Video Game Racing Guide

There are many racing games in the current market that demand gamers to push cars to their limit. Whether racing around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife, Laguna Seca or Silverstone, the concept of going around a track as quickly as possible remains the same.

Here I will teach you the basics of racing and the art of cornering as quickly as possible. Whether you’re hot-lapping in search of a new fastest lap or racing against friends online, this guide will hopefully take your game to the next level.

[menu]1. Introduction

2. Starting Line, Long Straight, Hairpin, Low Radius Corner

3. ‘Soft Chicane’, ‘Hard Chicane’, Increasing Radius, Constant Radius

4. Decreasing Radius, Right Angle Corner, Long S Bend, Roundabout

5. Banked Corner, Downhill Corner, Uphill Corner, Double Apex Corner, Kink[/menu]

Knowing The Track

Knowing the track is a very important aspect of being a fast driver. If you don’t know the track, you won’t know the severity and sharpness of each corner, and you’ll be oblivious to any potential hazards.

Hazards could include:

• Banking on the inside or outside of the track
• High curbs on the apex or exit of the corner
• Walls or barriers close to the track’s edge
• Track width changing

My advice is to choose a slow car that you are comfortable with, and go around the track slowly to see where the corners are, the distance between each corner and the severity of them all. This future knowledge will always give you the upper hand on someone who is inexperienced with the track.

Knowing The Game

As most gamers will know, there’s a massive difference between Simulation and Arcade racing. Arcade racing games are generally fairly easy to get to grips with and usually do away with real-world physics and some of the more advanced aspects of racing, such as tire wear modeling. Simulation games, such as Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, depend greatly on perfecting the racing line and advanced tweaking of your car’s set-up.

Cornering

Every track has a fastest route, called a Racing Line, which if taken correctly would enable a driver to perform the fastest possible lap time. Some games enable you to turn on the racing line, but in most cases it will be up to you to decipher the fastest way around a track through trial and error. It’s not just about blindly following this line either; you have to know how to handle the car and tackle each corner, which brings us to the next section of our guide.

The next pages will go into detail about how to approach and successfully navigate the most common corners.

Starting Line

Often disregarded, but can be a major factor to the end result of the track; your start could mean the difference between a race win and finishing in second place.

Depending on the car you are driving, you’ll want to restrict the revs to reduce the chance of getting wheel-spin. All FWD, RWD, MR and AWD cars will wheel-spin if you have a lot of power going through the wheels, so be aware of the drive-train and how much power you do have.

[tip]Taking note of your opponents’ cars can gain you some extra knowledge before you get in to the race. Powerful cars may shoot away from the starting grid or wheel-spin through the ground, but be aware of cars that might be slow off the line, as you don’t want to run into the back of them. This will slow you down and potentially damage your vehicle.[/tip]

Long Straight

A popular place to draft* opponents. Take a note of your surroundings on straights as opponents may take an opportunity to draft and overtake you.

When you are hot-lapping or racing on your own there isn’t a real technique to take when racing in a straight line. Just watch your speed and the track ahead as you want to brake in time for the next corner.

[tip]Not much technique needed here in competitive racing either. Just try to get into the draft of opponents ahead of you for that extra speed, and make sure no-one is drafting you. If someone is drafting you go from side to side on track gently to try and shake it off, but be careful you don’t go into the side of someone on the track or drive into the grass. The Last thing you want to do it go off the track on a straight piece of road. It’s usually the fastest part of track and you will lose a lot of places and time.[/tip]

* Drafting – When a car is moving the body creates down-force onto the road to create grip. This also leaves a slip-stream behind each car. In this area there will be less air as many air particles are pushed upwards. Following a car closely in their slip-stream is considered Drafting. As there are less air particles for your car to push through, you will gain in speed and reduce the gap to the car in-front. This is a popular technique used in all forms of racing and should only be used on straights.

Hairpin

[illu]hairpin.jpg[/illu]Often the slowest part of the track and a popular place to overtake.

