Circuit Guide

The game features a total of 27 tracks, from the short 280M Rookie Dirt track, to the 844M tarmac 'FlatOut' oval. Each track requires it's own distinctive driving style to get the maximum out of it.

Here's a guide to the tracks in the order you'll first encounter them if playing through the Rookie, Racer then Elite championships.

Rookie Championship tracks.

Rookie Oval

A nice simple short dirt track to kick the Rookie championship off, not too challenging, but small and tight enough for some good hard wheel to wheel racing.

Coopers

At first glance you might think another nice easy Rookie track, think again.

This short tight tarmac track generates some of the hardest most physical racing of any of the tracks. First time out you'll find yourself continually being barged into the wall and down to the back of the pack. You'll need to learn how to fight to win here, you need to know how to both attack and defend, as well of course how to put in a fast clean lap.

Tree Bend

A 180 dirt track that fits the gap between Rookie Oval and Ape Town, but considerably narrow than both. With the barriers in close to the edge of the track it leaves a lot less room for side by side racing and needs a lot more precision.

Big mud

In the Rookie championship this will be your first taste of racing on Mud, less grip than dirt and you'll need to learn how to throw the car into the corner before you get there and hold the slide around the bend.

The wide open track encourages a lot of side by side racing and often keeps the cars together in one big pack, make sure you learn how to go for the last corner lunge to get a good result here.

Mudbath

Totally different to anything else you find in the Rookie championship, a wide 740M track that's really designed more for the Elite cars than the slower Rookies.

In an Elite car a great wide open power sliding fun track, long drifts around each of the four corners trying to keep momentum up, plenty of room to pass, or be passed. In a Rookie car it's more about smoothness, trying to keep your momentum up around the corners, it's very difficult to make up lost time so keep it smooth and try and slowly creep up on the car in front.

Mudslide

A total contrast to Mudbath, on paper the fact that it's a four cornered mud track might make it sound similar, but to drive absolutely 100% different.

Only 360M with 4 corners it's non-stop action, expect a lot of side by side racing, passing and re-passing here. So small it's only really suitable for the Rookies.

Middletown

Similar to Big Mud, but shorter and tighter, expect more of the same, close racing and power sliding.

Little rock

Almost 1/2Km long square dirt track, in a Rookie car feels a large and fast track, but still a bit too short and tight for the Elite's.

You want to get into a good flowing rhythm here, cutting tight in on the apexes, putting a wheel or two on the grass, clipping it as close as possible to the inside barriers.

Ape Town

This is the definitive 400M oval dirt track, the only track to feature in all three championships Rookie, Racer and Elite.

The wide open nature and 180 degree corners are the perfect recipe for close racing, expect to regularly arrive at the corners three, four, or possibly even five abreast. Expect the race to be decided on the scramble to the line out the final corner.

Sundown

A tricky track to drive on, over 1/2Km long, a fast narrow tarmac track with the barriers always in close. Your driving here needs precision more than anything else, sometimes you'll find it a very frustrating track to overtake on as there's just no room to squeeze down the inside, and when you do try it you can lose bags of time if you're squeezed into the inside barrier.

Rockingham

Another four cornered tarmac tack, only just shorter than Sundown, but totally different to drive. Much wider and 3/4 of the track has a wide grass strip on the inside giving a lot more room for error and choice of lines. Passing as well is much much easier.

Arena 2

Little Brother to the larger Classic Arena 1 that's used for the season finale's in the Racer and Elite championships. Both tracks are notable for being extremely wide and totally surrounded by grandstands.

Arena 2 is 1/2Km long with a pair of 180 corners, the massive width gives you a huge choice of lines, driving long sweeping arcs, or treating them as tight hairpins? You need to figure out which style is best for you and your car. Don't forget to allow for the other cars that might be taking a totally different line to you, races here feature a lot of high speed smash and bash, so watch your mirror very carefully.

Racer Championship tracks.

Dust Devil

One of the classic tracks, a very challenging four cornered dirt track, each corner needs a different approach to get a good lap in.

The wide grass infield along the start/finish straight presents a chance to shortcut the final corner onto the straight to get a good fast exit onto the straight. The same grass strip offers the chance to shortcut the entrance to turn 1, but be careful it's easy to end up with a fast entry but bad exit and find yourself on the grass struggling to turn into turn 2. Turn 3 at the end of the back straight has no margin for error, you need to cut in tight to the barriers here to get a good time.

Motorway

A quarter mile tarmac track, quite short and tight for the kind of speeds a Racer or Elite car can do on this kind of surface. Much more of a single file race track than the similarly sized dirt and mud tracks.

