Gran Turismo Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup Announced for 2024 Season

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In game time for Fuji is 17:00

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So any thoughts as to car choice for the final round at Fuji? Ordinarily I’d use the Lexus but it’s useless in the wet and it’ll likely rain.
I'm planning to spend some time this week testing out the different cars under race conditions. I have a feeling that tire life is going to play a big role here, especially in the 24-lap GT1 distance. I wouldn't be surprised if the cars with the best total race time are different from the ones with the best single-lap time. I'll keep you posted on the results.
 
Got a urge to try one of the Toyota GT3's, but to my surprise it wasn't an option, why is that? (Maybe only PD knows... )
 
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Mandatory stops can co-exist with rain fine - the 45-minute Spa daily had both, as an example.

It's the mandatory compound rule (when they say you must run say RH+RM) that they can't run with dynamic weather.
They could...

But they don't just for clarity.

Edit: almost certain it's not a full weather just a micro enduro and that's fine for what the championship is.

The numbers are low for it so I'm not sure unique things are what they have planned.
 
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Got a urge to try one of the Toyota GT3's, but to my surprise it wasn't an option, why is that? (Maybe only PD knows... )

They are spotlighting the other partner manufacturers (and their own Lexus):


“This season, the final qualifying round will bring together vehicles from Subaru Corporation (SUBARU), Nissan Motor Corporation, Honda Racing Corporation, and Mazda Motor Corporation, partners in the Super Taikyu Waigaya Club from the Super Taikyu series, thus promoting real motorsports and e-Motorsports at the same time.”
 
I have to admit, I had been expecting them to cram in the GR GT3 Concept into this round, just because there'd always been a new-to-GT GR car to show off in these (the two Supras, the Yaris, the GR86, the GR010, and then the Corolla last year). But I guess not this year!

I suppose it could be like the Mazda3 Gr.4 in the Mazda Spirit last year where they put a new car into the live event instead.
 
A quick update on car testing for Round 7. I've tested three cars so far in full-length 24-lap custom races. The cars were Nissan, Honda, and Mazda.

So far, it looks like all the cars will be able to easily make it to the half-way point in the race for a mandatory pit stop. All the cars had tires that were worn past the 50% mark by lap 12, so I expect most drivers will change tires. They all seemed to show some slight performance degradation toward the end of each stint -- though it is tough to gauge how much due to how inconsistently I drive that track.

The Mazda was the fastest of the three, but it was also the last car I tested, so it isn't clear if that is because the car is better or I'm just getting better at driving the track.

I'll post some numbers once I've done all the cars, which might take a little longer than I originally planned now that the new Nations Cup season has been announced.
 
A quick update on car testing for Round 7. I've tested three cars so far in full-length 24-lap custom races. The cars were Nissan, Honda, and Mazda.

So far, it looks like all the cars will be able to easily make it to the half-way point in the race for a mandatory pit stop. All the cars had tires that were worn past the 50% mark by lap 12, so I expect most drivers will change tires. They all seemed to show some slight performance degradation toward the end of each stint -- though it is tough to gauge how much due to how inconsistently I drive that track.

The Mazda was the fastest of the three, but it was also the last car I tested, so it isn't clear if that is because the car is better or I'm just getting better at driving the track.

I'll post some numbers once I've done all the cars, which might take a little longer than I originally planned now that the new Nations Cup season has been announced.
I'm still feeling a bit of a masochist by thinking of using the BRZ GT300 for the race. Even though I would only practice a day before or 15 minutes before the race starts...

About last round, I've managed to finish 13th/14th in Slot 1 due to a lap 1 collision as per usual. But in Slot 2, I've managed to finish P3 from last because of a mishap in quali that allowed me to watch as the chaos unfolds.
 
