What's the best track on ACC? That's a good question to start with. It's not an easy answer either. Even in real life I find that most trakcks have unique features. I have favourite sections and corners, however in pretty much every track there's a corner or a section I probably dislike.
But, twist my arm, fine, here it goes: Spa Francorchamps?
I guess it has to be. It's the most complete track in the game and probably in the world. Before you call me biased as a Belgian, rest assured, Spa isn't my go-to race track in real life. That honor still goes to Portimao's Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. But considering that's not in ACC, Spa's the next best thing.
Track Guide: Spa Francorchamps
Turn one, La Source, is one of the most unique hairpins in the world. I remember arriving at the track for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Spa 24 in 2022. Within minutes, several drivers of a local championship had already piled up. It's a tricky corner from start to finish. Braking hard at the 100m board should help you steer the car towards the inside as much as possible. Keep it close to the wall, clip the apex, and send it towards the exit. Be careful not to run over the larger sausage curbs, as they will significantly slow you down.
Eau-Rouge is likely the most infamous corner in the world, and for good reason. I like to race in Virtual Reality for the immersion in the game. Going through Eau-Rouge is still challenging after thousands of miles. I still don't think it's particularly fun, but when you come out of turn 4 in one piece and you're not a sitting duck on the main straight, you instinctively can't help but smile.
Followed by a few seconds of 'breathing' on the straight, you find yourself slamming the brakes into turn Les Combes, turn 5 and 6. For some reason, the car catches me out from time to time. Not that I run wide on corner entry. It's the perfect corner to trail-brake towards the apex consistently. I usually hit the brakes when I'm at the curb on the left-hand side.
No, I sometimes struggle towards the exit of turn 5 and into turn 6. Mostly the rear-end of whatever car I'm driving just lets go. If I make it through that section, the rest of the track is so second nature, I could almost drive around blindly.
The unique combination of turn 5, 6, and 7 is a difficult one to get right. But there is a lot of time to gain or lose in this twisty, tight combination. Coming out of turn 5, you'll want to be placed nicely in the middle of the track for turn 6. Cutting the curb on the way into turn 5 is a good way to line up nicely. If you leave your entry late, you will end up further to the right, which will compromise your line.
Turn 6 is best taken at the curb. Depending on the car and setup, you even want to put your left front over the curb for better steering and a straighter line.
It's important to get a little bit of oversteer from the rear to line up perfectly on the left-hand side of the track for turn 7. You see drivers spinning here as they hit the power too early. But coming out of turn 6, you will find yourself on the right-hand side of the track, and that's not where you need to be for turn 7. In fact, you need to be as far left as possible. So, a little oversteer will help you cut back across. The apex of turn 7 is a tricky one too. It's possible to apex early at the curb, since the exit allows you to run the car very wide onto the curbs. But be careful, as it's easy to overdo, causing you to have canceled lap times.
After turn 7, you will head downhill. A fun section that's also a good overtaking spot. Rivage/Bruxelles, turn 8, is slightly off-camber. It's a slow corner, but because of the camber, it's easy to run wide going into it. Stay close to the curbs for a stable line through. The apex itself is very late into the corner. Trying to apex early will result in running wide on corner exit and compromise the next corner altogether. The exit can be slippery too, especially on colder tires. You often see drivers end up in the wall.
Coming out of turn 8, you will take a swooping line from the left to the right-hand side of the track, ready for turn 9, No name. This is a very difficult one to get right. There's a high curb on the right-hand side, but if you can find the balance and the line, it's good to take it. It will give you a little more room on the entry of turn 9, allowing you to carry a lot of speed through it. The apex again is slightly after the middle of the curb, which you should cut. But the exit is difficult to estimate, and it's very easy to run wide and get a canceled lap time. Gearing is a very important aspect here. The corner is off-camber once again, so braking will likely send your car wide. Downshifting to 2nd or 3rd will help you tip the front. Still struggle with oversteer? Ever so gently tap the front brake to lower the front of the car. This helped me be more consistent and carry more speed.
