The lap
Road Atlanta · Full Course
9 corners, 5 of which decide the lap. What each one asks of the car, and what you do about it.
Front straight
T1
T3
Esses T4–5
T6
T7
Back straight
Chicane T10a/b
T11
T12
StraightFast cornerMedium cornerSlow corner
The lapShort, fast and dominated by elevation. Turn 12 owns the lap — check every setup change against whether it makes T12 something you can commit to.
Set up forA rear you can trust downhill at speed, then kerb compliance for the chicane, then traction out of Turn 7.
Classic mistakeA car that's sharp on turn-in. The fast corners are blind and downhill; a nervous rear stops you committing, which makes you slow.
Works hardestFronts in the Esses, rears out of T7 and the chicane
Length4.1 km · road course · US
Corner by corner
Every corner on this layout
A • marks the corners that decide the lap.
T1 Turn One •
Fast · uphill · blind exit
A commitment corner disguised as an easy one — fast, uphill, and you can't see the exit.
- Technique
- Don't over-slow it. The time is in carrying speed you can't quite justify.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Wants a settled rear · Aero platform sensitive
T2 Turn Two
Fast left
A quick left immediately after Turn 1, taken with the car still loaded.
- Technique
- One continuous movement with Turn 1.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Transient, not steady-state · Wants a settled rear
T3 Turn Three
Slow left · heavy braking
The first real stop, into a tight left that sets up the Esses.
- Technique
- Rotate early and get straight — the Esses need a settled car.
- Demands
- Braking-limited · Low speed — aero does little · Wants yaw on entry
T4–5 The Esses •
Fast · direction change
Quick left-right with elevation, demanding the car change direction cleanly.
- Technique
- One rhythm. Corrections here are expensive.
- Demands
- Transient, not steady-state · Front grip limited · Sustained mid-corner load
T6 Turn Six
Fast right sweeper
A long, committed right that loads the car before the slow section.
- Technique
- Steady input. Carry speed rather than attacking the apex.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Front grip limited · Sustained mid-corner load
T7 Turn Seven •
Slow left · onto the back straight
Tight left feeding the long back straight.
- Technique
- Rotate early, power early. A classic exit corner.
- Demands
- Low speed — aero does little · Traction-limited · Exit-phase limited · Wants yaw on entry
T10a/b The Chicane •
Heavy kerbs
Braking from high speed into a kerb-heavy chicane, and the car has to be straight quickly.
- Technique
- Attack the kerb only as much as the car will take. Getting straight matters more than the apex.
- Demands
- Kerbs are part of the line · Bumpy surface · Braking-limited · Wants yaw on entry
T11 Turn Eleven
Medium left
The link between the chicane and the final corner, downhill and quick.
- Technique
- Get the car settled — you cannot arrive at Turn 12 unsettled.
- Demands
- Sustained mid-corner load · Transient, not steady-state · Exit-phase limited
T12 Turn Twelve •
Fast downhill right
Downhill, fast, blind at the entry, and it owns the main straight.
- Technique
- Everything is about being able to commit. If you're lifting, fix the car rather than the driving.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Wants a settled rear · Exit-phase limited · Rear grip limited · Aero platform sensitive
Corner names and numbering follow common usage; some circuits number differently between layouts.
Sideways
Where to go next
The ranked answer is per car. Pick yours to see what this lap asks of it.
This lap, car by car