In praise of Blackwood

[petercollins]

After driving so many laps of Blackwood, I thought I'd give you my version of a lap around this great track..

Ok from the start-finish line, down the hill. I've a tendency to run very close to the dirt on the left when hot-lapping, but for T1 in a race, my best line is a way out to the right and braking earlier than the others for the hairpin. You can sometimes be bumped from behind, but get bumped on the left and you're way off line.

The hairpin seems like it will never end but then go wide onto the rumble strip being very careful not to get a wheel on the grass.

This next left and right is extremely slippy and, I find, the hardest part of the track. Many spinners here during a race.

The long straight is next, a brief rest, then get ready to brake for this right hander, which I adore. Push it right nearly onto the grass and then its the right-left uphill. Again, the only thing that catches me here sometimes is the car lurching to the left as it loses grip on the left side, but even that can be caught. Great stuff!

The next right is quite easy, but I often go too slowly through here. Then away to the right to line up for the last left-right. Often see cars up on the bank here during races, how they keep it going I'll never know, cos if I'm up there it's a huge spin and into the barrier!

All-in-all a fantastic track and one I never get tired of!!

[[DUcK]]

Agreed blackwood is a fun track, well made. It looks even better with the hi-res textures from lfs database :thumb:

[Xaid0n]

Avery nice representation of the track without actually having to drive it :)

[G!NhO]

nice :thumb:

[xaotik]

All-in-all a fantastic track and one I never get tired of!!

And if you do there's always the joy of the reverse config which I've always found to be more fun for some reason.

[NitroNitrous]

... The next right is quite easy, but I often go too slowly through here...

Agree. I always have the feeling "I could go faster in that curve" :)

[petercollins]

Agree. I always have the feeling "I could go faster in that curve" :)

I think it's the make or break turn. Go through here fast and you're knocking 1-2 secs off your lap.

Also, there's plenty of run off so even if you overdo it, you can still keep the car on the road!

More practice here definitely :)

[Mako.]

Yeah, I love the new patch! I hit it up with the updated XRG and absolutely loved it! It feels frighteningly real with the porshe as well!

...Good stuff indeed!

[Dalibor79]

porsche???

[LiveForBoobs]

porsche???

I think he meant the FZ5

[Byku]

He propably means the wheel ^^.

[creativesurgeon]

The long straight is next, a brief rest, then get ready to brake for this right hander, which I adore. Push it right nearly onto the grass and then its the right-left uphill.

Is it me, or has the outside rumble strip changed now? I was running a BF1 there the other day, and spun on three consecutive laps (me being a quick learner and all :)), where (it seemed), the car grounded-out on the raised strip...

[gingiba]

I always liked Blackwood (though I suck there to no end), but that ever so slight right-kink on the straight sometimes screws me over when my crappy wheel registers the slightest of movements as a hard jerk, sending me into the grass there..

But very nice description. :)

[JO53PHS]

Is it me, or has the outside rumble strip changed now? I was running a BF1 there the other day, and spun on three consecutive laps (me being a quick learner and all :)), where (it seemed), the car grounded-out on the raised strip...


Old BL:


......................................,,,,,,,,,,__ ________

New BL:

...............______________:::::::::__________



:D

Key


:::::: Higher Curb
,,,,,,, Lower Curb

____ Track
____ Lower Run off area/grass thingy
....... Higher Run off area/grass thingy

[xaotik]

I never realized that LFS had so much in common with Rogue.

[JO53PHS]

I couldn't be stuffed to make a proper picture :shrug::D

[Rappa Z]

For me, Blackwood is probably the best track in LFS. It seems to have everything i would expect a track to have, plus offers some very close racing.

Aston on the otherhand....

[gingiba]

For me, Blackwood is probably the best track in LFS. It seems to have everything i would expect a track to have, plus offers some very close racing.

Aston on the otherhand....
Yeah, Blackwood actually provides rather challenging corners that require more limited braking, or control. LFS lacks these tracks, and definitely should have more like Blackwood.

[DHRammstein]

Definitely my favorite track, my trouble has always been the second to last turn, right before going uphill to the right toward the start/finish. I'm always either too fast, too slow, or offline. So recently I've just been hittin the brakes a little early, as far right as I possibly can and early as possible, cruising into the corner, then wot as soon as it seems I have the grip needed to not fire off into the grasss. Seems to work best for now, for me anyways. This is especially a problem with awd cars, as they like to yank across the track under hard acceleration and G's.

[Mako.]

justy for clarification, I meant the fz5.... it's really a porsche with different lights on it...

[5haz]

Of all the tracks in LFS, Blackwood is the one I'd most like to see in real life.

I love it because its so flowing, and one tiny mess up will ruin your momentum for an entire lap, but if you get it just right then it is very rewarding.

I particularly love the last corner, it's really tricky to just snake through there but ifyou get it perfect you can be past the car infront before the finish line, which has made for some great race finishes online. :)

It's not a boring modern 'Tilkedrome', the walls often feel rather close to the track, and racing in a BF1 it really is like, (In the words of Justin Wilson) "Having a Knife Fight in a Phone Booth!".

