Between actual circuits and videogames, what're the best street circuits and why?

[MIE1992]

Various videogame series have had various fictional street circuits, sometimes alongside real ones, such as Gran Turismo and Forza. But I recall that there were some fictional street circuits in other series, like the GRID series, the NFS Shift series, and potentially Project CARS, though I'm not sure on that last one.

So, between the many real-world street circuits we've seen (especially in Formula E, and accounting for previous Formula 1 courses), and the various fictional street circuits, which ones have been your favorite to drive? It doesn't hurt if they're also pretty to look at, too. Ideally, I'd like some reasons behind your top (or bottom) picks, if you can provide 'em. I think it can be especially interesting when you've got two circuits that take place quite close to another, such as the New York City & Hong Kong courses from Gran Turismo 4, and the real-life Formula E courses in same locales. (Although the GT4 NYC course was in Manhattan, while the Formula E course was in Brooklyn.)

I'd also like to try to avoid sentimental reasoning, like valuing a circuit mostly for historical or personally nostalgic reasons. I'm more interested in explanations that are a bit more "tangible," if you understand. This doesn't mean you can't say your favorite is, say, the Monaco GP, but do try to explain yourself without laying back on that circuit's heritage.

 

[twitcher]

What do you consider as a street circuit? Would Circuit Gille Villenuve in Montreal, or Albert Park in Melbourne count as street circuits? What about the Nordschleife, that’s technically a public road? What about Ilse of Mann? Bathurst? Also since you’re accepting virtual tracks that are no longer in use (eg Seattle from Gran Turismo), would you accept real life street circuits that are no longer in use / no longer exist? (If that’s the case, nothing modern will stand up to anything from the 60s or 70s lol).


Going off the criteria of a street circuit is any circuit that uses public roads, I’d say my favourites are:

Macau - I love circuits that force a compromise in setup, and allow different cars to make lap time in different ways, and Macau does this perfectly. Combined with the insane difficulty of the mountain section, this is one of the toughest circuits in the world.

Bathurst - basically the same reasons as Macau, I love the challenge that the different sectors provide. Also love that the circuit punishes mistakes, no paved runnoff here

Nordschleife and Isle of Mann - I put these two together, because I like them for the same reasons. Insane complexity, and the only circuits left in the world that can give us a small taste of what true street/road courses from the 50s, 60s, and 70s were like.

Tokyo R246 - this is my favourite virtual street circuit from any game. I really like how fast and flowing the circuit is, and you can’t beat the location.


Then there’s the old circuits...Brno, Rouen Les Essarts, Riem, Sachsenring...man tracks

 

[Sick Cylinder]

From Project Cars 2 my favourite street circuit is Historic Spa. I find it very enjoyable with classic cars such as the 1959 Aston Martin. Racing on it has increased my already massive respect for the people who had the courage and skill to race this track for real.

My favourite fictional road circuit is Bannochbrae - this is a truly wonderful track - and for someone who hasn't tried Project Cars 2, probably worth the price of the game on its own!

 

[twitcher]

From Project Cars 2 my favourite street circuit is Historic Spa. I find it very enjoyable with classic cars such as the 1959 Aston Martin. Racing on it has increased my already massive respect for the people who had the courage and skill to race this track for real.

My favourite fictional road circuit is Bannochbrae - this is a truly wonderful track - and for someone who hasn't tried Project Cars 2, probably worth the price of the game on its own!

Agreed. Historic Spa, Rouen Les Essart, and Bannochbrae make PC2 worth it just on their own, but even more so with period correct cars to drive on them. Driving the Porsche 917K around historic Le Mans really opened my eyes to just how nutty those old boys were.

 

[Pupik]

I couldn't stop smiling when I drove on the Seattle Circuit in real-life. Charging up the "staircase" in a rental car at 4:00 am with green lights was a blast. Now that the Alaska Viaduct is in the process of being torn down, I wonder if the circuit will be different, and the detours it's not quite the same.

I've personally driven upon Sebring, along the Phoenix GP circuit, [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/formulanone/shares/2F8670]Detroit's GP circuit, and the Streets of Miami (Bicentennial Park Circuit). Detroit was the most fun, and much of Miami's park circuit is now all but entirely erased. Sebring is a bit of dumpy circuit, to be honest.. I tried to trace out the Dallas Fair Park circuit, but couldn't figure out the exact layout on short notice before heading back to DFW.[/url]

I'll have to look up some others, but no other American street circuits jump out at me that I've always wanted to drive upon.

 

[Dobermann92]

From the street circuit category (which are 100% on public road) Long Beach from Project Cars 2 is my absolute favourite. I like all of the street circuits from the first Grid game too and I kinda like Mount Panorama except for the twisty downhill section. The Feldbergring mod for Assetto Corsa is also very good. AVUS is a bit boring but it is great for top speed tests.
My favourite semi-street circuits are every version of Le Mans ( and the Nordschleife and the old Spa circuit.
For fictional tracks I like the Bannochbrae circuit from PC2 and the Black Cat Country circuits from AC,
I hate Monaco and Macau, I find racing very hard and boring there (even in real life).

