Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (now called WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) is a real-world circuit from the Gran Turismo series of games. It is an exact replica of the Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, CA in the United States. It has appeared in every game of the series since Gran Turismo 2, with the exception of Gran Turismo Sport.
Circuit Layout
The 2.24-mile (3.60-km) circuit consists of 11 turns, some slow and technical (notably 2 and 11, both hairpins) mixed with several faster corners. Laguna Seca also features more elevation changes than most circuits, with the drop from the top of the course (Turn 8) to the bottom (at Turn 2) at over 300 feet (91m). Turn 8 (and 8A) are thought by most professional drivers to be among the most difficult corners in the world. The complex, known as The Corkscrew, consists of a tight left hander at the top of the hill which releases into a steep downhill right.
Laguna Seca in Gran Turismo
The recreation of Laguna Seca in the Gran Turismo series is almost perfect, with every turn, ridge, and bump (the infamous Corkscrew included) from the real world circuit incorporated in the game. It appears in the following events in the series:
In GT2
In GT3
Beginner League
- Lightweight K-Car Cup
- Stars & Stripes
- Tourist Trophy
- Vitz Race (Toyota)
- Evolution Meeting (Mitsubishi)
- Gran Turismo World Championship
Amateur League
Professional League
Endurance League
License Tests
In GT4
- License Test B-10
- Driving Missions 12 and 27
- FR Challenge
- Sports Truck Race
- World Classic Car Series
- Gran Turismo All Stars
- Formula GT World Championship
- Real Circuit Tours
- Laguna Seca 200 Miles
- All American Championship
- Stars and Stripes
- Muscle Car Competition
- All Japan GT Championship
- Renault Megane Cup
- Audi A3 Cup
- Club "RE" (Mazda)
- Mazda NR-A RX-8 Cup
- Mitsubishi Mirage Cup
- Nissan Club "Z"
- Stars of Pleiades (Subaru)
- Lotus Classics
- Blackpool Racers (TVR)
- Corvette Festival (Chevrolet)
- Shelby Cobra Cup
In GT5
- Pick-Up Truck Challenge - 3 laps
- Supercar Nostalgia Cup - 3 laps
- Muscle Car Championship - 5 laps
- NASCAR Series - 5 laps
- American Championship - 10 laps
- Laguna Seca 200 Miles - 90 Laps
- License Test iA-3 (The Laguna Seca Raceway's Notorious "Corkscrew") - turn 8/8A, corkscrew
- License Test S-5 (Applied Overtaking-Laguna Seca Raceway) - whole lap
In GT6
- Classic Muscle Car Series - 3 laps
- Tour of America - 4 laps
- GT World Championship - 6 laps
Reverse Version
Gran Turismo 2 - Laguna Seca Reverse
- In Gran Turismo 2, Laguna Seca Raceway has an unused reverse version. The real track itself was not designed to be driven on backwards, so this is likely the reason this variant was not used. This version uses earlier road surface graphics, and has two replay cameras defined. There is also no AI pathfinding, the opponents will either simply stand still or will drive in a straight line into the wall and remain there. Additionally, you can not pit in on this track either. As a result of the unfinished state, textures may "pop" in and out and the draw distance seems to be lower as well.
Trivia
- When Laguna Seca first appeared in Gran Turismo 2, it was the first real world circuit ever to be featured in the Gran Turismo series.
- In Gran Turismo 2, the player can break out of the track and find an inaccessable strip of land, which was formerly believed to be a drag strip.
- On an episode of BBC UK's Top Gear, host Jeremy Clarkson attempted to match his Gran Turismo 4 time on this track in real life using a Honda NSX '01. He was, however, unable to come close to the 1:41 set on the game, managing only a 1:57 in real life. Clarkson put this down, not to imperfections in the game, but to the consequences of high-speed driving, citing that the real-life implications of an error are much more than just a ruined lap time. This "fear-factor" is not present in a computer game.
- In Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Laguna Seca Raceway is raced near sunset, as opposed the normal daytime setting found in most games that feature the track.