PolyTrack Desert 1 Redrock Canyon: switchbacks and narrow-road practice
Redrock Canyon is this site’s Desert 1, a hard desert route with an 11-metre road. The middle comes inward and opens outward again, followed by more linked turns on the return. Get comfortable finishing easy or medium tracks before practising these connections.
PolyTrack driving guide editors · Updated
A middle switchback adds more than a broad loop
Leave the start toward the map’s top. After the upper-right bend, the route comes inward toward the lower left, then opens outward toward the lower right. It rounds the far lower-right arc and returns from the lower left, with one more change below the start. Learn the middle inward and outward turns first.
The route’s height ranges from 0 to 10 metres and its tags include bends and climbs. At 11 metres wide, it needs an earlier choice of direction than Forest Passage. Canyon scenery does not add a separate sand-slip rule; judge your approach from the road and driving result.
Reserve control room for the inward bend
After accelerating on the opening section, the far end turns right and then inward. Do not carry the opening speed unchanged into the middle switchback. Drive a lap without nitro and watch where the car starts to fall behind the road’s changing direction.
Release throttle before entering and use a short brake input when needed. If already outside the road, slow down and regain the route rather than trying to boost off-road. Frequent returns obscure the cornering lesson; smaller speed changes help you identify the problem.
Make two direction decisions in the middle
While turning inward, look at the outward section that follows. Briefly release steering after the first bend, check the next road direction and make the second turn. This is a practice starting point, not a requirement for identical button timings in every car.
Do not cut across open ground to shorten the inward bend. Checkpoints remain ordered, leaving the road costs speed, and going too far or staying outside too long causes a return penalty. Compare completed laps rather than how close you appear to the finish at one instant.
Stay attentive through the return bends
After the broad lower-right curve, the road travels left and then draws inward below the start. Seeing the finish can tempt you to accelerate too early. Complete the final direction change and point the car along the returning road first.
If energy remains, try a boost after the exit is aligned. You do not need to spend every remaining unit in the final bend. A three-second return penalty and a new acceleration phase make comparison with a clean earlier lap difficult.
Split the challenge into three practice goals
Aim for a full lap without returns first. On the next lap, concentrate on the two middle turns. On the third, change only throttle release during the final return. Keep the same solo mode instead of changing car and NEON together. Practise overtaking and collisions in a separate NEON session.
If the middle still gives you too little turning time, practise Mountain Climb’s linked pair, then return. Compare complete time and penalties after each adjustment. Once several laps pass the middle steadily, add exit speed gradually to build a rhythm you can repeat.
Read next: PolyTrack Highland 1 Mountain Climb: linked high bends and the descending return →
Read the obstacle, then choose a clear side
Orange markers on the map show obstacles. The table lists their occupied road sides in driving order. Left and right are relative to your driving direction. Learn the open lane first, then try increasing your speed.
The same track has the same number of obstacles in the same positions on every attempt. Solo driving and every system strength level use this layout, so routes and lap times can be compared fairly. system strength changes the opponent’s driving speed.
| Distance from the start | Occupied side | Clear passing side |
|---|---|---|
| About 68 m | Right | Left |
| About 150 m | Left | Right |
| About 561 m | Left | Right |
Return to the track and practise one skill
Keep the same track and mode, change one action, and see whether your next lap is steadier. If you need help, describe the bend and your controls in the driver comments.