Automobilista 2 - Historical Track Pack Pt2

BARCELONA 1991
Earlier this year we release Circuit de Catalunya as it is today, and with v1.5.3 the shorter National layout will be added to that DLC pack. The track already has some history behind it now, having inaugurated in 1991, having hosted rounds of many high-profile championships and becoming a staple in F1 the F1 calendar hosting the Spanish GP in every year since. The track back then looked distinctively modern vs the other tracks in the 1991 calendar, and while it has proved to be ahead of its time managing to remain one of the top-Grade A tracks in the world with minimal reforms in these 32 years, it looked quite different back then. In terms of layout, the amazingly fast Campsa corner was even faster back then with a shallower angle leading to another fast right / left S corner that still exists but was retired from use back in 1994.


INTERLAGOS 1991 / 1993
The classic Interlagos circuit in two slightly different versions, as they were in Senna´s two Brazilian GP victories, fresh out of the reform that reduced its total length from the amazing original 7,873km layout (already featuring in AMS2) to the shorter but still excellent 4,325 km layout has by and large remained the same to this day – most of the track changes were in its topography, with a big climb in between T6 / T7 (Laranjinha) where the new layout “shortcut” to the infield section getting smoothed out in the 1995, and run-offs around the track being mostly off-camber, including at the exit of T11 (Mergulho, the fast downhill left-hander) which made going off there particularly hairy back In the day.


MONTREAL 1991
Another track which features in AMS2 with an older version from 1988 and the modern, which 1991 being and interim evolution between them as in that year the track was reformed to lower the very high curbs it had up to that point, and tighten the previously absurdly fast last right / left S into the last chicane that remains pretty much unchanged to this day. The track was still tighter in places than it is currently, and big sawtooth curbs and lack of run-offs anywhere meant the room for error was much smaller.


Despite the superficial layout similarities, as you get to drive each of these historical tracks it should be evident how different they actually are how far the overall standards for race tracks has shifted in the 30 years since these versions were raced on – from the bumps and the curbing to the barriers and run-offs (or lack thereof) these tracks provide a very different experience and some additional challenges relative to their modern counterparts, and are thus more suitable for the race cars from this era (of which AMS2 has plenty) to be raced on.