Hill Climb

Deals Gap & The Tree of Shame: The spiritual heart of the Dragon. Starting at the North Carolina state line, you’ll pass the iconic motorcycle resort and the infamous "Tree of Shame"—a grim monument adorned with the broken parts of those who underestimated the road’s bite.

The Copperhead & Gravity Cavity: Experience the road’s most treacherous technical sections. These banked turns and sudden elevation drops will compress your suspension and test your car's agility at every degree of the steering rack.

The Overlook: A rare moment of relief near mile marker 9. This scenic vantage point offers a brief glimpse of the Calderwood Dam and the surrounding wilderness before the road plunges back into the dense, blind-corner canopy of the Cherokee National Forest.

Tabcat Creek Bridge: The finish line in Tennessee. After 318 curves, the road finally begins to breathe as it parallels the shoreline of Chilhowee Lake. It’s the perfect place to check your vitals and prepare for the return run.

The Start Line & Picnic Grounds: Beginning at 9,390 feet, the first leg is a high-speed blast through the forest. Here, the road is at its widest and fastest, but don't let the speed fool you, the heavy braking zones into the first few hairpins will quickly remind you of the stakes.

Glen Cove: The gateway to the upper mountain. As you punch through the timberline, the trees vanish, replaced by terrifyingly open vistas. The corners here become tighter and more rhythmic, demanding a clinical flow to maintain momentum against the rising incline.

Devil’s Playground: Named for the way lightning reportedly jumps between the rocks during summer storms, this section is a relentless series of switchbacks. At over 12,000 feet, the thinning air starts to rob internal combustion engines of nearly 30% of their power, making throttle management a desperate game of survival.

The W’s & The Summit: A jagged series of massive switchbacks that look like a letter 'W' from above. This is the final gauntlet of low-speed hairpins before the final sprint to the top. Crossing the finish line at the summit is more than a victory; it’s a relief from the overwhelming scale of the mountain.

The Start Line: You begin on the "Indianapolis Bricks," a gift from the famous Speedway. It's a standing start that demands a perfect launch to carry speed into the first high-speed sweepers under the canopy of trees.

Goodwood House & The Central Feature: As the track opens up, you’ll fly past the iconic Goodwood House and its towering, manufacturer-themed central sculpture. This is the fastest part of the course, but the proximity of the spectators and the house itself makes every mile per hour feel twice as fast.

Molecomb Corner: The most infamous point on the hill. This blind, off-camber left-hander is a notorious car-eater. Braking too late here is the primary cause of high-profile "off-track excursions" into the straw bales. Precision and patience are the only way through.

The Flint Wall: A narrow, claustrophobic section where the track is squeezed between ancient stone walls and a dense forest. The road is at its tightest here, and even a minor clip can end your run in a shower of sparks and carbon fibre.

The Top Paddock & Finish: The final blast toward the summit of the South Downs. After clearing the forest, the track levels out past the Forest Rally Stage toward the finish line, where the record of 39.081 seconds, set by Max Chilton in the McMurtry Spéirling, remains the ultimate benchmark. 

The Esthofen Start: Launching from the lower village, you immediately enter a high-speed section where gear selection is critical. The first few corners are deceptively fast, requiring you to use every inch of the road, and sometimes the grass, to carry momentum into the main climb.

The Mid-Section Sweepers: This is where St. Agatha earns its reputation as one of the fastest climbs in Europe. The road flows through rolling farmland with wide, sweeping turns that test your car’s stability at high speeds. In a modern GT3 or a custom Hillclimb proto, this section is a blur of green and asphalt.

The Technical Upper Reach: As you approach the village of St. Agatha, the road becomes slightly more technical. Precision braking into the final set of corners is the only thing standing between a new course record and a DNF against the unforgiving terrain.

The Finish Line: Crossing the line at the top of the hill at over 540 metres in altitude, the road levels out as you enter the village. The atmosphere here is legendary, with thousands of fans lining the barriers to witness the fastest touring cars and formula machines in Central Europe.

The Cauldron & The Hairpins: Starting at Bannière, you immediately dive into a dense series of switchbacks. The "Cauldron" (Le Chaudron) is the technical heart of the first sector, where your exit speed from the tight right-handers dictates your momentum for the entire lower section.

The Stairs of the Source: A rhythmic series of turns—"the source stairs"—leads you upward. Here, the Teule corner is the key to a fast time; mess it up, and you’ll be fighting your car's weight transfer all the way to the top.

The Belvedere: As you punch through the tree line, the view opens up into a panoramic vista of the Cévennes. This is the second half for the "big hearts," featuring high-speed sweepers that lead toward the famous lookout point.

The Pilots' Corner: The finish line has traditionally moved over the years, but the current sprint concludes at the "Pilots' Corner". This final stretch is a wall of sound where thousands of spectators gather to watch cars cross the line at speeds nearing 200 km/h.

The Bédoin Forest: The first leg is a high-speed blast through dense green canopy. The road is relatively wide here, but the long, "false flat" straights are deceptive. You need a car with immense torque to punch through the incline before the road starts to twist in earnest.

Saint-Estève & The Hairpins: The real climb begins at the famous Saint-Estève bend. The gradient kicks up to a brutal 10%, and the road narrows into a rhythmic series of technical hairpins. This is where you’ll spend most of your time in 2nd and 3rd gear, fighting for traction on the sun-baked asphalt.

Chalet Reynard: The halfway point and the gatekeeper to the summit. As you pass the chalet, the trees disappear entirely, replaced by a jagged, white desert of rock. From here on, the wind becomes a factor, and the lack of guardrails means any mistake will result in a terrifying slide down the limestone slopes.