Finished up my car selection tests today. Here are how things went for me, driving each car in a custom race against one AI rival, with fuel and tire multipliers, using a 12RM-12RM strategy (sorted by best total time):

ManufacturerModelOpt timeBest timeAvg timeAvg DevTotal time
LexusRC F GT3 '171:38.5351:39.4531:42.3810:01.68940:57.154
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT1:38.5321:40.6141:42.7430:01.67441:05.829
HondaNSX Gr.31:39.0891:41.2461:43.4160:01.99241:21.990
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '181:39.2401:41.6381:43.4390:01.74541:22.545
SubaruBRZ GT300 '211:39.6251:41.4271:44.0110:01.78241:36.274

pubchart


Tire tread levels at pit:
ManufacturerModelFront leftFront rightRear leftRear right
LexusRC F GT3 '1725%40%50%60%
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT40%55%45%60%
HondaNSX Gr.340%60%30%45%
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '1830%50%45%60%
SubaruBRZ GT300 '2140%55%50%60%

Tire tread levels at finish:
ManufacturerModelFront leftFront rightRear leftRear right
LexusRC F GT3 '1730%45%50%60%
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT40%55%50%60%
HondaNSX Gr.345%65%40%55%
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '1835%55%50%60%
SubaruBRZ GT300 '2145%55%50%60%

Raw data in this spreadsheet.

The Lexus and Mazda look like the top two contenders for me. The Lexus was faster, but had more tire wear and saw a bigger performance impact toward the end of each stint. The Mazda, with the lower tire wear, will likely have a bigger window to pit, which would mean more undercut/overcut possibilities in the race. Both felt decent to drive on the track.

Not sure which I'll go with yet.

One thing I am sure of: I'm terribly inconsistent on the final sector of this track. My times -- like my lines through the corners -- are all over the place. Frankly, I have no clue what I'm doing there. Sometimes I'll go through final sector feeling like I nailed it, only to see that I was 0.8s off my best lap. Other times I'll think I've bungled it and find out I was right on pace or better. Totally clueless.
 
Finished up my car selection tests today. Here are how things went for me, driving each car in a custom race against one AI rival, with fuel and tire multipliers, using a 12RM-12RM strategy (sorted by best total time):

ManufacturerModelOpt timeBest timeAvg timeAvg DevTotal time
LexusRC F GT3 '171:38.5351:39.4531:42.3810:01.68940:57.154
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT1:38.5321:40.6141:42.7430:01.67441:05.829
HondaNSX Gr.31:39.0891:41.2461:43.4160:01.99241:21.990
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '181:39.2401:41.6381:43.4390:01.74541:22.545
SubaruBRZ GT300 '211:39.6251:41.4271:44.0110:01.78241:36.274

pubchart


Tire tread levels at pit:
ManufacturerModelFront leftFront rightRear leftRear right
LexusRC F GT3 '1725%40%50%60%
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT40%55%45%60%
HondaNSX Gr.340%60%30%45%
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '1830%50%45%60%
SubaruBRZ GT300 '2140%55%50%60%

Tire tread levels at finish:
ManufacturerModelFront leftFront rightRear leftRear right
LexusRC F GT3 '1730%45%50%60%
MazdaRX-VISION GT3 CONCEPT40%55%50%60%
HondaNSX Gr.345%65%40%55%
NissanGT-R NISMO GT3 '1835%55%50%60%
SubaruBRZ GT300 '2145%55%50%60%

Raw data in this spreadsheet.

The Lexus and Mazda look like the top two contenders for me. The Lexus was faster, but had more tire wear and saw a bigger performance impact toward the end of each stint. The Mazda, with the lower tire wear, will likely have a bigger window to pit, which would mean more undercut/overcut possibilities in the race. Both felt decent to drive on the track.

Not sure which I'll go with yet.

One thing I am sure of: I'm terribly inconsistent on the final sector of this track. My times -- like my lines through the corners -- are all over the place. Frankly, I have no clue what I'm doing there. Sometimes I'll go through final sector feeling like I nailed it, only to see that I was 0.8s off my best lap. Other times I'll think I've bungled it and find out I was right on pace or better. Totally clueless.
Great stuff there. I haven't tried yet, but i think I will select not the fastest car, but the one that helps me staying more consistent and more out of trouble in the last sector
 
The Lexus and the Mazda also turned out to be faster than the NSX in my practice laps by about 0.3 sec like Moose observed.

But I am going with the NSX because I almost exclusively drive mid-engine cars for their ease of rotation and for the less risk of spinning out at corner exits. It is also easier to be more consistent in the mid-engine cars.

I'm stuck in GT2 league here so I have only 15 laps. No real strategy for me. Just swap for new RMs at 7th lap.
 
