Auxiliary areas of various tracks.

[Parnelli Bone]

This is just a thread to address all the areas of tracks in GT4 that seem odd to me or you. I don't know much about real-life motor tracks, and websites I have visited don't say anything about these areas.

Let's start with Fuji. In either Fuji '80s or '90s versions, we have this:


*click to enlarge

I call it the "spaghetti shortcut". It's in the final turn, and is literally a ribbon of track stretching on the inside. What is it for???




Here I am demonstrating the fact that it's possible to drive on the spaghetti curve. I've done this a few times. If I get it right...all is fine. Some may even think this is a shortcut or a cheat. Possibly it is. As you can see in the pic (if you enlarge it) my red '90 Honda NSX surely would have gotten trampled by the 2nd-place charcoal-colored NSX if I hadn't taken the spaghetti shortcut.

But if you get this area WRONG, it's a quick death. The grass has claimed me a few times.



And here I am in my red NSX. I won this race by less than half a second, by the way. It was the MR Challenge.

Anyways, my questions again. What is this curve for? Do real-life drivers actually use it? It seems it would be extremely risky to do so. Is it cheating?

 

[SVX]

Mabey its for the pits because after the "Spaghetti curve" there are pits

 

[Austin343]

I agree - it's probably a road that makes you commit to pitting on that lap, by the rules if not by necessity, as there is obviously no wall separating that lane from the track.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Fuji Speedway was originally ran anti-clockwise, so I think it might be what's left of the original pit exit.

 

[in.s@ne]

Fuji Speedway was originally ran anti-clockwise, so I think it might be what's left of the original pit exit.

Ding ding ding
We have a winner!


Interesting question though

 

[Jonn 79]

Oooo nice fact find!

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Fuji Speedway was originally ran anti-clockwise, so I think it might be what's left of the original pit exit.

Yup that's gotta be it. Perhaps this explains why High Speed Ring is run in the opposite direction as Fuji is nowadays, assuming you're not driving High Speed Ring reversed.

I was reading how Fuji started out as being Japan's answer to NASCAR ovals, and the oval was the first part of the complex, but it took awhile to build and wasn't very safe. Something like that.

 

[Lucas]

Whatever that corner is for, it surely isn't for motorcycles. Tourist Trophy doesn't use that part of the track. Maybe it is for cheating? 💡 I always use that corner, is so much fun with a small car You can go right through the two cones

 

[daan]

Fuji Speedway was originally ran anti-clockwise, so I think it might be what's left of the original pit exit.

Don't see that. If that was the case, why not just forget about it and let it disappear under the grass? Why tarmac it to the same extent as the real track? The fact it is in good condition means it must be used.

I agree - it's probably a road that makes you commit to pitting on that lap, by the rules if not by necessity, as there is obviously no wall separating that lane from the track.

This is more likely.

It may also allow slow or damaged vehicles crawl round the track to the pits, away from the apex so faster cars will be able to take the racing line unimpeded.

 

[balang_479]

Fuji Speedway was originally ran anti-clockwise, so I think it might be what's left of the original pit exit.

Never was it ran anti-clockwise... ever since its creation in 65' it has run clockwise even after all 2 redesigns.
Its probably just a safety route for cars limping back to the pits or something.

 

[Jonn 79]

Fuji had killed spectators apparently and was deemed a very unsafe race track, hence the modifications to the track. In fact it was meant to be an F1 track but Gilles Villeneuve ran off track and killed a spectator then they moved the race to Suzuka.

Just a little tid bit.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Never was it ran anti-clockwise... ever since its creation in 65' it has run clockwise even after all 2 redesigns.
Its probably just a safety route for cars limping back to the pits or something.

Oh I see... I thought they ran anti-clockwise for a little bit, until it was deemed too dangerous.

Don't see that. If that was the case, why not just forget about it and let it disappear under the grass? Why tarmac it to the same extent as the real track? The fact it is in good condition means it must be used.

 

[in.s@ne]

Maybe it's part of a sprint circuit or something

 

[JohnnyFiama]

Off topic question but inspired by the pictures in the opening post.....

I've googled and searched this forum but...... (warning: Stupid question coming up)..... how do you take screenshots in a race? I thought you could only do it in PhotoMode.....

 

[daan]

(warning: Stupid question coming up)..... how do you take screenshots in a race? I thought you could only do it in PhotoMode.....

You need to save the race. Then, when you're watching it back in the replay theatre, you can press select and the camera options come up.

 

[Pupik]

That appears to be an old pit lane entry; the FIA and other sporting bodies started to reduce pit-lane speed limits in the early 1990s (a common theme in all forms of motor sports), so to allow racing cars to slow down from racing speeds to the enforced pit lane speed, longer pit lane entries were created on road racing circuits (and some ovals, notably Indianapolis Motor Speedway) across the globe.

Polyphony created their own pit lanes at times, using the old or unused pit lane entrances. Interestingly, Laguna Seca races have used the "interior" pit lane exits for many years, but the Gran Turismo series have used the old lanes until GT4. It must be all in the programming...

Fuji had killed spectators apparently and was deemed a very unsafe race track, hence the modifications to the track. In fact it was meant to be an F1 track but Gilles Villeneuve ran off track and killed a spectator then they moved the race to Suzuka.

There's two things wrong with that statement:

1) The two "spectators" killed were a photographer and a track marshal, at the end of the long straight. It was for corner workers/marshals only, supposedly. When Ronnie Peterson and Gilles Villeneuve touched wheels early in the race, Gilles' car became airborne.

