That you never new about! I was playing Project Cars last night and unlocked a new race, it was driving a Group C Jag at Spa. No problem there, I like Spa however is soon became apparent that this was Spa in the 70s with huge 200 mile an hour straights and houses on the edge of the track! It was great fun to drive but apart from the hairpin after what is now the start/finish straight and Eau Rouge it was totally different. I never knew it had been so radically altered.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 1:08 pm
by Pete_
One I found out about is the 13 mile long Ards Circuit which hosted the RAC Tourist Trophy from 1928-36. As a tangent, the Tourist Trophy is the longest running motorsport event and currently it's the Silverstone round of the World Endurance Championship.
The northwest corner of the Ards Circuit in Dundonald, now essentially a suburb of Belfast, is about a mile from where I lived until I moved away from home and I used to drive those roads regularly, so it was cool to then find out that it used to be a race track. I later found an old photo album in my parents book case with photos of the race which I assume we're taken by my grandfather or great-grandfather. I'll see if I can dig out some of the photos I took of that over the weekend, I think I have them saved on an old computer.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 11:58 am
by Jimmy Choo
Zonda_ wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 12:40 pm
That you never new about! I was playing Project Cars last night and unlocked a new race, it was driving a Group C Jag at Spa. No problem there, I like Spa however is soon became apparent that this was Spa in the 70s with huge 200 mile an hour straights and houses on the edge of the track! It was great fun to drive but apart from the hairpin after what is now the start/finish straight and Eau Rouge it was totally different. I never knew it had been so radically altered.
If you think that's bad, try the A1/Red Bull/Österreichring ring
Zonda_ wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 12:40 pm
That you never new about! I was playing Project Cars last night and unlocked a new race, it was driving a Group C Jag at Spa. No problem there, I like Spa however is soon became apparent that this was Spa in the 70s with huge 200 mile an hour straights and houses on the edge of the track! It was great fun to drive but apart from the hairpin after what is now the start/finish straight and Eau Rouge it was totally different. I never knew it had been so radically altered.
If you think that's bad, try the A1/Red Bull/Österreichring ring
Jimmy Choo wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 11:58 am
If you think that's bad, try the A1/Red Bull/Österreichring ring
Ooh, is that in Project Cars too?
It isn’t.
When you create a race or practice session (outside of career mode) you select the track and the specific version - you will see Spa Historic is there in addition to Spa. The majority of tracks have options (like Oulton International, Island or Fosters layouts).
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 4:49 pm
by integrale_evo
I liked grand prix legends back in the day for the mental blast of the original spa, and the Nürburgring with a slightly different loop at the start but otherwise very familiar.
The original full length Monza which includes the oval track and shared main straight is great too but can’t remember what games have it!
Always a shame when they remodel tracks that they have to destroy most of the old on, I know they wouldn’t ever have raced on the old Hockenheim again, but it would be cool to have it for tours and walks instead of ripping it all up.
Hockenheim is particularly weird. Usually an old circuit is only ripped up if there's immediate plans to redevelop into something else. Looking on google maps they never did anything and it's all replanted woodland. Was it a stupid decision to appeal to the tree huggers?
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 8:44 pm
by Jimmy Choo
Mito Man wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 6:14 pm
Hockenheim is particularly weird. Usually an old circuit is only ripped up if there's immediate plans to redevelop into something else. Looking on google maps they never did anything and it's all replanted woodland. Was it a stupid decision to appeal to the tree huggers?
Yes.
It's also that it was getting too dangerous for F1 with the cars flat out for so long and no easy trackside access.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 8:45 pm
by Jimmy Choo
integrale_evo wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 4:49 pm
I liked grand prix legends back in the day for the mental blast of the original spa, and the Nürburgring with a slightly different loop at the start but otherwise very familiar.
The original full length Monza which includes the oval track and shared main straight is great too but can’t remember what games have it!
Always a shame when they remodel tracks that they have to destroy most of the old on, I know they wouldn’t ever have raced on the old Hockenheim again, but it would be cool to have it for tours and walks instead of ripping it all up.
I've got a version on Assetto corsa but I suspect that it's a mod rather than an official track. Those banked corners are bumpy as hell and (virtually) terrifying.
