Autumn Ring is a fictional circuit which features in every main Gran Turismo game to date except Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and Gran Turismo Sport, also appearing in Gran Turismo Concept, Tourist Trophy and Gran Turismo PSP. It has 14 corners and is a seriously technical track. It is, in the strictest sense, in a figure-8 layout in that it has an overpass, however the overpass only encompasses a small area of the track either side of a tight 270 degree corner.
The Autumn Ring is also available in reverse direction, and also contains the smaller Autumn Ring Mini (available in reverse) within its boundaries. The mini circuit utilizes less than half of the main circuit, connected by a short additional piece of track. As the name suggests, the environment is always set on Autumn/Fall.
Overview
Autumn Ring is a course characteristically set in the early Fall/Autumn season and is the only course in the entire series that is. Despite this, the track is entirely clear of fallen foliage such as leaves and twigs, and much of the area remains full of lush color, giving a relatively unique blend of green and red-orange coloration. Being the premier full circuit of the complex, The course itself is a road course, spanning a decent length of 2.95km (1.83 miles), and a wrought blend of tight corners both smooth and sharp. It is among one of the shortest full-length road courses in the games, but with the slower nature of its corners and shorter straight sections, one would be hard-pressed to find lap times not comparable to other, longer, more high-speed circuits in the series.
The course has been a mainstay in the series and has only been absent in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec along with a small handful of other courses that had appeared in previous and future games alike. Despite changes made to the visuals and aesthetic nature of the course, the circuit hasn't undergone a single layout change since its inception in the original Gran Turismo (although Autumn Ring Mini: the short course of the complex, has). Its layout and length have always been the same from start into the current day. With the advent of time of day changes in Gran Turismo 6, the course can be raced from early morning until mid-afternoon.
1 Lap Guide
Autumn Ring is a fairly short circuit at only 2.95km (1.83 mi.) so the course doesn't comprise of a lot long-distance driving. However, the slower nature of many of its corners make lap times over a minute common. The course is littered with tight, sharp corners, so advanced cornering technique and careful throttle manipulation (and proficient clutch operation for wheel users) are key skills and the circuit will test your patience with using said skills when driving on it, especially in later games. The shorter distance of its straights also makes the course favorable for cars with pedigree acceleration and handling capabilities, with the top-end speeds of most cars never being reached on the circuit. Although the corners of the circuit are tight and slow-paced generally, the smoother corners are typically mildly banked while the sharper corners are minimally banked or not banked at all yet aren't angled too steeply, making for somewhat noticeable consistency in the cornering speeds between turns.
The sections differ between PlayStation-era Gran Turismo games, and the newer games, with the originals having 4 sectors rather than three in later games.
Sector 1
Sector 1 of Autumn Ring covers from the start/finish line just a ways off the last kink to the short straight after turn six (Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 2) or middle of the straight off from turn 7, which is also where Autumn Ring Mini's start/finish line is (Gran Turismo 4 onward).
GT/GT2 Version
Since The originals have standing starts, pilots will likely just be getting off from the pole spot on the line if you haven't already been around once already or chose not to qualify if during a race (You'd be in last place regardless in Gran Turismo 2, however). As they gain speed toward the first turn, they'll have to brake hard into this near-180° turn. With the non-analog nature of the original two games' controls, repeated presses of the throttle several times has to suffice to manage it properly, rather than press and lightly hold the X button once. The first corner can be a particularly tricky corner for that reason. Once off the tedious first corner, the driver will then switch steering direction into turn two, which isn't as steep as the previous, and can be negotiated with simple throttle inputs and a close line. The series of kinks they encounter after: turns 3, 4, 5 and 6 are nigh immediately after you get off the second turn.
These are deceptively tricky corners, but they shouldn't be too much work with a good workaround. The curb space in both iterations is wide here, and using them to cut the corner a little is tempting to say the least, giving the driver opportunities to make a straighter path through these pesky corners. However, caution must be expressed here, because the curbs have a noticeable incline, more in the sequel than the original, and driving over them at high speed may cause one end of the car to lift from the ground inadvertently, causing, among other things, traction loss. This is especially prominent in lightweight cars with stiff suspension set-ups. With steering and throttle inputs not being too precise as in later entries, careful navigation is crucial for getting through these corners not only quickly, but safely as well. The sector ends shortly after this right-left-left-right kink series, but the drive around does not, as it's left the car very near to the seventh corner.
Current Version
With the start/finish line being the longest straight on the course, this is where they'll have the most breathing room during the whole run. The car will have already acquired some speed coming off the previous section, and will gain some more as they drive unencumbered for the remainder of the somewhat short start/finish straight for a few more seconds. After this shorter-length straight, the driver will have to brake for a near-180° turn 1. The right-hand first corner is the second steepest on the whole circuit, but it's wider radius and banking makes negotiating it only a moderate task, even for more novice drivers. With the short straight that follows, the driver won't have much time to accelerate before having to lift off or even brake into 2: a smooth although tight left bend.