Outback

A 720M square tarmac oval, tough and mean, would you expect to find anything less in the Outback?

The tracks fast, narrow, the barriers squeeze you in tight, very little margin on the inside of the turns leaves no room for error. You need to get your line just right here, clip the inside and you bounce out wide killing your momentum, turn in too late and you're going to slam into the barriers on the exit and lose time getting the car back under control.

Passing's very tough as well, the tracks so narrow any move down the inside will seriously compromise your line around the curve losing a lot of time. More than on any other track you're going to have your work cut out fighting your way to the front from the back of the grid here.

India Raceway

An interesting little track, surprisingly fast and flowing for it's size. The turns at each end are close enough together to pair up and be treated as one. If you get this track sussed you may find it's one of the easier ones to break clear at the front and get a safe victory.

Dark River

A 700M Mud track for the Elite cars. Long sweeping slippery muddy curves require smooth driving to maintain momentum, the long straights give you a fast arrival speed at the corners, not scrubbing that speed off mid corner is the key to winning here.

Mudflat

Sister track to Mudbath, slightly narrower and shorter overall. The main straight is slightly longer, but the straights connecting up the pair of turns at each end of the track are much shorter. Overall a less flowing, but more challenging track than Mudbath.

Arena 1

Arena 1 is a very special track, season Finale for Racer and Elite championships. Your chance to win the championship in front of packed grandstands on a very tricky track.

The track is ultra-wide, with pin-point apexes on the corners, from out wide it's very hard to judge your turn in point. While learning the track you'll need to leave some margin for error as get it wrong and come in too tight and you're going to have a very solid smash into the inside barrier.

Things can often get a bit chaotic between the turns at either end of the track as cars get it wrong and slam into the barriers bouncing back into your path, try and be prepared to take evasive action and tighten up your line mid corner.

Elite Championship tracks.

Iron man

Originally named when it was the toughest track on the calender, since been superseded by KOTM, but the name stuck. Notable for the start/finish straight and main grandstands being situated on the short link straight rather than on the longer main straights.

The fast main straights that lead into a pair of fast tight turns at each end of the track make it extremely challenging. The turns are so close together any errors into the first of the pair will be magnified as you try and get a good fast exit onto the next straight. You really do need to hook your lines up just right every corner or risk losing a lot of time and places.

Speedway

A 700M dirt track for the Elite cars. Very similar to Dark River, but the dirt surface gives more grip and faster harder racing, the narrow armaco lined back straight gives a real sense of speed as you head down to the final turn.

Great Ape

The largest tarmac surfaced 180 oval, the long wide radius corners at each end of the track can feel like they take forever to get around before you can blast back down the next straight.

Keep it smooth, keep your momentum up all the way through the corner, and try and stay off the grass, the loss of grip will lose you a lot more time than you'll gain from shortening the course.

Cyclone

Features tarmac with higher grip than usual, this is taken advantage of to give it tighter corners. The name comes from the fact that your rotating round at each end of the track faster than anywhere else.

Try and use the full width of the track to get a good wide sweeping line, and make sure you don't run wide onto the grass onto the start/finish straight or you'll totally kill your speed as you need full grip to accelerate back up to speed.

Inferno

A sub 600M square tarmac oval, wide, fast, named because of the intensity of the driving here.

The grip of the tarmac combined with wide corners keeps the speed up here, the short straights give no time to relax before you're again heading into the next pair of corners, you'll spend less than 25% of the lap driving straight here, making this the most mentally intense track you'll race on.

Dirtball

A 600M square dirt oval, this track's awesome fun to drive, the 90 degree corners are paired up at each end of the track, no time to rest from turn 1 to turn 2, and again from turn 3 to turn 4, each pair needs to be blended together into one fast flowing curve.

The mud outfield between the track and the barriers means you need to be careful not to run wide on the exits of the turns, the wide circuit and mud infield opens up a choice of styles for how to tackle each turn and makes passing easy, as long as you're fast enough.

Flatout

Keep it smooth here, fast flat out running, ease your car around corner trying to scrub as little speed as possible.

Definitely not a track for side by side racing, you want the full width of the track to keep your momentum up. You can get away with clipping a little bit of grass at the apex of each corner, but not too much as if your rear wheels are off the tarmac they're unable to put the power to the road that you need to keep your speed up.

KOTM

A 700M Ultra fast high grip square oval.

Added as a final extra track on 8th Sept 2006, the date was already planned to be the day for finalising the in game track selection, it might not be the perfect track, but it's still proved to be a great addition to the game.

Along with Cyclone this track, features a slighter higher grip tarmac. Being tighter than FlatOut and Ironman plus the extra grip makes this track a real challenge needing quick reactions to get the line just right.