Special Stage Route 11

Special Stage Route 11
Circuit Length	4.894 kilometres (3.041 mi) (GT1) 4.561 kilometres (2.834 mi) (GT3)
Turns (Left/Right)	23 (GT1) 21 (GT3)
Track Type	Fictional Street Circuit
Road Type	Tarmac
Appears in	Gran Turismo Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Special Stage Route 11, commonly abbreviated to SSR11, is a track that appeared in Gran Turismo 1 and Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Like Special Stage Route 5, it is an urban course raced at night. It is also one of the few courses which have had a layout change between games.

Overview

Special Stage Route 11 is a city highway-based race course, always raced on at night. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 1 and has only since appeared in Gran Turismo 3. There are 3 other tracks that share the "Special Stage" name, those being routes 5, 7, and X. It features two distinctly different layouts in each of its appearances in the series.

Events

Gran Turismo

License Centre

• IA-7: SS Route 11 time trial
  • Gold: 2:06.330
  • Silver: 2'07.700/2'10.000
  • Bronze: 2'11.000/2'14.000

Go Race

• Gran Turismo League
  • Gran Turismo World Cup; Race 6 - 3 laps
• Special Events
  • FF Challenge; Race 3 - 2 laps
  • Anglo - American Sports Car Championship; Race 5 - 3 laps
  • Anglo - Japanese Sports Car Championship; Race 5 - 3 laps
  • US - Japan Sports Car Championship; Race 5 - 3 laps
  • Normal Car World Speed Contest; Race 5 - 5 laps
  • Hard-Tuned Car Speed Contest (reverse); Race 5 - 5 laps
  • Special Stage Route 11 All-Night Endurance Race I; 30 laps
  • Special Stage Route 11 All-Night Endurance Race II (reverse); 30 laps

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

License Centre

• S-7: SS Route 11 Time Trial
  • Gold: 2:10.000
  • Silver: 2:12.000
  • Bronze: 2:19.000

Go Race

• Beginner League
  • 4WD Challenge; Race 3 - 2 laps
  • Race of Turbo Sports; Race 3 - 2 laps
  • Tourist Trophy (GT3, Beginner); Race 4 - 2 laps
  • Gran Turismo World Championship; Race 7 - 2 laps
• Amateur League
  • Japanese Championship; Race 4 - 3 laps
  • Gran Turismo World Championship; Race 9 - 5 laps
  • Gran Turismo All Stars; Race 8 - 5 laps
  • All Japan GT Championship; Race 9 - 5 laps
  • Race of Red Emblem; Race 3 - 3 laps
  • Altezza Race; Race 2 - 4 laps
  • Type-R Meeting; Race 2 - 5 laps
  • Evolution Meeting; Race 2 - 4 laps
  • Dream Car Championship; Race 6 - 5 laps
• Professional League
  • Gran Turismo World Championship (reverse); Race 7 - 10 laps
  • Gran Turismo All Stars (reverse); Race 8 - 15 laps
  • All Japan GT Championship; Race 4 - 15 laps
  • Race of Red Emblem (reverse); Race 3 - 10 laps
  • Vitz Race (reverse); Race 4 - 10 laps
  • Clio Trophy; Race 3 - 10 laps
  • Dream Car Championship (reverse); Race 6 - 15 laps
  • Polyphony Digital Cup (reverse); Race 8 - 20 laps
• Endurance League
  • Special Stage Route 11 All-Night; 50 laps

Layout & Sectors

Sector 1

You will approach turn 1 at high speed along the main straight. Turn in gently as you descend down turn 1, and prepare to brake for turn 2. Turn 2 is a traditional street-circuit corner, but the approach can be difficult at high speed, as you are approaching the braking area while turning. Start braking using the bridge as your cue, and take an out-in-out line whilst taking care not to run into the walls.

Navigate the turn 3 and 4 chicane in a straight line, taking care on your exit to not scrape the wall on the outside. Turns 5 and 6 form a right-left series of 90 degree street-circuit corners. Brake using the 100m sign overhead as your marker to slow the car up, and try to trace and out-in-middle-in-out line through the two turns, as if they were one.

Brake between turns 5 and 6 to reduce your speed and stabilize the car for the left turn. Take care not to hit the kerbstone on the inside of 6, as this will disturb the cars balance and have a negative effect on your speed upon exit.

Sector 2

Sector 2 has two different layouts. In both cases, the sector starts with a tight hairpin turn 7 that loops to the right. Move to the left side of the track and brake at around the 100m marker board. Maintain steady throttle through the hairpin, clipping the apex at around the middle of the corner.

