Assetto Corsa, Nürburgring 1967 – those two things go together like salt and pepper. Sim racers do not even just have one version, but rather two to choose from on RaceDepartment!
When it comes to vintage Formula One, Grand Prix Legends seems to have defaulted the year to 1967. Cars from this year tend to appear in different titles, most notably the Lotus 49, which is in Assetto Corsa as well. The iconic car of Jim Clark and Graham Hill is joined by the Ferrari 312/67 in Kunos’ evergreen sim racing title.
Of course, you can race them on modern tracks. But that would only be half the fun, would it not? How about a 60s version of Monza, without any chicanes? Not challenging enough? Well, how about one of the most challenging circuit of them all – the Nürburgring-Nordschleife?
Back in 1967, the Green Hell hosted the German Grand Prix, of course. That year, the Hohenrain-Schikane at the very end of the lap made its debut in order to slow cars down ahead of the main straight, and to avoid them potentially crashing into the scoring tower on the outside of the original final turn.
One of them has been around for a little while. Tracing its roots back to at least the first rFactor, the version uploaded by WilliamTRiker in 2019 is the most complete one on RD. Not only does it feature the Grand Prix layout, but also the Südschleife, Betonschleife, and Gesamtstrecke as options – plus wet versions of each. If you want to travel back in time to experience this Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967, a great atmosphere awaits.
Starting at the crowded start-finish area, then racing into the countryside of the Eifel mountains, only occasionally seeing campgrounds or marshal huts, is quite the experience. Classic sponsors, loads of vegetation, mind-blowing undulations, bumps, and crests, they are all there.
The Nürburgring-Nordschleife as it was raced in 1967. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
For now, the track features just the Grand Prix layout, but that does not take away from the 60s atmosphere their version also manages to create quite well. Conquering the Green Hell in an era-appropriate Formula One car, or a Porsche 917K, for instance, is challenging, but great fun once you get used to the tricky handling.
Luis Barata’s version of the Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 features 30 pit boxes, which is plenty if you want to recreate the 1967 Grand Prix there. The @WilliamTRiker track has two more to its credit, but this probably does not make a difference to most sim racers.
Of course, it is important to remember that the Nordschleife has seen some alterations to certain crests, jumps and bumps since the late 1960s. For the 1971 German Grand Prix, guardrails were installed in certain spots, some of the slopes next to the track were pushed back to make way for wider grass strips next to the circuit, and some of the jumps were taken out entirely.
The difference can be observed in Reiza Studios’ 1971 Nürburgring for Automobilista 2. The older versions of the track feel more claustrophobic, as the track still winds its way through the landscape on a much narrower path overall, although the track itself had not notably been widened in the ’71 renovations.
The surroundings of the Nordschleife had a very different look in the late 1960s.
Hence, it should not be suprising to find a few differences here and there. For instance, the WilliamTRiker version might make you crash out entering Hatzenbach in the beginning. The first left after the high speed downhill portion towards Hocheichen is tighter than you would expect.
Similarly, Luis Barata’s version tends to fling you off the track at Klostertal, as this fast right is not quite as fast as you may remember. The crest leading to the Antoniusbuche bridge at the end of the lap also feels much steeper than in other versions, and both are missing the dip right after crossing the bridge at Breidscheid and the jump at Galgenkopf compared to the AMS2 version, for reference.
A Porsche 917K leaving the start-finish loop behind, entering the infamous Nordschleife.
Stepping back to this season specifically when Formula One cars had immense power for their low weights, no aero or safety features to speak of yet, and were still racing in their national colors, can make you appreciate the utter madness of racing at the time. The thought of flying off the track and into a valley after punching through a hedgerow probably hits different once this happened to you in the virtual world on accident.
Now, which Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 to choose? Everyone’s taste is different, so why not grab both? They are free to download on RaceDepartment, so you can find out which one you prefer to race – and be sure to let the authors know what you appreciate about their work while you are at it!
Obligatory Karussell pic. Image credit: Luis Barata
What are your impressions of the Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 tracks? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
When it comes to vintage Formula One, Grand Prix Legends seems to have defaulted the year to 1967. Cars from this year tend to appear in different titles, most notably the Lotus 49, which is in Assetto Corsa as well. The iconic car of Jim Clark and Graham Hill is joined by the Ferrari 312/67 in Kunos’ evergreen sim racing title.
Of course, you can race them on modern tracks. But that would only be half the fun, would it not? How about a 60s version of Monza, without any chicanes? Not challenging enough? Well, how about one of the most challenging circuit of them all – the Nürburgring-Nordschleife?
