Fuji, one of the world's worst "premier" tracks?

[DrTrouserPlank]

Am I the only person who finds Fuji an utterly bizarre track and really hates it?

Great big wide track, no real markers, very vague corners that seem to have no real line and are so tight it's beyond a joke, some I can't even get enough steering lock on to get around, utterly bland and without character.

How on earth they ever managed to get the deal to host F1 in alternate years to Suzuka (one of the wordls top 3 tracks) is beyond me.

I dread to think how many events in GT5 are going to use this god-awful track.

end rant.

 

[Diego440]

To each his own... I love Fuji... I find it challenging, fun and a great chance to show off skills. Getting some of those curves in perfect apex entry/exit feels soooo good.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I also enjoy it quite a lot. It produces some great races, due to the high speed nature and the multiple possible lines through some of the corners. Some of my most memorable online races were at Fuji in the GT-R vs. F430 vs. Z06 event.

 

[BaldurKn]

I agree with Jackington and Tom I love that track has so many options, and yeah Jackington that event was one of the best I raced.

 

[HaylRayzor]

I love Fuji. I especially love the Ford GT at Fuji. In my opinion, a car and a track made for each other.

 

[JosVerstappen]

it's like-a-bility is not far away from suzuka for me.

 

[Crispy74]

Sorry TrouserPlank, but I'm with the others.

I think Fuji is an excellent track, scene of many great online battles 👍

 

[DrTrouserPlank]

What's so great about it though?

It has a lot of corners where you just have to coast in aimlessly cranking on a ton of lock, as too much speed makes it impossible to stay on the track for the impossibly sharp exits that the turns seem to have.

It's really mickey mouse stuff. Great big wide track with lots of corners that are incredibly slow due to the tightening effect that the designer seemed to have a fetish about using again and again.

I'd say it reminds me of a lot of the modern F1 tracks that are getting build nowadays that don't really have much in the way of variation in their corners, although I feel this comparison would actually do these modern tracks a disservice.

 

[Diego440]

Would you prefer a tight oval?

 

[Crispy74]

I'm not sure what's so great about it to be honest, it's just a track that I gelled with and have a lot of fun racing around.

I think it's just down to personal preference though, it's like the Seattle circuit on GT3 & 4, a lot of my friends love racing around there. I've never had much trouble getting around it, but for some reason I just don't like it

 

[Jordan]

I'm in agreement with you, DrTrouserPlank (interesting user name...). I find Fuji awkward and un-fun to drive, but it seems we're in the minority here!

 

[magicalgin]

Depends, I like the 90's layout but the new layout just doesn't feel right.

 

[HaylRayzor]

If they'd put a chicane in the middle of that runway they call a front straight Fuji would be PERFECT.

 

[DrTrouserPlank]

I think that's been my problem with it. I find it awkward to drive, hard work; as if I'm struggling to get the car through a corner (pretty slowly at that) and it's irritatiing to keep running out of road regardless of how slow I'm crawling around it, or how many times I've cranked the wheel around in a vain attempt to make the turn.

In a similar way to not liking the repeated tighting of the turn on the exit, I have an equal dislike for Daytona road course, where it has corners that tighten on the entry. Whilst this doesn't present the same annoyances when you exit the corner, you have the reverse problem of having a very indefinite braking point as you enter the corner, or running off the road as the entry tightens on you. Turn 6 (if we count all the bends) being the worst of both worlds, with an entry that tightens as well as the exit.

I don't mind variety, but both these tracks have so many corners that result in the same frustrations, and every corner seems to have either a tightening exit or entry.

 

[Diego440]

I think that's one of Fuji's perks... most curves seem a lot slower than they actually are. Many curves look like they should be taken in 2nd or 3rd gears, while a few of them can be taken almost flat out, but controlling.

I find challenging tracks fun.

 

[SpawnBlack]

If they'd put a chicane in the middle of that runway they call a front straight Fuji would be PERFECT.

It's a great track to race on except when racing against the Ford GTLM. They are slow in the corners but when it comes to Fuji speeding down the straight then there should be a chicane or something because it is the fastesd car in GT5P plus whoever races with this car can still cut the usual corners which made me hate that car so much.

Besides that Fuji Rocks 👍👍

 

[CarBastard]

I'm don't want to imply that either Jordan or the OP are slow drivers, but in my particular case I hated Fuji when I was a slower driver (Even more slow than what I'm now). I've grown to like it. However Suzuka...Jeez...I still hate Suzuka...badly.

 

[Diego440]

Really? Suzuka is probably my favourite track in GT5P... actually, Suzuka was my 2nd favourite track in GT4...

 

[HaylRayzor]

Speaking of Suzuka, I wish we could race Suzuka backwards. Talk about challenging corners! Sheez!

 

[Emu76]

I actually agree with TrouserPlank! It is a very bare course full of run off and wide corners, which is actually pretty tedious, and then there's the final bend, which I am just useless at. It would be alright if a more measured level of this track was used, but it appears again and again in GT5, yet London and Daytona Road are barely seen.

 

[Diego440]

Perhaps the problem is that you're trying too hard to drive well? I find that driving without the fear of sliding around is very productive on that track.

I've been in many online races and played on it in LAN-GT4 and found the quasi-drifting to be a big help, especially in the 3rd sector (after the hairpin).

 

[arvin charles]

Hate the new layout. Though I don't mind the old style Fuji.

