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- Upside-down in the final corner
- rallymorten
Mid-Field Sportscar Trophy
2017 Edition
Date and time:
March 4, 2017, 20:00 CET
(click to see a countdown. Work out what that means in your own time from there, or find a list of time zones)
Mid-Field Raceway is a high speed circuit with only a few really slow bits to connect them.
The first corner used to be one long, flowing corner, but was changed in Gran Turismo 4 to a two-part corner almost similar to Turn 8 at Istanbul Park, requiring a double-apex approach - enter the first section from the left, clip the apex and swing out left again before repeating the procedure for the final half. Be careful, though - the road is quite narrow.
Following this is the very fast right-left of turns 3 and 4, which can be negotiated flat out in most vehicles. The straights surrounding these corners can be used for negotiating slower traffic, which may be a risky maneuver in the corners.
Turns 5 and 6 are basically a mirrored version of the first two, requiring a largely similar approach, with Turn 6 feeding you into the 180-and-a-bit degree Turn 7. Focus your driving line on getting a good exit, as the following straight can provide a good overtaking chance, but be wary of other drivers noticing you leave a huge gap on your inside.
The combination of turns 8, 9 and 10 are the trickiest corners on the track. You'll want to keep as much speed as possible through 8 and 9, but don't wait too long before slowing down, or you run the risk of locking your brakes and losing control. Remember, braking is done most easily and efficiently when in a straight line. Again, focus should be more on how you get out of the hairpin, as there are no more slow-down-zones on the lap and most cars will be flat out from now on.
The final two corners appear simple on the map, but the crest near the end of Turn 12 may upset the balance of your car and cost you a good run down the straight, making you vulnerable for a good ten seconds or so, depending on class.
2017 Edition
Date and time:
March 4, 2017, 20:00 CET
(click to see a countdown. Work out what that means in your own time from there, or find a list of time zones)
When Gran Turismo 2 was released in 1999/2000, it was clear right from the start that this would be bigger and better than the original, with many more cars to take for a spin around many more circuits.
One of the circuits that first appeared in Gran Turismo 2 was a figure-eight track by the name of Mid-Field Raceway. It consisted mainly of medium- and high speed corners, with a single hairpin following a trickly left-right corner combo marking the slowest point of a lap.
Quickly earning its reputation as a fan favorite circuit, it would go on to feature in both major PlayStation 2 releases, Gran Turismo 3 and 4, although it received a redesigned first corner, essentially turning it into a double-apex, somewhat similar to Turn 8 at Istanbul Park.
It, along with Apricot Hill, disappeared from the track roster for Gran Turismo 5. At first, it was believed this meant the end for what was recognised as one of the 14 best tracks in Gran Turismo history. It might only be a tied 10th, but never mind about that.
Fast forward to February, 2015. Polyphony Digital themselves announce the return of Mid-Field Raceway, recreated in full then-current-gen glory - reworked scenery (featuring an interesting spectator area in the final tunnel), time- and weather changeability (although, unfortunately, racing at midnight is impossible - why can we not have 24 Hours of Mid-Field), but most importantly - the track itself was basically unchanged.
After that, it was only a matter of moments for a logical "welcome back"-event to be staged, in much the same fashion as Polyphony usually greeted original tracks new to the series - a 2-hour endurance race, which was called Mid-Field Sportscar Trophy and featured three classes that in hindsight appears quite similar to what we can expect of Gr. 1, Gr. 3 and Gr. 4 in GT Sport, set for release later in 2017.
One of the circuits that first appeared in Gran Turismo 2 was a figure-eight track by the name of Mid-Field Raceway. It consisted mainly of medium- and high speed corners, with a single hairpin following a trickly left-right corner combo marking the slowest point of a lap.
Quickly earning its reputation as a fan favorite circuit, it would go on to feature in both major PlayStation 2 releases, Gran Turismo 3 and 4, although it received a redesigned first corner, essentially turning it into a double-apex, somewhat similar to Turn 8 at Istanbul Park.
It, along with Apricot Hill, disappeared from the track roster for Gran Turismo 5. At first, it was believed this meant the end for what was recognised as one of the 14 best tracks in Gran Turismo history. It might only be a tied 10th, but never mind about that.
Fast forward to February, 2015. Polyphony Digital themselves announce the return of Mid-Field Raceway, recreated in full then-current-gen glory - reworked scenery (featuring an interesting spectator area in the final tunnel), time- and weather changeability (although, unfortunately, racing at midnight is impossible - why can we not have 24 Hours of Mid-Field), but most importantly - the track itself was basically unchanged.
After that, it was only a matter of moments for a logical "welcome back"-event to be staged, in much the same fashion as Polyphony usually greeted original tracks new to the series - a 2-hour endurance race, which was called Mid-Field Sportscar Trophy and featured three classes that in hindsight appears quite similar to what we can expect of Gr. 1, Gr. 3 and Gr. 4 in GT Sport, set for release later in 2017.
This event is run to the GTPlanet OnLine Racing Rules & Guidelines.
In the inevitable event that a car of a faster class needs to lap a car of a slower class, it is adviced that the slower car continues to race as they normally would, i.e. stick to the racing line in the corners and leave the job of overtaking them to the faster car.
Deliberately attempting to ruin the other drivers' race (beyond what should be expected, i.e. deliberately ramming into another car or zig-zagging down a straight (only o-ne change of line is allowed)), in any situation similar to this or during the race in general will not be tolerated and should be avoided.
In the inevitable event that a car of a faster class needs to lap a car of a slower class, it is adviced that the slower car continues to race as they normally would, i.e. stick to the racing line in the corners and leave the job of overtaking them to the faster car.
