After a rather busy week for events there’s a return to normal proceedings in the Gran Turismo 7 Online Time Trial area this week, with the list trimmed down to a more digestible three challenges.
The newest event does have a touch of the unusual to it though, comprising a hot-lap test in a single racing vehicle from one of the game’s core esports categories. That does give players an excuse to race a less-commonly seen vehicle though, rather than one of the regular “meta” cars.
After a few pretty high-performance challenges (one of which is still available) it’s the turn of Gr.4, and the highlighted car is the Ford Mustang. Depending on the race, the category is normally dominated by all-wheel drive vehicles, lightweight cars, or higher-powered machinery, leaving the Mustang relatively under-used due to being none of these.
You’ll need to thread the Mustang through the tight walls of the fearsome Mount Panorama circuit in the new event, which isn’t as easy as it sounds with the tail-happy Ford. Recent changes to Gr.4 Balance of Performance (BOP) can make it a bit of a slog on the uphill sections too.
Early pace puts the top times just below the 2:14 mark, which sets the gold marker — a dynamic target, 3% below the world record — at a high 2:17. We reckon there’ll be some decent movement on this over the next fortnight, so figure on needing something around a 2:17.2 or better for now.
Two other time trials remain in place, each featuring new cars from the 1.63 update and set to expire together after another seven days.
One takes you to the Nurburgring GP circuit in the new Hyundai Elantra N, and times haven’t dropped quite as far as we’d expected to date. The current record is a 2:20.228, setting gold at 2:24.434 right now. We’d still estimate a 2:24.2 or better will be necessary though.
Interestingly this challenge is also quietly associated with a Hyundai N Owners Club competition, which offers some prizes like a Logitech G Pro, but requires one to be a member.
The new Opel Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo also has its own time trial, comprising a sprint at Road Atlanta. Times are broadly in line with what we expected, as the current record sits at 1:06.319, placing the gold target at just over our expected pace. We’d still say to aim for the bottom of 1:08.2, as the current 1:08.308 will likely drop with a late time-snipe.
In order to access the Online Time Trials, you’ll need to unlock Sport Mode, by completing Menu Book 9 (“Championship: Tokyo Highway Parade”) in the GT Cafe single player hub. As it’s just you against the clock and not a direct, head-to-head multiplayer event, PlayStation Plus is not required.
You’ll usually need to be within 3% of the fastest time globally once the event finishes in order to secure “gold” status and a 2m credit bonus prize. There’s smaller prizes of one million for being within 5%, and 250,000cr for bronze at 10% off.
The events update every Thursday, with each individual challenge usually remaining available for two weeks and the oldest of the two events being replaced each week. You can look forward to the next new Time Trial arriving at 0700 UTC on Thursday October 9.
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge October 2 – Mount Panorama
- Track: Mount Panorama
- Car: Ford Mustang Gr.4 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (H)
- Tires: Sports Hard
- Settings: Fixed
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge September 24 – Nurburgring
- Track: Nurburgring GP
- Car: Hyundai Elantra N ’23 – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Sports Hard
- Settings: Fixed
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge September 24 – Road Atlanta
- Track: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
- Car: Opel Corsa GSE Vision GT – Garage/Rental Car
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Racing Medium
- Settings: Fixed
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