Trailblazer Guide

Overview

A comprehensive guide about Trailblazer, the fastest discipline in DiRT 3.

Trailblazer > Introduction

Forget about pacenotes and reasonable speeds, as we enter the world of twin-engined Suzukis and famous mountains. Trailblazer, mixing Pikes Peak Hillclimb specials and rally stages, is both lightning quick and unforgiving.

Welcome to my DiRT 3 Guide dedicated to this discipline. It should help you make the most out of your racing experience, with tips on various crucial matters such as “shielding your eyes from the sun”, or “how much aero can one possibly give an Audi”. While practice remains the best way to perfect your driving, knowing what the game has in store, and how to master it, is a good place to start.

With stage information and strategy, vehicles overview as well as the odd driving tips, you should be ready to go.

Please check out my guides on the other disciplines : Rally

If you have the balls, you can try to race me back down as well. -Michèle Mouton

Ladies and gents, start your engines!

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Something to keep in mind when setting up a Trailblazer car is that the global philosophy differs from a rally setup. These cars are faster, and have much more downforce than rally cars. Recommended setups usually aim for high top speed at the expense of extra downforce or ease of driving, as the straights are where you’ll save the most time with a fast setup. This kind of setup will require smooth driving to be efficient. Good luck!

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Location > Finland

The finnish Rally stages are high speed, with a good flow from start to finish. The Trailblazer stages are still fast, but much trickier to drive. First off, asphalt is quite rare, and the dirt sections are often filled with jumps and crests. This makes keeping the car going straight a challenge, as the weight balance is constantly upset. Add some square turns to break your rythm here and there, and Finland is one of the toughest Trailblazer location to master.

Recommended Setup

• This setup compromizes between top speed on straights and good speed retention in fast corners with medium-high gearing and downforce settings.
• Soft suspension gives great traction on
  gravel sections, and the differential isn’t set too strong to avoid loss of grip.
• To counter the neutral handling created by
  the differential, a bit of rear brake bias allows to enter slow speed corners faster with a
  little bit of sliding.
• The ride height is at its lowest, to provide
  extra downforce. Staying on the road is not
  an option for fast times.

Location > Kenya

The kenyan Trailblazer stages can be driven flat out most of the time, as there are long straights and fast corners, but require a lot of focus.
Slides will slow you down, so you have to choose the best cornering lines, and take extra care of your throttle control in the fastest of bends. When approaching cattle grids, make sure the car is going perfectly straight, as any slide would be worsened, or could result in a roll.
What’s more, it isn’t advised to cut corners, as the roadside is often rough and bumpy.

Recommended Setup

• This setup focuses on maximum speed on straights and wide turns.
• The suspension and ride height are set up to deal with just a single hazard: cattle grids.
  Too low and too stiff, and the grids will throw
  the car off its trajectory.
• Since there is very little downforce, the differential is set up to minimize oversteer.
• The brakes aren’t biased, so they won’t affect handling during corner entry. Use the
  handbrake briefly to clear the tightest turns.

Location > Michigan

The Michigan Trailblazer stages will test your adaptability. The wide and smooth asphalt roads
allow for track driving techniques : just follow the line that allows for the fastest exit speed.
Most of the corners can be taken full-throttle given your downforce setting is high, however there
are a few lowspeed turns where you should brake early and go for an early apex.
Once onto the gravel sections, stick to the middle of the road, as your suspension setup won’t handle the rough road side. If in an all-wheel drive car, don’t hesitate to abuse the handbrake to
clear the hairpins near the old mine.

Recommended Setup

• This setup helps with speed retention on the
  fast road sections, with high downforce and
  a ride that’s both stiff and low.
• The loose differential sacrifices traction on
  the slow gravel sections for grip on the high speed tarmac ones.
• The brakes are biased towards the front in
  order to prevent oversteer on fast corner
  entries. Be careful not to lock the wheels on
  the gravel sections.
• The gearbox is set to compromise between
  the different sections and their respective speeds.

Location > Norway

Norway’s challenge doesn’t lie in its stage layout. The turns are pretty straight forward,
and can be divided in three kinds : long sweepers, fast kinks and slow parabolic turns.
However, the snow covered stages offer little grip, so you may have to slide the rear in order to align the car with the apex. In some sectors, the road becomes quite narrow as well, leaving no room for error. Stay far from those snow banks.

Recommended Setup

• The gears compromise between the different speeds achieved in various sectors.
• The suspension is not as stiff as for other locations, allowing for slight corrections against the snow packed road side.
• The brakes and differential settings are quite neutral, for initiating a slide in the slow corners, without compromising stability in long, fast turns.
• The ride height is not at its lowest, to avoid the front aero scraping the snow.

