE I BEGIN...

If any of you are from New York City, I send you a special hello and a special welcome to John's Blog Space. Enjoy your stay! :)

--- New York ---

New York is characterized as a high-speed street course with a handful of tough corners. The main highlight of this course is the ability to go full speed down Times Square as NYC's skyscrapers just blur by. Most of the rest of the course is a high-speed romp. The rest of the course is a series of tough 90° corners. The most important thing to remember about racing this course is to find a proper balance of high speed and a good handling setup. Also, it pays to know your braking points around here. Your car/motorcycle is going to get quite a workout around New York City.

One-Lap Description.

While not a straight road, the fantastic voyage around New York City begins on a road that has a slight kink to the left followed by a harder kink to the right. Severely hard braking is required as you take on the first two corners. It is important to enter the first corner properly to set yourself up for the second corner. A proper exit helps you power down the other straight. The second straight kinks to the right and narrows. At the end of this section is a VERY hard 90° right. Trust me- do NOT be surprised if you hit the outside wall trying to clear this corner without any damage (not that GT4 has a damage model). After this corner, you will encounter six successive 90° corners. A brief straight leads into a very hard left-hand corner. An even more brief straight follows and features a 90° right-hand corner. After another brief straight, you will face four identical 90° corners in left-left-right-left fashion. Try to find a line to help you get through all four of these corners effectively. To your right is Central Park as you blast down the next straight. The final section consists of a roundabout. Brake hard to properly navigate the left-handed roundabout, then be ready to brake hard to get on the Start/Finish straight successfully and cleanly. After that, it's full speed ahead to the Start/Finish line. Don't forget where pit road is if you have to make a pit stop here.

Video Lap.

You wish you could race at full speed through this busy part of New York City. Here is a video lap showcasing the high-speed sections followed by the technical corners of New York:



Thanks to the individual who allowed for videos to be embedded.





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Apricot Hill Raceway

One of the most competitive and free-flowing original race courses in Gran Turismo is Apricot Hill Raceway. This track features has some inspiration from Suzuka with some of its corners. It debuted in Gran Turismo 2, and has been in GT3, GT4, and Tourist Trophy. Sadly, it was NOT in GT5. This track is great for touring car racing and GT racing. It is a terrible shame (really) this track didn't make it into Gran Turismo 5. This is the track you race in the Gran Turismo 2 Super License final test as well as a Time Trial event in Gran Turismo 3 among other uses. Gran Turismo 2 features a 50-lap endurance around Apricot Hill that puts 200 kilometers on your car. In Gran Turismo 3, you could race with untuned, unmodified Mazda Miatas in an endurance race around Apricot Hill. No matter what kind racing takes place, you're doing it all on a competitive track. Welcome to John's Gran Turismo Space and another blog about one of the best original tracks in any Gran Turismo- Apricot Hill.

--- Apricot Hill Raceway ---

Give Apricot Hill a warm welcome:


^ This track should not be taken lightly. A good mix of speed and handling is not bad to consider for a challenging track like Apricot Hill. (picture credit from Gran Turismo 2)

Apricot Hill Raceway debuted in Gran Turismo 2. It has the feel of a proper Grand Prix style racing course all the way around. It has 12 corners and is about 2.4-miles (3.86-kilometers) long. The GT2 version had some city buildings in the distance heading into the chicane that leads onto the Start/Finish straight. GT3 and GT4/TT featured the track looking more like a proper racing facility. The number of technical corners are enough to ignite the competitive fire of a proper Grand Prix race car driver. It also has a host of undulating sections to really throw your car off-balance. If you want to win here, it is very important you don't let your guard down for once. Push your car (or motorcycle) to the limit in all of the corners and don't hold back. Attack the apexes and maintain a solid line especially through the first half of the circuit. In the second half, the most important section to get right is the chicane as you head downhill upon entry. Get ready for a challenge when you come here.

One-Lap Description.