 

[MIE1992]

What do you consider as a street circuit? Would Circuit Gille Villenuve in Montreal, or Albert Park in Melbourne count as street circuits? What about the Nordschleife, that’s technically a public road? What about Ilse of Mann? Bathurst?

I suppose, but maybe what I meant to say what stuff more in the line of city courses. Stuff like the aforementioned Formula E circuits.

Also since you’re accepting virtual tracks that are no longer in use (eg Seattle from Gran Turismo), would you accept real life street circuits that are no longer in use / no longer exist? (If that’s the case, nothing modern will stand up to anything from the 60s or 70s lol).

Yeah, that was my intent. Especially for Formula 1 circuits that no longer exist.

 

[Sick Cylinder]

Circuits des Remparts, Angouleme is a street circuit which I would like to try in a game. It is used for an annual Historic Festival, which hopefully I will get to visit one day. Hopefully try it in a game in a Caterham 7, Lotus 25 and maybe a Bugatti Type 35!

With this clip skip to about 11 minutes in when the guy has got his tyres and himself fully up to temp!

 

[sparkytooth]

Mr favorite is the GT5 version of Special Stage Route 5. I really enjoy street circuits and this version of SSR5 specifically stands out to me in layout.

 

[twitcher]

I suppose, but maybe what I meant to say what stuff more in the line of city courses. Stuff like the aforementioned Formula E circuits.



Yeah, that was my intent. Especially for Formula 1 circuits that no longer exist.

I’m still a little confused. If you mean city circuits, then ok....but then including old F1 circuits, of which the Nurburgring would be one, kind of contradicts “only city circuits”. Many of the old F1 circuits from the 50s, 60s, and 70s were on public roads, but not in cities (think of Spa), they were out in the countryside. Maybe we could just have two different catagories...favourite circuit on public roads in a city, and favourite circuit on public roads in the country. Also if you go back far enough, theirs circuits that really throw the classification for a loop, as circuits like Targa Florio went pretty much everywhere.


A couple circuits that would fit the category of City Street Circuits that I really like are

Villa Real, Portugal - I think this is about as close as a modern circuit (with FIA grading) can get to feeling like an old school street circuit. Yes there’s a couple chicanes, but the high speed stuff is really quick, and they even run right up against old stone walls at some parts of the lap.


Bangsaen Street Circuit, Thailand - to me this circuit is like a midway point between Monaco and Macau, it’s a little of both. It’s got a couple really balsy high speed corners, super technical, and is in a really cool location (the video doesn’t show it, but it’s basically right beside the beach).


And one from out in the country

Ulster GP, Ireland - this is just an example of the kinds of circuits that the Irish Real Road Racing series races on. The Isle of Mann is part of the series, if I’ve got it straight, but every single one of the circuits they use is completely bonkers. I only found out about this series a few years ago, and it blew me away. I had no idea people were still racing bar to bar on these kinds of road circuits.

 

[MIE1992]

Mr favorite is the GT5 version of Special Stage Route 5. I really enjoy street circuits and this version of SSR5 specifically stands out to me in layout.

What makes the GT5 version so special?

 

[sparkytooth]

What makes the GT5 version so special?

I like the way they did the elevation and track width the best in this version.

 

[MIE1992]

I like the way they did the elevation and track width the best in this version.

I see - so it really differs versus its depictions in GT3 and GT6?

 

[sparkytooth]

I see - so it really differs versus its depictions in GT3 and GT6?

PD's tracks change a pretty reasonable amount between updates across the franchise. They always maintain the same basic layout but other things change such as the tightness of corners or elevation changes. The GT5 version of SSR5 is the same as the GT6 version hence why I mention it as the GT5 version since that's when that particular version first showed up.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

From real life, Monaco and Macau definitely are the top two. From F1, Adelaide and Baku (yes your read that right) are also great to drive. Indycar also has lots of great street circuits layout wise (from trying them out in rFactor mods) but I'm not heavily invested into the series so I can't rattle off the names off the top of my head.

Games wise, from Gran Turismo SSR11 GT1 version with death chicane is probably my favourite city circuit of all time. Not just for nostalgia factor but for being the most difficult track in that game and where I honed my skills for many many laps. Honourable mention to Rome Night, Citta di Aria and Costa di Amalfi for having interesting layouts in picturesque locations, and Seattle & Rome (GT2 version) for being great for racing.

Codemasters also frequently makes great street circuits. Barcelona, Chicago, San Fran, Dubai, Paris, Washington and Miami from the GRID series are all forever etched in my memory from all the hours spent on Race Driver Grid up to Grid Autosport.

Unlikely as it seems, NFS Underground 1 also had some pretty memorable layouts. Olympic City, Atlantica and Market Street are all legendary in their own right.

From the TXR/Wangan Midnight series, the C1 Loop and surroundings areas are undoubtedly iconic and also great to drive on.