The Observatory Finish: The final 6km is a literal "Race to the Clouds." The iconic red-and-white weather station at the summit serves as your North Star. The air is cold, the wind is fierce, and the final 12% gradient hairpins will test your car's cooling system to its absolute limit

Poveda de la Sierra (The Start): You begin in the quaint surroundings of Poveda, where the road is immediate and inviting. The initial sections test your ability to settle into a rhythm as you climb away from the village and into the dense pine forests of the natural park.

The Canyon Walls & Rocky Cliffs: As you ascend, the scenery shifts into a dramatic landscape of sheer limestone cliffs. The road hugs the rock face, demanding precision as you navigate blind corners that drop off into the deep river valleys of the Tajo.

The High Plateau Sweepers: Once you break out of the tighter canyon sections, the road opens up into high-speed, flowing sweepers across the Spanish plateau. Here, aerodynamic stability is key as you battle crosswinds and maintain triple-digit speeds through a seemingly endless series of curves.

Taravilla (The Summit Finish): The 20km journey concludes as you approach the village of Taravilla. After nearly a dozen miles of intense concentration, the final sprint toward the checkered flag provides a sense of scale rarely matched by other hillclimb mods. 

Bâlea Waterfall (Cascada Bâlea): The journey often begins near the lower cable car station. Here, the road is framed by dense pine forests and features a rhythmic flow of medium-speed sweepers before the trees begin to thin.

The Northern S-Bends: As you ascend past the timberline, the road opens into its most famous section—a massive, zig-zagging wall of hairpins and "S" turns. Without trees to hide the scale, you can see the ribbon of tarmac stretching miles below you, demanding perfect turn-in and throttle control to maintain momentum against the incline.

Bâlea Lake (Llacul Bâlea) & The Tunnel: Reaching the summit at over 2,000 metres, the road levels out briefly near the glacial lake. You'll then plunge into the Bâlea Tunnel—the longest road tunnel in Romania—transitioning from the bright northern slopes into the darker, more rugged southern descent.

Vidraru Dam & The Bear Road: On the southern side, the road hugs the shore of Lake Vidraru. This section is tighter and more claustrophobic, famous for its frequent brown bear sightings and narrow passes carved directly into the rock face.

The Bay Start (Novo Naselje): Launching almost from sea level, the roar of your engine echoes off the ancient stone walls of the UNESCO-protected Old Town. The first few hundred metres are a high-speed dash before the road begins its rhythmic, upward fold.

The Iconic Switchbacks: This is the soul of Kotor. A series of perfectly stacked hairpins that look like a serpent from above. These turns are tight, technical, and often lined with thousands of passionate fans. Success here is all about the late apex; miss it, and you'll bog down on the steep incline.

The Mid-Section Sweepers: Between the hairpins, the road offers brief, high-speed sections that reward cars with quick gear ratios. You’ll be shifting constantly as you balance the car on the edge of the mountain, with the turquoise bay shrinking in your mirrors.

The Trojica Finish: The final sprint brings you to the finish line in Trojica at an altitude of approximately 220 metres. Crossing the line is a relief as the road finally levels out after an average incline of 5%.

The Village Start: Leaving the quiet outskirts of Semetin, you immediately punch into a narrow corridor. The transition from open fields to the dense tree line is jarring, and the low-grip asphalt demands instant focus.

The "Green Tunnel": This is the signature of Semetin. The trees hang over the road, creating a strobe-light effect as you dance through high-speed flick-turns. The road is barely wide enough for two cars, leaving zero room for corrections if you miss a turn-in point.

The Technical Hairpins: Hidden within the forest are tight, uphill switchbacks that require aggressive handbrake entries. Because the road is so narrow, your positioning here is critical, hit the apex too early, and you’ll clip the hidden rocks in the grass.

The Mossy Ridge: The surface varies wildly. Expect patches of damp, moss-covered asphalt under the heavy canopy that can snatch the car away from you, especially during a high-speed transition.

The Cazin Launch: Starting in the outskirts of Ostrozac, the run begins with a series of medium-speed sweeps. The track surface is high-resolution in the Lemax version for Assetto Corsa, allowing you to feel every ripple of the Bosnian asphalt.

The Mid-Section Slither: True to its "Snake" name, the middle sector is a relentless sequence of left-right transitions. There are few heavy braking zones; success here is about maintaining a high minimum speed and using the entire width of the road, right up to the spectators and hay bales.

The Una Canyon Vista: As you climb, the track offers brief, stunning glimpses of the Una River canyon to the left. Don't get distracted by the smaragdine water; the barriers are close and the pace is unforgiving.

The Ostrozac Fortress Finish: The climb culminates near the historic Ostrozac Castle. Passing under the "BH Bosnia" finish banner, you’ll likely be met with the virtual smoke of flares from the dense crowds that line this final sprint. 

The Bogetići Paddock: The run starts in the lowlands near the river valley. The air here is often thick and humid, making early traction a challenge as you launch toward the high-speed curves that lead away from the village.

The Mid-Mountain Zig-Zags: As the elevation kicks in, the road begins to fold back on itself. Unlike the open hairpins of Kotor, these are tight and often shaded by the surrounding cliffs, meaning the track temperature can vary wildly from one sector to the next.

The Plateau Sprint: Emerging from the tightest technical sections, the road opens up into high-speed, sweeping bends. Here, the lack of safety barriers in many mod versions becomes a mental factor, the drop-offs are immediate and unforgiving.

The Summit Finish: You cross the line at an altitude of approximately 400 metres. The finish area is a desolate, high-altitude landscape that feels worlds away from the lush starting point, providing a true sense of journey for a 7km sprint