 

[blkvzgo]

I used to dislike the track too, back in the days when I had no internet and only did time-trials with stock cars (with stock tires, as specified in the game manual). But when I got online my opinion started to change. The course is very interesting and has some very challenging corners, but for me to fully enjoy it I need R or S grade tires. The Fuji 800PP event for example is quite epic, the cars just fly through the corners, I had some memorable battles there.

 

[DrTrouserPlank]

I'm just running around it in the DB9 on S2's for the time trial. I've gotten a bit better on it, but I still feel the entries to a lot of the corners are very "vague". On several corners you enter the corner from the center of the track rather than the traditional

wide entry-sweep in-sweep out

and also don't have room to run wide so must contain your exit to the middle of the track to prepare for the next corner. It's just feels very "wafty" and imprecise.

I've started to brake differently for some corners. Instead of the usual situation where you would be hard on the brakes in a straight line, before turning into the corner and powering on from the clipping point onwards, I'm now braking softer but for longer whilst turning towards the apex gradually. Trail-braking to an extent I guess you could call it. This is the only way I can get the car pointing in the right direction when it reaches the apex, and also make the late-apex that a lot of the corners need due to them becoming tighter on the exit.

I find that the last two corners are particularly awkward due to the exit being a bit unsighted (I play in-car view) due to the gradient of the circuit.

 

[No46_TheDoctor]

Am I the only person who finds Fuji an utterly bizarre track and really hates it?

Great big wide track, no real markers, very vague corners that seem to have no real line and are so tight it's beyond a joke, some I can't even get enough steering lock on to get around, utterly bland and without character.

How on earth they ever managed to get the deal to host F1 in alternate years to Suzuka (one of the wordls top 3 tracks) is beyond me.

I dread to think how many events in GT5 are going to use this god-awful track.

end rant.

Annoyingly difficult corners are a Hermann Tilke trademark, I personally don't like his tracks much, they are difficult for the sake of being difficult, not enjoyable.

 

[danthespaceman]

I was a fan of the older 80's and 90's Fuji featured in GT4, and 2005 GT course very deceiving with the paved run offs instead the sand traps. However after about 45 minutes of time trials in an M3, I slowly started to get the hang of it and appreciate some of the finer nuances of the track.

Does anyone know why this modification was made to the track in recent years? I would think the sand run offs would be much more effective at slowing down a car that had spun off the track.

 

[superwally]

Bah! The final sector owns me!

I've grown to respect Fuji, but 'like' might be too strong a word. I'm with No46, it seems difficult just for the sake of it, and the little camber changes are sooo hard to feel-the final turn exit onto the massive straight has devastated many a lap for me.

Initially I found the Indy GP track to be very similar-in need of some elevation change, and awkward to drive. As I have spent more time, I've gained a much greater affection for it and the challenges it presents, but that's a subject for another thread.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Does anyone know why this modification was made to the track in recent years?

The modifications were made to bring the circuit up to F1 standards, so Fuji could host the Japanese Grand Prix.

I would think the sand run offs would be much more effective at slowing down a car that had spun off the track.

The thing about sand traps is that they can be quite dangerous, often causing cars to bounce or dig in and potentially causing the cars to roll over. With tarmac run off, drivers are able to affectively apply the brakes if they're heading towards a wall, plus the tarmac used as run off tends to be quite abrasive which helps slow the car down.

 

[jacksmith]

I think that's been my problem with it. I find it awkward to drive, hard work; as if I'm struggling to get the car through a corner (pretty slowly at that) and it's irritatiing to keep running out of road regardless of how slow I'm crawling around it, or how many times I've cranked the wheel around in a vain attempt to make the turn.

In a similar way to not liking the repeated tighting of the turn on the exit, I have an equal dislike for Daytona road course, where it has corners that tighten on the entry. Whilst this doesn't present the same annoyances when you exit the corner, you have the reverse problem of having a very indefinite braking point as you enter the corner, or running off the road as the entry tightens on you. Turn 6 (if we count all the bends) being the worst of both worlds, with an entry that tightens as well as the exit.

I don't mind variety, but both these tracks have so many corners that result in the same frustrations, and every corner seems to have either a tightening exit or entry.

You do know that it was originally supposed to be a nascar style raceway like indy,right?
Thats why its so wide.

But then due to the earthquake movements in the soil it was not possible to maintain such a big layout and ecspecially its few miles from the mount fuji.Then they turned it into more like a proper race track and gave it corners,now I am with Jordan that the track is a bit awkward but the first turn is a huge challenge,in real life around 130kg of pressure gets applied on the brake pedal in an F1 car and it does not happen on many tracks and after turn 3 the long right hander is a big challenge.Turn 10 to 16 is really technical and all about throttle control as they are all interlinked and good places for overtaking.

The thing about being boring or interesting really is an individual preference.Different circuits have different purpose,Suzuka was built for testing road cars exactly like the ring.They have lot of corners and different altitude changes but then they got included into racing car circuits.

I am not a big fan of fuji or london because I am more of a flowing circuit fan and not a start-stop layout fan but in the end its a circuit and if you are a fan of racing then its a challenge and you need to accept it and nail it.

 

[Northstar]

For me this track is with the Ring where I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's one of those tracks where you hate it when you first start because it just seems overly difficult, than as you get more time on it it get's easier and a little more fun. Although it probably has to have one of the worst 1st corners, right up there with Mugello and Sebring.