Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, located in the town of Misano Adriatico and commonly known as Misano Circuit, is one of three Italian tracks in Assetto Corsa Competizione. Before we uncover all you need to know about the venue, here are some facts about the Misano World Circuit:
- The track was originally built in 1972 at 3.488 km in length, known then as the Circuito Internazionale Santamonica.
- In 1993, it was renamed Misano World Circuit and underwent a major renovation, increasing the length of the track to 4.064 km with improvements in safety features.
- Nowadays, it consists of 16 turns, with six right-hand turns and ten left-hand turns. The longest straight is 565 meters long.
- The circuit has hosted many international motorsport events, including the World Superbike Championship, MotoGP, and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup alongside GT competition.
- Misano Circuit is named after the Italian motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli, who tragically died in a crash during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
In this track guide, we will break down each corner of the Misano World Circuit to give you a better understanding of how to attack its tight, twisty and technical features. The focus will be on racing lines, braking points, gearing, apex points and acceleration zones to give you a better understanding of what is a staple venue of current GT calendars. Let’s get stuck in.
Turns 1, 2 and 3 (Variante Del Parco)
Turn 1 is the start of a right-left chicane which feeds into a long right-hand turn to open the lap.
Heading into the first part of the chicane and Turn 1, place the car over on the left of the start and finish straight, and put your outside wheels onto the red concrete runoff area. Hit the brakes just before the 50-metre board and start turning in as soon as you start braking. Shift down to third gear and aim to place your inside tyres over the sausage curbs as you hit the first apex, before staying right on the exit without letting the car run wide, as this will allow you to open up the entry to the next left-hander. Try and straighten up the car before you start braking again for Turn 2.
Shift down to second gear and turn in early to place the inside tyres over the sausage curbs. Don’t be shy to cut the inside as much as possible while avoiding track limits across these two corners. Get back on the power as early as you can exiting Turn 2 to get the best run through Turn 3 and down to Turn 4.
Turn 3 should be absolutely flat out, and again, make sure to abuse the inside runoff area as much as you can without getting a track limits warning. This will make it much easier to carry more speed through the turn, allowing you to carry more momentum from Turns 1 and 2. As the corner opens up, unwind the steering and use the striped exit curb to carry as much speed as possible.
Turn 4, 5 and 6 (Curva Del Rio)
Curva Del Rio is another tricky sequence that requires good throttle control and patience to navigate. If you get this sequence wrong, it will cost you a lot of lap time down the following straight.
Heading into the first part of the sequence, start braking on the striped curb as the red runoff ends on the left. You can try to brake deeper and closer to the 50-metre board, but this will require significant amounts of trail braking.
Shift down to second gear and aim to cut the inside curbing in Turn 4. Ease back onto the power as you hit the inside apex and open up the steering slightly to let the car run to the outside curb. This will help you set up the next part of the sequence, which is the most crucial part of the Turn 4 to 6 complex for lap time and overtaking opportunities on the run to Turn 8.
Once you’ve opened up the steering from the previous corner, turn in hard for the right-hander. Don’t get greedy on the power and rather modulate the throttle pedal while you abuse the inside curb again as much as you can to open up the following left-hand turn.
The direction change into Turn 6 needs to happen quickly, so coming out of the right-hand Turn 5, keep as far to the right as you can and then turn in quickly to cut the inside curb of the left turn as you short shift to third gear. Keep on the throttle as you go through the left-hand Turn 6 and only modulate the throttle slightly if you’re feeling Tractional Control interference. If you get your positioning and speed right on entry to Turn 6, you should find that the car naturally drifts out the perfect amount of exit curb. If you understeer onto the big sausage curbs on the exit, they will launch the car and put you at risk of a track limits warning.
Turn 8 (Curva Quercia)
Turn 7 is only a small kink in the straight heading to Turn 8 – a tight slow-speed left-hand turn. Approaching the corner, stick to the right-hand side of the track and use the green runoff area as you approach the braking boards. Get almost fully onto the curb as you hit the brakes at the 100-metre mark.
