We knew it was coming after a tease in a recent ‘Behind the Scenes’ video, but now we have our first look at Daytona International Speedway Road Course in Sony’s upcoming Gran Turismo 7.
Daytona Int’l Speedway opened in 1959 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Moving from the former beach course, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. foresaw a high banked palace to host races with some of the fastest possible speeds. It’s been the site of the Daytona 500 every season since the track opened and hosts several other top motorsports events, such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona for IMSA every season.
Riding onboard a Porsche 911 RSR (991) Gr.3, the new gameplay footage shows a pack of GT3, or Gr.3 in Gran Turismo parlance, machinery racing around the venerated American venue in what appears to be early evening, with the sun about to set.
The lighting on display is a big takeaway, especially as the car rounds the final banked corner to finish the first lap, coming out of the shadow, the sunlight slowly appearing across the steering wheel and a rival Mercedes-AMG GT3.
After one lap, it then cuts to an exterior replay for the second. We can see here that all of the in-field is accurately modelled and the stadium grandstands. The kerbing – or curbing for those reading the USA – looks to be in the right place, but perhaps not modelled to the most recent specification. The difference is most noticeable at the Bus Stop chicane, where PC-based simulator iRacing just updated to the very latest rumble strips.
Despite that, this looks to be a highly authentic rendition, which bitumen-filled cracks on the oval sections and rubber-worn peripheries to add ‘life’ to the representation.
Missing NASCAR chicane
In the December 2021 teaser graphic, the chicane used by NASCAR in 2020 and 2021, coming out of the oval Turn 4, in-between that and the start-finish line, was highlighted.
In this new gameplay video, the Road Corse does not include this, instead featuring a clean run through the banking. This doesn’t necessarily mean that this additional chicane will not be in the final game as a layout option, however.
For example, we expect the oval course to be included, as that was shown off on a menu screen during an earlier Gran Turismo 7 preview.
New liveries
As with GT Sport, Gran Turismo 7 will include a comprehensive livery editor. The schemes on show in this video could be made created the tool, however, we expect these to be the base designs applied to each car when you purchase them in-game.
If that’s the case, it appears several cars have new liveries when compared to GT Sport, the most recent Gran Turismo game to this point.
The GR Supra Racing Concept Gr.3 for example has the latest Toyota Gazoo Racing corporate colours, the aforementioned Mercedes-AMG is now resplendent in a shade of blue and the Lexus RC F GT3 is now in the colours of the real-world Vasser Sullivan #12 GTD entry in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
Even the Porsche that we ride onboard with for a lap now wears an updated design, with the white, black and gold look reminiscent of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 design.
The Honda, Dodge and BMW vehicles also offer up refreshed designs, and the previously spotted Ford GT LM GTE-Pro is also present once more.
That’s about it for this trailer – but we are on high alert for any future Gran Turismo 7 news as we edge close and closer to its 4th March 2022 release date for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Let us know in the comments below what you think of this new addition.
Images: Motorsport Images