Mito Man wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 6:14 pm
Hockenheim is particularly weird. Usually an old circuit is only ripped up if there's immediate plans to redevelop into something else. Looking on google maps they never did anything and it's all replanted woodland. Was it a stupid decision to appeal to the tree huggers?
Yes.
It's also that it was getting too dangerous for F1 with the cars flat out for so long and no easy trackside access.
Ah yes, the same F1 which now has street races with 2km+ long straights, blind bends and such poor track access that when a bit of bodywork falls of a car they have to red flag it. Progress.
Must admit, I never really got into project cars 2, I don’t have a wheel setup and couldn’t ever get it to feel right with a pad. It was ok for the occasional blast but never got properly into it
Mito Man wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 6:14 pm
Hockenheim is particularly weird. Usually an old circuit is only ripped up if there's immediate plans to redevelop into something else. Looking on google maps they never did anything and it's all replanted woodland. Was it a stupid decision to appeal to the tree huggers?
Yes.
It's also that it was getting too dangerous for F1 with the cars flat out for so long and no easy trackside access.
Ah yes, the same F1 which now has street races with 2km+ long straights, blind bends and such poor track access that when a bit of bodywork falls of a car they have to red flag it. Progress.
I think you need to throw in that a car breaking down at the far end would have to have a 10 lap safety car to get a truck out to get it, it was before the era of the Safer barriers, very little space for run offs, a majority green party local government and the spectre of Jim Clark's death in an F2 race at the track in 1968 and the debacle of Imola '94. Diniz and Alesi had a High speed crash which sent Alesi spinning off down the road at such a rate he was dizzy for 3 days!
The circuit you think of as Classic Hockenheim is the 4th layout used, anyway.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Tue May 16, 2023 11:51 am
by mik
integrale_evo wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 10:12 pm
Must admit, I never really got into project cars 2, I don’t have a wheel setup and couldn’t ever get it to feel right with a pad.
It’s far more simulator than arcade game.
I imagine using a pad would be like trying to drive this at speed….
It's also that it was getting too dangerous for F1 with the cars flat out for so long and no easy trackside access.
Ah yes, the same F1 which now has street races with 2km+ long straights, blind bends and such poor track access that when a bit of bodywork falls of a car they have to red flag it. Progress.
I think you need to throw in that a car breaking down at the far end would have to have a 10 lap safety car to get a truck out to get it, it was before the era of the Safer barriers, very little space for run offs, a majority green party local government and the spectre of Jim Clark's death in an F2 race at the track in 1968 and the debacle of Imola '94. Diniz and Alesi had a High speed crash which sent Alesi spinning off down the road at such a rate he was dizzy for 3 days!
The circuit you think of as Classic Hockenheim is the 4th layout used, anyway.
I’m aware they added chicanes to reduce speeds but this track didn’t seem unduly safe - surrounded by woodland too so not as if they couldn’t add more facilities/run off.
Still seems safer to me than all the new street circuits with blind corners and similar speeds.
integrale_evo wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 10:12 pm
Must admit, I never really got into project cars 2, I don’t have a wheel setup and couldn’t ever get it to feel right with a pad.
It’s far more simulator than arcade game.
I imagine using a pad would be like trying to drive this at speed….
PC2 feels a bit inconsistent on a wheel too. I haven’t been on it in years but I remember some cars feel great on it whereas others are really rather poor.
I wouldn’t recommend AMS2 on a pad either though, that is pure sim.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Tue May 16, 2023 1:46 pm
by mik
Mito Man wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 12:14 pm
PC2 feels a bit inconsistent on a wheel too. I haven’t been on it in years but I remember some cars feel great on it whereas others are really rather poor.
You definitely get variation between cars - some with lighter steering, some heavier, some telegraphing feedback better than others. But that will be true in real-world also non? You can fiddle with caster too to change the steering weight and self-centering.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Tue May 16, 2023 3:06 pm
by Mito Man
I think that was it with regard to feedback, some cars felt too floaty as if the tyre/road contact model wasn’t interacting properly. Don’t get that in Assetto Corsa, iRacing or AMS so it always felt wrong to me.
Re: Old race tracks
Posted: Tue May 16, 2023 8:27 pm
by Zonda_
I’m still debating whether to buy Asseto Corsa, I’ve read reviews saying it’s pretty hard!
