Does wall riding belong in a simulation sport?

Welcome to the 2nd Installment of your weekly Forza/OPTX insight zone. This week I wanted to cover wall riding, the good and the bad as it pertains to a simulation sport. A recent decision has been made by CGS to ban it all together. In my opinion, CGS has made a great decision to eliminate wall riding from competition.

What is wall riding is and how it is done? It is not a common occurrence in the Forza world to see a car intentionally drive into a wall (or anything else for that matter). Considering the CGS rules already encourage collisions and there was no mention of wall riding in the Combine rule set, it quickly became a trend amongst the competitors. The most accurate description of wall riding I can give is a car barreling into a wall at full speed, banking around a turn and being shot out the other end, not crashing or spinning out but rather gaining ground on his opponents as he holds momentum upon re-entering the track.

A wall ride in Forza is easy to attempt but impossible to execute consistently. The perfect execution of a wall ride really depends on the specific turn, track and car being driven. For the most part, the car just has to be sent into the turn at full speed, pitch the car slightly into the corner and make sure that more of the fender hits the wall than the bumper, then just hold the throttle down and hope for the best. Upon exiting the corner and re-entering the track, you may need to apply the brakes enough to make the car finish the turn, then its on down the straight away to set up for your next wall ride.

Now you may be wondering why everyone doesn’t just wall ride all the time if it’s so easy. The truth is Forza is built to be a simulator and wall riding was never considered in the programming, so a perfectly executed wall ride is not always what you get. A wall ride can fail for many different reasons none of which are predictable. The most common reasons a wall ride can fail are a driver going too fast, going too slow, taking the wrong line into a wall ride, hitting the wall in the wrong spot or just simply bad luck. If a wall ride fails the driver is left spinning out of control and usually ends up coming to a rest facing the wall. This driver now has to reverse, turn around and try to get back on the track. Not to mention he has now lost his race because a failed wall ride has put him hundreds of meters behind the other cars.

Players have found ways to corner cut and wall ride on most of the tracks being utilized in the CGS. Suzuka West has 1 major wall ride (Turn 2), Inland Taipan has 2 (1 major and 1 minor), Diamondback has 5 but most CGS players were only using 1 of them (weather it be because of lack of knowledge of the others or greater risk than reward) and the other 3 tracks (Tsukuba, Maple Valley Short, and Road Atlanta Short) fortunately have none. The only benefit I can see coming from wall riding is the on-track advantage it gives you over your competitors.

Wall riding had become a very common occurrence in the new format being used in the CGS until now because the cars are fast in a straight line and do not corner very well. It has been found that a wall ride can cut down cornering time and gives the players who successfully execute it a significant advantage over their competition. Since the discovery of wall riding in Forza, the sim racing community has been outraged and appalled. A style of game play that allows wall riding would not have produced the great, exciting racing that the fans want, expect and deserve. This is ultimately why the powers that be in the CGS have decided to ban the action from competition all together.

I’m sure the Forza community as well as the sim racing community in general will be excited to hear of the recent developments as I have heard nothing positive about wall riding upon interviewing the community. Here is what Forza lovers, sim racing loyalists and viewers in general have to say about the situation.


”Wall riding is detrimental to the integrity of the game”- EXOR Serial of Exodus racing

“It takes out the true nature of racing, to desecrate such a great simulation game with such arcade tactics is just weak”- DMR Adequate

”Wall riding is exploitive. It is not in the spirit of the game”-TDR Jerseyboy

”I think it’s hilarious, it takes all the simulation out of the simulator”- TRC Smokinu (3DNY Forza taxi player)

”I think the CGS eliminating wall riding is the right thing to do, I don’t see cars doing it in real life”- VVV Daveyskills

”Wall riding is utter garbage. Racing games aren’t designed for this, it is simply an exploit of the system and in my eyes unacceptable”- VVV Chilledheat

“The time advantages certainly explain why the use of the tactic was spreading, however wall riding is taking advantage of a flaw in the game – a game which is a big part of the simulation community. It is an insult to the game and the sport in my opinion” - Kat Hunter of the San Francisco OPTX


It is clear that people in general do not want to see a mockery made of such an astounding game and this is why the CGS’s banning of wall riding is a huge step in the right direction as far as the racing community is concerned. Although this is not the only concern amongst the racers and the major simulation racing fan base, it is positive progress, and the recognition being given is greatly appreciated by all.