I'll probrably get flamed for this, but I'd love to see a version with a high speed esses in the backstraight instead of the current chicane, a bit like the Dunlop chicane at Lemans, instead of the chicane just after T1, I'm afraid the current chicane just causes too much havoc at the start of a race! :)

[Hoshimodo]

Blackwood is what dust_2 is for CS, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I love both :-)

[buusap]

Blackwood is what dust_2 is for CS, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I love both :-)

hehehe
i quite agree

@petercollins maybe u could ask scawen to put that into the intro movie for future LFS

[jayhawk]

Definitely my favorite track, my trouble has always been the second to last turn, right before going uphill to the right toward the start/finish. I'm always either too fast, too slow, or offline. So recently I've just been hittin the brakes a little early, as far right as I possibly can and early as possible, cruising into the corner, then wot as soon as it seems I have the grip needed to not fire off into the grasss. Seems to work best for now, for me anyways. This is especially a problem with awd cars, as they like to yank across the track under hard acceleration and G's.

That is also what I do, or when the tires start going bad and it is a FWD car, I get the right rear tire on the grass so it can rotate.

Like others have said, the back half after the long straight has a lovely rhythm. In my opinion, only the hillclimb section in Aston Historic can touch that.

[travbrad]

The next right is quite easy, but I often go too slowly through here.

yeah, same here. I can never get that corner quite right. I used to be able to when they had the runoff entry for the corner, but ever since they changed it I just can't get it right. The new version is overall much more difficult/realistic though which makes for a nice challenge

Great track description, it's a really fun track too, even if I have been driving it (on and off) for 5+ years :)

For me, Blackwood is probably the best track in LFS. It seems to have everything i would expect a track to have, plus offers some very close racing.

Aston on the otherhand....

I agree about Aston in general, but I still love the historic layout, I have good memories racing there with F08 (back when F08 was an absolute beast to drive due to the tyre physics ;)). It's been ages since I've seen a server driving that combo though

[JJ72]

Blackwood is outright boring.

but Blackwood reverse, is a totally different track.

[petercollins]

<bump>

The best circuit in LFS

[GT Touring]

it is fantastic...
a variation with out the chicane after T1 and placing it under the bridge or something would be keen.
just a different variation.
no in all honesty FernBay is a masterpiece as well.

[XCNuse]

Yea well.. it's also had the longest lifetime in LFS so it ought to be the best! lol

But hey, it's made it a far far way!

[BenjiMC]

tbh i prefer the blackwood from before the y remake. It had a beautiful flow to it. This one invloves just a bit too much braking imo.

[Ahriman4891]

Blackwood reverse is probably the best track in LFS. Too bad I suck on it :( Both esses are awesome due to the way elevation flows in reverse, and entering the chicane after the long straight is also tense.

[zeugnimod]

Blackwood reverse is probably the best track in LFS.

:nod:

[rjm1982]

If I had to think of one thing to make Blackwood better, it would be moving the start/finish line.

I think if the S/F was on the straight with the pit entrance, or on the long straight after the chicane, it would make for a great time. It would fix the T1 jumble in the chicane, because it would be a little more spread out by then.

And if I had a little more leeway, I would put a kink in the long straight, just to take out a little of the boring...

[Cheesey421]

I love the Blackwood track especially going round in XFG's.


Im not very fast but its still a good track.

[noskillz]

And if I had a little more leeway, I would put a kink in the long straight, just to take out a little of the boring...

I think the straight makes a good place to set-up an overtake, especially if you get a good exit from the chicane.

[petercollins]

My favourite element of Blackwood is the straight. Yes we all know the braking points in the car of our choice, but it ALWAYS feels random....you jam the brakes and hope to Christ the car stops.

It's an amazing sim.

[LFSn00b]

Blackwood is what dust_2 is for CS, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I love both :-)Actually, i think Aston National is more like "The Dust_2 of LFS" because both are overused a bit.

[mcintyrej]

Actually, i think Aston National is more like "The Dust_2 of LFS" because both are overused a bit.

De_dust2 is the most used map on CS and CSS because its one of the fairest - any team can win. Aston National is just crap and people do it because its full throttle apart from like 4 corners.

[Rdcranno]

;852737']Agreed blackwood is a fun track, well made. It looks even better with the hi-res textures from lfs database :thumb:

which one? the black tarmac one? Thats the one i have downloaded and i dont like it, too dark.

Or is the a better one?

[MR_B]

Blackwood reverse is probably the best track in LFS.

I deffinitely prefer it to the normal layout, it's harder to go fast. :nod:

[Stefani24]

My favourite element of Blackwood is the straight. Yes we all know the braking points in the car of our choice, but it ALWAYS feels random....you jam the brakes and hope to Christ the car stops.

It's an amazing sim.
It isnt really a good idea to stop the car on the track.

[dawesdust_12]

Which is ironic, seeing I'm much quicker in BL Rev, then BL1. However, I enjoy driving BL Rev a lot more too. It's a very fun track, especially in the slower cars, that T1 complex thingie just makes it for me, and braking from top speed through the chicane, is fun, especially because it creates more passing opportunities (and blocking opportunities) than the forward direction.

[zeugnimod]

Yeah, BL1R is (one of) the best tracks in LFS. Only AS North comes close.

[senn]

i actually quite enjoy the south city tracks especially in the lighter cars when u hit a railway line/bump the wrong way and u can end up sliding towards a barrier at a fair pace (usually 160kmh+ in my experience lol) snap oversteer is a bitch, but i still love those tracks :)

Or when u misjudge the braking points coming down the hill in south city and u end up understeering off, or that tricky new chicane/narrow bit when the track is going the other way, with the bump mid corner
nasssssssty :) almost always catches me out