Anyone who has spent time studying Japanese motorsport history knows the legend of Daiichi. When Fuji Speedway first opened in 1966 at the base of Mount Fuji, Turn 1 was not the tight right-hand hairpin we brake for today. Instead, drivers plunged off the main straight into a massive, steeply banked right-hand sweeper that dropped downhill simultaneously. On November 6, Project Motor Racing deployed Version 2.3.0.3 to lay the foundation for its November 10 World Endurance Pack, confirming that the original 1966 Fuji Speedway configuration is officially coming to a commercial sim for the very first time.
Tackling the Fearsome 1966 Daiichi Banking
In most sims, historic tracks mean removing a few chicanes and replacing steel barriers with hay bales. Straight4 Studios went much further with Fuji. The 1966 layout preserves the original six-kilometer perimeter, where drivers carry full speed past the pit lane and commit blindly over the crest into the Daiichi banking. Because the banking falls away as it curves, suspension compression loads the outside tire core heavily on entry before unloading abruptly at the exit.
Holding a steady steering angle through the 1966 Daiichi banking requires stiffer front bump stop settings and careful throttle modulation as the track drops away beneath the chassis.
Eleven Cars Across Four Endurance Classes
Alongside the historic and modern GP layouts of Fuji Speedway, Version 2.3.0.3 preps the client for 11 endurance cars divided across four distinct prototype and GT categories. Having both eras of Fuji in the same build gives league organizers a rare opportunity to run vintage sports prototypes on the high-speed 1966 layout while hosting modern multi-class traffic battles through the technical third sector of the current circuit.
- Features the original banked downhill Daiichi Turn 1 sweeper
- Bypasses the modern tight hairpin and slow Sector 3 complex
- Demands low-drag aero trim and stable high-speed damping
- Retains the 1.475-kilometer main straight for slipstream passes
- Includes the heavy threshold braking zone into Turn 1
- Tests mechanical grip and traction through the climbing final sector
"Bringing the 1966 Fuji Speedway to a commercial sim for the first time lets drivers experience one of endurance racing's fastest and most demanding corners from the cockpit."