Here you will want to brake early, making sure you don’t overshoot the corner. Take the widest entry possible and cut in to the apex, but make sure you don’t hit it too soon. Maintain as much speed as possible, but if you’re going too fast try to avoid using the brakes, instead opting to ease off the accelerator. If this is unavoidable, try not to brake too hard as this may unsettle the car as the pressure on each wheel won’t be the same. Braking too hard during a corner may also result in a spin.

[tip]If you’re following closely behind a car that you wish to overtake, your position on track in-relation to the direction the hairpin turns is important. If the hairpin is turning right you want to be on the right side of the car you’re trying to overtake. This is known as taking the inside line. After positioning yourself on the track you need to judge your braking point correctly. Often you want to brake a fraction later than the car in-front but not so late that you overshoot. If you’ve done this correctly hug the inside line next to the curb and you’ll gently force the other car to the outside of the track, which is the slowest line to take. Now power yourself out of the corner, but be careful you don’t put too much down as you may get wheel-spin and your car will start to go sideways. This will slow you down drastically and you won’t have much control over your car. Never ram an opponent on the side of their car as you will cause damage to you and your opponent’s car. You’ll also go off the racing line and have to react to this, losing time and possibly places on track. The tone of the race might also be altered, possibly resulting in a revenge crash later in the race.[/tip]

Low Radius Corner

[illu]low_radius.jpg[/illu]These corners are more often than not the fastest corners on a track, and should be taken accordingly.

When coming up to a low radius corner make a note of how much the corner actually turns on the track. If it’s only a little then you can generally take it without using the brake at all. You may, however, want to ease off the accelerator a little to avoid any unwanted problems. If the angle of the corner is a little larger, you’ll want to take it at a lower speed. Position yourself on the outside of the track, braking enough to take the apex on the inside of the corner and then moving back to the outside on the exit. Take the straightest line possible and you’ll travel the fastest.

[tip]Inexperienced drivers like to use corners like this to jump to the inside of the track, thinking that they will instantly overtake you and be faster. Be wary of opponents who may do this as they could hit you in the side and even take you out of the race. If you have an experienced driver behind you simply take the corner as you would and they shouldn’t trouble you; however, if you can see they are faster than you, drift to the inside of the track and hug the corner, forcing your opponent to the outside. If you’re coming up behind someone try to get to the inside side of the track before your opponent does. If you cannot succeed in doing this, just wait for the next corner.[/tip]

‘Soft Chicane’

A chicane is a corner that turns from one direction to another very quickly.

Make sure of any hazards on or around the chicane which may affect you. Look out for raised curbs on the inside of the chicane, high curbs on the outside, and the width of the track on exit. Take yet another wide entry and brake as much as you need to – don’t go too fast if you can’t make it. If the curb is high you won’t want to go over this section at high speed as your car will be thrown into the air, drastically reducing your control.

If there isn’t a high curb, take it as fast as you can and attack it. Don’t worry if two wheels go onto the grass; just try not to fully put your car onto it, otherwise you may get penalized for cutting the corner.

[tip]Try to avoid overtaking here as there isn’t enough space for two cars to fit side-by-side. If you do try and overtake it may result in loss of control and even cause you to crash. Simply follow the car in-front closely and keep pressure on him during the chicane. If you’re lucky it might even force him into making a mistake.[/tip]

‘Hard Chicane’

[illu]hard_chicane.jpg[/illu]This is another chicane but the two apexes are wider apart from each other. In this case you’ll have to brake more and take the corner at a slower speed.

As this is a harder corner to take, you want to brake harder on entry and cut to the apex. Instead of drifting to the outside of the track immediately, line yourself up for the apex on the next section. This way you compensate for the fact that you’re on a chicane and you can take it almost like a normal corner.

[tip]The hard chicane is the more popular type of chicane to overtake on. Due to the braking zones before hand, taking the inside line before your opponent can give you the upper-hand.

