Zolder is short, narrow and old school. You brake hard, ride a kerb, put the power down and do it again about ten times a lap.
This page goes through the lap in order, with the real corner names. The track facts come from Wikipedia and its track map, which I read on 8 October 2026. The driving advice is mine: how I approach a circuit of this type. I do not give braking boards or gears, because they change with the car and I have not measured them for every GT3 in the game.
Zolder in ACC at a glance
| Full name | Circuit Zolder, also called Circuit Terlamen |
| Where | Heusden-Zolder, Belgium |
| Opened | 19 June 1963 |
| Length | 4.010 km (2.492 miles) |
| Numbered corners | 10 |
| Direction | Clockwise |
| FIA grade | 2 |
| In ACC | Base game, no DLC needed |
The length, the corner count, the opening date and the grade are from the Circuit Zolder article on Wikipedia. The same article gives 4.011 km in its text, so you will see both numbers around.
Zolder is one of the eleven circuits that come with the game. The full list, with the DLC tracks, is on my ACC tracks list.
The 10 corners of Zolder in order
The names below are the ones on the Wikipedia track map. They are Dutch. "Bocht" means corner.
| No. | Name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eerste | Fast left after the start. The name means "first" |
| 2 | Sterrenwachtbocht | Right hander at the canal end |
| 3 | Kanaalbocht | Right hander next to the Albert Canal |
| 4 | Lucien Bianchibocht | Right hander onto the back straight |
| 5 | Kleine Chicane | The "small chicane", left then right |
| 6 | Butte | Left hand bend that leads to the second chicane |
| Villeneuve chicane | Not numbered on the map. Left then right | |
| 7 | Terlamenbocht | Long right hander |
| 8 | Bolderberghaarspeldbocht | The Bolderberg hairpin, a right hander |
| 9 | Jochen Rindtbocht | The kink straight after the hairpin |
| 10 | Jacky Ickxbocht | The last chicane before the finish line |
The corner directions are my reading of that map. In the game the numbering on the track map can differ by one or two, because some maps count each part of a chicane.
Corners 1 to 4: the canal loop
Eerste (1). The fastest corner on the lap and the first one you meet. It is a left, taken at speed after the pit straight.
My approach to a corner like this: a short brake or a lift, turn in once, and get back to a steady throttle early. If you are still correcting the steering at the apex, you went in too fast. The run to turn 2 is short, so a wide exit here ruins the next braking zone.
On lap one of a race, be careful. A full grid arrives here together and the corner does not have room for three cars.
Sterrenwachtbocht (2) and Kanaalbocht (3). Two right handers that turn the track around at the canal. Treat them as one sequence.
The mistake is to attack the first one. Do that and you are on the wrong side of the track for the second. I give up a little on the way into 2, keep the car to the left on the way out, and use that to open up 3.
Lucien Bianchibocht (4). This is the corner that matters most in the loop, because the back straight comes after it. Wikipedia notes that the circuit's noise measuring point is just after it.
Late apex. Wait for the car to point down the straight, then full throttle. Every km/h you carry out of here stays with you until the brakes for the chicane.
Corners 5 to 7: the back section
Kleine Chicane (5). The first big stop and the first real chance to pass. Left, then right.
Brake in a straight line and brake hard. In a GT3 car the first part of the pedal does most of the work, when the aero still pushes the car down, and you bleed off pressure as the speed drops. I explain that in detail in ACC braking technique.
Then the kerbs. At Zolder the kerb is part of the racing line in all three chicanes. How much you can take depends on the car. Start with a little, add some each lap, and stop when the car lands badly or the game gives you a warning.
Butte (6). A left hand bend that takes you to the next chicane. It is quick and the car is loaded when you arrive at the braking zone, so you brake with some steering still on. Be smooth with the first hit of the pedal.
Villeneuve chicane. Left, then right. Gilles Villeneuve was killed in qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix here at Zolder, and Dutch Wikipedia dates the chicane that carries his name to 1986.
Same rule as the Kleine Chicane. Straight line braking, as much kerb as the car accepts, and a clean exit. The exit matters more than the entry, because Terlamenbocht follows at once.
Terlamenbocht (7). A long right hander. Corners like this punish impatience. If you go to the throttle too early, the front washes wide and you have to lift again. Hold a steady speed through the middle and pick up the power once you can see the exit.
Corners 8 to 10: the run home
Bolderberg hairpin (8). The slowest corner on the lap, a right hander.
Slow in, fast out. Brake deep, let the car rotate, and be patient with the throttle. A GT3 car on cold or worn rear tyres will spin its wheels here in a low gear. If the traction control light is flashing all the way out, you asked for too much, too early.
Jochen Rindtbocht (9). The kink on the way out of the hairpin. With a good exit from 8 it is flat and you barely notice it. With a bad one it turns a small slide into a big one. Open the steering as you add throttle.
Jacky Ickxbocht (10). The last chicane, and the second good place to pass. Dutch Wikipedia says its layout was changed in 1975.
It comes at the end of a straight, so the stop is heavy. Then you want the best exit you can get, because the finish line and the run to turn 1 come next. Too much kerb in the second part and the car bounces, the rear steps out and you lose the whole pit straight. I take less kerb here than at the other two.