A minuscule straight follows through before one of the most tricky sections on the course: turns 3-6 are met. This series of sharp right-left-left-right kinks makes for one of the most difficult cornering sequences in the entire series, and with the upgraded physics of the newer games, you'd be challenged by them to get through them smoothly. They all must be taken at once, and although turns 3 and 4 are closer to each other than 5 and 6, the path through them is almost singular. The driver will typically have to make a quick right into a smooth left before making another smooth right, with this right holding even into the smoother, right-angled and banked turn 7. The speed the driver carries into turn 7 from the turns 3-6 will give them that much more of a head start down the following straight that also would be the start/finish straight for Autumn Ring Mini, the sector ending halfway through where the start line for Autumn Ring Mini is situated.
Sector 2
Sector 2 begins from the tiny straight just after turn 6 to the straight after turn 10 (Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 2), or from Autumn Ring Mini's start/finish line to the straight after the famous turn 11 (Gran Turismo 4 and onward).
GT/GT2 Version
With the driver having just come off of turn 6, they have likely maintained quite some speed, some of which will carry into then next corner: a banked right-angled right turn. With the right line, the player will have made short work of the corner and will have quite some speed to carry into the Autumn Ring Mini start/finish straight. This straight won't last too long, given its short length, and higher-powered cars will gun right past it in no time flat. Distance markers out to 200m mark the approach to turn 8: a tight, steep right-hand hairpin turn, and perhaps the slowest corner on the Autumn Ring circuit. Most cars are able to correctly enter this corner braking anywhere from 25-75 meters from the entry point. It's a slow corner, but the driver can throttle out relatively early in many cars of differing tiers of performance, though it is also a corner that makes many cars oversteer-prone, though can usually be handled in the original game by braking and then steering.
The straight after turn 8 is about as long as the previous, slightly shorter, and going slightly uphill. If the drivers car has a lightweight flywheel, their acceleration will noticeably slow a bit. Turn 9 will follow this uphill straight, and is of similar sharpness to the previous, but turning to the left and slightly less angled, making a slightly faster turn overall, and not one to worry about with familiarity and good throttle management. The short straight that follows is again of similar length the previous; here you can see the branch of road where the course breaks off into Autumn Ring Mini and the subsequent barrier that blocks it. Once at the end of this straight as the road to Autumn Ring Mini zooms by you, you get a slight break from the developers as turn 10 will more softly turn you right again, and hurl you down the following short straight right before the 11th and most recognizable turn of the course. The sector will conclude half way down, just before you duck under the overpass.
Current Version
Starting off sector 2 from Autumn Ring Mini's start/finish post, you finish the rest of this short straight section going slightly down hill into the right hairpin of turn 8. Despite charging down a whole straight and going downhill, braking points aren't far from the actual corner most of the time. This corner isn't a long one, but a fairly finicky one, especially with rear-drive cars. Power-oversteer isn't hard to achieve on this corner, so careful throttle manipulation is key to smoothly negotiating this particular corner, and thankfully, pressure sensitivity allows for more precise throttle inputs on controllers, and race wheel controllers are now common and loads of them are compatible with the recent games, making this corner trivial with practice. With good throttle control, the driver can come off of this corner with a good bit of speed to head up the following straight, now beginning to head uphill. The uphill orientation of this straight can benefit those who prefer to brake late for when they come up to turn moderately left into turn 9 and head on down another equally-short straight section.
Turn 10 comes at the driver quite soon after, and is one of the few corners that gives them the flexibility to tackle it with speed. It's a rather smooth, wide corner, and with a smooth line can give a driver a good amount of speed to carry into the following straight. A small straight will throw the car under the overpass that the next corner: turn 11, creates. Most won't have to brake too much for this circular left corner as it's not a very tight one, though it's a fairly lengthy corner, going almost 270° around; a twist only rivaled by the round-a-bout corner in the Seoul Central and Circuito de Madrid city circuits, and by the spiral bridge corner on the Cape Ring circuits. This length makes consistent throttle quite vital for getting around and maintaining speed, though the hardest part about the corner is judging when it's alright to hop steadily back on the throttle again. Being an uphill corner rather close to a retaining wall, much of the corner, although consistent is fairly blind, often making drivers have to guess at when they should start powering on again. Getting this right should push the driver toward the outer sides of the road and hopefully beyond the corner exit into the following mid-length straight at a good amount of speed, the sector ending mid way down this straight.
Sector 3
Sector 3 begins either on the straight before the turn 11 overpass to just after the straight of multi-turn 12 (Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 2) or the rest of the course from the straight just after turn 11 (Gran Turismo 4 onward).
