The Michele Alboreto Challenge - a 1987 mod

Ricco

looking forward to see it in action!!!!
Did you finish the cars?

Duuude!
I am cutting the grass, getting the verges done.
Also doing the grandstands. To do a track is a lotta work.
I got good reference videos though.
Some dude had a trip to Monza in 1987 to watch some F3 race and did some amateur footage showing his friends, capturing details seldom seen like footage from the grandstands at 2nd Lesmo (spectator POV)..
Got details about the gravel traps, the verges.. good references. Also I found a 1987 video from the pitlane, capturing the big grandstands as seen from the pitwall.. they ere huge and dark, not sunny as it appear in GP4.
Lesmos had much more shadows.. also a big shadow near the 2nd tower right before the 1st chicane (Retifillo).. I am incorporating all that, and it takes time. Sometimes I dont know where to go next.
So, I divided the whole track into parts, and I am working on one at a time as if they were little parks.

RIght now I am at Retifillo - when I get tired I get a screenshot and turn off the PC.
I am doing the grandstands, it is hard, must be watching videos estimating the dimensions and distances. Several different POV of the same area help this a lot.
I even counted how many rows (steps) the big rettifillo g.stand has (about 15).
After the grandstands I will set the Ads/Banners .. then Ill texture the ground around the track (outside the limit fences)
Then, the Tree shadows according to video references..
then the trees themselves, sorting specific ones if they appear too important to match videos.
gotta sleep bye

Posted image # E3 showing actual state of Variante del Rettifilo
Today, ad panels, created a faster texturing method, so long straights will be really quick)

WIP
Variante del Rettifilo
- ad panels - ok
- verge/bank ( grass / grass-asphalt / asphalt ) texturing - ok
>>> Note: the verges have a height diference over the tarmac, and a quick slope at the transition grass-asphalt, to convey the illusion of thickness of the grass layer). So, when the car exits the tarmac, the tyres will then be a little (a couple of cm) buried in the grass, helping this illusion (i hope).
- gravel traps - ok
- tarmac - ok
- track edge lines - ok
- Merlo truck - ok
- tyre barriers - ok
- brake distance markers 50 100 200 - ok
- right grandstand - ok
- left grandstand ok (must shorten length and multiply as 3 separate blocks) - to do
- outer ground - to do
- track shadows - to do
- trees - to import (ready waiting)

Great details, keep it up.

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My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

What a work.

Thanks rico.

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WIP
Finished the Oval track structure (1/4 initial bank) - going from flat into the banking, bending and twisting - the structure is shown without textures, but it is the concrete beams and (idk the name of it) the structural elements shown in the Serrraglio Bridge pictures..
Crafted a 6 layer texture from scratch for the pavement (concrete) which I am truly happy with - no obvious repeating patterns.
Except for the part of it that is over the ground, it is shown and seen from the track - I will remove the unseen/unecessary polygons for the track file. Great challenge to do it.
I consider it ready because the constant bank and flat parts are just a segment of it, and the descending (or de-banking) bank exit is an opposite copy of it. So voilá!, oval bank is ready for a future "Trofeo dei Due Mondi" reedition experience (plans).
Alas, I crafted the grass textures so they don't show obvious repeating patterns too - that also was taken care on the verges - the grass/tarmac transitions I mean. I use multi textures for that (created from scratch)

Check the human scale comparisons (#A files)

ricomaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WIP
> Finished the Oval track structure (1/4 initial ban
> k) - going from flat into the banking, bending and
> twisting - the structure is shown without textures
> , but it is the concrete beams and (idk the name o
> f it) the structural elements shown in the Serrrag
> lio Bridge pictures..
> Crafted a 6 layer texture from scratch for the pav
> ement (concrete) which I am truly happy with - no
> obvious repeating patterns.
> Except for the part of it that is over the ground,
> it is shown and seen from the track - I will remov
> e the unseen/unecessary polygons for the track fil
> e. Great challenge to do it.
> I consider it ready because the constant bank and
> flat parts are just a segment of it, and the desce
> nding (or de-banking) bank exit is an opposite cop
> y of it. So voilá!, oval bank is ready for a futur
> e "Trofeo dei Due Mondi" reedition experience (pla
> ns).
> Alas, I crafted the grass textures so they don't s
> how obvious repeating patterns too - that also was
> taken care on the verges - the grass/tarmac transi
> tions I mean. I use multi textures for that (creat
> ed from scratch)
>
> Check the human scale comparisons (#A files)

Great job!

