The Austrian Grand Prix is synonymous with Zeltweg - which is usually used interchangably with the Red Bull Ring these days. For the historians among sim racers, its predecessor at the Zeltweg Air Base is now available for Assetto Corsa as raced in 1966.
Red Bull Ring, A1 Ring, Österreichring - no matter what you call it, the venue for the Austrian Grand Prix is a classic on the F1 calendar. It is sometimes referred to as being located in Spielberg, or in Knittelfeld on rare occasions, as both are in the immediate vicinity. Older racing fans may refer to the track as Zeltweg, however.
Located just to the south of the Red Bull Ring, the town was actually the site of the first Austrian Grand Prix, being held on a circuit basically across the street from the permanent track. Laid out on the runway of Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser, or Zeltweg Airfield, a temporary track hosted the event from 1963 to 1968. Once the then-Österreichring opened in 1969, racing did not return to the airfield.
It only hosted a World Championship Austrian Grand Prix once, namely in 1964 with Ferrari's Lorenzo Bandini the victor - the other editions were non-championship races. However, F1 was not the only high-level series to hold events at Zeltweg. The World Sportscar Championship ran there from 1966 to 1968, hosting the Austrian Sportscar Grand Prix, or 500 km of Zeltweg in its final year.
Our focus is on the WSC's debut year, however - for the simple reason that this is when @RcDaniel's 1966 Zeltweg for Assetto Corsa is set. The addition of Zeltweg 1966 is a welcome one - despite the general lack of popularity of the track among spectators in particular. Looking at the track map, it does look uninspired, being simply an L-shaped track that mostly ran on parallel straights laid out on the airfield's runway.
This actually did present quite some challenge, however. For one, the track was not particularly wide - a weird trait for an airfield circuit. And then there were the bumps, which can be felt very well in the AC version.
Running the circuit in a Ford GT40, for instance, you will notice that your car will be shaken considerably when blasting down a straight, and you might think something like "okay, this is far from smooth." But hop into a Lotus 25, as was raced in the 1964 Austrian GP, and you will immediately wish yourself back behind the wheel of the sportscar with its more forgiving suspension.
To add to the challenge, the track is laid out by nothing but straw bales. They are absolutely everywhere, but luckily, the layout is simple enough to not get lost. And as uninspiring as it might be to drive, this actually lends itself well to close racing.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere is nicely done. The track has a scenic view thanks to the surrounding mountains (although they are a little low res), and the myriad of classic cars being parked around the venue coupled with vintage sponsor boards everywhere makes Zeltweg 1966 feel like a proper throwback.
These proper throwbacks are a big part of the sim racing magic for some, including the author. Having it available for Zeltweg might not add the most interesting track in the world, but does paint a more complete picture of racing in the 1960s.
And now excuse me as I go and tighten all the nuts and bolts on my rig, just to make sure it does not fall apart next time I race.
What are your impressions of Zeltweg 1966? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Red Bull Ring, A1 Ring, Österreichring - no matter what you call it, the venue for the Austrian Grand Prix is a classic on the F1 calendar. It is sometimes referred to as being located in Spielberg, or in Knittelfeld on rare occasions, as both are in the immediate vicinity. Older racing fans may refer to the track as Zeltweg, however.
Located just to the south of the Red Bull Ring, the town was actually the site of the first Austrian Grand Prix, being held on a circuit basically across the street from the permanent track. Laid out on the runway of Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser, or Zeltweg Airfield, a temporary track hosted the event from 1963 to 1968. Once the then-Österreichring opened in 1969, racing did not return to the airfield.
It only hosted a World Championship Austrian Grand Prix once, namely in 1964 with Ferrari's Lorenzo Bandini the victor - the other editions were non-championship races. However, F1 was not the only high-level series to hold events at Zeltweg. The World Sportscar Championship ran there from 1966 to 1968, hosting the Austrian Sportscar Grand Prix, or 500 km of Zeltweg in its final year.
Our focus is on the WSC's debut year, however - for the simple reason that this is when @RcDaniel's 1966 Zeltweg for Assetto Corsa is set. The addition of Zeltweg 1966 is a welcome one - despite the general lack of popularity of the track among spectators in particular. Looking at the track map, it does look uninspired, being simply an L-shaped track that mostly ran on parallel straights laid out on the airfield's runway.
This actually did present quite some challenge, however. For one, the track was not particularly wide - a weird trait for an airfield circuit. And then there were the bumps, which can be felt very well in the AC version.
Running the circuit in a Ford GT40, for instance, you will notice that your car will be shaken considerably when blasting down a straight, and you might think something like "okay, this is far from smooth." But hop into a Lotus 25, as was raced in the 1964 Austrian GP, and you will immediately wish yourself back behind the wheel of the sportscar with its more forgiving suspension.
To add to the challenge, the track is laid out by nothing but straw bales. They are absolutely everywhere, but luckily, the layout is simple enough to not get lost. And as uninspiring as it might be to drive, this actually lends itself well to close racing.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere is nicely done. The track has a scenic view thanks to the surrounding mountains (although they are a little low res), and the myriad of classic cars being parked around the venue coupled with vintage sponsor boards everywhere makes Zeltweg 1966 feel like a proper throwback.
These proper throwbacks are a big part of the sim racing magic for some, including the author. Having it available for Zeltweg might not add the most interesting track in the world, but does paint a more complete picture of racing in the 1960s.
And now excuse me as I go and tighten all the nuts and bolts on my rig, just to make sure it does not fall apart next time I race.
What are your impressions of Zeltweg 1966? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