GT/GT2 Version
Starting the sector gunning under the overpass, you'll have to brake some before entering turn 11: the looping corner that Autumn Ring is known for. Most high-tier cars can get through this corner rather quickly, though normal, untuned or sparingly-modified cars will likely be crawling through this corner, much like the other steep corners up till this point. As with the straight after turn 8, the uphill orientation can noticeably slow down acceleration slightly if using lightweight flywheels in your build. This corner is fairly tactful in these games particularly because of its duration and the primitive throttle scheme making players have to press the throttle several times to manage it rather than press and hold it softly. Getting the patter of pressing, holding and releasing the throttle is key to keeping lines around this corner in both games, and it's a hard pattern to catch and get used to, given the difference in performance with both games' many vehicles. If properly handled through tried rhythm, the driver should now be on the outside of the road just out of the looping turn and now onto the overpass itself, and with some speed in the pocket to heard down the straight it connects with.
About as long as the previous straight before it,the car will have a bit of time to gain some momentum, before having to lose it again to brake for turn 12. Turn 12 is a set of left-right-right kinks, much in the nature of turns 3-6, being sharp, subtle bends that are tricky to navigate. The sharp, sudden bends make clean, close cuts to the inside apex a must to clear it with any sort of ease The first initial chicane of the turn isn't as bad as it looks, often capable of being maneuvered with somewhat minimal braking. The kink after is the main killer, being steeper than the other two. Even with a good line out of the initial chicane, it's likely steering will have to tighten and in some cars, some speed to be lost to handle this kink without getting loose from it. This kink will transition the driver from uphill to downhill now coming off from it, and the sector ends half way down this slightly downhill straight.
Current Version
Having gained some speed off from the looping turn 11 of onto this slightly uphill straight section, only a little braking is needed for another section of kinks just fore of the driver. Despite being three corners, the left-right-right set of kinks just ahead is all considered to be turn 12, and like with turns 3-6, the line through it is practically uniform. The chicane-like first two kinks are quite close to one another, and both can be cut through quite cleanly and quickly with a precise line. It's just after this pair that only the last, steeper right kink is next, and the driver will have to maintain their right steering in a seamless transition from a swift left. This can easily throw some cars off-balance, so getting the steering inputs right is quite crucial, especially since the straight is at a slight incline. The inward incline does make the turn in somewhat easier however, and with the more angled nature of this last kink, they'll need all of that to play in their favor through it. Perhaps only a slight lift off the throttle will get the car through this kink and cut the sharp turn close and bring them to the outside.
With the car now going slightly downhill, this straight can give the player some small gains in acceleration as they power down to the last corners of the ring. The car will only have to lose a gear or two for the thirteenth turn, being a smoother, right, banked corner. Being a right-angled corner as well, the driver will only have to hug the inside retention wall for just a bit before they can power down and steer for the outer road. The worst of Autumn Ring is over at this point, as now, all the driver has to do is throttle down the last two kinks, the first and steepest of which is considered the last turn. Despite the sharpness, the steering for these corners is but a trivial left-right affair. Cutting the inside of turn 14 will give a near-straight path through the final, unphasing kink of the circuit, which is especially where powerful roaring sports cars will gain a lot of their speed. The lap is finished once you cross the start/finish line again with the spectators cheering you on as you blaze down the main straight.
Sector 4
Sector 4 exists in the original PlayStation games only and spans the rest of the course from just after turn 12.
Just coming out of the kinks of turn 12, the driver is just beginning to build up some of the speed they'll carry into the final section of the course. The straight will not last long, and they won't have quite that much breathing room yet. Braking only slightly for turn 13, the driver will cut to the inside of the corner as best they can, using the small banking and wide curb to their advantage here. With the corner not being too long and somewhat wide, the driver can stamp on the throttle fairly early and come out with a good chunk of speed into the final kinks. Much more so in the original than its sequal, the final two kinks will favor a very close-cut line to not only cut down the lap time, but to also make your pace through the circuit as fast as possible. Loosely handling corners in these games can detriment the driver's entire lap or race, as both games' physics favor inside lines on corners to a point where taking any outside route is very consequential, even on the wide-cornered Test Course. To this end, the driver will crimp the line on the final two kinks as close as possible to get them back to the start/finish line as quickly as possible, finishing their lap after crossing it, hopefully in 1st place.
Events Featuring Autumn Ring
GT2
- Compact Car World Cup - Race 3
- Tuned NA Car No.1 Cup - Race 1
.jpg){kind=link}
Autumn Ring (in blue) superimposed onto the full course.
Trivia
- Autumn Ring is one of the only fictional courses in Gran Turismo where the long course has had the same layout whilst the short course has seen alterations.
- For unknown reasons, the two-player version of this track may appear randomly in Event Generator or manufacturer one-make races. The two-player version of the track lacks certain details, mainly a large sign on the first corner.
- If cheat devices are used to forcibly switch tracks and an incorrect track code is specified, the game defaults to the two-player version of the track, as it is the track with highest file name (2p_autumn).