Circuit safety was still a little primitive compared to the "restricted access" passes that has been in effet for over 20 years in modern F1. Looking at the YouTube video of what happened after the crash (geez, it actually looks worse than the crash that killed Villeneuve 5 years later), it's hard to tell if the circuit safety was to blame, it was similar to circuit safety that you see in other races (notably the disaster that occurred the same year at Kyalami with poor Tom Pryce and the hapless fire marshal).

The run-off at the end of the straight was very limited, save for the escape road at the end of the straight (that was originally designed for the high-banked oval) which was normal for the time, but not acceptable in later years.
Here's a vid of the oval, er...roval!



It's hard to tell if that was indeed the case for the circuit disappearing form the schedule, I think it was due to travel...

2) Back in the mid 1970s, the teams were not required to attend every race, and so the smaller teams did not travel to Japan for a single race because of the expenditure. It wasn't until the 1981-82 that travel money was fronted by the FIA for the top ten teams (at the time) based on points/results scoring, with the pretext that teams must attend every race, except in cases of force majeure.

There were plans for a Japanese GP as far back as 1972, but it took changes to the Fuji circuit to make the F1 race happen. By 1987, the Fuji circuit lost the bid for the race by Suzuka, which is owned by Honda Motor Company. Honda, a major player (as an engine supplier) in F1 at the time, put the money into refurbishing the Suzuka track to get it to FIA-specifications.

By then, the teams had the money for travel, and the smaller teams that had to spend their own dough on travel were getting by on 3-5 million dollar budgets (about 1/25 of current expenditures!), with travel being the biggest part. Even the little AGS and Leyton House March teams made the trip.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Wow, interesting info there, Pupik and others. 👍

Now let's move on to Tsukuba. We have this area of the track.



It's the right curve that extends just after turn #3.



There's no mystery here. I'm assuming in real-life it's sometimes used in actual races, but in other events it's simply not used? Or is it some sort of break down area?



In any event, I wish there was a "Tsukuba II" in GT4, in which barriers are placed between turns 3 and 4, forcing us to use this area. Here I am in my red CR-X getting some under-drifting action.....

 

[SVX]

From Wikipedia

The Tsukuba Circuit is a famous race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Japan. It is 2.070 kilometres (1.286 mi) long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is 437 metres (0.272 mi) long. The track was established in 1966 with the aim of attracting young people to participate in motor sports but wasn't actually built until 1970. These days an event is held every week. The track has a large variation in corners ranging from wide sweepers to hairpins, testing drivers and their vehicles. There is room for 8500 spectators at the track, 3000 in the stands, 5000 on lawn seats and a further 500 standing over the pits. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only.

 

[Hyst]

Good stuff SVX, I was about to say that the small chicane on Tsukuba (as well as the one on beginning of the long right hander on Suzuka just after the hairpin) are use for motorcycle racing. The one on Tsukuba is used to slow the bikes (obviously), because it was felt to be too dangerous to be braking for the hairpin while leaning left and then having to throw over to the right.

There is also a bike section on Infineon.

 

[SVX]

Thanks Hyst! I will have a look at you 24hr A spec Race Report now Hyst

 

[Jonn 79]

I knew i should've quoted wiki in my post, instead i got owned :S

 

[Pupik]

I knew i should've quoted wiki in my post, instead i got owned :S

Not really, because before there was such a thing as a Sony PlayStation, there were many books on motor racing to be read...

 

[Lucas]

Just to avoid confusion, there are three "roads" one can take in Suzuka Circuit. The first one, of the full circuit, which is the "normal" one. The other, which is used in the Suzuka West configuration. And the last one, which is used for motorcycles.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

From Wikipedia
. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only.

👍 +rep

Just to avoid confusion, there are three "roads" one can take in Suzuka Circuit. The first one, of the full circuit, which is the "normal" one. The other, which is used in the Suzuka West configuration. And the last one, which is used for motorcycles.

So are you saying Suzuka West is the one used for motorcyles? Guess I'll look this up on Wikipedia if I have some time this afternoon.

 

[C-ZETA]

From Wikipedia

The Tsukuba Circuit is a famous race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Japan. It is 2.070 kilometres (1.286 mi) long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is 437 metres (0.272 mi) long. The track was established in 1966 with the aim of attracting young people to participate in motor sports but wasn't actually built until 1970. These days an event is held every week. The track has a large variation in corners ranging from wide sweepers to hairpins, testing drivers and their vehicles. There is room for 8500 spectators at the track, 3000 in the stands, 5000 on lawn seats and a further 500 standing over the pits. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only.

That part was actually in Tourist Trophy, if you hadn't noticed.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

That part was actually in Tourist Trophy, if you hadn't noticed.

Oh I see. I don't have Tourist Trophy, though.

 

[Hyst]

The little red bit here is used for motorcycles as well, and you can drive it on GT4 if you really want to. Iirc it was included in TT as well.

 

[senamic]

It was indeed, Hyst. Well spotted!

 

[SportWagon]

The Infineon hairpin seems different in TT, as well. It possibly uses the 11a route marked above, since that's the AMA course.

http://www.infineonraceway.com/fanguide/maps/

But I recall the hairpin being tighter.

IMG
attempted (hot) cross-linking
Ah, but I find, tiny ...

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/046/reviews/929988_02162006_embed001.jpg
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving...d=6144475&mode=previews&part=rss&subj=6144475
and, indeed TT uses the AMA course at the haipin. I'd never really paid proper attention to notice the other detailed differences associated with the hairpin. (I.e. the finisihing straight is shorter and straight, as opposed to curved, essentially).

I guess the maps don't always indicate how tight and/or closed a particular corner will feel.

 

[Lucas]

The auxillary areas of Infineon Raceway are tricky, especially for those who didn't know about them I remember the first time I did the license of this course in Tourist Trophy. I got bronze just because I stopped extremely late at the new sections. Turn 9a almost got me off the track