(GT1 Ver.)

Turns 8 and 9 are similar to turns 1 and two in design, only to the left instead. Use the same approach here as well. Turns 10 and 11 form a complex chicane that is easy to trip up at and crash into the barricade. Reduce your speed before entering, and aim to go between the barricades at turn 10 in such a manner that it doesn't influence your line for turn 11. If you need reduce your speed, let off of the accelerator. Ascend up turn 12 as you exit turn 11 in an out-in-out motion.

(GT3 Ver.)

After exiting turn 7, move yourself over to the right in preparation for turn 8. This is a similar hairpin to turn 7, but the exit is wider and leads onto a long straight. Aim to take a line with a focus on increasing your speed, as this will greatly improve you time. Clip the kerbstones of turns 9 and 10 in a straight line, avoiding the walls as best as possible.

Sector 3

(The turns are numerically numbered according the original Gran Turismo variant.)

Turn 13 is a right-hand street-corner similar to turn 2. Begin braking where the barricades change and trace an out-in-middle line. Be careful not to go wide here, as this will compromise your entry point for turn 14. If navigated successfully, you should be able to clear turn 14 at full throttle; be weary not to jump the kerbstone, or you will upset the car balance. Turn 15 is a long, sweeping left hand banked turn. Brake briefly between turns 14 and 15, and maintain a steady throttle as you navigate the turn. The inside is uneven, so be careful about fully opening the throttle too early and understeering.

The road bends slightly over a crest. Position yourself on the right hand side of the track, and aim once you can see the tunnel ahead, move as if to drive between turns 16 and 17 in a straight line. Begin braking at the apex point of 16 as you pass the wall, and then control partial throttle through 17. Don't worry too much about going wide upon exit, as this can help position yourself better for turn 18.

Turn 18 is a blind corner that leads to turn 19. These are best treated as a combined corner and should be approach as such. Briefly apply the brakes as soon as you exit the tunnel, and aim to take turns 18 and 19 in a single motion. Brake just before the zebra crossing on the road for turn 20, and set your apex deep into the corner as you exit.

Final Sector

Turns 21 and 22 form a tight and difficult chicane. The kerbstones here are tall, and can easily throw the cars balance off if hit and send you wide, reducing your speed and ruining your line going into the final turn 23. Using the 100m marker board as your cue, brake in a straight line. Aim to drive between the kerbstones and come out in a middle line for turn 23.

Turn 23 is an uphill right hand bend that leads to the back straight. It is important that you aim to take this corner with a focus on increasing your exit speed as much as possible. Failure to do so can cost a lot of time. Maintain a constant and steady throttle along the inside wall, and aim to pick up your throttle when you can see the pit-lane sign overhead. Timing your throttle early can send you wide and into the wall, causing a major loss of time. Accelerate down the main straight towards the control line to complete your lap.

Trivia

• Special Stage Route 11 is one of the most noticeably changed original circuits in the series. This is reflected in its re-introduction where the double chicane section underneath the overpass is blocked off and the route continues instead along a tree-lined street with a right-left kink..
• It is the second-longest original city course in the GT series, falling only to Special Stage Route 7.
• A video on YouTube, and many pictures on the internet theorizes that Special Stage Routes 5 and 11 are connected to each other (usually at the final hairpins).
• Much like Special Stage Routes 5, and 7, Special Stage Route 11 is rumored to be based on a location in Japan, where the highways and streets are famous for street racing, though the road names on the road signs seem to be purely fictional.
• The Licence Tests in both GT1 and GT3 have a test held on this track, both of which have the TVR Griffith 500 as the test car.
• The track is seen on the first trailer for Gran Turismo 6. The track itself, however, is not included in the game.
• If you look closely in the Gran Turismo 3 version of the stage, at the second U-turn after the first checkpoint, you can see the old road leading into the old route from Gran Turismo blocked off.
• In older, demo versions of Gran Turismo 3, this track had its Gran Turismo 1 layout. See here for proof
• In certain parts of the track, you can see two large, double-pronged towers, that look strikingly similar to the ones on Special Stage Route 7.
• Gran Turismo 2 beta screenshots exist showing this track, however it is not present in the final game.
• In Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Special Stage Route 11 II (SSR11 in reverse) is raced at dusk rather than midnight.

Pictures

A beta screenshot showing a 240Z racing on SSR11 in Gran Turismo 2