The first set of Gran Turismo Sport Daily Races for 2022 has arrived, bringing a fresh set of challenges for the next seven days.
It’s something of a mixed bag this week, with two fictional circuits and two fictional race car classes (featuring some real race cars!) joined by a real-world venue and a track-day special that will wake you up pretty quickly from any New Year hangover.
That’s the KTM X-Bow, a rare four-wheeled machine from renowned Austrian motorbike specialist KTM. Designed in collaboration with Kiska, the X-Bow is a mad, Audi-engined two-seater with only enough bodywork to cover up the greasy and moving parts.
You’ll be racing the KTM in Race A in its home country, at the Red Bull Ring 100 miles to the south-east of the company’s headquarters. It’s the short version of the track this week, so don’t go powering up the hill after turn one, and you’ll be driving seven laps on Sports Medium tires.
The other two races for the week are more normal Sport Mode fare, with the Gr.4 and Gr.3 cars in action. This week it’s the Gr.4 — largely identical to the real-world GT4 class — in the Race B sprint race, which is a five-lap event at the East short course of the fictional Lago Maggiore circuit. That’s the version that misses out the bowl hairpin
Typically it’s the front-wheel drive cars in the class that tend to dominate, but a quick glance at the leaderboard so far suggests a four-wheel drive car might be a better choice.
The final race of the week is straight out of the FIA Online Championship playbook — and indeed similar races appeared in both the 2021 World Final and the Olympic Virtual Series final.
It’s a 12-lap race of the Dragon Trail Seaside course, one of the best-regarded original track in Gran Turismo Sport. You’ll be racing Gr.3 cars — equivalent to the real-world GT3 — but there are some special considerations too.
The race will require you to use both Racing Soft and Racing Medium tires at some point, meaning you’ll need to make a stop for new tires and switch grades, though the 6x tire wear multiplier (so the tires wear six times faster) should make a stop inevitable anyway.
It’s up to you whether you start on Soft and end on Medium, or vice versa, but you’ll need to switch or you’ll end up with a one-minute time penalty at the end of the race. You’ll also need to stop during a racing lap, not on the final lap of the race, or — if you’re far enough down the grid — before reaching the start line for the first time.
The three races will run through to Monday January 10, when another set will replace them.
Race A
- Track: Red Bull Ring – Short Track, 7 laps
- Car: KTM X-Bow R ’12 – Provided Car
- Tires: Sports Medium
- Start Type: Grid Start
- Fuel use: Off
- Tire use: Off
Race B
- Track: Autodrom Lago Maggiore – East , 5 laps
- Car: Gr.4 – Garage Car
- Tires: Racing Medium
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Fuel use: Off
- Tire use: Off
Race C
- Track: Dragon Trail – Seaside, 12 laps
- Car: Gr.3 – Garage Car
- Tires: Racing Soft*, Racing Medium*
- Start Type: Rolling Start
- Fuel use: 2x
- Tire use: 6x
*denotes mandatory tire
See more articles on Daily Races.
