The Celica GT-FOUR is one of those cars that carries more history than its modest spec sheet suggests. Toyota’s homologation special for Group A rallying, the ST205 was born to slide through gravel stages and power over crests, not carve through Suzuka’s high-speed esses. But that’s exactly where Polyphony Digital has dropped it in GT7’s Online Time Trials this week, and the result is a time trial that asks you to be precise with a car that would rather be sideways.
The ST205’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and all-wheel-drive layout give it decent traction out of slow corners, but Suzuka’s faster sections will test your skills. Expect the rear to get lively under trail braking and the front to push if you’re greedy with entry speed.
As of writing, the world record currently sits at 2:25.564. To earn gold you’ll need to be within 3% of the top time, which puts the threshold at 2:29.930 at the moment. Silver currently requires a 2:32.842 or better, and bronze is anything under 2:40.120.
Over at High Speed Ring, the continuing event pairs the Camaro 1969 Race-Mod with Racing Soft tires. The record has settled at 1:06.332 after its first week, with gold at 1:08.321, silver at 1:09.648, and bronze at 1:12.965. This one runs through next Thursday, so there’s still time to chase a faster lap if your first-week effort left something on the table.
Online Time Trials are found in Sport Mode, which unlocks after completing Menu Book 9 (“Championship: Tokyo Highway Parade”) in the GT Cafe. PlayStation Plus is not required. Gold medals (within 3% of the top time) pay 2,000,000 credits, silver (within 5%) earns 1,000,000, and bronze (within 10%) gets you 250,000. Two events are always active, with a new one arriving each Thursday and replacing the oldest. The next new event drops on March 26.
GT7 Lap Time Challenge March 19
- Track: Suzuka Circuit
- Car: Celica GT-FOUR (ST205) ‘94
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (M)
- Tires: Sports Hard
- Settings: Fixed
Gran Turismo 7 Lap Time Challenge March 12
- Track: High Speed Ring
- Car: Camaro 1969 Race-Mod
- Power/Weight/PP Limit: BOP (H)
- Tires: Racing Soft, Intermediate, Wet
- Settings: Fixed
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