Apricot Hill begins with a nice high-speed romp followed by an abrupt left-hand kink. If you carry too much speed through this kink, you will have thrown off the balance of your car and completely miss your braking point for Turn 2. So slow your car down just enough to properly take on the second corner. The next set of roads are somewhat reminiscent of the Suzuka East circuit. Find a good rhythm through each of these corners until you reach a very long left-hand sweeper. This sweeper leads onto the long backstretch. After crossing the Dunlop Bridge, a very slow right-hand hairpin awaits you. Proper exit out of this section gets you up to speed quickly as a long left followed by a long right awaits. A brief straight follows and leads into a sweeping long left-hand corner. As you go through this, be ready to take on the decisive right-left chicane as you head downhill. You go back uphill to negotiate the final sweeping left that leads onto the Start/Finish straight. Good job. A lap is now complete!

Video Lap.

It is now time to see this track in action. Thanks to the ones who allowed embedding of videos to be possible.


^ Apricot Hill Raceway, Gran Turismo 4

I told you this was a tough track! Agree with me now?

--- Could Apricot Hill Return? ---

I really hope GT5 (or at least GT6) will feature Apricot Hill again. That's even if GT5 has it as downloadable content (DLC). Might as well offer it for free for Gran Turismo fans. At least something to tide over GT veterans and purists. Unless PD wanted to jazz up this track with some rain effects or time cycling, it's sad that a track that seemed like a mainstay for GT would be M.I.A. in GT5.

I'd sure love to see it return.





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Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Long wanted by a number of Gran Turismo fans, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most legendary and most challenging race courses in the world. This downloadable course for GT5 is the first real-world downloadable course in Gran Turismo history. At 4.35 miles (or 7 kilometers), it is the longest active course on the Formula One World Championship schedule. This blog post is all about Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Gran Turismo 5.

NOTE: I am basing my experience around Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps based on the recent Dream Car Championship Seasonal that features Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. You can still race on any Downloadable Content (DLC) course in a Seasonal, even if you don't have the track in question. That is unless PD starts changing up things to where you need to have purchased a DLC track to be able to use it in races. I have NO DLC material of any kind as of this post's initial date.

--- Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps ---

^ Belgium's timeless racing challenge awaits you in Gran Turismo.


Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has been one of the most requested tracks among many Gran Turismo gamers. It is a difficult track to master with it many corners and its grinding 4.35 mile length. What offends me in how this track is described is in it being "popular." I consider it legendary and one of the last great classic Grand Prix motor racing circuits, but more would praise the Nürburgring Nordschleife much more than a track like Spa-Francorchamps. Almost as if Spa-Francorchamps is not as formidable a racing challenge as I am making it out to be. Or maybe people think Spa-Francorchamps was better, especially the Regardless, this is no cakewalk. It is a beautiful race course with the Belgian countryside surrounding you. You are blasting through forests surrounding either side of the course. Many elevation changes will upset the balance of your car as well as play with your timing of getting every corner taken properly. There is even a joke about weather at Spa-Francorchamps: "is there a chance of rain? Yes." In other words- there is a pretty good chance of rain to make racing this 4+ mile course interesting. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps even has a Weather Change version, so if you are too good racing under dry conditions, you can try racing this track in the wet. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: Belgian racing Heaven.

Lap Description.

