As we approach the end of 2021, and the 49th article about GT Sport’s ranked online Daily Races schedule by Traxion.GG, it’s time to reflect upon what makes the Japanese racing scene so vibrant.
There’s Suzuka for one. The International Racing Course first opened in 1962 and is run by the wonderfully esoteric Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of Honda. It’s been home to the Japanese Grand Prix on both four and two wheels, WTCC/WTCR events, Super GT, Super Formula, World Sportscar Championship and in 1996-7 even NASCAR exhibition events.
But what’s a Honda-owned race track with a Toyota rival? Fuji International Speedway is just that. Original owned by Mitsubishi, it was purchased by the Toyoda family in 2000. It too has held Japan’s finest motorsport championships and Formula 1 races, but over the years has changed in profile far more significantly than Suzuka.
Finally, there’s Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo game series – also track developers and owners in its own way. Take Kyoto Driving Park, for example, a fiction venue set in the former capital of Japan on the Honshu island.
With all three venues in this week’s Gran Turismo Sport playlist, it’s a tribute to the East Asian nation’s illustrious racing pedigree.
Race A not only utilises the most fabled of Japanese venues, Suzuka, but the first Japanese supercar – a Honda NSX.
Not just any NSX, either, but the 1992 Type R. This means you can recreate a video that generates fever amongst car aficionados. Ayrton Senna, pounding around the same track in this very car. The only additional item you need for an authentic experience is a set of brown loafers…
The second race option is at the Yamagiwa II, read reverse, variant of the aforementioned fictional Kyoto Driving Park. Any Gr.3 car from your garage is allowed, so sticking with the Japanese them this week, we’ve plumped for the Toyota FT-1 VGT.
If you want something that’s probably going to be a bit quicker, the GR Supra Racing Concept should do the trick, but it looks gawky by comparison.
To round up the latest set of online races, we have Fuji Speedway and any Gr.1 car of choice. We’re going with the old-fashioned brute force provided by the Nissan R92CP – all 938BHP of it.
13 laps make for a lengthy race, and 7x tyre wear with the mandatory use of two compounds will make for a strategically important one too.
Full details of each race are below, and the playlist will next reset on Monday 3rd January 2022. A reminder, Gran Turismo 7 is fast approaching – check out our analysis of the recent teaser trailer.
Race A
Car: N300 – Honda NSX Type R ’92
Track: Suzuka Circuit
Laps: Three
No. Of Cars: 12
Duration: 15 Minutes
Tyres: Sports Medium
Fuel Consumption: None
Tyre Wear: None
Start Type: Grid Start
Race B
Car: Gr.3, any
Track: KYOTO DRIVING PARK – YAMAGIWA II
Laps: Five
No. Of Cars: 16
Duration: 15 Minutes
Tyres: Racing Medium
Fuel Consumption: None
Tyre Wear: None
Start Type: Rolling Start
Race C
Car: Gr.1, any
Track: Fuji International Speedway
Laps: 13
No. Of Cars: 20
Duration: 25 Minutes
Tyres: Racing Soft and Racing Medium, mandatory use of both
Fuel Consumption: 2x
Tyre Wear: 7x
Start Type: Rolling Start