That's pretty much what comes to my mind at the moment. I'm pretty sure there are other tracks that are also great but they don't burn themselves to memory like the ones I mentioned above.

 

[mustafur]

These are my favourites:
Special Stage 11(GT3 version).

Canberra Street Circuit(was in Toca race driver as raced in V8 Supercars in the early 2000s).

Seattle Street Circuit(GT2 and GT3).

Vancouver Street Circuit(was in Toca World Touring cars and Race Driver, used in Cart and I think Champcar).

Pau(used in F3 till last year, Not sure it has been in any games apart from an Rfactor Mod).

 

[Sick Cylinder]

Pau(used in F3 till last year, Not sure it has been in any games apart from an Rfactor Mod).

Pau would be great in a game for hot lapping, but is probably too narrow for racing.

 

[FutureF1]

A massive fan of the Melbourne street circuit from Real Racing 3. Never liked the phone games but that track is mega on a flying lap

 

[TheHun99]

A massive fan of the Melbourne street circuit from Real Racing 3. Never liked the phone games but that track is mega on a flying lap

I dislike street circuits in general - I’m a terrible driver - but that one is really good, has a good rhythm - unlike the 2 Formula E circuits in the game, I hate them with a passion.

Otherwise maybe Monaco and that’s it from my perspective as far as city circuits go (street circuit = city circuit in my mind).

 

[Carbonox]

Back in GT4, I remember enjoying pretty much every street circuit out of novelty, though actually trying to beat a close race on some of the tighter ones like Opera Paris quickly turned into a frustrating chore.

I hate to echo the rest of the thread too badly, but Seattle and SSR5 were some of the better ones. I didn't mind Rome and its various incarnations either, though GT5's route definitely needs to be run in reverse. I also remember beginning to enjoy SSR11 in 3 more as I grew and started getting better at the game, though the AI's cheap divebombing on that track in particular still makes me salty.

Of the real circuits, I like Toronto for its solid racing in open wheelers. The newer Houston configuration was another one (the chaotic duels in 2014 were what got me into IndyCar), and while the series might have outgrown that, it definitely needs to be run in FE at least.

Baku's not bad either, I suppose... but they really need to start getting less paranoid over the filming of that parliament building.

 

[flip55]

Best virtual street circuit: Tokyo R246. Wide and fast, unlike most street circuits. Would like PD to stop making Tokyo Expressway loops (worst tracks they've ever come up with) and give us this one back. Long Beach in PC2 has also kind of grown on me. Especially at night, which we never see.

IRL: Honestly, street circuits are probably my least favorite. A lot of them are oft too small and cramped for racing. As far as the ones that stand out for me, there's two. Macau is one of them. Which kind of goes against what I just said, but I enjoy watching drivers navigate that track. Until there's a giant pileup. Then it's not so fun. The other circuit is Potrero de los Funes in Argentina. Winds its way around a huge lake with loads of elevation changes and fast corners. A really cool circuit that doesn't get a lot of international attention, sadly.

 

[twitcher]

Best virtual street circuit: Tokyo R246. Wide and fast, unlike most street circuits. Would like PD to stop making Tokyo Expressway loops (worst tracks they've ever come up with) and give us this one back. Long Beach in PC2 has also kind of grown on me. Especially at night, which we never see.

IRL: Honestly, street circuits are probably my least favorite. A lot of them are oft too small and cramped for racing. As far as the ones that stand out for me, there's two. Macau is one of them. Which kind of goes against what I just said, but I enjoy watching drivers navigate that track. Until there's a giant pileup. Then it's not so fun. The other circuit is Potrero de los Funes in Argentina. Winds its way around a huge lake with loads of elevation changes and fast corners. A really cool circuit that doesn't get a lot of international attention, sadly.

I don’t think Potrero de los Funes is a Street circuit, I’m pretty sure it’s a purpose built race track. It just happens to be in a semi-urban environment (if I’m not mistaken, it’s kind of marketed as a motorsport destination, with hotels and tourist attractions geared towards petrol heads. I could be wrong about that though). Regardless, it’s a beautiful circuit in a stunning location! PD needs to add this to a GT game ASAP.

 

[Liquid]

Valencia Street Circuit

Awful in real life.
Brilliant in games.

 

[Jimlaad43]

AVUS

 

[ShiftingGears]

Montjuic Park

Adelaide

Macau

Its pretty standard to describe circuits utilising public roads between or outside towns as road courses, not street circuits. I wouldn't consider Rouen as a street circuit, for instance.

I like Atlantica from NFS3 and Liberty City from Destruction Derby 2 also.

 

[Dotini]

In GT5, Circuito Madrid Mini has an interesting kink near a crest on the main straight. This is particularly interesting in the reverse (clockwise) direction, which doesn't seem to appear in GT6.

Personally, I think of street circuits as City courses. LeMans was originally three small villages linked by country lanes, as was Spa. These are road courses.

The only city circuit I have raced in real life is downtown Marysville, Washington State, where I used to do the annual kart race. Big curbs, big poles and a few hay bails. Very exciting and dangerous!