Vehicles > Classic

After the end of the Group B regulations, rally legends, both manufacturers and drivers, turned to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in Colorado, to face off once again. This resulted in hugely powerful cars for the time. The Classic Trailblazer class contains two of those 80’s monsters, plus a more modern Pikes Peak contender from the 90’s. The driving experience is a raw assault on the senses, and fast times require quick reflexes.

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• History: In the early 80’s, Pikes Peak organizers created a new class for rally cars in order to attract european teams. Audi was among the first to join with a Group 4 Quattro, and then with the Group B Quattro S1. However, in 1986 and 87, it entered a hillclimb special based on its Quattro E2 rally car. It had an engine even more powerful than the rally version, reaching nearly 600 bhp, and was lightened using fiberglass for components such as the doors. Driven by Michèle Mouton, Bobby Unser, and then Walter Röhrl, the Audi blew the american open-wheel competitors away, and kept getting faster up the mountain. Then in 1988 Peugeot entered the race, and replaced Audi as the king of the hill.
• Gameplay: It’s not the best car in the class according to its power to weight ratio, but the Quattro has a shorter wheelbase than the Peugeot, and its front mounted engine gives it more weight over the front, which translates into more grip in tight turns. Therefore, the Audi is faster in slow, technical sections, rather than on long straights.

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• History: Just like Audi, Peugeot first entered the Pikes Peak race with its Group B rally car, the 205-based Turbo 16. However, as it had replaced the 205 with the 405 in its Dakar efforts, the brand decided to do the same for Pikes Peak. The 405 T16, using components from the 205 T16 and a 405 body with a huge rear spoiler, was driven by Robby Unser and Ari Vatanen to victory in 1988 and 1989, beating the Quattro’s record.
• Gameplay: Compared to the Audi, the Peugeot has a much better acceleration thanks to its huge turbo. However, it is a very long car, and the engine is behind the driver, making the front a little light, even with the aero pushing it down. On loose surfaces, this results in understeer, which can be hard to correct at high speeds. The 405 is best suited for asphalt and long, fast straights.

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• History: In the early 90’s, Pikes Peak dominance switched from the european Audi and Peugeot to the japanese Suzuki and Toyota. Rod Millen first entered the race in 1994 with a silhouette racer based on the Toyota Celica, and won. An improved Celica, with a lightweight frame and carbon fiber body, gave him two more wins in 96 and 97. The next year, Millen decided to keep the internals of his racer, while improving the car’s handling with better suspension and a longer wheelbase, and changing the body to a Tacoma truck silhouette. It won in 1998 and 99.
• Gameplay: While the two other cars in its class behave like rally cars, the Tacoma is closer to a circuit racer. Designed from the ground up for hillclimbs ten years after the Peugeot and Audi, the Toyota has much better power to weight ratio, suspension and aero. It is in a class of its own, and is generally the fastest on trailblazer stages.

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Vehicles > Modern > Part 1

This first half of the Modern Trailblazer class is comprised of late 2000’s circuit racers, adapted for use on hillclimb stages. With high weight but also high power outputs and rear wheel drive only, they can be tough to drive on loose surfaces, even though they possess copious amounts of downforce. Still, their best assets are the fun and raw feeling of power they provide.

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• History: As its sports car, the Corvette, got a track day makeover, Chevrolet decided in 2010 the Camaro needed the same kind of performance upgrade. Lightweight carbon fiber parts, upgrades to the stock V8 engine and brakes, as well as various aero parts, ensure it’s as good in turns as on straights. The interior was also equipped with safety equipment such as a rollcage. In the end, this Camaro never made it to production, but served as a showcase for Chevrolet’s performance equipment.
• Gameplay: Among the other rear-drive racers of the Modern class, the Camaro acts as the middle ground. Between the lightweight Z4 and the insanely powerful Mustang, it is surprisingly good on gravel, even if some efforts are required to prevent huge powerslides. The rear wing keeps it planted on the road, while the car charges relentlessly towards the finish line.

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• History: Unveilled in 2004 to celebrate the famous pony car’s 40th birthday, the GT-R was a track ready machine with agressive styling. While the side exit exhaust pipes and massive rear wing gave a racecar esthetic, the tuned V8, brakes and suspension made sure it was as go as show.
• Gameplay: It may be more powerful than the Camaro, and lighter as well, but the Mustang doesn’t feel confident on gravel. While on asphalt the tires remain able to cope with the hugely powerful engine, they’re spinning desperately on loose surfaces, meaning a lot of time will be lost by the car losing traction. A good car for the straights then, and probably the most interesting to drive.

