Our Gran Turismo 6 track coverage rolls on this week with the first of three events in the Amateur Cup series, on a short but quite challenging course that replicates the masterful Brands Hatch Indy Circuit located in Kent, England. This minor racing circuit has been home to many racing events, and can be quite tough with all its corners, hills and dips. With our help, you should be able to dominate.
When you get started, the first thing you’ll notice is a rather nasty right turn. It helps that you get some acceleration coming out of the starting gate – especially since it’s a “rolling start,” where you begin with the other five cars at a running speed – but it’s also important to keep your right thumb on the analog stick for braking. The button works just as well, but the analog stick is more accessible when it comes to quick braking (holding down) and accelerating (tapping back up).
As you go into the turn, watch your speed. You don’t want to come to a complete halt, but if you go too fast, you’ll fly off the road. Find a good, comfortable pace leading into the turn – don’t be afraid to restart if necessary – and take it. Once you come back out of the turn, accelerate a little more, but prepare yourself. This won’t be the last turn you take in the race.
After taking that fun little hairpin, prepare for an even tighter right turn. You’ll see the other cars braking for this, so take that as a precaution. However, try to cut on the inside while they sit on the outside. By doing this, you have a good opportunity to move ahead a couple of places while using them as leverage in case you start going off the road. Sure, it’s a dirty tactic, but it allows you to keep your pace as you lean into the turn, then accelerate coming out of it and moving ahead.
Following that turn, you’ll have a slight straight break leading into another tight left turn. If you’ve got driver’s aids turned on, you’ll see precisely where you need to brake from the solid red line that appears leading into the turn. If not, watch for the contours of the road and prepare to slow down. Take the turn and you’ll be off again.
Here, you’ll have a short straight path leading into a slight leaning curve. Use this to accelerate ahead, but prepare for another tight left turn coming up, keeping a steady hand on the brake. Easing off the accelerator and then slowly pumping your brakes works best, as you won’t lose much speed, but can take the turn without going off-road. Watch for cars behind you, as they may attempt to catch up.
Once overtaking this small left turn, you’ll have another tight right turn coming up, taking you well into a curve that leads back to a straight portion of the track. Take this using a combination of slowing down your speed with a little bit of braking. Keep an eye on the arrows on the road if you’ve got them turned on, as they’ll show if you’re going too fast to the point that you could slide off the road. It’s vital to have momentum going into these turns, but don’t lose control of your car. It can take practice to achieve this balance, but if you’re a seasoned Gran Turismo player, you’re probably capable of knowing what your car can do.
Completing that last tight turn, you’ll have a straight path leading to the main checkpoint. The second lap makes the difference, as drivers who were behind may try to catch up during this straightaway. Try to keep an eye on the rearview mirror with the internal car view to see where they’re at. However, if you’ve mastered your cornering, you should have no trouble taking the checkered flag.
The turns in the Brands Hatch track are probably the toughest you’ll find in an amateur event. Don’t let it frustrate you, though. You can always retry the race if you feel it didn’t live up to your performance, and if you screw up on the first lap, you always have another to catch back up. The point here is to learn the turns, master your car and win the gold. Keep at it, and this course will be yours for the taking.
Gran Turismo 6 is available now for PlayStation 3.
Published: Dec 9, 2013 05:40 pm