I've done a fair bit of practice this week in the hopes that I might be able to improve my pace, but my lap times seem to be stuck. In practice custom races, most of my laps are in the low to mid 1:41s with the occasional high 1:40. My best in Free Practice is 1:40.650, IIRC. I'm expecting that will land me somewhere in the mid-pack for an American low DR A race.

I've been alternating between the Lexus and Mazda for practice. It feels like the Lexus might be slightly stronger in the slipstream on the long straight, but I'm more consistent with the Mazda through the corners in the final sector. I'm leaning towards running the Mazda in the race right now, but I might change my mind again. We'll see. Lap times are similar for both cars, so I don't expect the choice really matters that much for me.

I haven't practiced at all for rain. If PD does throw that curve ball at us, I'll probably take another look at the Honda as I expect an MR car will be better in the rain. Given my lack of practice, though, I wouldn't expect great results in any cars.
 
Hopefully I'll be able to do a race tomorrow but not sure if it's even worth it as I've done exactly zero thus far. And just today was the first time doing any practice laps. Tried the RXV then Lexus, both of which seemed like I was fighting the car... a fine balance between understeer on entry and losing the rear on exit. Had them both into the 39.2s with the Lexus being better lap times overall, but that ain't gonna cut it.

Tried the GTR, was even slower. No interest in the BRZ, so lastly tried the NSX... and was like flipping a switch. That car drove really well. A few laps later hit a 38.60X". If I end up doing one tomorrow, it'll be with that car.
 
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Finished 6th place in GT3, happy with that :) , qualified 5th, but was pushed wide in the first corner, dropped down to 10th place, from there it was to do my best to get the highest position I could, pitted in the end of lap 7, tire change only, RM to RM, no rain, 5 of us used the NSX, 2nd place was a Mazda.
 
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For this round, I've decided go throw it and actually use the BRZ. Free practise showed some kind of promise as I managed to get a high-mid 1:39. But during the actual quali, ehhh..
20240825_205726.jpg

I mean, I was the only BRZ competing if it wasn't for another BRZ on the grid (which started last) didn't act weird and finish 12 laps behind.
20240825_205740.jpg

The BRZ is a painful experience as every opportunity you get from the corners, thinking that you could fight the pack, the rest of the grid slaps you in the face at the straight. Expected, but still sad. Had I actually not fooled around and chose a decent car, the race could have been interesting instead of spending 10 minutes with nothing but yourself making each lap. Leaving you with enough time to think if it had been a waste of time. But as an added interest and warning from it, I could say that you best stay away from the car. (129 points, positions gained:1)
(Edit: There shouldn't be those sad reactions, because I knew what I put myself into :lol:)
 
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So, this is my last race in sport mode in the predictable future.
Lost competetiveness and speed after the last update, being the directional buttons controller player I guess the changes hit me hard, especially in the tire wear management.
I stopped at the last GTWS Manu Cup, but wanted to finish the GR Cup started four months ago.

Chose Mazda hearing about it being easier on tires (my huge weakness).
So qualified 12th, but running in traffic I had no chance to make a decent fast lap (dont know why the quali couldn't be 5 minutes - that would spread the field considerably).

Start went well, passed some people and capitalised on others' mistakes, so I was running 6th in the 3rd sector, but right after that I too made a mistake exiting the penultimate corner and spun (the update made me more prone to mistakes I think). Finished 1st lap in 13th place.
Then fought with some NSX guy for a lap or two, but he gave me a slight punt in the braking for chicane (don't know if deliberately, maybe not) and that sent me off to cut the chicane and I was reset to the track before the corner (more losses).
Had finally some free air so managed to get in some fast laps, pitted at the end of 8th lap, passed another driver on the second stint. Some drama ahead made me finish 9th at the end.

ToyotaGRCup-final.jpg


So, that's it for me for now. Maybe I'll get back to sport mode racing in the future, but right now I'll take some time off.
Thank you all for your race reports (here and on the GTWS thread) - it was fun reading them.
Thanks to everyone I met on the track, sorry for any mishaps from my side, they weren't deliberate, came mostly from overeagerness and my own mistakes - I tried to race as fairly as possible.
Lastly, thanks for all the good advices and pointers from everyone trying and testing before the events, I never did that so I soaked all the knowledge I could get in. The master tester here being ofcourse @Moose78 - thank you sir!

