This week’s Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge takes place at the venue for one of the USA’s most prestigious races – the Petit Le Mans.
Set to take place on Saturday the 14th of October at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the Petit Le Mans is a 10-hour endurance race for the sportscars of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
To celebrate, Polyphony Digital has scheduled this Lap Time Challenge with GT7’s fearsomely fast Gr.1 cars, mimicking the real-world LMDh prototypes used throughout the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.
Our car of choice is the fictional Audi VGT, evoking fond memories of the Ingolstadt firm’s long line of successful top-level sportscars through the years.
Although it normally costs 1,000,000 Credits from Brand Central, GT7’s online renting mechanic offers players a chance to test drive the most expensive cars in the game for free, so it’s well worth taking advantage of.
Gran Turismo 7 Road Atlanta track guide
The Gr.1 cars feature unimaginable levels of downforce, so Turn 1 at Road Atlanta is flat-out in fifth gear. Move over to the left as you crest the hill and brake, shifting down to fourth gear. Build speed again into The Esses until you reach Turn 5, using all the kerbing to the right on entry – and exit – to straighten the corner.
Hold fourth gear through here and quickly snatch fifth before grabbing fourth again for the fast Turn 6. Turn 7 is up next, and it’s the slowest corner on the circuit, requiring a change down into second gear.
A good exit is crucial, as it leads onto the super-long back straight, so sacrifice your entry to maximise your exit speed as much as possible. Stay tight to the right of the circuit for the entry to the Turn 10A-10B chicane, using all the available kerb on the left to straighten the car up for the exit.
Remember – cut too much of the kerb and you will invalidate your lap time.
After the tricky twists of Turn 10, Turns 11 and 12 are easily flat in a VGT, so focus on using the least amount of steering lock, as any tyre scrub will hurt your forward momentum.
Gran Turismo 7’s Lap Time Challenges explained
GT7‘s Lap Time Challenge is a time trial mode where you compete against other players to set the fastest time on the leaderboard. However, there’s a caveat: setting a lap within three per cent of the fastest time nets players 2,000,000 Credits.
If you aren’t quite quick enough, then lapping within five per cent gains you 1,000,000 Credits, while a time inside 10 per cent of the fastest results in a 250,000 Credit payout.
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge video guide and car choice
The fastest lap at the time of publication has been set by Malaysian player DannyR_3967, with a 1:04.452 lap time as shown below.
Recommended car: Audi VGT (Brand Central, 1,000,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
Race Information
Track: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Entry Period: 5th-19th October
Regulations
Useable Tyres: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Category: Gr.1
Wide body: Prohibited
Nitrous/Overtake: Prohibited
Car Restrictions
Bop/Tuning Forbidden: Mid-speed
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Invalidate Time
Wall Collision Penalty: Off
