What is so special about Spa?

Off the Bit
Spa is a great track and would be one of my top ten tracks I would want in any racing game. The history (the fact that when they had to shorten it, they somehow managed not to ruin it), the curves, the weather... It is a long track in modern circuit-racing terms, easy to learn but difficult to master. Built from public roads, one of the last modern circuits to have a proper link to the great road racing circuits of the past.

That's why I like it. But each to their own, we all like different circuits for different reasons. I have never "got" the hype surrounding Suzuka, but I'm happy to accept that I am wrong. Probably wrong, anyway.
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No, it's ruined.
Here's footage of old Spa-Francorchamps in rFactor2:
http://youtube.com/?v=ohSJGipTO-I

Best track ever made and it got ruined, because of this - I'm seriously considering buying a PC just for rFactor2.


Don't know how to embed but there's the link.
 
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Am i the i only one who thinks that the "modern" version is better than the old historic Spa? In a modern car with downforce the old version would just be mindnumbing... :P
 
Gtuned
If you don't like Spa, you must also be the kind of person to think that Volvo 240 Estates are useless and uncool cars aswell.
Spa is one of the most historic and fun tracks of all of Motorsports.
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Well yes i am not a fan of the volvo. I enjoy the track daytona and i enjoy sportscars and supercars like ferrari and mclarens. Oh but my favorite track is circuit de la sarthe
 
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its special to me, because since the release, its a completely different and new track that they've added. i was getting tired of racing the same tracks.
 
Nice to have a different track to race. It has it's challenges but it would be nice to have another U.S.A. track like Road Atlanta or Road America. I really have no love for this track but maybe if I lived in Europe I might have a different opinion. I see most of the posts in this thread are from those living in Europe and they can probably relate better than most of us here in the U.S.A.
 
IndyRacer
Nice to have a different track to race. It has it's challenges but it would be nice to have another U.S.A. track like Road Atlanta or Road America. I really have no love for this track but maybe if I lived in Europe I might have a different opinion. I see most of the posts in this thread are from those living in Europe and they can probably relate better than most of us here in the U.S.A.
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Yea i see what you mean
 
Spa is not as special as it once was - Eau Rouge wasn't even considered the most dangerous turn on the track as that honor went to the Masta Kink - and the sheer speed of the original track caused many fatal acidents and one near fatal accident to Jackie Stewart in 1966 that became the inspiration of his lifelong crusade to make F1 racing safer. But even in its current state where it now barely resembles the dangerous monster it once was it still instills a sense of countryside racing that harkens back to the old road courses of bygone days that actually were roads. The ambiance of the place is amazing.
 
phil_75
Like this you mean?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XVF3jJL5Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgQEI5ALv0o&feature=relmfu
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I answered to a silly Off-topic post, you don't need to be as silly as him. If you really know Jenson and what he is capable of he wasn't pushing at all, he was driving about at 60% just for the sponsors.:dunce: Mount Panorama is a great track but too dangerous for a Formula 1 race, that's why is a dumb statement pretend to have a F1 race over there, not to mention the useless sarcasm.
 
Tired Tyres
They didn't need imagination for Fuji 80's. PD made play at the time that they were able to scan/photograph/whatever the track before the bulldozers went in and the changes to the track to create the 90's version didn't replace the original track, just bypassed it so the original track was still there.

It would be the same if they ever added Oulton Park to GT. Both chicanes on this track bypass the original track therefore the original track is available to scan.

I really don't think PD will ever add the full SPA since the track itself no longer exists in full form to physically scan.
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Rouen doesn't exist as a circuit now either, but in Shift 2 it was recreated in digital glory, even if it is impossible for it to be 100% accurate. Why would people care if it's accurate anyway? It would be like allowing the Jaguar XJ13 to race in the game. Or making Trial Mountain and Kart Space. From past trends, Kazunori seems to like "what if" scenarios.

Sadly I think you're right though, because it can't be scanned PD just won't do it. They lack the imagination to do research and fill in the missing parts as best as they can. (They already have GPL and "Grand Prix" the film as a frame of reference, as well as archive footage of the old Spa, and if Papyrus can do it, why not PD?) Nobody expects it to be laser-scanned accurate. So why deny the awesomeness?
 
Try driving it with a wheel, no aids, rain pouring down, and a Peugeot 908 with a horsepower upgrade. It will blow your mind.
 
Problem with that is its too high speed, in a modern F1 car it would be full throttle the whole track, racing would be based on drafting alone. It worked in the old low grip, no downforce cars but even then it was just flat out and too dangerous. I can drive around roads like that, and more interesting ones everyday where I live, as a racing track it doesnt serve the purpose well enough and as a time trial track it is flat out for too much of the track to be interesting like Nordschleife.

I can see what is to like about it, but the current Spa is a far better race track.
 
