Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Mazda 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 Gran Turismo 2, Gran Turismo 3, Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo 5.

Circuit Layout
See also Laguna Seca Raceway on Wikipedia

The 2.24 miles (3.60km) 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 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 ridge and bump from the real world circuit incorporated in the game. It appears in the following events in the series:

Endurance League

 * Laguna Seca 200 miles

License Tests

 * License Tests A-2, iA-5 and S-6

In GT5

 * Pick-Up Truck Challenge - 3 laps
 * Supercar Nostalgia Cup - 3 laps
 * Muscle Car Championship - 5 laps
 * NASCAR Series - 5 laps
 * American Championship - 5 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

Trivia

 * 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 Type-R '02. 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.