This type of corner is very hard to overtake on, but not impossible, so if you think you can make it give it a good go. If you don’t think that you’re not going to make it, simple brake and wait for another corner.[/tip]

Increasing Radius

[illu]increasing_radius.jpg[/illu]Here a turn gets tighter near the exit, requiring braking mid-corner and a possible loss of control.

Stay to the outside of the track before and during the corner, and only turn into the apex when you have a clear view of it. This may require braking in the middle of the corner; however, you may get away with just easing off the accelerator. If the corner is banked to the inside you may get away with not braking at all – just reduce your speed a little.

[tip]This is another popular place to overtake, simply because you’re leaving the inside line open until you reach the apex. If someone is on the inside, brake a little earlier and cut on the inside, overtaking them on the exit.[/tip]

Constant Radius

[illu]constant_radius.jpg[/illu]Classed as just a normal corner. A straight right or left turn where the radius never changes.

Make sure you know the harshness of the corner. It might be a long corner where not much braking is needed or it can be the opposite and turn quickly. Just as normal, take a wide entry and cut in on the apex half-way round the corner and drift to the outside on the exit, taking the fastest possible line. Be careful of such hazards as raised curbs on the apex and the outside of the track; this can affect grip on your car if you go over them at speed.

[tip]Sometimes a successful place to overtake opponents. Be conscious of the fact that opponents behind you trying to overtake you. If you are in this situation simply move over to the inside of the corner. This will reduce the chances of them taking the inside line and getting past you.

If you want to get past someone yourself and find that they are hugging the inside line (as you would), move to the outside of the track and cut in on the inside as they start drifting to the outside, giving you a chance to overtake on exit.[/tip]

Decreasing Radius

[illu]decreasing_radius.jpg[/illu]This is the opposite of Increasing Radius. The sharp part of the turn is earlier and you will hit the apex earlier.

As you are going to hit the apex earlier you can take these corners quite fast. If you imagine going wide in a corner because you went too fast, this is in-fact the same feeling except you will not be going wide because the track does too.

[tip]Make sure no-one takes the inside line from you here as it’s the fastest line to take. Brake early for the apex though as overshooting won’t help you.[/tip]

Right Angle Corner

[illu]right_angle.jpg[/illu]These are usually only found on city tracks, and there’ll usually be concrete barriers on both sides of the track. This means there is no room for error.

Firstly, you want to find out the sharpness of the turn and how wide the exit road is in comparison with the apex. Next you want to position yourself on the outside of the track and cut in on the apex. If the exit road is narrow you want to turn into the apex later. This is a similar method to an Increasing Radius corner. Be careful not to go wide on the exit though, as there might be barriers next to the track. Hit them too hard and you’ll cause a lot of damage to your car and lose even more time.

[tip]Be extra careful if opponents are trying to overtake you. As they are not taking the racing line they will have to adapt. Inexperienced drivers may not do this, and end up crashing into the side of your car. Similar to what was mentioned above, if you find an opponent is hugging the inside corner already, use the Increasing Radius technique and cut on the inside when they go wide.[/tip]

Long S Bend

You can either treat a long S bend like two separate corners or like a big chicane; either way, the same technique is used.

You can simply use the same technique as the ‘Soft Chicane’ technique explained above, where you cut to the apexes on both corners. Be wary of factors that may affect you, such as raised curbs or camber on track which can affect grip levels.

[tip]If you find a driver behind you who wants to overtake, simply hug the inside line of the corner and try to move across quickly enough to take the inside line of the corner.[/tip]

Roundabout

[illu]roundabout.jpg[/illu]Only city tracks tend to have this type of corner, but a special technique will still have to be used on it.

This is essentially a very long corner, except for the fact there isn’t an apex for the corner. If the roundabout is turning to the right you need to position yourself on the right side or middle of the track and slowly drift to the left once the roundabout comes. Brake hard and get to the inside of the roundabout, slowly follow the inside of the roundabout and stay there until you reach the exit, and then simply turn out.

[tip]This can be a tricky one when you are around other drivers, especially if you’re in a tight group. If you want to overtake the driver in-front of you, stay on the left side of the driver ahead. If they are aware of you they will want to brake later to keep their position, however, if you brake like you would normally, your opponent can overshoot the inside of the corner giving you room to get to the inside and overtake them.