Finally, you'll be able to relax for a mere second heading towards Poubon, turn 10, Pouhon, or Double Gauche. But not for long, since this is a very technical double apex. Just like into turn 9, you will want to gently run over the outside curb on the entry of turn 10. Gearing is usually between 3rd and 4th, depending on the car you're in. Uncharacteristically, you'll want to avoid the inside curb going into turn 10. Trail-brake going into it and stay in the middle of the track. By sacrificing the first curb, you will end up wide in the middle section of the corner. And then, power! Hit the throttle hard, pull the car back to the inside curb where the apex of turn 11 lies and power out, running the car wide towards the right outside curb. It's a very satisfying corner to get right.
Next up, we're heading towards Fagnes, Turn 12, and 13. This is the easiest section with very clear apexes. In most cases, you'll want to stay on the curb of both corners. Turn 13 is slightly more difficult since the exit is hardly visible. But, just like in Les Combes, you can try to oversteer the car out of turn 12 in order to line up better for the exit of turn 13. Mid-corner, you can accelerate and run the car wide on corner exit.
Turn 14, Stavelot/Campus, is another tricky one. The exit is blind going into it, so you will have to be patient to get back on the gas. But trail-braking will help you keep a tighter line in 3rd gear. The exit is wide, so you can power on hard and run the car as wide as possible without triggering a track limits warning. Once you're at Paul Frère, turn 15, it's full send! Make sure you hit the inside curb of Stavelot to avoid understeer. Hitting the curb will drag you into the turn ever so slightly. If you don't, you might find yourself backing off the throttle or running wide on the exit. Mind you, there's no big curb or green, so the lap will just be canceled if you do.
From here on, you pin the throttle hard! You'll need minimal steering input as your car shifts up into 6th gear. You will want to keep a very wide entry, almost touching the grass going into turn 16. And then it's Blanchimont. Turn 17 is another jewel of the track. A full throttle left-hander where you have to navigate the car very precisely. It's easy to spin or run wide if you touch the curb or steer in too late. But get it right, and you will end up nicely on the outside curb on the exit with the power full on. Some cars require a downshift to 5th, but overall you can take this corner at full throttle.
And then, finally, you're at the bus stop chicane. Braking at the 100m board is essential to get the car stopped in time. Try to brake in a straight line for added stability here. But again, this is the perfect corner to trail the brakes up to the curb of turn 18. Be gentle with the throttle to create an ever so slight oversteer to line up the car for the early turn 19 apex. Clip the curb, feather the throttle, and head for the outside curb as much as you dare. Don't apply full throttle at the apex since the slippery chicane will surely catch you out and spin the car. Even the curb on the exit is slippery, so your throttle management is vital here!
What makes Spa so special?
The way it naturally flows! It's difficult to understand at first, but once you unlock the countless secrets it offers, she feels like an old friend. My favorite part is from turn 5 to 9. I love precision braking and the extreme curbs and speed you have to carry to make it out just a split second faster than the lap before. It's difficult, but hey… that's why we mostly love racing, don't we? For those minimal gains and -0.001 to pole position?
But an honorable mention should go to Imola in my regard. Certainly not the easiest track and definitely not the safest, it offers a wide range of challenging sections. At Spa, Eau-Rouge is the only 'butt-clenching' set of corners, while I feel Imola has several of those. Just a little too far left or a little too far right will send you into oblivion, followed by a massive wall that ends your race. Bravery and technique set you apart at Imola more than it does on most tracks, and for that, I absolutely enjoy every lap on it. I always feel like I could be a little better here and there. It's difficult to be consistent because, in the search for more lap time, you'll need to push boundaries your brain tells you not to. And even then, the many secrets of the track could lure you into a corner faster, only for you to scrub off so much speed you end up dead in the water.
Conclusion
In all fairness, I could write positives and negatives on pretty much any track. There's definitely not a single one of them I purposefully avoid. Brands Hatch is probably the one with the most secrets for me, but I still love it to bits.
This question would be much easier if Portimao was on the Calendar, though. I've had the fortune of riding at both Portimao and Spa on a superbike. And even ten years later, Portimao is still my happy place.
But Spa is a driver's favorite for a reason. Many F1 drivers have stated it's the best track in the world, and for good reason! It simply is astonishing, fun, exhilarating, and scary.
Image credit goes to: Kunos Simulazioni