Midtown Parkway

Midtown Parkway is a race course set close to the edge of Food City, Platter Island, The Yellow Region. Midtown Parkway is a somewhat advanced course with a tight hairpin, long straights, and quick turns. It has been contested on for the Ridge Racer series since the course opened and is contested in the FX500 Racing League from 2983 and onward.

Details

 * Length: 5.319km (3.305mi)
 * Turns: 17

The Course’s Development
Midtown Parkway broke ground in 2951. Harborline 765 and Island Circle were already open a year earlier. Midtown Parkway was being worked on with a strict deadline in place. Excavation for the course was the most challenging task for the construction workers. However, the workers were able to dig through the small mountains and pave new road through the clearing. Building a new bridge to cross a small river was surprisingly fast. Workers had to rapidly clean up the course before it was ready for racing. Construction workers had plenty of resources in order to get the course together. After getting permission from city officials, one of the streets in a neighborhood was able to be used for Midtown Parkway. A sharp right turn inside a small tunnel was developed for the course, which would then merge left to the neighborhood straightaway. The other road would be left for developing the course's pit road later on. The new sections of the course had slightly brighter roads, while the neighborhood street's road was left unchanged. Course designers believed that this new configuration for the course could pique the interest of racing fans that prefer longer courses. Not much testing was done for the course before it opened. Despite this, the first racers of the course were happy with the course. The Ridge Racer series added Midtown Parkway to the schedule half a year after the course’s opening. In 2960, a long pit lane was added which was met with criticism from various viewers. The pit lane branches off before the final straightaway. This new road goes straight then makes a long u-turn to the left where the pit boxes are located. As machines leave the pit boxes, the road makes a u-turn to the left again, staying underground. The road then makes a sharp left turn as it returns to the surface. Finally, the road makes a long left turn, then makes a sharp u-turn to the right to rejoin with the track. The strange design of this pit road has made pit times take an incredibly long amount of time. Viewers of the races that took place at Midtown Parkway have repeatedly asked for a change to this pit road. Eventually in 2983, Midtown Parkway was added to the FX500. At first, many people were skeptical about adding a course that seemed like it was not designed for anti-gravity racing. Over time, racers have adjusted to the course and have enjoyed the course for its layout. There are plenty of opportunities for barrel rolling when piloting a ship, which has resulted in teams having to develop new strategies specifically for races at Midtown Parkway.

The Course Today
In 2984, the pit road for the course was severely reduced a year later, which made race fans very satisfied. Both the Ridge Racer series and the FX500 series benefited from this change. Recently, new animated billboards have been placed across the course, guiding racers through the course while also displaying team billboards. These billboards decrease in brightness based on the time of day, allowing racers to focus on the course. New displays have been placed at the start line so that spectators will be able to see every racer's position during the race. Although the course can be run at any time of day, races often begin in the afternoon and end in the evening as the sun sets. The neighborhood street section has had its buildings become more colorful and high-tech as society in The Yellow Region improved over time. Although solely an aesthetics change, racers have stated that flying through the street at high speed as spectators watch from their windows has become quite an exhilarating experience. While some FX500 pilots have yet to get accustomed to Midtown Parkway, other pilots and Ridge racers have grown to love this course.