IMPORTANT NOTES/KNOWN ISSUES:
The history of Tacoma Speedway (also known as Pacific Speedway) is notable for the extent to which the layout was changed during its 10-year existence. The circuit began in 1912 as a 5-mile-long road circuit, run clockwise over public dirt roads in Lakewood Washington. In 1913, the circuit was reduced to 3.5 miles in length, but cutting out the southern portion of the circuit. This new circuit was run counterclockwise this time, like most circuits in the United States, with the start-finish line at the same place.
In 1914, the circuit was reduced again to a 2-mile circuit. Instead of public roads, however, this time a permanent dirt D-oval was built in a field enclosed by the northern section of the previous road circuits. Racing at this permanent oval, like the road courses that preceded it, lasted for only 1 year. In 1915, the the circuit moved to its final (and longest-lasting) iteration. This time a board track was built on top of the existing dirt oval, comprising the same shape albeit with higher banking and a higher-grip surface.
The Tacoma Speedway board oval, like most board oval tracks, was a high-banked oval. The four turns were banked 18 feet, with a maximum banking angle of 21 degrees. It was known as one of the fastest circuits in the US. It was also unique among board tracks, in that the boards were spaced with gaps in-between that were filled with gravel, whereas most board tracks had a continuous board surface. This was done to save on material costs, and made Tacoma Speedway notorious for being a tough and unforgiving circuit. Drivers were killed on the board oval in 1915 and in 1917, in both cases due to punctures from the rough and dangerous surface.
The grandstands were destroyed by arson midway through 1920, leading the circuit owners to raise money for a rebuild. The circuit facilities went through a major overhaul at this time as well. The old bleacher-type grandstands were replaced by covered grandstands, and a bridge to take vehicles into the infield was built over the northeast turn. Despite these changes, the circuit lost money and closed partway through 1922. The area was converted into an airport, and racing never returned to the Tacoma Speedway.
Included in this mod are the two original layouts, the 1912 and 1913 road courses. I am working on the 1914-1920 oval layouts, which will be released as part of HistoricSimStudio’s 1916 IndyCar park, to be released in mid-2024.
TIPS FOR DRIVING:
Happy racing!
- CSP is needed for GrassFX, Tiling Fix, RainFX, and other CSP adjustments. Will work just fine without it as well.
- I have separated the spectators into their own KN5 file, so if you’re someone who likes racing without spectators, you can easily delete or rename “spectators.kn5” to get rid of them.
- Dirt physics are a little bit screwy. The AC engine was never designed with dirt track racing in mind, so the physics for dirt surface are very basic and not super realistic. If you’ve ever watched dirt racing, you’ll know the cars fully drift through the corners; in AC, any kind of attempt at a drift on a low-grip surface is likely to end in a complete skid. I have found that appropriate dirt physics can be approximated by turning on traction control and setting stability control to around 50% or so. I would recommend adding a dirt track quick drive preset with these settings to make it easy to switch between surface types. I can’t vouch for how closely it approximates accurate dirt racing physics, but it actually allows sliding through corners, while still being tricky to drive.
The history of Tacoma Speedway (also known as Pacific Speedway) is notable for the extent to which the layout was changed during its 10-year existence. The circuit began in 1912 as a 5-mile-long road circuit, run clockwise over public dirt roads in Lakewood Washington. In 1913, the circuit was reduced to 3.5 miles in length, but cutting out the southern portion of the circuit. This new circuit was run counterclockwise this time, like most circuits in the United States, with the start-finish line at the same place.
In 1914, the circuit was reduced again to a 2-mile circuit. Instead of public roads, however, this time a permanent dirt D-oval was built in a field enclosed by the northern section of the previous road circuits. Racing at this permanent oval, like the road courses that preceded it, lasted for only 1 year. In 1915, the the circuit moved to its final (and longest-lasting) iteration. This time a board track was built on top of the existing dirt oval, comprising the same shape albeit with higher banking and a higher-grip surface.
The Tacoma Speedway board oval, like most board oval tracks, was a high-banked oval. The four turns were banked 18 feet, with a maximum banking angle of 21 degrees. It was known as one of the fastest circuits in the US. It was also unique among board tracks, in that the boards were spaced with gaps in-between that were filled with gravel, whereas most board tracks had a continuous board surface. This was done to save on material costs, and made Tacoma Speedway notorious for being a tough and unforgiving circuit. Drivers were killed on the board oval in 1915 and in 1917, in both cases due to punctures from the rough and dangerous surface.
The grandstands were destroyed by arson midway through 1920, leading the circuit owners to raise money for a rebuild. The circuit facilities went through a major overhaul at this time as well. The old bleacher-type grandstands were replaced by covered grandstands, and a bridge to take vehicles into the infield was built over the northeast turn. Despite these changes, the circuit lost money and closed partway through 1922. The area was converted into an airport, and racing never returned to the Tacoma Speedway.
Included in this mod are the two original layouts, the 1912 and 1913 road courses. I am working on the 1914-1920 oval layouts, which will be released as part of HistoricSimStudio’s 1916 IndyCar park, to be released in mid-2024.
TIPS FOR DRIVING:
- Brake earlier than you think you need to for the sharp corners, as grip is low and the amount of visual slowdown in many cars is misleading.
- With slower cars (such as the Pre-War HSS GP cars), the faster corners can all be taken at full speed. Racing line is extremely important when going flat-out, and will likely require sliding the car through the corners.
Happy racing!
