Gran Turismo 7‘s ranked Sport Mode Daily Races went live for the new week on Monday morning (1st May). This week’s online racing challenges all involve some real-world-style racing action, which is what I’m totally down for.
All of my colleagues across the pond are off today, so once again, you’re stuck with me for this GT7 Sport Mode recap. Don’t worry, I’ve been practicing, and I think I have a good idea on what’s decent this week. At least I hope so. If not I’ll surely hear about it.
The main attraction here, to me at least, is Race B, a short one but a fun one as the new SF23 Super Formula cars. Coming in Toyota and Honda powered variants, These SF cars are quick and planted, basically the closest car that can be put in the game as compared to a Formula 1 car.
The real-world variant series runs exclusively in Japan, and neat enough, Fuji is one of those venues.
There are two other races, one of which is ranked with the 30-minute interval event at Spa-Francorchamps in the Gr.3 class cars. There’s a Gr.4 class race at Brands Hatch Indy, but that is not ranked. We’ll still go over it, though.
In case you didn’t know, Sport Mode offers ranked online racing where you will be placed within races based on your previous performances. For example, last week I had a Driver Rating at E and Safety Rating at A.
If you can race clean, you’llimprove your Safety Rating, and if you’re able to score great results, you can boost your Driver Rating. After taking part in some of these races today, my Driver Rating is up to B! My Safety Rating… well, let’s not talk about that…
RACE A – Gr.4 at Brands Hatch Indy
Race A is a more standard opening race, but like the previous weeks, this one unfortunately doesn’t count for anything ranked-wise. Still, if you’re not looking for a ranked racing experience, this one is definitely a fun one to get into.
Brands Hatch Indy is not the most difficult circuit by any means, but the massive sand pits around the course are plenty inviting for those who step over the edge too far. Put on a car class that is one of the more easier ones to handle with the Gr.4 type, and you’ve got a fairly fun combination.
While there isn’t much to worry about besides having a good time, you can have a better time with the right car. The obvious answer is the 1993 Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti Gr.4 racing beast, but as this is only sold through the hoity-toity Legend Cars section and isn’t currently listed, you’d have to rent one.
I think the Subaru WRX Gr.4 is a fair replacement that is comparable in the way the car is BoP-ped, and while it is also available to rent, it can be purchased and customized from Brand Central as well.
Recommended car: Subaru WRX Gr.4 (Brand Central, 350,000 Credits or free rental)
RACE B – Super Formula at Fuji
The middle race of the bunch is something quite different, and also quite good. One of the newest additions to the game is the 2023 Super Formulas, and they have their own Sport Mode challenge this week, taking on the likes of Fuji International Speedway, one of the tracks on the real-world schedule.
This race is a wild one, especially with the heavy braking zones following long straightaways of pure speed. Lets just say that there will be hurt feelings on the opening lap. Heck, there might be hurt feelings for all six laps around this joint.
It’s also a grid start. Don’t get a penalty before the race even starts!
This car does have the tendency to spin the tires easily on acceleration, so beware of putting down too much power out of those slow corners. I found it most treacherous out of the Turn 6 Hairpin and the Dunlop Corner, Turns 10 through 12.
There are only two car choices, and it really doesn’t matter which one you pick. I personally like the liveries offered on the Honda as opposed to the Toyota.
Recommended car: SF23 Super Formula/Honda or /Toyota ’23 (Brand Central, 1,000,000 Credits or free rental)
RACE C – Gr.3 at Spa
Time for a trip to the Spa! An interestingly propositioned race, as it allows for the use of medium compound racing tyres. However, you need to run with the hard compound tires. Depending on which way you slice it, both options could be preferred.
If you start the race on the hard compounds, you can pit for mediums, or you can stay out. If you start the race on mediums, you WILL have to pit for hard tires.
That’s the rule, otherwise, it’s a big post-race penalty. There is no required stop because of the way this is. An interesting concept, surely.
Make sure you use mediums when qualifying. Medium tires are worth a couple of seconds. If you start the race with them, a pit stop will normally set you back around 20-25 seconds of track position, so get all the good out of them before you make the switch.
While I do love my McLaren, It looks to be the Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept ’18 that’s the clear-cut favorite among the front runners so far in time trials.
Recommended car: Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept ’18 Gr.3 (Brand Central, 450,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
There are three Lap Time Challenges to tackle this week, including a qualifying event for the 2023 Olympic Esports Series. This is the same as last week. I also don’t think I’m going to qualify for the Olympics, sadly.
Lap Time Challenge B Recommended Car: Mercedes-AMG GT3 ’20 (Brand Central, 450,000 Credits or free car rental)
Lap Time Challenge C Recommended Car: Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm ’20 (Brand Central, 220,000 Credits or free car rental)
A new Lap Time Challenge will become available on the 11th of May at 7 am GMT.
RACE A
Race Information
- Track: Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
- Laps: 10
- No. Of Cars: 12
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Duration: 15 Minutes
- Fuel Consumption: 1x
- Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
- Category: Gr.4
- Useable Tyre and Types: Racing: Hard, Intermediate, Wet
- 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: 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
- Track: Fuji International Speedway
- Laps: Six (6)
- No. Of Cars: 16
- Start Type: Grid Start
- Duration: 15 Minutes
- Fuel Consumption: 1x
- Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
- Useable Tyres & Types: Racing Soft, Intermediate, Wet
- Wide Body: 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
RACE C
Race Information
- Track: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- Laps: 8
- No. Of Cars: 16
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Duration: 25 Minutes
- Fuel Consumption: 2x
- Tyre Wear: 7x
Regulations
- Useable Tyres: Racing: Hard, Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
- Required Tyre Type Change: Racing: Hard
- Category: Gr.3
- 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: 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
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