Are there any "II" reverse tracks that are fun to drive or even better in reverse?

V

vonMarshall

333
United Kingdom
London
N. vonMarshall
I have never been a fan of reverse tracks. It seems lazy to me and they never seem to flow properly.

I realise that some of that may be down to already knowing the track the right way round and that previous knowledge can actually hinder you ability to learn and enjoy a track the wrong way round, and maybe if I learned it the wrong way round to begin with I would enjoy it more.

But am I missing something? Are there any reverse tracks that are as much fun, if not more fun, than they are the right way round? At the moment I simply do not bother with them, but happy to be go back and give them a go if any of them are actually any good.
 
I thought the same about Dragon Trail reverse. However after spending some time working out the breaking points, races are really good fun and I will now race both ways
 
I like Dragon Trail much more in reverse. The corners become much more technical:

• 1st corner - You now brake with downhill elevation and there's a fast right bend just before the corner.
• Bus stop - You now approach it at a high speed so it becomes crucial to slow down appropriately. The exit line is also tested by the second chicane.
• Sharp left corner after bus stop - The entry is more complicated as the corner becomes tighter as you go into it. The hardest corner on the track, for sure.
• The long S curves - The entry apex is now in a blind spot and you have to nail the braking and acceleration on the first two corners in order to get into the right line for the final one. Very satisfying feeling when you get it right.
• The sharp bend after the S curves - You now have to approach from a downhill elevation.
• The final chicane - It is now harder to approach the second bend because of the elevation and the right side curbs that upsets the balance of your car. Very hard to pull off in certain MR cars, like the R8 LMS for instance.
 
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GBO Possum
I agree with this.

Try Alsace Village reverse for a while until you feel the "flow". You might like it.
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Thanks I have not puit much time on on Alsace yet the right way round so may endeavor to learn it this way first.

Arcflyer
I thought the same about Dragon Trail reverse. However after spending some time working out the breaking points, races are really good fun and I will now race both ways
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I shall give it another go then. Have to admit I tried it once and hated it but it sounds like it may deserve more effort.
 
Tekku
The long S curves - The entry apex is now in a blind spot and you have to nail the braking and acceleration on the first two corners in order to get into the right line for the final one. Very satisfying feeling when you get it right.
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This is the only part of Dragon II that I don't like. I don't think I've ever gotten it right and I've tried every line I can come up with or have seen others run. When I do feel like I get it right, it turns out I'm actually significantly slower.

They're not nearly as bad as the esses on Lago Maggiore though. Those flow so well in the standard configuration but in reverse, they outright ruin the track.
 
vonMarshall
I have never been a fan of reverse tracks. It seems lazy to me and they never seem to flow properly.

I realise that some of that may be down to already knowing the track the right way round and that previous knowledge can actually hinder you ability to learn and enjoy a track the wrong way round, and maybe if I learned it the wrong way round to begin with I would enjoy it more.
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I completely agree. I hate racing tracks backwards. It is an incredibly weak move in an attempt to make a very small track roster bigger. It's so lazy.

At first, I find it hard to race them backwards, but you get used to it as you do laps. Sometimes it's fun as it gives the track a new feel, but it's still super lazy.

I don't think I would be as mad if the track roster was bigger to start because as it stands now, it seems like a weak attempt to up the count.
 
FerrellJ
They're not nearly as bad as the esses on Lago Maggiore though. Those flow so well in the standard configuration but in reverse, they outright ruin the track.
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I really like Maggiore in reverse. I love hitting those esses. I can usually gain a lot of ground there. The key is how you approach the first turn and the 3rd. Most people slow too much for the first and try to run the 3rd way too fast.
 
FerrellJ
This is the only part of Dragon II that I don't like. I don't think I've ever gotten it right and I've tried every line I can come up with or have seen others run. When I do feel like I get it right, it turns out I'm actually significantly slower.

They're not nearly as bad as the esses on Lago Maggiore though. Those flow so well in the standard configuration but in reverse, they outright ruin the track.
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I like them much more on the reverse track, because you can really feel the optimal line through all three corners. On the original track you only really care about the line for the first corner as the two following corners are just about hard steering while going full throttle. The reverse track demands different approaches for all three corners and if you mess up the first one there's a pretty high risk you will also mess up the rest them. First one: make use of the wide curbs and steer hard at the right spot and try to maintain throttle as you move into the center of the track, second one: brake slightly and go from the center towards the outside on the exit, third one: let go of the throttle just slightly, turn in, and then apply throttle again as early as possible (too early and there's no curbs that will save you from going off track). You just know that you will get a good time when you get them all right. :)
 
In my opinion, the Tokyo Expressway Central track is a lot of fun to drive in reverse. So much so that I did a custom 1 hour Gr.3 enduro at that track and really enjoyed it.
 
Tekku
I like them much more on the reverse track, because you can really feel the optimal line through all three corners. On the original track you only really care about the line for the first corner as the two following corners are just about hard steering while going full throttle. The reverse track demands different approaches for all three corners and if you mess up the first one there's a pretty high risk you will also mess up the rest them. First one: make use of the wide curbs and steer hard at the right spot and try to maintain throttle as you move into the center of the track, second one: brake slightly and go from the center towards the outside on the exit, third one: let go of the throttle just slightly, turn in, and then apply throttle again as early as possible (too early and there's no curbs that will save you from going off track). You just know that you will get a good time when you get them all right. :)
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That's been my favorite complex to run since the game released. Completely agree that the reverse is miles better than the original, especially in Gr4.
 
FerrellJ
They're not nearly as bad as the esses on Lago Maggiore though. Those flow so well in the standard configuration but in reverse, they outright ruin the track.
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That has to be the worst reverse circuit! I just couldn't get to grips with it. I agree about the esses.
 
TheGeologist
Only thing I hate more than fantasy tracks backwards, is real tracks. It wasn't made to go that way, why are we doing it?
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The moon was not meant for humans either, but are we stopping there? Not by any means.

The short answer is, because we can.
 
I view reverse versions of tracks very positively, especially because it provides a low cost way of providing me with a wider range of driving experiences. Purists may choose to avoid them for whatever reason, that's a choice.

In real life, many tracks have hosted reverse-direction events, especially in the era when nobody cared much about driver safety and lack of run-off areas

Back in the day, PGR3 had many real world tracks in reverse, even The Ring, which was an incredibly different experience when run backwards.

Try this -
 
I think the fantasy tracks PD has made were designed with reverse layouts in mind - they seem to work pretty well either way
 
I like Alsace II. With pole position on daily races it’s hard to lose. I won like 15 with that Atenza on that race last weekend.
 

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