Back in 1967, the Green Hell hosted the German Grand Prix, of course. That year, the Hohenrain-Schikane at the very end of the lap made its debut in order to slow cars down ahead of the main straight, and to avoid them potentially crashing into the scoring tower on the outside of the original final turn.
Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967: No Barriers, Just Hedgerows
Other than that, the circuit was still very much in its original configuration. Multiple jumps, no barriers, just hedgerows – that is the legendary version of the Ring that many racing fans remember fondly. So much so that there are two versions of 1967’s Nordschleife on RaceDepartment.One of them has been around for a little while. Tracing its roots back to at least the first rFactor, the version uploaded by WilliamTRiker in 2019 is the most complete one on RD. Not only does it feature the Grand Prix layout, but also the Südschleife, Betonschleife, and Gesamtstrecke as options – plus wet versions of each. If you want to travel back in time to experience this Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967, a great atmosphere awaits.
Starting at the crowded start-finish area, then racing into the countryside of the Eifel mountains, only occasionally seeing campgrounds or marshal huts, is quite the experience. Classic sponsors, loads of vegetation, mind-blowing undulations, bumps, and crests, they are all there.
The Nürburgring-Nordschleife as it was raced in 1967. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
New ’67 Nordschleife Enters The Ring
Until recently, this was the undisputed go-to vintage Nordschleife for Assetto Corsa on RaceDepartment. In February 2024, a challenger has appeared, however. RD user @Luis Barata uploaded his own version of the track, which also had the help of several other community members.For now, the track features just the Grand Prix layout, but that does not take away from the 60s atmosphere their version also manages to create quite well. Conquering the Green Hell in an era-appropriate Formula One car, or a Porsche 917K, for instance, is challenging, but great fun once you get used to the tricky handling.
Luis Barata’s version of the Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 features 30 pit boxes, which is plenty if you want to recreate the 1967 Grand Prix there. The @WilliamTRiker track has two more to its credit, but this probably does not make a difference to most sim racers.
Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967: Slight Differences
What does, though, are slight differences between the two versions that can be found here and there. Specifically, they concern the track layout and the Ring’s elevation changes. The latter are crucial when learning to navigate the 22.8 kilometer circuit (start/finish loop included), but Nordschleife veterans may be thrown off their game in some spots.Of course, it is important to remember that the Nordschleife has seen some alterations to certain crests, jumps and bumps since the late 1960s. For the 1971 German Grand Prix, guardrails were installed in certain spots, some of the slopes next to the track were pushed back to make way for wider grass strips next to the circuit, and some of the jumps were taken out entirely.
The difference can be observed in Reiza Studios’ 1971 Nürburgring for Automobilista 2. The older versions of the track feel more claustrophobic, as the track still winds its way through the landscape on a much narrower path overall, although the track itself had not notably been widened in the ’71 renovations.
The surroundings of the Nordschleife had a very different look in the late 1960s.
Big Modding Project
Due to its sheer length and the landscape surrounding it, a vintage Nordschleife has to rank up there for most difficult modding projects. To get things absolutely right, one would have to amass an eye-watering amount of reference material that may be hard to come by, and laser scans of the track in its 60s guise are most likely notavailable due to the technology only starting out in the 1960s.Hence, it should not be suprising to find a few differences here and there. For instance, the WilliamTRiker version might make you crash out entering Hatzenbach in the beginning. The first left after the high speed downhill portion towards Hocheichen is tighter than you would expect.
Similarly, Luis Barata’s version tends to fling you off the track at Klostertal, as this fast right is not quite as fast as you may remember. The crest leading to the Antoniusbuche bridge at the end of the lap also feels much steeper than in other versions, and both are missing the dip right after crossing the bridge at Breidscheid and the jump at Galgenkopf compared to the AMS2 version, for reference.
A Porsche 917K leaving the start-finish loop behind, entering the infamous Nordschleife.
Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967: Green Hell In Its Purest Form
Either way, as previously mentioned, scans of the track from that period are highly unlikely to be available. As a result, vintage versions basically have to be approximations of the actual circuit. If you know your way around the Ring, you will be running just fine on either of the 1967 versions once you figured out the slight differences here and there.Stepping back to this season specifically when Formula One cars had immense power for their low weights, no aero or safety features to speak of yet, and were still racing in their national colors, can make you appreciate the utter madness of racing at the time. The thought of flying off the track and into a valley after punching through a hedgerow probably hits different once this happened to you in the virtual world on accident.
Now, which Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 to choose? Everyone’s taste is different, so why not grab both? They are free to download on RaceDepartment, so you can find out which one you prefer to race – and be sure to let the authors know what you appreciate about their work while you are at it!
Obligatory Karussell pic. Image credit: Luis Barata
What are your impressions of the Assetto Corsa Nürburgring 1967 tracks? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