New WIP posted

Got a 1987 blueprint of the boxes facilities !! - Already using it to get everything in the right place
In 1987 the boxes were very primitive, working on getting it properly done.

WIP: Rettifilo dei box

- Blueprint (G0)
- Tribuna Centrale (E1, E2)
- Control Tower (G1)
- Boxes (G2)

C ya

Your 3d modelling skills are hugely impressive.

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My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

Thanks Turbo, I worked some years with architectural visualization in the 2000's

Why this all takes so damn long ?
When I need let's say the "castrol logo" for the boxes wall, I don't just go for google castrol logo and ctrl-c ctrl-v..
I search for an original picture of it and go to great lengths to replicate it.

About the pitlane buildings - the movie Grand Prix 1966 helps a great deal.
Also, I go to great lengths to find blueprints and references that give me the detail needed.
Many times I correct what I have done because I find new evidences of things. That's fun and time consuming.
That's the case of the newly found pitlane blueprint, thanks to [www.asmonzaracing.com]
which has published the original visitor's brochure which includes the architectural layout for the pitlane.

Now, I just came back because at this very moment I was searching for team's toolboxes to fill in the pits - and WOW!!!! I found an auction of an actual USAG toolbox used by Ferrari in the 80's, with all tool ID stickers on it, and the name ALBORETO 27 painted on it!!!
So the Ferrari toolbox seen will be a 3d replica era-correct, driver-correct ! I am very happy with that.

Thanks for the patience
Ric-o

PS1 - The Tribuna Centrale lower level windows are temporarily using the Tower1 windows - which is not acceptable - and will be corrected later on.
PS2 - completed the USGS toolboxes (Alboreto's and generic) mentioned above - just posted (G# files)
PS3 - joined Parabolica/pitlane & Rettifilo/old oval/variante Y junctions, with the wide open area leading to oval just like the good old times



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2026 05:25PM by ricomaster.

The attention to detail of your mod is to be admired. very impressed with what i have seen so far.....well done

WiP today at Rettifilo dei Box

Textures corrections - tarmac
Y split variante/oval area wide open, (cone delimited - to do)
Track delimiting lines integration in/out pits & Y var/oval

Finishing - wide area ahead of Y var/oval

Upcoming - pitwall / pits tarmac/concrete / logos
- boxes upper floor - boxes building

Found out some kerbs are dual height (high smooth / low ribs)
- Ascari first left kerb / middle right kerb end
Maybe to avoid too early kerb rides?
That will be bumpy indeed, must include the physics kerbs accordingly

Didin't notice distinct height on kerbs.
Did you pick the original track to change or just checking the original?

Best

Jose

Hi Jose, no mods nor the vanilla, they dont have this feature.
I'm building it all from scratch, although yes at first I tried mixing parts of mods and vanilla' s and it didnt work, awful mess.
Hopefully it will be a first. I've noticed that on gettyimages pictures of 1987 italian GP.

Lovely new WIP shots, always a pleasure to watch. Especially those with a female touch.

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My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

Hi again, I am cracking myself here
I worked hard crafting new window textures and correcting the Tribuna Centrale - like.. when I inserted the FiatUNO logo I noticed I made a mistake and the stairs were too much apart.
Also I had to redo the round viewpoint to match the window numbers, shapes and so on to the pictures I got from GrandPrix 1966 movie. These little things that come later.
Coming from the old PC-XT with EGA graphics age, I must be frank - sometimes I freeze and just stare at the screen, I am not easily impressed but sometimes I get it done.
Please check out files #E0 and #G1.

[drive.google.com]

ricomaster Schreef:
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> Please check out files #E0 and #G1.

Great job!!
Ferrari pit crew look great too.

You made some incredible progress again.

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My Grand Prix 4 Files
I'm a total dick. How many people can say that?

Amazing progress!

Wow! Great progress rico.

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