Detroit downtown circuit (WIP thread)

[checkpoint10]

Just thought I'd start this planning thread for Detroit. I don't have time to actually work on it right now, but it might be useful to do some planning/discussion since it will probably be a huge project with lots of decisions to be made.

The first question I have is - which year should the trackside objects and adverts be based on? I am thinking 1991 because it is the most recent one and there is a video of it from the official IndyCar YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZgCf_yIscc

[samsepi0l]

Just thought I'd start this planning thread for Detroit. I don't have time to actually work on it right now, but it might be useful to do some planning/discussion since it will probably be a huge project with lots of decisions to be made.

The first question I have is - which year should the trackside objects and adverts be based on? I am thinking 1991 because it is the most recent one and there is a video of it from the official IndyCar YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZgCf_yIscc

I say 1991 because it's going to be when we had the best video quality so we can see what exactly was around.

(not to distract, but this week I have time to sit down and try and learn what you learned that allows you to perform this magical thing called track editing- I plan on doing Tamiami for us)

[checkpoint10]

I say 1991 because it's going to be when we had the best video quality so we can see what exactly was around.

(not to distract, but this week I have time to sit down and try and learn what you learned that allows you to perform this magical thing called track editing- I plan on doing Tamiami for us)

Cool! How far have you gotten on Tamiami?

[samsepi0l]

Cool! How far have you gotten on Tamiami?

Not to distract from this thread- But I am deep into the "fantasizing about" phase of building Tamiami....

seriously- I need to do the tutorial like you did. I have probably 3 days this week that I can spend 10 hours or so trying it.

I need to go from the 'I don't know how to make tracks" phase to the "I know what I'm doing" phase..

[checkpoint10]

Looking forward to your first steps through the tutorial! Please keep us posted on your progress.

[checkpoint10]

I'm doing a quick survey of the track to get familiar with the layout. Detroit has 17 turns - I'm going to call these T1...T17. The straight sections between turns I will call S1/2 (meaning section between T1 and T2) and so on.

Now I measure the track width on Google Earth (based on recent imagery and 12/2002 aerial where noted):

S1/2 - Atwater St - 44' (possibly as narrow as 39')
S2/3 - St. Antoine - 54' (need to check if it was this wide in 1991), 40' (past Franklin St) - uphill with ~15' gain in elevation; based on 12/2002 aerial - 33' to 40' wide
S3/4 - Woodbridge St - 37' (further 5' gain in elevation around this section)
S4/5 - Jefferson Ave - 36'
S5/6 - Chrysler Dr - 36'
S6/7 - Congress St E - 45'
S7/8 - Beaubien St - 32' (perhaps expanding to 44' - to check if circuit used the left turn lane)
S8/9 - Larned St - 40'
S9/10 - Woodward Ave - 45'
S10/11 - W Jefferson Srv Rd - 36' (32' based on 12/2002 aerial)
S11/12 - Washington Blvd - 38' (maybe narrower) / narrows to 32' before T12
S12/13 - Parking access ramp - 32' - goes downhill around 20'
S13/14 - Civic Center Dr - 39' (as of 12/2002)
S14/15 - Civic Center Dr - 38'
S15/16 - Atwater St and Tunnel - 40'
S16/17 - Atwater St chicane - 40'
S17/1 - Front straightaway in parking lot (probably wider)

Will need to compare against older photos and aerials but it's a start. I will update this post as I find more information.

There's a fairly good write-up of the circuit here: https://f1.fandom.com/wiki/Detroit_Street_Circuit

[Wolf_pd]

Any use that I take a look into rFactor for reference compared to the Youtube video?

[checkpoint10]

Any use that I take a look into rFactor for reference compared to the Youtube video?

Would be interested to know from any rFactor versions, whether they agree or disagree with the track widths I described above, and also elevation changes and bumps which are easier to feel in a game than on a video. Keeping in mind that any rFactor or other game versions are also interpretations by the authors so we should validate against videos and photos as much as we can.

[CowtownBob]

Now I measure the track width on Google Earth (based on recent imagery):
...
Will need to compare against older photos and aerials but it's a start. I will update this post as I find more information.

Don't forget that you can go back in time with Google Earth. First image they have for Detroit is March, 1999

[Wolf_pd]

Would be interested to know from any rFactor versions, whether they agree or disagree with the track widths I described above, and also elevation changes and bumps which are easier to feel in a game than on a video. Keeping in mind that any rFactor or other game versions are also interpretations by the authors so we should validate against videos and photos as much as we can.

Yup agreed. Btw, making it bumpy will be a challenge I think.