Understand that other drivers might be using the same technique in an attempt to overtake you, so brake normally and make sure you get that inside line. On occasion the outside line can be faster and more practical.[/tip]

Banked Corner

This is a normal corner except for the fact that the corner may be banked into the inside of the corner.

As there is camber in the road you can use this to your advantage, gaining you even more speed. When the suspension in your car is compressed your tires get compressed too; this results in more rubber being laid on the road which, meaning you get more grip.

If that made no sense to you I’ll sum it up: go faster! Your car will allow it because you have more grip.

[tip]Someone who isn’t experienced may not realize there is camber in the track and won’t know that it also makes you faster around the corner.

Never try to overtake on the outside on a banked corner as it will never work. Camber is usually slightly less on the outside of the track and you’ll slide onto the grass or even hit a gravel trap. If you can’t overtake on the inside, simply wait for the next opportunity.[/tip]

Downhill Corner

This is an ordinary corner but may have a downhill slope beforehand which will affect braking zones.

As you are traveling downhill your speed will increase dramatically, and your breaking zone will need to be a lot earlier than normal. Start on the outside and cut to the inside to hit the apex, before powering your way out the corner.

[tip]Be careful of other drivers here who may brake later than recommended. They might overshoot the apex, and you’ll have to dive to the inside to take their spot on track. If you have someone behind you, take the inside line to stop them overtaking you, but be aware that they may miss the proper braking point and could run in to the back of you. If this happens keep calm and try to keep in a straight line. Don’t forget to brake hard too to stop yourself from slipping off the track.[/tip]

Uphill Corner

Effectively the same as the Banked Corner.

Here you can adopt the same technique as the Banked Corner. Be careful not to go too wide though, as the track might level out at the top. If the track does this your wheels will lift in to the air and you’ll lose grip with the road.

[tip]Here’s a type of corner a lot of drivers (even experienced) can go wide on, so it’s often a great opportunity to attempt an overtaking maneuver. Be careful not to slide into an unseen hazard on the exit. These corners reward players who know the track.

If there’s a driver on your inside when you enter the corner stay on the outside and cut to the apex later than normal (Increased Radius corner). They will probably slide to the outside of the track and you can take the inside line again and overtake them.[/tip]

Double Apex Corner

[illu]double_apex.jpg[/illu]In reality it is two corners both going the same direction (Right – Right, Left – Left) but you can treat it as just one.

You need to know the distance between the two apexes as this can affect how fast and aggressive take the corner. If the corners are close together you can almost treat it as a Hairpin, however, if they are slightly further apart you can treat it as a Constant Radius corner.

Start on the outside and cut in to hit the first apex, drift to the outside about halfway between the apexes and hit the second, before finally turning to the outside to complete the turn.

[tip]Treat this the same as you would a normal corner and you’ll be fine. Just be aware of anyone trying to go on your inside. If anyone does make it to the inside, let them move past you and try to get to the inside on the second apex.

If you want to overtake someone else try to take their inside line. Don’t worry if you don’t make it on the first apex though, as you can try on the second.[/tip]

Kink

A very small turn in the track which probably won’t require the use of the brakes.

Stay on the outside and cut to the inside to the apex. Try to avoid any raised curbs if there are any though. Going on two wheels will cause you to radically lose control of your car and may result in your car sliding off the track.

[tip]Keep the inside line and you shouldn’t be overtaken. As there are no braking points you can’t out-brake an opponent and no-one can do the same to you.[/tip]

…And that’s a wrap!

Hopefully these driving tips will help you become a better racer, whether it be in Forza Motorsport, Project Gotham Racing, Gran Turismo or another racing title.

The final piece of advice I can really give you is to practice, practice and practice some more. You’re not going to pick up a new racing game and be the best after a day’s play.

If you have any questions or would like to ask how to take a specific corner that isn’t already mentioned here, feel free to contact me.