:gtpflag::cheers:
 
Raced on my alt last night in the first oceanic slot with the Honda and really struggled with the tires and was about to skip it with my main but then I did some testing with the RX Vision:

test.jpg

Decided to give it at go...

EMEA GT2, Mid B, 120 points for the win (needed P8 for 85points to improve), door #16

Waited a bit in quali to get some clean air but as soon as I left the box I was hit from behind because who needs to brake for t1 😅

Only one flying lap because of it and was around .5s slower then my practice time but still good enough for Q2. Top 4 was really close.

quali.jpg


The race started really bad. The first 5 laps was a position switch with the spaniard in P3 and he was not shy. Bumped me at least 5 times.
At the end of lap 5 I got myself a .5s penalty which I had to serve in Lap 6 so I decided to pit right after serving. came out in P12 and after all others pitted I saw that the undercut worked well for me and I was only 1s behind P1.

It was a close race to the end but managed to get second place home for a nice boost of 115points. 💪

end of race.jpg

pts.jpg
 
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Did about two laps of practice and went straight into the race. Qualified 3rd and felt pretty good. Ended up 2nd on lap 1 after the Mazda in front of me had a wobble in the last sector, so I was chasing a Lexus until the pitstops. I seemed to gain some time back in the last sector, he pulled ahead everywhere else but the gap was steady around 2 seconds.

At the end of lap 7 I was starting to struggle so I decided to do the opposite of what he did. He stayed out, I went in. The Mazda followed me in and overtook me at turn 1 because I braked too late. The Lexus ended up staying out until lap 9, and watching back the replay now my front tyres are mess compared to everyone else's. We didn't actually make up that much time to the Lexus even with the early stop. He was still in the lead when he rejoined.

Fortunately on lap 10 the Lexus binned it coming out of turn 5 with a massive overcorrection to a bit of a slide. Whoops. By lap 11 I was a bit closer to the lead and had an NSX and another Mazda behind me. I went defensive on the run into the chicane and you need to see this dive:

Fuji International Speedway__1.jpeg


This is the frame of the replay where my brake lights came on. I got it stopped on the apex and only went slightly deep, and the Mazda saw me coming and delayed his turn in a bit. After that the NSX and the two Mazdas behind started fighting a bit. They went side by side into turn 1 on lap 12 which let me break the tow, and by the last sector on lap 12 they really started tripping over one another and I managed to pull out a bit of a lead. I kept it together after that and brought it home for 106 points:

Fuji International Speedway__2.jpeg

Gran Turismo™ 7_20240825163737.jpg


The Mazda who had been leading also ended up 4th after trying to block the other Mazda on the run to the line and ending up in the wall. Whoops.
 
I landed in a really strong GT2 lobby in slot 1 North America. All A/S with 1 A+ driver in a race worth 177 points. I was assigned door 6.

The A+ guy spanked the field by almost a full second. I lined up in an as usual mediocre 10th.

Race was clean and pretty much error free for me, a few ahead spun out and a couple guys waited too long on old tires before pitting and I ended up a comfortable P6 for a nice 140 points, my highest of this season.

I really enjoy the TGR series, although this race was not much more than a glorified daily C.

Should get a decent haul of credits from this series, on to the next one where I'll hopefully still be an A driver and enter GT1.

1918a6ad7c526-screenshotUrl.jpg
 
No race for me. I was planning to run it in the afternoon, but at the end i didn't fo it. The fact that only 2 (or 3) race score points didn't encourage me to ho for it.

I would prefer that most events would score points, instead of the opposite
 
zjn
No race for me. I was planning to run it in the afternoon, but at the end i didn't fo it. The fact that only 2 (or 3) race score points didn't encourage me to ho for it.

I would prefer that most events would score points, instead of the opposite
Suits me, 3 out of 4 races counts in current Nations Cup, that meant I could skip the RA272 race and do the other 3.

And for the Toyota Gazoo Cup it came handy that I could improve my points by doing this last race, not fan of Grand Valley and struggles with good results there, got only 19 points, but Fuji gave me 29 points, so I'm happy for this format.
 
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