Deliberately attempting to ruin the other drivers' race (beyond what should be expected, i.e. deliberately ramming into another car or zig-zagging down a straight (only o-ne change of line is allowed)), in any situation similar to this or during the race in general will not be tolerated and should be avoided.
Race type: Endurance Race (timed)
Qualifying: Yes (in GT6 Community Club)
Start Time: 10:00
Weather settings: TBA
Qualifying: Yes (in GT6 Community Club)
Start Time: 10:00
Weather settings: TBA
Race quality: standard
Voice quality: standard*
Boost: none
Penalty: none
Tire wear/fuel consumption: Normal
Grip reduction: Real
Visible damage: On
Mechanical damage: Heavy
Slipstream strength: Real
Banned assists: Skid Recovery Force, Active Steering, Active Stability Management
*Preferably, voice chat can be moved to a third-party service (i.e. Skype, Discord etc.) to relieve some stress from the game. Should this be impossible, Voice quality will be set to normal.
Voice quality: standard*
Boost: none
Penalty: none
Tire wear/fuel consumption: Normal
Grip reduction: Real
Visible damage: On
Mechanical damage: Heavy
Slipstream strength: Real
Banned assists: Skid Recovery Force, Active Steering, Active Stability Management
*Preferably, voice chat can be moved to a third-party service (i.e. Skype, Discord etc.) to relieve some stress from the game. Should this be impossible, Voice quality will be set to normal.
Mid-Field Raceway is a high speed circuit with only a few really slow bits to connect them.
The first corner used to be one long, flowing corner, but was changed in Gran Turismo 4 to a two-part corner almost similar to Turn 8 at Istanbul Park, requiring a double-apex approach - enter the first section from the left, clip the apex and swing out left again before repeating the procedure for the final half. Be careful, though - the road is quite narrow.
Following this is the very fast right-left of turns 3 and 4, which can be negotiated flat out in most vehicles. The straights surrounding these corners can be used for negotiating slower traffic, which may be a risky maneuver in the corners.
Turns 5 and 6 are basically a mirrored version of the first two, requiring a largely similar approach, with Turn 6 feeding you into the 180-and-a-bit degree Turn 7. Focus your driving line on getting a good exit, as the following straight can provide a good overtaking chance, but be wary of other drivers noticing you leave a huge gap on your inside.
The combination of turns 8, 9 and 10 are the trickiest corners on the track. You'll want to keep as much speed as possible through 8 and 9, but don't wait too long before slowing down, or you run the risk of locking your brakes and losing control. Remember, braking is done most easily and efficiently when in a straight line. Again, focus should be more on how you get out of the hairpin, as there are no more slow-down-zones on the lap and most cars will be flat out from now on.
The final two corners appear simple on the map, but the crest near the end of Turn 12 may upset the balance of your car and cost you a good run down the straight, making you vulnerable for a good ten seconds or so, depending on class.
Cars participating in this event will race in one of three classes, based on vehicle type and their Performance Point rating. These classes are the same as the ones first used in the original Mid-Field Sportscar Trophy and most recently used in the 2016 Trial Mountain 2 Hours.
Please note that all-wheel drive is only allowed in the 500PP Modified Production class, and that cars "powered or aided by magic or other non-traditional sources", including, but not exclusively, cars such as the Chaparral 2J Fan Car, Red Bull X201x-series vehicles and Chaparral 2X laser powered cars are subject to further PP-restrictions or outright ban.
Click a spoiler tag for more information on each individual class.
The 500PP category may be the slowest class in the event, but history suggests this will also feature the most varied car list.
The car must be based on a production model, i.e. a vehicle that is/was commercially available from its original manufacturer. You are allowed to make modifications to it, such as apply a rear wing, upgrade the engine etc.
Generally, a production car can be described as anything built for the road. Track cars, such as the LCC Rocket featured in the image above, fall in a grey zone, but are generally allowed. Concept cars and cars upgraded by a designated tuning company are not allowed.
All in all, this results in a class that appears very similar to a hybrid of what we know of GT Sports Gr.4 and Gr.N.
The 600PP class is about mid-field in terms of performance, and usually consist of GT and high level Touring race cars that must be bought as a race-ready model.
The class appears similar to GT Sports Gr.3.
The 680PP class is for the fastest cars and the class which will likely take overall victory. The relatively high PP limit aims this class squarely at Le Mans Prototypes and other high-end racing models.
The class appears similar to GT Sports Gr.1.
Please note that all-wheel drive is only allowed in the 500PP Modified Production class, and that cars "powered or aided by magic or other non-traditional sources", including, but not exclusively, cars such as the Chaparral 2J Fan Car, Red Bull X201x-series vehicles and Chaparral 2X laser powered cars are subject to further PP-restrictions or outright ban.
Click a spoiler tag for more information on each individual class.
The 500PP category may be the slowest class in the event, but history suggests this will also feature the most varied car list.
The car must be based on a production model, i.e. a vehicle that is/was commercially available from its original manufacturer. You are allowed to make modifications to it, such as apply a rear wing, upgrade the engine etc.
Generally, a production car can be described as anything built for the road. Track cars, such as the LCC Rocket featured in the image above, fall in a grey zone, but are generally allowed. Concept cars and cars upgraded by a designated tuning company are not allowed.
All in all, this results in a class that appears very similar to a hybrid of what we know of GT Sports Gr.4 and Gr.N.
The 600PP class is about mid-field in terms of performance, and usually consist of GT and high level Touring race cars that must be bought as a race-ready model.
The class appears similar to GT Sports Gr.3.
The 680PP class is for the fastest cars and the class which will likely take overall victory. The relatively high PP limit aims this class squarely at Le Mans Prototypes and other high-end racing models.
The class appears similar to GT Sports Gr.1.
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