Even though RENNSPORT is relatively-new on the sim racing scene when compared to its rivals, it includes a great variety of tracks across its 13-strong roster. From quintessential circuits to sim racing firsts, and with a smattering of wonderful community-led content to round out the list, there’s something for everyone in the sim!
Asia
Fuji Speedway
Starting off our list in the shadow of the picturesque Mount Fuji, the Fuji Speedway circuit is one of the most famous in all of Asia. From various regional and national series to a 6-hour round of the World Endurance Championship, it’s hard to find a series that hasn’t at least once graced Fuji’s 16 turns.
The variant of Fuji Speedway that features in RENNSPORT is the Grand Prix version, which features the tight double-hairpin complex to begin the final sector. This means that the circuit has a little bit of everything: fast sweepers at the start, a slow and technical middle, and some sweeping medium-speed corners to wrap up the lap.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
The 27-turn quasi-street circuit makes its sim racing debut outside of the Formula 1 games here in RENNSPORT. And it’s the full-fat Grand Prix circuit, with the most corners on the current calendar and the third-longest circuit of the season, that is available for all on RENNSPORT to enjoy.
The high average speed and sheer volume of corners makes even a sprint race a feat of endurance. You barely get a chance to breathe between Turns 4 and 12, with the best line being the perfect blend of using the mix of flat and raised kerbs as much as your car will allow without it becoming unsettled and spinning out.
Orchard Road Street Circuit
The first made-for-game circuit on this list, the Legion of Racers set out with a brief to make a second Singaporean street circuit and very clearly understood the assignment. But don’t be deceived by the short-sounding 3.2km distance or the 10-corner turn count, it can easily catch out the most experienced of sim racers.
Based around the Orchard Road shopping complex in the heart of the citystate, it is the Las Vegas Strip Circuit to Marina Bay’s Long Beach. There are some deceptively technical sections as the track widens and narrows naturally with the roads.
A standout section is the Turn 5 and 6 complex, where 5 is a 90-degree right-hander reminiscent of Sebring’s Sunset corner which flows immediately into a tight 90-degree left-hander for 6. And once you’ve survived that, the penultimate corner is a downhill off-camber right-hander which widens in the middle and narrows on exit.
Europe
Autodromo Nationale Monza
Where better to start off our European contingent than the Temple of Speed? Monza is arguably the home of Grand Prix racing, in constant use since 1922 with 1980 being the only season in the history of Formula 1 to not stop off at this famous track.
In the world of sim racing, attempting to survive the first corner of the Rettifilo has become its own meme thanks to divebombs and attempting to force rivals to the outside and off of the track. However, once you survive that, you will find the same joys and happiness that you feel regardless of the sim you drive Monza in.
Whilst you can play it safe and not lose too much time, you will also find racing around the national park all the more rewarding when you push the track limits to the very edge through the Lesmos, or when you absolutely nail those kerbs through Della Roggia or Ascari.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
From one classic to another, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has changed numerous times over the year to respond to the demands of different machinery as well as the ever-changing safety requirements of modern motorsport. RENNSPORT features the latest version of the track, first used in 2022 and featuring extended run-offs and the return of some gravel traps as motorcycle racing once again graced the tarmac rivers that run through the Ardennes.
The secret to nailing a lap around Spa is making sure that you take just the right level of risk. That means using all of the track limits through the Eau Rouge-Raidillon complex, using as much kerb as you need through Les Combes, and getting as close to the gravel without going into it at Ickx or through Campus.
Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb
What’s not to love about racing through the estate of a literal Duke on multiple occasions throughout the year? After all, that’s what happens around Goodwood for both the Revival and, as can be enjoyed in RENNSPORT, the Hillclimb from the Festival of Speed.
In a brief blast up the hill that can be as short as 40 seconds with the right machine, the run up the hill quickly transitions from grass-lined lanes to a claustrophobic wooded section between hard walls before the final blast between hay bales to wrap up your run. Not since TrackMania Forever’s A01 has such a short track been so humbling to so many competitors.
Hockenheimring
The mighty Hockenheimring is still as challenging today as it was before the 2002 redesign that ended the high-speed runs through the forests. The current 4.6km variant has seen much action over the years, and the profiles of the various different corners promote great racing in many different categories.
Dialling in the perfect lap around here requires you to know your car very well. The first sector is short but deceptive, requiring drivers to know how much of the inside kerb you can take in Turn 1 without unsettling the car and how much outside kerb you can take without falling foul of the strict track limits.
