It’s Saint Valentine’s Day this week and Gran Turismo 7‘s Daily Races appropriately focus on one of my first loves: the Subaru Impreza 22B.
As well as a blast around the Red Bull Ring in the Japanese rally homologation special, we have Gr.3 and Gr.4 races at Dragon Trail and Sardegna respectively, featuring an unfortunate return to GT7’s Balance of Performance (BoP) woes…
Sport Mode offers ranked online racing where you will be placed within races based on your previous performances.
As ever, your results in Race A will not affect Driver Rating (DR) and Sportsmanship Rating (SR), so feel free to race as hard as you like. The results for Races B and C do count, however.
RACE A
Race A is a single-make event for the venerable Subaru Impreza 22B-STi. at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. The 22B is a modified WRX with an uprated engine and coupe body inspired by Subaru’s all-conquering World Rally Car of the time.
Subarus tend to have boxer engine layouts; so-called as the pistons ‘punch’ outwards horizontally from the centreline of the engine block (as opposed to the standard vertical layout on most cars). This means the engine can be mounted lower, lowering the centre of gravity and improving its handling.
The car is widely seen as the most beautiful Impreza ever created thanks to its two-door layout and today commands prices of over £250,000 due to its rarity. Perfect for chucking around the wide expanses of Austria’s national circuit…
Recommended car: Subaru Impreza 22B-STi ’98 (Used Cars, 171,600 Credits)
Race B
Directly opposite to Race B last week, the BoP calculations are a little out of kilter this time round. Last week, Polyphony Digital hit the nail on the BoP head, leading to several cars performing equally. It’s how Gr.3 and Gr.4 racing should be, after all.
We’ve been brought back down to earth with a bump now, however, as the Subaru WRX has emerged head and shoulders above the Gr.4 pack once again.
Its four-wheel-drive system no doubt provides epic traction and stability both on and off power around the curves and elevation changes of Sardegna’s Road Track B layout, but it would be nice to see more variety in Gr.4 events in future.
Recommended car: Subaru WRX Gr.4 (Brand Central, 350,000 Credits or free rental)
Race C
For the second week in a row, we head to Dragon Trail. This time, however, we use the Seaside configuration and it’s the turn of Gr.3 cars.
Dragon Trail’s 3.2-mile long circuit demands respect but has become a fan favourite since its addition to GT Sport in 2017. Due to its wide run-off areas players can push their car right to the edge but there’s no margin for error at ‘The Chicane of Death’.
Setting your car up for this is key to gaining lap time; being on full throttle before its exit will gain boat-loads of speed. Of all Gr.3 cars, the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 is the car to have for Race C, and its tyres will need to be nursed thanks to the 8x tyre wear.
Fuel consumption is set to 3x, but the key factor will be deciding when to fit the Hard or Medium compound tyres. Remember, Dragon Trail Seaside has 17 corners, so it’ll be tough on rubber!
Recommended car: Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 ’16 (Brand Central, 450,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
This fortnight’s Lap Time Challenge features the Volkswagen ID.R at Kyoto Driving Park’s Yamagiwa + Miyabi layout.
A new Lap Time Challenge will become available on the 16th of February at 7 am GMT.
Recommended car: Volkswagen ID.R ’19 (Brand Central, 2,000,000 Credits or free car rental)
Race A
Race Information
Car: Subaru Impreza 22B-STi ’98
Track: Red Bull Ring
Laps: Five
No. Of Cars: 12
Start Type: Grid Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Specified Car: Subaru Impreza 22B-STi ’98
Useable Tyre and Types: Sports Hard
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Mid-speed (M)
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
DR Updates: Off
SR Updates: Off
Mechanical Damage: Light
Minimum No. of Pit Stops: None
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light
Penalty for collisions with other cars: On
Pit Lane Line Cutting Penalty: On
Race B
Race Information
Car: Gr.4
Track: Sardegna – Road Track – B
Laps: Seven
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Useable Tyres & Types: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Categories: Gr.4
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Low-speed (L)
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
DR Updates: Yes
SR Updates: Yes
Mechanical Damage: Light
Minimum No. of Pit Stops: None
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light
Penalty for collisions with other cars: On
Pit Lane Line Cutting Penalty: On
Race C
Race Information
Car: Gr.3
Laps: 10
Track: Dragon Trail – Seaside
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 25 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 3x
Tyre Wear: 8x
Regulations
Useable Tyres: Racing: Hard, Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Required Tyre Type: Racing: Hard, Medium
Category: Gr.3
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Mid-speed (M)
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
DR Updates: Yes
SR Updates: Yes
Mechanical Damage: Light
Minimum No. of Pit Stops: None
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light
Penalty for collisions with other cars: On
Pit Lane Line Cutting Penalty: On
LAP TIME CHALLENGE
Race Information
Track: Kyoto Driving Park – Yamagiwa + Miyabi
Entry Period: 2nd-16th February 2023
Regulations
Useable Tyres: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Regulations (Specified car)
Volkswagen ID.R ’19
Car Restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Mid-speed (M)
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light