Where the lap time is
Three things, in this order.
- The chicanes. Three of them, each with a heavy stop before it and a straight after it. A tenth lost in each is three tenths a lap.
- The exits of Bianchi (4) and the hairpin (8). Both lead onto the two longest full throttle sections.
- Eerste (1). The one fast corner where confidence counts.
What I would not chase is entry speed in the slow corners. At a stop and go track the time comes from getting the car straight and on the power early.
A method that works at any new circuit: do ten laps at 90% with no kerbs at all. Then add the kerbs, one chicane at a time. Then move the braking points. You learn faster than by pushing from the first lap and spinning every third one.
Braking and kerbs
Zolder is hard on brakes. There are many big stops in a lap of only 4 km, and little time between them for the discs to cool. In a long race, watch the brake temperatures and open the brake ducts if they climb.
The kerbs decide the car setup more than anything else here. A car that is too stiff or too low bounces off them and loses the exit. If your car jumps in the chicanes, soften it or raise it before you change anything else. The basics of that are in my ACC setup guide.
Downforce is cheap at this track. The straights are short, so the drag from a bigger wing costs you little, and the grip helps in Eerste and under braking.
One warning. The chicanes tempt you to cut, and the game counts every one. Find the limit in practice, not in the race.
Overtaking at Zolder
The track is narrow and the walls and gravel are close. Passing is hard.
The two places where it works are the braking zones for the Kleine Chicane (5) and the Jacky Ickx chicane (10). Both come after a straight, so a better exit from the corner before gives you the run.
Into Eerste on the first lap is the place where races are lost. Leave room.
In a sprint race, qualifying is most of the job. If you start behind a slower car, pressure works better than a dive: this layout produces mistakes in the chicanes, lap after lap.
Which car for Zolder
Front engine cars do well here. In the league data I use on my best ACC cars at Zolder page, the Ford Mustang GT3 is the reference car, with the BMW M4 GT3 and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo right behind. That page has the numbers and the source.
If you are learning the track, I would take the BMW M4 GT3. It is kind over kerbs and it forgives you when you take too much of one.
The car matters less than the laps you have in it. How I would choose is in how to choose a car in ACC.
The real Zolder
A few facts that explain why the track feels the way it does. All from Wikipedia, English and Dutch.
- It was designed by John Hugenholtz and opened on 19 June 1963.
- It held the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix in 1973, from 1975 to 1982 and in 1984.
- The chicanes came later. Dutch Wikipedia lists a chicane added in 1972, a change to the Jacky Ickx chicane in 1975 and the Villeneuve chicane in 1986. That is why a fast, flowing 1960s layout now drives like a stop and go track.
- The current Grand Prix layout dates from 2002.
- GT racing came here often. The Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup raced at Zolder in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. The DTM came in 2002 and from 2019 to 2021.
- The race lap record is 1:14.089, set by Sébastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01 Champ Car in 2007.
I do not give a target lap time for ACC. A good lap depends on the car, the game version and the track temperature, and I have no verified number to give you.
The other ACC track guides
Racing somewhere else next? I have a guide for Barcelona, Bathurst, Brands Hatch, COTA, Donington, the Hungaroring, Imola, Indianapolis, Kyalami, Laguna Seca, Misano, Monza, the Nurburgring, Oulton Park, Paul Ricard, Silverstone, Snetterton, Spa, Suzuka, Valencia, Watkins Glen and Zandvoort.
FAQ
Is Zolder in the ACC base game?
Yes. Zolder is one of the eleven circuits included with Assetto Corsa Competizione. You do not need a DLC pack.
How long is Zolder?
4.010 km, or 2.492 miles, on the current Grand Prix layout. Wikipedia also gives 4.011 km in its text.
How many corners does Zolder have?
10 numbered corners on the Wikipedia track map, plus the Villeneuve chicane, which is not numbered there. Some maps count each part of a chicane and show more.
What are the corner names at Zolder?
In order: Eerste, Sterrenwachtbocht, Kanaalbocht, Lucien Bianchibocht, Kleine Chicane, Butte, Terlamenbocht, Bolderberghaarspeldbocht, Jochen Rindtbocht and Jacky Ickxbocht. The Villeneuve chicane sits between Butte and Terlamenbocht.
Where can you overtake at Zolder in ACC?
Under braking into the Kleine Chicane on the back straight and into the Jacky Ickx chicane before the finish line. The rest of the lap is narrow.
What is the best car for Zolder in ACC?
In Full Grip Motorsport's league data the Ford Mustang GT3 is the reference car, ahead of the BMW M4 GT3 and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. For learning the track I would take the BMW.
What setup does Zolder need in ACC?
Wing in the upper half, because the straights are short, and a car soft enough to ride the kerbs in the three chicanes. Keep an eye on brake temperatures in long races.
Did Formula 1 race at Zolder?
Yes. Zolder held the Belgian Grand Prix in 1973, from 1975 to 1982 and in 1984. Gilles Villeneuve died there in qualifying in 1982.
What is the lap record at Zolder?
The race lap record on the current layout is 1:14.089, set by Sébastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01 Champ Car in 2007, according to Wikipedia.