We return to spec racing in this week’s Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races, using a very different car in Race A compared to last week’s V8 monster…
Yes, it’s the turn of Honda’s comparatively microscopic Honda Beat to provide driving thrills in the first race. But, fear not, there are also Gr.3 and Gr.2 cars to interest players with the need for speed.
This week’s track choices are much less diverse, however, featuring three of Gran Turismo’s fictional courses, including the rather over-used Autodrome Lago Maggiore environment.
As a reminder, we are now using GT7‘s new Balance of Performance (BoP) system, introduced in the v1.19 July update. BoP is now split into three categories depending on the type of track used: High-speed (H), Mid-speed (M) and Low-speed (L).
As of the 30th of May, Race A’s performance will not affect players’ Driver Rating (DR) and Sportsmanship Rating (SR). In slightly concerning news, damage has been deactivated for Race A, meaning it’s likely to be like a bumper car race…
RACE A
The Honda Beat is an example of a Japanese ‘Kei car’, a car produced to certain regulations for tax and insurance benefits. Essentially, this means Kei cars are small, lightweight and lack power.
Because many of Japan’s cities have hugely condensed populations and lack real estate, many car owners in Japan require ‘garage certificates’ to prove they have somewhere to park their cars. Kei cars don’t require one of these, hence their popularity.
The Honda Beat bucks the Kei car trend by being a rear-wheel drive sports car. Nimble, fun and weighing only 760kg, the Beat was the final car to be signed off by fabled Honda founder Soichiro Honda.
Its focus on handling over power (it only had a 650cc engine after all) makes it a driver’s car in a similar fashion to the Mazda MX-5, only three-fifths of the size…
Recommended car: Honda Beat ’91 (Used Cars Dealership, 15,900 Credits)
Race B
We head to Sardegna’s snappily-titled Road Track – C Reverse layout for Race B, with the Gr.3 cars. The fictional Italian circuit features epic mountainous backdrops peppered by wind turbines. It also has several technical sections where barriers loom ominously close to the edge of the track surface.
It’s therefore not an ideal location for the wide and powerful Gr.3 cars of race B, which is why our recommended car is one of the most successful and agile examples around.
The Porsche 911 RSR (991) GTE racecar won on 10 out of 15 occasions in the FIA World Endurance Championship, easily holding off competition from Ferrari and Corvette in the process. And it sounds great, too.
Race B uses the Low-speed (L) BoP format.
Recommended car: Porsche 911 RSR (991) ‘17 (Brand Central, 450,000 Credits or free rental)
Race C
We’ve waxed lyrical about the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 before, as it’s been our Gr.2 car of choice on at least two other occasions (week commencing 15th August and week commencing 2nd May) and was the subject of a recent Lap Time Challenge at Interlagos.
As the most successful model in the history of Japan’s Super GT series, it’s no surprise the car has translated its success over to Gran Turismo 7, but it would be nice to see its Super GT competitors receive a BoP adjustment in order to compete.
Race C takes place at Kyoto Driving Park’s Yamagiwa Reverse layout, which plays to the strengths of the high-downforce nature of Gr.2 cars. Long, sweeping corners are opportunities to carry as much speed as possible.
But with 3x tyre wear the race will be a test of keeping the soft rubber alive long enough to make it to the chequered flag.
Race C uses the Mid-speed (M) BoP format.
Recommended car: Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500 ‘16 (Brand Central 800,000 Credits or free rental)
Lap Time Challenge
The current Lap Time Challenge takes place at Autodrome Lago Maggiore – Full Course, using the Nissan Z Performance ’23.
A new Lap Time Challenge will begin on the 29th of September.
Recommended car: Nissan Z Performance ’23 (Brand Central, 69,660 Credits or free rental)
Race A
Race Information
Car: Honda Beat ’91
Track: Autodrome Lago Maggiore – Centre
Laps: Five
No. Of Cars: 12
Start Type: Grid Start with False Start Check
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Comfort: Soft
Specified Car: Honda Beat ’91
Car restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Low-speed (L)
Car Used: Garage Car
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
DR Updates: Off
SR Updates: Off
Mechanical Damage: None
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: Sardegna – Road Track – C Reverse
Laps: Eight
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 15 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 1x
Regulations
Categories: Gr.3
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Racing: Hard, Intermediate, Wet
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.2
Laps: 12
Track: Kyoto Driving Park – Yamagiwa Reverse
No. Of Cars: 16
Start Type: Rolling Start
Duration: 25 Minutes
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Tyre Wear: 3x
Regulations
Categories: Gr.2
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Racing: Hard, Medium, Soft, Intermediate, Wet
Required Tyre Type: Racing: Hard, Medium
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
Car: McLaren MP4/4 ’88
Track: Suzuka Circuit
Entry Period: 29th September-13th October
Regulations
Categories: McLaren MP4/4 ’88
Wide Body: Prohibited
Nitrous: Prohibited
Tyre Choice: Racing: Medium, Intermediate, Wet
Car Restrictions
BoP/Tuning Forbidden: Mid-speed (M)
Car Used: McLaren MP4/4 ’88
Car Settings: Specified
Race Settings
Track Limit: Normal
Penalty Settings
Shortcut Penalty: Light