I found it pretty fun. There is all types of turns but there all very fast. It's better with very fast or race cars because you can really get up to speed and than have to break quickly to make the next corner. Smallest mistake and your off the track and lose.
 
Energizerrr
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This is why Spa is so great. If you race the original circuit on GPL, you will understand why it is so famous.

The two main turns, Eau Rouge and Blanchimont, are both in the original circuit. Every other bit has been castrated.

I would recommend buying GPL and giving Spa a go. It was an amazing circuit.

 
Bigbazz
Problem with that is its too high speed, in a modern F1 car it would be full throttle the whole track, racing would be based on drafting alone. It worked in the old low, grip no downforce cars but even then it was just flat out and too dangerous. I can drive around roads like that, and more interesting ones everyday where I live, as a racing track it doesnt serve the purpose well enough and as a time trial track it is flat out for too much of the track to be interesting like Nordschleife.

I can see what is to like about it, but the current Spa is a far better race track.
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You're right, from a racer's point of view.
I, on the other hand, am I horrible racer. I love driving and as a driver/time trialer I'm pretty fast, but as a racer I'm not so great.
I love driving and I'm kind of sick of all the FIA enforced rules regarding tracks, it's ridiculos.
I know that as a time-trial track Nurburgring is better and as a race track new Spa is better but, come on - there's something on old Spa which is beyond epic - it's on open roads.
The sensation of going well over 200km/h and seeing those power poles and traffic signs fly past you as a reference to your speed, I don't know - it's epic because it's something not allowed in real life (you can't go 200km/h in real life without getting in some serious trouble) so the only place you can do that is in game, not GT5 unfortunately.

@JimmyTheHat:
I would but I don't own a PC.
 
Old Spa is slightly better then Old Nordschleife, in my opinion.

I've read a lot of F1 drivers' opinion on Spa and nearly all say it's still the best circuit.

I love it in GT5, I have to say. Great racers track.

I see a lot of people asking for Bathurst, but it's very tight track. Brands Hatch would be my choice for the next track....it's fantastic for close racing.
 
Energizerrr
You're right, from a racer's point of view.
I, on the other hand, am I horrible racer. I love driving and as a driver/time trialer I'm pretty fast, but as a racer I'm not so great.
I love driving and I'm kind of sick of all the FIA enforced rules regarding tracks, it's ridiculos.
I know that as a time-trial track Nurburgring is better and as a race track new Spa is better but, come on - there's something on old Spa which is beyond epic - it's on open roads.
The sensation of going well over 200km/h and seeing those power poles and traffic signs fly past you as a reference to your speed, I don't know - it's epic because it's something not allowed in real life (you can't go 200km/h in real life without getting in some serious trouble) so the only place you can do that is in game, not GT5 unfortunately.

@JimmyTheHat:
I would but I don't own a PC.
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I don't disagree that it is an awesome track, but for me it is just like driving around many of the roads here in wales, these kind of roads are everywhere and would have made for amazing racing in the old cars, but I don't get excited about the thought of driving on those, like I would about driving a purpose built racing circuit like Spa. I recently re bought GP legends (on amazon for £1.74) and have been playing it so I get where you are coming from with it. I like the track and look forward to the Rfactor 2 version, but in Rfactor 1 I always got bored of it, for an exciting experience you are really limited in cars (specifically early 60's style F1 cars).

I love the current version because it has so much challenge packed into 2-3mins of awesomeness, it is perfectly designed for good racing and it even makes a good time trial track.


I'm not the fastest racer either, nor the fastest time trialer for that matter, I consider myself more of a racer but I spend most of my time in sims just driving alone.
 
Don't get me wrong, I really like both the new and old versions. I just see a wasted opportunity by PD to include something awesomely fast and dangerous to their track-list. Spice things up a bit, if you know what I mean. Imagine driving that layout in a Yellowbird or McLaren F1 without a wing. Those sweepers would become seriously challenging to get right then.
 
Mac K
Nothing at all..

Eau_Rouge_1997.jpg
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:)👍

Amazing pic!

Picture that in a low open wheeler while screaming down that view around 270 km/h...
Yr gonna feel dizzy for a few seconds, so many different G forces following eachother in milli seconds...
 
IndyRacer
Nice to have a different track to race. It has it's challenges but it would be nice to have another U.S.A. track like Road Atlanta or Road America. I really have no love for this track but maybe if I lived in Europe I might have a different opinion. I see most of the posts in this thread are from those living in Europe and they can probably relate better than most of us here in the U.S.A.
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I know of it only from watching F1 for the past few years. I've been introduced to it history and such since then.

Haakert

Ok GT5 isn't the best in everything... What a realistic damage! In Eau Rouge..
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That puts GT5's damage modeling to shame.
 
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