This week’s Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races see a welcome return for the high-downforce Super Formula single seaters, as well as Gr.3s and a special one-off race for the venerable little Fiat 500.
Super Formula is Japan’s premier open-wheeler championship, featuring alumni like Ralf Schumacher, Álex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Pierre Gasly and Ukyo Katayama, under the championship’s former guises as Formula Nippon and the All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship.
Sport Mode offers ranked online racing where you will be placed within races based on your previous performances.
After last week’s slight blip, your results in Race A will not affect your Driver Rating (DR) or Sportsmanship Rating (SR), so feel free to thrash that Fiat 500 as much as you like…
RACE A
First launched in 1957, the Fiat 500 was one of the world’s first examples of a city car; a car that was small enough to navigate the tight medieval streets of Italy but with enough space to operate as a functional family car.
Thanks to its 479cc two-cylinder engine, the 500 (or Cinquecento: 500 in Italian), was cheap and economical, something the modern 500 has in common today.
Race A sees the 500 go for a high-speed run around the appropriately named High Speed Ring. With scant power, the Fiat can go flat-out through most of the classic track’s banked turns, with short braking zones and gentle lifts of the throttle the order of the day to maintain momentum.
With speeds of up to 90mph the Fiat won’t provide much in the way of driving thrills, but the pack racing will more than make up for it, with slipstreaming rife.
Recommended car: Fiat 500 1.2 8V Lounge SS ’08 (Brand Central, 17,000 Credits or free rental)
Race B
For the second week in a row we visit Autodromo Lago Maggiore. Instead of last week’s trip to the Full Course, however, this time round Race B takes place on the circuit’s East Reverse layout.
Using Gr.3 cars, the fictional 2.26-mile track first appeared in GT Sport, providing a stern challenge thanks to its combination of slow, technical turns and high-speed sweeps.
Appropriately for an Italian track, the Lamborghini Huracán has emerged as the car to beat. The supercar is one of the longest-serving GT3 cars in the world, enjoying two Evo models in recent times after its 2015 release.
Recommended car: Lamborghini Huracán GT3 ‘15 (Brand Central, 450,000 Credits or free rental)
Race C
The Super Formula cars are the subject of Race C, and can be found in their natural habitat of Suzuka. Both the Toyota and Honda-engined examples feature identical Dallara-built chassis, with engine performance balanced to maintain equality.
Used since 2019, the SF19 cars have been replaced for 2023 by the Dallara SF23, which has been designed to be more eco-friendly thanks to its Bcomp bio-composite construction.
Although Suzuka is a tricky track for overtaking, the SF19 Super Formula cars have a push-to-pass system in GT7, which can be operated by pressing the nitrous button. Make sure this is mapped before racing.
Pit strategy can also help with passing cars, as players are required to use both the Racing Medium and Soft tyres throughout the event’s 10 laps. Choosing when to make the switch is critical.
Fuel consumption is set to 2x while tyres wear at seven times the standard rate, meaning your rubber will need to be cared for in the later stages of a stint.
Recommended car: SF19 Super Formula / Toyota ’19 or SF19 Super Formula / Honda ’19 (Brand Central, 1,000,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
This fortnight’s Lap Time Challenge features the Ford Mustang GT ’15 at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway.
A new Lap Time Challenge will become available on the 30th of March at 7 am GMT.
Recommended car: Ford Mustang GT ’15 (Brand Central, 44,310 Credits or free car rental)
Race A
Race Information
Car: Fiat 500 1.2 8V Lounge SS ’08
Track: High Speed Ring
Laps: Three
No. Of Cars: 12
Start Type: Grid Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Specified Car: Fiat 500 1.2 8V Lounge SS ’08
Useable Tyre and Types: Sports: Soft
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: High-speed (H)
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.3
Track: Autodrome Lago Maggiore – East Reverse
Laps: Five
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.3
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: SF19 Super Formula / Toyota ’19 or SF19 Super Formula / Honda ’19
Laps: 10
Track: Suzuka Circuit
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Grid Start with False Start Check
Duration: 25 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 2x
Tyre Wear: 7x
Regulations
Useable Tyres: Racing: Medium, Soft, Intermediate, Wet
Required Tyre Type: Racing: Medium, Soft
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Required
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: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Entry Period: 16th-30th March 2023
Regulations
Useable Tyres Sports: Soft
Power: 443 BHP or less
Weight: At least 1,300kg
Nitrous: Prohibited
Regulations (Specified Car)
Ford Mustang GT ’15
Car Restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Off
Car Used: Garage Car, Event-Specified Car
Car Settings: Allowed
Race Settings
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Heavy
