Does anybody have a link to an article about the markings on tracks - what they mean and how they are used?
Got any examples? Several race-classes in this world use different markings/rules to make sure a race goes cleanly & accordingly.
Well a lot of the real life tracks have braking zone markers and white lines exiting the pit lane that drivers aren’t suppose to cross. Other than that I can’t think of any other markings off hand.
This is basically it. Whether or not it’s tolerable to cross painted lines usually depends on the series racing there at the time. Then there’s brake markers that indicate distance to the turn. These are useful for visually identifying what point at which a driver wants to go to his brakes. This will vary not only from series to series but even from car to car. An F1 car can hit brakes much later than other cars, for example. Depending on the car you’re driving, what turn you’re approaching, and how much speed you’re carrying, you may decide it best to brake at the 300 board for this turn and mid-way between 100 and 200 for the next one.
For example, I’ve noticed the pre-turn distance markings. Some tracks use them and some don’t. At the turns, there seem to be markings at or around the turn apex and at the entry to the turn. I have wondered if there is any consistency to these as to distance prior to the turn, or a connection with driving technique. Since those are obvious, I have wondered if there are other, less obvious markings, which race drivers use as cues or help while driving. I know these are pretty elementary questions, but I’m a pretty elementary driver.
Still unsure WHAT markings you mean? Pylons? The in-game green/orange/red driving line? Distance-signs at side of road?
The consistency is mostly this: pylons or signs usually tell you you need to have reached apex-speed at the last marker. Might seem obvious but if the last marker is there and you KNOW the apex-speed is 73mph, you should be around the 80mph mark and turn in. If you’re doing 120mph, you will overshoot the apex/corner and be slow.
If you combine this with the driving line (turn it on fully), you can make much more sense of any markers; once the line goes orange, you should be slowing down and if it turns red, you should be braking considerably. The racing line WILL be a different color based on your current speed; a corner that is marked RED at 120mph might be GREEN at 90mph.
The issue at hand isn’t the driving line or the markers; it’s your own ability to judge the capabilities of a upgraded/downtuned car to brake, shift & turn at the correct moment. And based on that car (if you drive it more often), you might be able to brake a bit later or steer differently to have the same/higher apex-speed. Get yourself extremely familiar with each and every track-layout and learn/see when you need to act based on the environment around you.
There might be times you are on the inside line and you ca’nt see a pylon on the racing line; you still need to brake to avoid taking out the car on the racing line.
Today I noticed yellow and white broken lines painted across the track at Road Atlanta. Also I noticed at either Sebring or Catalunya an Orange line at the right side of the track. Any useful meaning to any of these lines?
Probably just marking the edge of the track. To my knowledge there is no international standard for track markings meaning each track may use diff colors depending on the diff series that race at that track. Also some tracks race at night and some don’t, I’d guess they may use diff color markings sometimes cuz they may be more visible at night.
Sebring does have a few yellow lines, particularly on the inside of Turn 17. In the US, yellow lines are used in places where you are not to put any tires over the yellow line, but this may differ from series to series.
Also, it can get interesting on some tracks, such as Catalunya, where you have multiple track layouts that have lines going across the track for a turn that may not be included on the particular layout you are racing on.
Some tracks have lines going across the track instead of marker boards - just a way to help drivers judge when to brake. We get them on motorways in the UK as you approach a roundabout too. Some also have a white line, or similar marking at the track side, indicating the sector (most tracks are split into 3 sectors, and timing is registered at each sector so a driver knows roughly where he is losing or making up lap time).
Track edge markings are white, these indicate the boundary of the race track and generally speaking a driver must keep 2 wheels inside the track boundary at all times. You will often see these lines are black though, because cars drive over them and lay down rubber - black lines are generally a good indication that the lines need repainting!
Any other colour lines at the edge of the track are generally frivolous, maybe the circuit owners got excited when they saw white wasn’t the only paint colour available.
To be honest though the only markings you ever need to pay any real attention to are circuit boundary lines, marker boards into corners (although you can use other landmarks to spot braking zones if you prefer), and of course grid boxes (which doesn’t matter in Forza unless you are taking part in an organised race which has a parade lap for grid positioning reasons, such as some TORA events).
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