This week’s batch of Gran Turismo 7Daily Races has a very Subaru-centric look to them, with the Japanese manufacturer seemingly having the best car for each of the three events – including the Lap Time Challenge car.
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. It should work in theory, but there still tends to be one or two stand out cars. The Subaru WRX in the Gr.4 class, for example.
Rather disappointingly, there are no 24 Hours of Le Mans-inspired events present. The classic endurance race takes place this weekend, and with GT7 having both the track and several classic Le Mans cars – including Toyota’s latest Le Mans challenger, the GR010 – perhaps we will see this explored next week?
Unusually, Race A is a circuit race for the rally-inspired Gr.B cars. It may seem a little strange to see these dirt-focused cars racing nose-to-tail, but they’ve been limited to Comfort Soft tyres, meaning there will be a whole heap of four-wheel drifting going on.
Race B is a more traditional Gr.4 race on Kyoto Driving Park’s Yamagiwa layout, while in Race C we finish with a Gr.3 battle at the Red Bull Ring. With tyres and fuel consumption both set at 1x across all events, this week’s Daily Races will be less about strategy and more about straight-forward performance
Since the v1.15 update, Sport Mode also plays host to bi-weekly Lap Time Challenge events. This week, we have a time trial at Suzuka Circuit using Gr.3 cars. The car and track combination will change on the 9th of June.
With several Gr.B cars to choose from – both fictional and real – sometimes car choice boils down to aesthetics. And the gold wheels and blue body combination of the Subaru WRX Gr.B Rally Car is hard to beat. The four-cylinder boxer engine makes a lovely racket too.
In the past, Subaru’s flagship road car model was the Impreza WRX STI, made famous by Colin McRae and Richard Burns‘ rallying exploits in the WRC. These days, the Impreza is a sensible family hatchback, while the renamed performance variant, the WRX, isn’t even available to buy in the UK. Ah.
With only Comfort Soft tyres available and 500bhp on tap, players will have their work cut out for them to keep these beasts under control around Autodrome Lago Maggiore. But with four-wheel-drive, it’s not such a big issue.
We head to Kyoto Driving Park’s Yamagiwa layout for Race B and this Gr.4 event is now the traditional stomping ground for the Subaru WRX Gr.4. Its four-wheel-drive layout seems to hold a huge advantage over its rear-drive counterparts in Gr.4 – despite months of BoP tweaks by Polyphony Digital.
The tight curves of Kyoto Driving Park should favour nimbler cars, but traction clearly trumps all in this case, so the Subaru is easily the smart choice for consistent performance.
If you fancy a slightly more exotic choice, then why not pick the Lamborghini Huracán Gr.4?
Race C sees a return to Austria’s Red Bull Ring for a Gr.3 race. Unlike most weeks, however, this time we’re stuck with 1x fuel and tyre consumption, meaning there’s very little strategy to be played out.
The track’s long straights should favour cars with a lot of power and sleek, aerodynamic shapes, but it seems like the tight hairpins play into the hands of four-wheel-drive cars more. Our recommended car is the Subaru WRX Gr.3.
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 – takes place for real this weekend, where Toyota hopes to take 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, the Toyota GR010 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.
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