Spa-Francorchamps has two starting points- the starting area before the super-sharp right hairpin, and then the one after the super-sharp hairpin. You start off before the super-sharp hairpin. The hairpin is a right-hander that is fairly blind, so judge it properly to avoid screwing up big time here. Blast down the other front straight on to the exciting Eau Rouge. It's flat out through this uphill left-right chicane in an F1 car, but just let off the throttle in most other fast cars. After Eau Rouge is a brief smooth left. The road ahead progressively bends to the right and is all about flat-out speed. After a romp through the forestry, be ready to pound the brakes hard to negotiate an uphill right followed by an uphill left. Be careful not to overshoot either corner here. After the left is a brief straight that leads into a moderate right-hand corner. The road ahead progresses downhill as you approach the next section- two right-hand corners that slightly progress downhill. Another moderate corner follows, only this one is a left-hand corner. Up next is a straightaway with a right-hand kink. Two long left-hand corners come up after this high-speed romp. After the two long lefts and the straightaway that follows, three fairly sharp corners await. The first is a right-hand corner with a fairly wide radius followed by a left-hand corner with a somewhat lower radius. A brief straight leads to the third of these corners, a right-hand corner with about the same radius as the turn you just cleared in this section. Next up is a full-speed blast! This high-speed romp begins once you clear the long (and somewhat sharp) right-hand corner. A series of smooth corners await as your car screams down the track at speeds north of 300kph (or about 170+ mph). One of the smooth corners requires either a little braking or just letting off the throttle. After one more smooth corner, get ready to brake absolutely hard to negotiate the super-slow chicane. Once you pass this section, floor the gas to the finish line to start another 4.35-mile adventure!

One-Lap Video.

You did a whole lot of reading! Now do you want to see a video lap? Of course you do! Have a look:


(NOTE: This lap was performed with a DLC car.)

Enjoy your racing around Spa-Francorchamps!

--- Cross-Promotion ---

Read my post on "John's Blog Space" for more about this track:

• "Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps" - John's Blog Space

Thanks! :)





Remember- this is a downloadable track. So if you want to race this almost any time you like, download this track from the PlayStation Store. Thank you for reading!

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Red Rock Valley Speedway

Red Rock Valley Speedway in Gran Turismo 2 can be thought of as a road course that features two ovals. This course is a high-speed course with a nice rhythm to it. It has never been featured in any other GT besides GT2. So what you are looking at is a course that offers the thrill of high-speed racing but with a few extra corners to make things interesting. In reality, the course is essentially like a modified oval all the way around. If you have never played Gran Turismo 2, this is one of the better tracks in GT2. This blog post is a look at Red Rock Valley Speedway.

--- Red Rock Valley Speedway ---

^ Red Rock Valley Speedway is a unique road course with two ovals intertwined and some smooth corners.

Red Rock Valley Speedway has two ovals in its design. While they are not two proper ovals conjoined to form one race track, the track feels like you are racing two ovals connected by a series of other roads. A track like this would have been a perfect track to race on for Gran Turismo 5 with the NASCAR stock cars. The action takes place at sunset/dusk. Its setting is not far away from some sort of suburban or downtown district as there are some tall buildings in the background.

One-Lap Description.

The first two corners ride like your average superspeedway oval with high banking. There is no need to do any sort of braking through the first two corners. You will clear Intermediate 1 after clearing the first two corners. The next two corners are two long and smooth corners going left and right in the Normal direction. This left-right complex has some modest banking, good for attacking the absolute inside of each corner. The two corners that follow afterwards are banked right-hand corners. The radius of these corners of the shorter oval are about half the radius of the first two corners. Two more highly-banked turns await at the end of the straightaway. These two banked left-handers lead into a tunnel. At the end of this tunnel, you are faced with a very blind right-hand corner followed by a completely visible left-hand corner. The road out of the tunnel progresses uphill as you exit the tunnel. Finally, two banked left-hand corners are the only things separating you from blasting down to the Start/Finish line.

The course rides a lot like an oval, only that this is not a traditional oval track. It is probably best to go for a high-speed setup, but don't immediately go for the highest turbo. Remember that you still have some smooth corners to set your car up for despite the speedy straights and banked corners. A setup along the lines of high-speed with a handling package for smooth corners will yield great results for you tuners.

One-Lap Demonstration.

Here is a one-lap demonstration of Red Rock Valley Speedway. Get ready for one blindingly fast lap!:

(embedding was disabled by request. Click this sentence to see the YouTube video.)

You like? I sometimes wonder what this track would be like if it remained a mainstay of Gran Turismo. Imagine what this track would look like in Gran Turismo 5, for example. Or... would you Gran Turismo fans love to see this track come around again in the series?





Since this is the first 2012 post for JGTS, happy new year! :) Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space! (http://johnbmarine.blogspot.com)
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• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space!

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