The longest track in Formula 1 history has made its debut in Assetto Corsa and rFactor 2 today (28th September 2024), as Italotracks releases a comprehensive mod of the 16.032-mile Pescara Circuit.
Venue of the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix (not the Italian Grand Prix as Italy unusually hosted two races in that year), the circuit first hosted motorsport in 1924, with drivers racing between the villages of Montesilvano and Cappelle before heading back to the coastal city of Pescara to complete a triangular-shaped loop of the region.
The track famously had two 3.5-mile-long straights, with the first, just before Montesilvano, featuring the ‘Flying Kilometre,’ where top speeds were calculated. Five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio famously topped out at 194 mph here in 1950 driving an Alfa Romeo 159. Scary.
However, due to these speeds and the complexities of closing public roads, safety was a huge issue, and the track held its final race in 1961.
The Grand Prix of 1957 would be the only F1 race at Pescara, with Enzo Ferrari famously withdrawing his cars to preserve the Scuderia’s drivers and machinery (13 people had also died in an incident at the Mille Miglia the same year, heightening fears of a repeat).
Stirling Moss won the race in a Vanwall with Fangio finishing second in his Maserati 250F. There were only seven classified finishers.
Italotracks’ Pescara Circuit
Over the course of many months, Italotracks has painstakingly recreated the Pescara Circuit in both rFactor 2 and Assetto Corsa using LiDAR and photogrammetry data, much like the modding studio’s previous work on the historic Gran Premio Di Napoli track.
The AC version features 60 grid and pit spots and is exclusively compatible with the sim’s Custom Shaders Patch, most conveniently accessed via the Content Manager application. The rF 2 version also features 60 grid spots, while AMS has 30.
Pescara Circuit is now available to buy from the Italotracks website for a minimum fee of £5 (donations for larger amounts are also accepted). The all-in-one download features the Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2 and Automobilista versions.
What do you think about Italotracks’ Pescara Circuit mod? Let us know in the comments below.
