Free-to-play sim RaceRoom recently announced that historic French circuit Charade would be making its way to the service this December.
And today, (5th December 2022) an official post on RaceRoom’s forums shines a light on the renowned venue and what we should expect to see when it releases as part of the sim’s upcoming ‘Drivers Pack’ DLC.
Charade in RaceRoom
Circuit de Charade, located near the town of Clermont-Ferrand in France held its first race in 1958. The 8km track held a fearsome reputation as a fast and flowing sinew of tarmac running through the Auvergne countryside.
Many of its corners were tight, so the track proved to be a tremendous challenge for drivers; even at the very top level of motorsport, as Charade hosted the French Grand Prix on four occasions through the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The shortened version of the circuit coming to RaceRoom peels off at Virage de Manson, re-joining the classic layout at Virage de la Ferme. This means the famous Épingle Marlboro switchback is retained in the new configuration.
The track is also renowned for its significant elevation changes, so driving in VR may induce a little motion sickness…
My own memories of racing Charade centre on SimBin’s classic GT Legends game, a Lotus Elan sports car and a superlative mod version of its full-length circuit.
Racing against the likes of Gary Lennon, Hans Sneep and Stuart Thomson during one of RaceDepartment’s Historic Racing Club races helped open my eyes to the simple pleasure of driving a virtual car to its limits. The track was sublimely challenging in all the right ways, so is one I’m keenly looking forward to.
Sadly, the track was deemed too dangerous to continue with its Nordschelife-esque layout, so a shorter configuration was devised in 1988.
Opened in 1989, the ‘new’ Charade has held rounds of the French Supertouring championship, the French GT Championship and Formula 3. But today it is widely known for hosting French sportscar manufacturer Crosslé.
RaceRoom’s Crosslé 90F
Both of RaceRoom’s Crosslés were developed to run at the Classic Racing School at Charade. Mimicking the the 1969 Crosslé 16F, the 90F is a modern take on the lightweight single seater.
Weighing only 420kg, the 90F produces 110bhp from its 2.0l Ford Zetec engine, ensuring a low-inertia racing experience, with a focus on maintaining momentum.
RaceRoom’s Crosslé 9S
The Crosslé 95 is based on a ‘60s Group 6 sports car, so features more bodywork and horsepower – putting down 220bhp in total. The car is more forgiving than the 90F thanks to a limited-slip differential, so should be the ideal starting point for beginners.
The cars resemble the Historic Sports 2000 cars which still run in major historic events like the Oulton Park Gold Cup. Rest assured, they can still produce obscenely quick lap times in the right hands.
Raceroom’s Drivers Pack will be available for the service very soon, with an early December release date scheduled.
Are you looking forward to RaceRoom’s latest batch of historic content? Let us know in the comments below.
Images courtesy of RaceRoom
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