The easiest tracks to learn are short, with obvious braking zones and corners you can see coming. Our ten picks for first-time sim racers, in the order we'd drive them: Brands Hatch Indy, Silverstone National, the Red Bull Ring, Monza, Barcelona-Catalunya, Laguna Seca, Circuit of the Americas, Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka and, for Miami fans, the Miami International Autodrome. Start short and simple, then work up to the long, fast ones.
Stage 1: short laps to learn the basics
1. Brands Hatch Indy (England)
The Indy layout is 1.208 miles (1.944 km) with seven corners, two left-handers and five right-handers (Brands Hatch). A short lap means many repetitions in a few minutes, which is how beginners improve fastest.
2. Silverstone National (England)
At 1.640 miles, the National is the shortest of Silverstone's three main layouts (Silverstone). It uses part of the famous F1 venue without the full 3.660-mile Grand Prix lap.
3. Red Bull Ring (Austria)
Formula 1 lists the lap at 4.326 km. The first half is three straights separated by a pair of uphill right-handers; the second half drops downhill through quicker corners (Formula 1). Few corners, clear braking points.
Stage 2: learn to brake hard
4. Monza (Italy)
Monza's 5.793 km lap is mostly flat-out, with big stops into tight chicanes; at the first chicane, F1 cars brake from about 350 km/h to 70 km/h (Formula 1). For a beginner, that means a handful of very obvious braking zones and lots of straight-line time to reset.
5. Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain)
A 4.657 km lap with a mix of high- and low-speed corners, long used by F1 teams for testing (Formula 1). It teaches a bit of everything.
Stage 3: elevation and rhythm
6. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (California)
A 2.238-mile lap with the Corkscrew, a left-right that drops 59 feet between Turns 8 and 8A (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca). The lap is short, and that one dramatic corner gives every guest a story.
7. Circuit of the Americas (Texas)
5.513 km, opening with an uphill run into a very wide Turn 1, followed by fast esses that F1 compares to Silverstone's Maggotts/Becketts (Formula 1). A good test of rhythm once the basics are in place.
Stage 4: the big ones
8. Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
At 7.004 km, Spa is the longest track on the F1 calendar, with long straights, fast corners and the Eau Rouge/Raidillon climb (Formula 1). It's long to learn, but it's the lap many guests have heard of.
9. Suzuka (Japan)
A 5.807 km figure-eight that crosses over itself, with the S Curves, the two Degners and the high-speed 130R (Formula 1). Save it for drivers who are already consistent.
10. Miami International Autodrome (Miami Gardens)
The F1 Miami circuit around the Hard Rock Stadium complex is 5.412 km with 19 turns, three long straights and an uphill chicane at Turns 14–15 (Formula 1). The tight middle section is tricky for a first lap, but for a Miami crowd it is the track people ask for. SimsForHire ran the Hard Rock Miami activation at Miami International Autodrome with 8 rigs and 1,000+ guests.
Before you pick
Which tracks you can drive depends on the software. Kunos Simulazioni, for example, lists laser-scanned Monza, Silverstone, Spa, Brands Hatch and Laguna Seca among Assetto Corsa's circuits (Assetto Corsa on Steam). Check our tracks page and tell us which circuits matter to your guests.
For events, run the leaderboard on one short track so everyone gets several laps, and offer a famous long track as a bonus drive. Rates: $2,750 per full-motion rig per day, plus tax and insurance. See pricing and experiences.
Call (754) 228-5654, email hello@simsforhire.com, or request a date. We reply within 24 hours and can book with as little as 24 hours' notice.