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• History: Succeeding the M3, BMW stepped away from its performance saloon, and chose the smaller Z4 roadster for use in sportscar racing. The Z4 racer was based on the M Coupe version of the road car, which featured a hard top, and had been improved by BMW’s motorsports division. The Z4 raced from 2006 to 2010 in various GT series, and managed to win on its debut at the Silverstone 24 Hours.
• Gameplay: Less powerful than the other rear-drive racers, but also lighter, the Z4 is the most agile on tarmac. However, the lack of weight can result in a loss of traction on slow gravel turns, where the rear wing can’t perform. A smooth driving style is required.

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Vehicles > Modern > Part 2

Facing the 3 rear wheel drive track racers in the Modern Class, are 3 bespoke Pikes Peak racers. Horsepower is higher, weight lower, and all use the tried and tested formula of a four wheel drive chassis. Those are quick, but require precise driving in order to make the most out of them.

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• History: While Nobuhiro Tajima, nicknamed Monster Tajima, started out as a rally driver for Datsun in the 80’s; he quickly associated with Suzuki, founding Suzuki Sport in 1986. He was a successful rally pilot, in cars as diverse as the Cultus, Ignis or even the Baleno station wagon. But nowadays Tajima is known for his Pikes Peak exploits, racing Suzuki hillclimb specials up the mountain, starting in 1992 with a twin-engined Cultus. The twin-turbo, mid-engined SX4 was first entered in the 2009 race, which it won, as well as the next year. In 2011, it broke the 10 minute barrier, and won. From 2012 onwards, Tajima switched to the Electric division.
• Gameplay: Being the most powerful in its class, the SX4 takes off on straights. However any rear slide, even minimal, will mean lost time. Turns must be taken as wide as possible, with careful throttle application. On the tightest of turns, it’s better to use the handbrake than to rely on a slide to set up the entry.

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• History: Although using some Hyundai mechanicals, the PM580 is a bespoke hillclimber that ressembles a Le Mans prototype. It was entered in the 2010 Pikes Peak race, and features lightweight materials, active aero and all-wheel drive.
• Gameplay: With its low weight and mastery of aerodynamics, the PM580 is better suited to smooth surfaces and long, fast turns. Any bump risks catching the ground-scrapping chassis and tossing the car around. Focusing on racing lines and braking early to avoid locking the wheels are key factors to fast times.

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• History: Founded in 2005 by rally champion Andréas Eriksson, MSE raced in various rallycross series using 6th and the 7th generation Ford Fiestas. In 2009, they entered a slightly modified RX Fiesta in the Pikes Peak hillclimb, as the Mk.6 Fiesta’s US motorsports debut.
  The 400 bhp/liter Ford came second behind Tajima’s SX4, due to turbocharger issues.
• Gameplay: Compared to the bespoke hillclimb specials, the OMSE Fiesta feels much more like a rally car, due to its rallycross origins. The short wheel-base, four wheel drive and small displacement turbocharged engine make it very nimble, and it is best suited for tight turns and twisty sections.

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Trailblazer > Conclusion

To be perfectly honest, I started working on this guide soon after publishing my previous one on the Rally mode. Work that soon got interupted as my focus switched to playing the OG Gran Turismo for quite some time. That FTO LM is my new raison d’être, seriously.
And when I was not busy lapping a PS1-era Grand Valley Speedway, I took to the frightening finnish forests that make Dirt Rally so good, or spent the night serving Sugar Rushes in my favourite pixel cyber-punk bar (play VA-11 HALL-A thanks).

But then I noticed the Rally guide was slowly approaching the 10.000 views, so I thought I could publish this one to commemorate and thank you guys for the love.
I’m not as knowledgeable on Pikes Peak history as on rallying, but it’s still one of those motorsport monuments that have some sort of aura around them. Although gone are the days when the race to the clouds was a brutal mix of dirt and Chevy V8-powered open wheelers facing Group B monsters, I believe the event’s future to be bright, with the full asphalt course allowing for a wider range of entrants, as well as the electric entries offering a welcome alternative to Formula E.
What is your view on the future of Pikes Peak? Please comment just below.

I hope you found that this guide was able to provide you with the information you needed, and can’t wait to try doing more guides for this game and others (although that may take a bit longer than expected). Don’t forget to rate this guide if you enjoyed it, cheers!

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Many thanks to:
Lukas, who might be the fastest keyboard racer in Ireland.
Marcel, proud slovenian rallycross driver, and excellent intercontinental friend.
Olivier, for all the quali-tea times. Also “Non, 3 secondes, Kenya”.

I hope you don’t mind me showing off a small feat achieved in DiRT Rally: beating S. Loeb’s record.

Special thanks to the DiRT community, and to you in particular for keeping on reading.
And of course, extra special thanks to Codies for many great racing games.

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