With the game approaching its second anniversary and another update on its way some time this week, there’s no sign of the Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races letting up as a new set becomes available today.
It’s the most familiar layout of events this week, as we get a short, one-make sprint for road cars in Race A, a longer sprint for Gr.4 race cars in Race B, and a strategic battle for Gr.3 cars in Race C.
Starring, appropriately, in Race A is the Maserati Merak SS. This classic, mid-engined sports car was designed as a less expensive variant of the Maserati Bora — with which it shares almost everything up to the A-pillar — with a smaller, Citroen-derived V6 behind the newly added rear seats.
You can pick up the Merak right now in the Legends Cars dealer, but you might also like to borrow one for the race even if it means going without your own livery as it does keep the miles off your own machine. Either way, you’ll need to have Sports Hard tires fitted for the race.
It’s a five-lap blast for the Merak around the Short Course at Watkins Glen, skipping out the “Boot” section of the track. As usual, you’ll need to watch out for the False Start Check on the grid — which gives a penalty for jumping the start — so hold the car on the brakes between the final start light coming on and the start itself.
Again, as is the norm for this event, there’s no Driver Rating updates this week. That means that, no matter what happens, you’ll neither gain nor lose DR points. However the Sportsmanship Rating updates are still on so you will want to avoid too many contacts or off-track excursions.
Race B is set to be an interesting one, as the Gr.4 cars visit Grand Valley. This six-lap race for the road car-based racing class is set at the Reverse layout of the South course — the same as the current Ford ’32 Roadster Time Trial — and the tight, twisty layout doesn’t favor the usual category top dog.
You’ll need Racing Hard tires for your choice of Gr.4 machine, with mid-engined cars looking to be the weapon of choice this week, and the first corner looks like it could be a hot mess depending on how willing other drivers are to wait for other opportunities over the next five and a bit laps. Brake balance settings are adjustable, but no other tuning is permitted.
That applies to Race C too, which is going to be a pretty brutal affair. It’s a ten-lap run around the Mount Panorama course, where valid overtaking chances are at a premium over the top of the mountain.
Although qualifying times are dominated by the Genesis X Gr.3, much as with the Time Trial using this combination earlier in the month, there’s a tactical aspect to the race which may see other vehicles become wiser choices.
This is due to the return of mandatory tires, with players required to use both Racing Medium and Racing Soft tires for a minimum of one lap (so no diving in before the start, if you’re far enough back on the grid, or at the end of lap ten) during the race. Failing to do so will earn you a one-minute penalty after the race.
There’s also a 7x tire wear multiplier, so your rubber will degrade seven times faster than standard. You’ll need to come up with a strategy that maximizes the time spent on the softer, faster tires without running them so far that they’re so worn as to be slower than the mediums. A 2x fuel consumption multiplier should be immaterial.
In order to access the Daily Races, you’ll need to unlock Sport Mode, by completing Menu Book 9 (“Championship: Tokyo Highway Parade”) in the GT Cafe single player hub.
With GT7’s Daily Races updating every Monday across the game’s life to date, the next new set should arrive on Monday March 4 — its second birthday!
Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races February 26: Race A
- Track: Watkins Glen – Short Course, 5 laps
- Car: Maserati Merak SS ’80 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Sports Hard
- Settings: Fixed
- Start Type: Grid Start with False Start Check
- Fuel use: 1x
- Tire use: 1x
Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races February 26: Race B
- Track: Grand Valley – South Reverse, 6 laps
- Car: Gr.4 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Racing Hard
- Settings: Partially Allowed – Brake Balance
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Fuel use: 1x
- Tire use: 1x
Gran Turismo 7 Daily Races February 26: Race C
- Track: Mount Panorama, 10 laps
- Car: Gr.3 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (H)
- Tires: Racing Medium†, Racing Soft†
- Settings: Partially Allowed – Brake Balance
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Fuel use: 2x
- Tire use: 7x
†denotes mandatory tire
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