The Scandinavian Masterpiece Pyynikki Debuts In Assetto Corsa

Jide 1600 Rally Shot.jpg
Jide 1600 S, sideways, in front of the famous Pyynikki observation tower
Taking place on public roads inches from trees on both sides is the classic Pyynikki road circuit in Finland. From twisting roads to tight and technical town sections, this public-road-based motorcycle circuit debuts with style in Assetto Corsa.

The Pyynikki Circuit was a street circuit in the region of Tampere in Finland from 1939 until 1971. The circuit was a 3.608 km (2.242 mi) long circuit on public roads through beautiful forests and a small Finnish town in the district of Pyynikki.

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Image: Harald Gallinnis on WikiMedia Commons via CC BY-SA 4.0

The road races on motorbikes were known as Pyynikinajot. They were first run in 1932 and were put on hold from 1939 when World War Two started. Racing resumed in 1946 after the war ended in 1945 and events continued until 1971.

The circuit was eventually shut down over safety concerns and no organised racing has taken place ever since. However, this fantastic niche Scandinavian street circuit lives on in Assetto Corsa with thanks to mod creator Luppa79.

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Honda RC162 Motorbike ridden by Alan Shepherd in the 500cc class in 1962. Image: Benutzer Pessottino via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 de

For the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Finnish Motorcycle Grand Prix was held at the Pyynikki Circuit. This race was an official round of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship which would become MotoGP in 2002. The circuit was found to be too narrow for future running of the events and the event was therefore moved to the Imatra Circuit in 1964.

Pyynikki in Assetto Corsa​

This version of Pyynikki is an exceptional example of what can be done with some historical knowledge and Lidar data. All of the buildings are in their accurate place, and every bump in the tarmac and tree by the side of the road replicates what it would have been like to blast down public roads on a classic motorbike.

With this being Assetto Corsa, testing the mod involved cars, not bikes. However, cars did compete at the circuit between 1965 and 1967, but their races were swiftly cancelled due to safety concerns. To download and try this circuit for yourself, check out Luppa79 here on OverTake.gg and give this gem of a Scandinavian circuit a try!

Jide 1600 Sparks.jpg

Jide 1600 S sparking as it bottoms out on the bumps.

Try to use period-correct vehicles to get the most out of this brilliant circuit. Classic cars on classic circuits are some of the most fun and immersive experiences you can have in Assetto Corsa. We recommend the fantastic Jide 1600 S, a lightweight French sportscar from the 1960s available for free here on OverTake.gg.

Pairing it with the fantastic road surface of Luppa79's Pyynikki creates an engaging driving experience that will be hard to match elsewhere.

Another fantastic duo of cars would be the Matra MS11 and Honda RA301 that we covered at the start of September. These two V12 Formula One beasts are a real challenge to keep on the black stuff, especially when braking on uneven surfaces.

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Mantra MS11 navigating through the town section on Pyynikki.

These cars will give you a good starting point to experience this brilliant circuit. Do not limit yourself to these cars, however. Use what you enjoy driving and let us know how the circuit responds to your favourite cars.

What do you think about the Pyynikki circuit in Assetto Corsa? Let us know in the comments down below!
About author
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

Club Staff
Premium
I've tested it and it's very nice indeed. A bit bumpy but that's realistic, I presume. The only drawback is that it's very hard to overtake another car so when you use it for online racing, it has the 'Monaco' effect where qualifying is very important.
 
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As a Scandinavian, I am happy to learn that the author has expanded my region :D

No seriously, how lucky can you be?

I remember my now sadfully recently deceased motorsport enthusiast uncle talking about traveling to this track as a young man in the late 50s with his NSU slag version MC as combined swimming -, motorsports - and fishing holidays and I remember as a boy in the 1970s being very impressed when I saw his black and white photos of Pyynikinajo.

It's a great, great inestimably valuable thing to have modders re-enacting motorsport history.

I'm reading this article having just been kicked out by a Saab 93 at Keimola, and before that a 1937 Alfa 12C at Italotrack's updated 1957 Pescara Grand Prix

It is absolutely the main argument that easily accessible modding option have to be a necessity in AC Evo.

More history have hereby been brought to life.

Thank you very much for that.
 
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OverTake
Premium
Funnily enough, I've actually been to Imatra twice - never thought I'd read that name here :D Played in a hockey tournament there a few years ago, think it was 2018 and 2019. Good times! Someone from the host team also pointed out that they had the bike race there and that his son was actually competing in it.

More to the point of the actual track in this article, it looks sublime. Can't wait to give it a go!
 
Premium
Funnily enough, I've actually been to Imatra twice - never thought I'd read that name here :D Played in a hockey tournament there a few years ago, think it was 2018 and 2019. Good times! Someone from the host team also pointed out that they had the bike race there and that his son was actually competing in it.

More to the point of the actual track in this article, it looks sublime. Can't wait to give it a go!
This is not the Imatra track, this track is located in Tampere, central Finland.
 
Premium
I've tested it and it's very nice indeed. A bit bumpy but that's realistic, I presume. The only drawback is that it's very hard to overtake another car so when you use it for online racing, it has the 'Monaco' effect where qualifying is very important.
Part of the track is coated with a weird "null" surface object, I removed it with 3DSimed and now it's much smoother to ride. I can share that .kn5 file if needed.

 
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This is not the Imatra track, this track is located in Tampere, central Finland.
Now you make me doubt whether it was really Imatrajano and not Pyynikinajo that my uncle visited back during late 1950s.
Now I regret that the family left his estate to the municipality and, thus, his possessions. There has been a lot of historical gems in store.

On the other hand, he mentioned both fishing trips and beach holidays, and regarding the latter, I think Tampere more than Imatra.
 
OverTake
Premium
This is not the Imatra track, this track is located in Tampere, central Finland.
I know, it was just that Imatra was mentioned in the article and triggered that memory ;) So the first part of my comment didn't refer to the track highlighted in the article. Just to clear that up :)
 

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