We’ve crossed over into another franchise for this week’s Track of the Week. Welcome to Maple Valley Raceway, coming to us courtesy of GTP user GTvsForza!
MVR arrived alongside the Forza franchise in 2005. A flowing track with considerable elevation changes and plenty of challenging curves, it sadly has yet to make the jump to the current generation. Having last been seen in 2011’s Forza Motorsport 4, it only made sense to take that game’s cover star – the Ferrari 458 Italia – to this recreation.
It’s worth pointing out that, due to the limitations of the Track Path Editor, this is not a true replacement for the genuine article. Based on the Eifel Flat theme, this version of Maple Valley requires a different racing line through many of the corners, as the Italia is more prone to washing wide on the smoother corners.
The quick left-hander after the long first turn, for example, is missing the dip and cambered profile of the Forza version, requiring a far more concerted braking effort before turn-in. You’ll see that I still didn’t scrub enough speed in the video, though!
Overlooking the differences, there are plenty of reasons this track is a fine addition to a racer’s collection. The first turn’s mid-curve change in radius makes it a prime passing point, where an outside line can tuck in towards the curbing at the right moment. The back straight offers a forgiving late-braking zone as it feeds into a long left-hander. The constant-radius corners that pepper the second half of a lap reward high-grip cars with big gains, while the S-bends require a determined line to hold off challengers. The final turn is a seriously high-speed one, too!
Maple Valley is still one of the better fantasy tracks that Turn 10 have concocted. While this won’t replace it like-for-like, it’s an inspired effort and a chance to experience the basic layout outside of the series. If that sounds like your sort of drive, get Maple Valley right here.
Have you created the next great race track? Add your track to the GTPlanet Track Database now, and submit it to the Week 24 Submission Thread for your chance to have it featured next week. The deadline for submissions is 20:00 GMT on March 24, so don’t wait!
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I remember this track when I was competing with it a few weeks ago, I liked it