Delay your turn-in and only start to apply steering after the 50-metre board as you’ll be aiming for a late apex. Downshift down to second gear and use the inside curb to help rotate the car. Get on the power early and utilize the flat exit curb as much as possible, but be careful of spinning the rear wheels.
Turn 9 and 10 (Curva Tramonto)
Turn 9 is another slow-speed corner and is a right-hand hairpin that feeds onto the long back straight.
Heading into the corner, get over to the left-hand side curbing to open up your entry point. As you approach the corner, ignore the apex at the right-hand kink and rather prioritize the entry of the hairpin. Position the car in the middle of the track and brake hard as you get to the middle point of the right kink. Brake in a straight line and delay your turn-in to get a late apex.
Shift down to second gear and aim to get your inside wheels inside of the red and white curb – which helps with rotation as you release the brake to get more grip on the front wheels – as you hit the apex. Make sure to use as much of the inside curb and runoff as possible in Turn 10 because there is a lot of grip to be found there that will allow you to get back on the power at the earliest point possible.
Progressively get on the power to avoid sliding at the rear to get the best traction on the exit, and open up the steering using the exit curb to maximize your speed down the long back straight. A good exit here will set up a possible overtake if you are close enough to the car ahead.
Turn 11, 12, 13 and 14 (Curvone and Curva Del Carro)
Curvone and Curva Del Carro is a fast sequence of three fast right-hand turns followed by a tight right-hand hairpin to round it off.
Turn 11 is an easy flat-out turn that you want to cut to shorten the lap. Every little advantage counts. On the exit, immediately return to the left-hand side curb and prepare for the next two corners which are much more technical.
Turn 12 leads into Turn 13 and it’s vital that you stay wide and resist the urge to turn in too early here. Don’t hit the apex of Turn 12 and stay more to the middle of the track to open up the entry into Turn 13.
As the car straightens next to the painted curb on the left, start to brake. Brake in a straight line, staying wide while you downshift two gears to fourth. Delay your turn in slightly to catch a late apex, and don’t apply too much steering angle with the brakes heavily applied as this is likely to cause the rear of the car to rotate too much.
When turning in, aim to cut the inside curb and runoff area and wait for the car to settle before getting back on the power. It’s safe to attack the curb here but then modulate the power on the exit. If you get back onto the power too early and too aggressively, it will throw you wide and you will fall foul of track limits. You can use a lot of exit curb and runoff, but keep your inside tyres on the painted curbing.
Entering Turn 14, use the solid white line that runs across the red runoff area as your braking marker. This is roughly equivalent to the 50-metre board. Here, you will be braking deep into the corner so you need to apply steering angle as you are turning. Change down to second gear, and increase your steering input as you get closer to the corner to aim for a late apex. You want to straighten the car as much as possible for the exit to maximize traction going into the last few corners. Venture too wide and you’re going to compromise your line through Turn 15.
Turn 15
Turn 15 is a fast to medium-speed left-hand turn. In qualifying trim, it can be taken flat out with the correct setup, however, in the race with a full tank of fuel or worn tires, it requires a small lift.
Heading into the corner, position the car back over to the right-hand side. The corner comes at you quicker than you think, so start to turn in earlier than you would think is viable. Look out for the green runoff area on the right because as soon as you pass the start of this runoff area, you’re going to want to start to turn in and cut the inside curbing. Some cars allow you to use the sausage curbs, while others require you to miss them, so be aware of this.
Once the front end grips up and you can see you are not understeering wide of the apex, get back on the power to carry the speed and momentum into the final corner. The runoff area on the exit can be used, but try not to go too wide as you will need to come back on track and avoid the grass to get your entry right for Turn 16.
Turn 16 (Curva Misano)
Turn 16 is a medium left-hand turn that is all about carrying your speed through it and using the camber of the corner to do this.
Brake just before the 50-metre board or the start of the stripped curbing. Shift down to third and start to turn in early. Aim to reach the inside curb just after the first sausage curb and immediately start to get back on the power. Open your steering as you do, and use the exit curb to launch out of the corner with the best traction. Do watch out for the big sausage curbs on the exit runoff area because they will unsettle the car and can cost you a lot of time.
As you run to the start and finish line, that concludes a lap at the Misano World Circuit.