Sector 2 is very high-speed, with the fastest sections broken up by heavy braking zones for Turns 6 and 8. The final sector is very technical, with mild elevation and camber changes through the stadium section, ready to catch out any unassuming drivers.
Nürburgring GP
Whilst the current Großer Preis-Strecke might not have the same fear factor as the old Green Hell has, it doesn’t make the challenges any less formidable. Getting the perfect lap around here requires you to know your car very well, as the optimal line can change from class to class and even within classes where you can have a variety of front-engined, mid-engined, and rear-engined cars.
The lap opens up with the most technical section through the Mercedes-Benz Arena, where you have to co-operate with your machine to find the line that best suits both of you. The second sector is made up of sweeping turns for which the correct line is dependent on your car’s layout, with front-engined cars more likely to take a V-shaped line in the Turn 7 hairpin whilst mid-engined cars are more likely to have a U-shaped line.
The final sector is pretty straightforward, with the trickiest section being the GP Chicane as this is not often used by the cars in RENNSPORT’s roster and requires drivers to brake heavily and use as much kerb to get through the corner quickly without unsettling the car.
Nürburgring Nordschleife (24h Layout)
The Green Hell sits just behind the walls and the barriers at the end of the Großer Preis-Strecke. And, in RENNSPORT, it also sits behind the paywall as it is the only track not currently available for free but is instead part of the Founder’s Pack content.
There are so many things that you need to make sure you get right to make it around the Nordschleife in the first place that it is worth checking out our article on its ACC counterpart to get up to speed fully, but rarely ever has the phrase “practice makes perfect” rang more true.
The 25.4km-long track, with 170 turns in its 24-hour configuration, is a circuit that requires thousands of hours and tens of thousands of laps for a driver to be able to perfect. Only when you can read the next piece of graffiti with your eyes closed are you considered a true master of the Nordschleife.
Crest da Cauras
Another made-for-game circuit, Crest da Cauras is a 30-plus corner circuit through the Swiss Alps that feels like Gran Turismo meets Forza Motorsport meets Ridge Racer.
The biggest challenge that Crest da Cauras boasts is the sheer variety of corners. No two sections of track at the same, with the two sweeping corners of Turns 10-11 featuring different cambers and thus wildly different approaches and the multiple chicane sections requiring a different line on entrance compared to exit as if they’re the Dragon Trail’s so-called “Chicane of Death”.
North America
8ETA
The final community-made circuit that doesn’t feature in the real world of racing, the formula of 8ETA is one that you can find in many places the world over. A figure-of-eight circuit, this track is not featured often in official rotation due to the amount of luck required to even survive a race around here.
The best thing to do to nail a lap around 8ETA is always be mindful of your surroundings. Whilst you can make the most of your own lap by ensuring that you carry the most speed through the corners and execute the shortest line from apex to apex, you will also need to watch out for the crossover so that you don’t T-bone or get T-boned by another driver!
Daytona International Speedway
The World Center of Racing, as Daytona likes to be known, appears in RENNSPORT with its famous Road Course. Best known for the Rolex 24 Hours every January, this race recently got a standout feature on the big screen thanks to F1 the Movie.
Despite a tricky infield section, the best way to make the most out of your lap around the Daytona Road Course is by running a low-downforce configuration. The extra tenth you could lose for lifting slightly through the Dogleg or through braking slightly more in the backstretch Le Mans Chicane is made up for with a gain in top speed on the flat-out oval sections or in the tow of your nearest rival.
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
The host of IMSA’s season-ending Petit Le Mans race, Road Atlanta is a circuit storied in racing history and famous folklore if the legend about the backstretch runway is to be believed.
The biggest challenges at Road Atlanta come from the steep elevation changes and the bumpy track surface. Turn 1 is a fast sweeper that can cause your aerodynamics to stall and your car to spin if you’re unlucky. Turn 3 has a kerb that you can take a hefty bite of in the correct car, but if your car doesn’t like to eat track furniture it could easily throw you off of the track and into the grass.
Turn 5 is very much the same, albeit with an exit kerb that sits on the racing line rather than an apex kerb. The best way through Turn 5 is to let the car gently run to the outside kerb, approaching it essentially side-on to reduce the likelihood that the car gets unsettled and spat out either across the track or into the outside wall.
