Gran Turismo 7‘s Daily Races have a bit more variety this week, with Race A featuring a return to Dirt racing with a four-lap run around Sardegna’s Windmills layout.
Once again, all races are subject to strict Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations, meaning the performance of all vehicles has been equalised to ensure close racing.
The first couple of weeks of GT7’s Daily Races included races where players could tune their cars to their preference, but those days are long gone – much to the chagrin of many GT7 players.
Race B is a Gr.4 sprint event around Trial Mountain’s Reverse configuration, while Race C sees us return to the Suzuka Grand Prix Circuit for a more strategy-oriented endurance race.
Since the v1.15 update, Sport Mode also plays host to bi-weekly Lap Time Challenge events. This time round, we have a time trial at 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit with Gr.1 cars . The car and track combination will change on the 23rd of June.
For GT7 newbies, the Sport mode – where you can find the Daily Races – unlocks after completing Café Menu Book nine.
RACE A
Dirt racing has seldom featured in GT7’s Daily Races but today we get the chance to race Mitsubishi’s road-going Lancer Evolution around the Windmills layout of Sardegna. This Mitsubishi – more commonly known as the Evo X – is the tenth and last instalment of the brand’s popular sports saloon model range.
The Lancer Evolution model began in 1992 in Japan. Its handling and four-wheel-drive traction made it a favourite trackday weapon, leading to huge popularity on the import scene. Subsequent iterations were designed and built as rally homologation specials, as Mitsubishi focused on their participation in the World Rally Championship. The car then became popular enough to be sold outside of Japan.
It was through the WRC that Mitsubishi would battle it out with the likes of the Ford Escort Cosworth, Toyota Celica GT-Four and most famously, the Subaru Impreza WRX. Sadly, the Evo X was Mitsubishi’s final ‘rally car for the road’, and there have been no plans to reintroduce it since the Evo X was discontinued in 2016.
Sardegna is a wide-open rally stage, so make sure to use all of the available road to square off the curves. There are a few humps and jumps to negotiate too, so these need to be hit straight to ensure a soft landing.
Recommended car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final ’15(Brand Central, 60,000 Credits or free rental)
Race B
We head to America for Race B and the fictional fan favourite Trial Mountain circuit. This race uses the Reverse layout of the popular track – sadly absent from GT Sport – and for the first time in a long time doesn’t singularly favour the Subaru WRX Gr.4.
This time round we recommend the Nissan GT-R Gr.4 car. It’s still four-wheel-drive though, so again highlights the disparity present in this class between total traction and rear-wheel drive.
Other highly-rated vehicles for Race B include the Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 TI ’93 from the Legend Cars dealership and the Subaru WRX Gr.4.
Obviously…
Recommended car: Nissan GT-R Gr.4 Gr.4 (Brand Central, 350,000 credits or free rental)
Race C
We return to the Suzuka Circuit for Race C and this one has a touch of strategy to it thanks to the use of Racing Medium rubber. With 5x tyre wear and 6x fuel consumption this race will be a delicate balancing act of tyre and fuel management.
So what better car to use than the gutsy 6.2l V8-engined Corvette C7? Err…
Used in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 2014-2019, the Corvette C7.R GTE the Gr.3 car is based on was extremely successful, netting wins at Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona, as well as clinching several championships along the way.
Oddly, although the livery is based on the GTE car, GT7’s version appears to be based on the Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R. The Callaway GT3 was much less successful internationally and morecommonly used in the German ADAC GT Masters series. Still, with all that normally-aspirated grunt, who’s complaining?
Corvette’s endurance racing credentials are undisputed, but managing the C7’s bulk around the high-load turns of Suzuka will prove to be a challenge. The only thing to spoil the fun would be a dash of wet weather. But it never rains at Suzuka, does it?
Other solid options are the BMW M6 GT3 Sprint Model ’16 or the Volkswagen Beetle Gr.3.
Recommended car: Car: Corvette C7 Gr.3 (450,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
The new Lap Time Challenge is a simple time trial mode where you compete against other players to set the fastest time on the leader board. As has been the fashion lately, this event is subject to BoP conditions.
The second ever Lap Time Challenge competition in GT7 is rather timely, for it takes place on the 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit. The great endurance race -the Le Mans 24 Hours – took place for real last weekend (11th-12 June 2022), where Toyota took the glory with its GR010 Hybrid racer – available to drive in GT7 since May.
Handily, the Lap Time Challenge is for Gr.1 cars, many of which featured in the real Le Mans race. Cars like the rotary-engined Mazda 787B, the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi FAP as well as the previous generation of LMP1 hybrid cars including the Porsche 919, Audi R18 and the Toyota TS030.
For this one, however, we recommend taking the Mazda 787B. It’s quick, but that rotary sound is just sublime. For an easier time on the ears why not try the low-revving diesel Audi R18 ’16. The Mazda costs 1,875,000 Credits from the Legend Cars dealership, but can be rented for free.
This week’s Lap Time Challenge represents a great opportunity to try out some very expensive cars for nothing, as well as experience some motorsport nostalgia in the form of classic Le Mans racing cars. The time trial also takes place in the dark, bringing a whole new atmospheric challenge to proceedings.
A new Lap Time Challenge will begin on the 23rd of June.
Recommended car: Car: Mazda 787B (Brand Central, 1,875,000 credits or free rental)
Race A
Race Information
Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final ’15
Track: Sardegna – Windmills
Laps: 4
No. Of Cars: 12
Start Type: Grid Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Categories: Specified Car – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final ’15
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Cannot be fitted
Tyre Choice: Dirt
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: On
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: Off
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: Trial Mountain Circuit – Reverse
Laps: Four
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Categories: Gr.4
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Cannot be fitted
Tyre Choice: Racing: Hard, Intermediate, Wet
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: On
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: Off
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: Suzuka Circuit
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 25 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 6x
Tyre Wear: 5x
Regulations
Categories: Gr.3
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: On
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: Off
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
Car: Gr.1
Track: 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit
Entry Period: 9th June to 23rd June
Regulations
Categories: Car: Gr.1
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Heavy Wet
Car Restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: On
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light
