I Competed in Five GT7 Races to Win a Very Special Vehicle

Every time I return to Gran Turismo 7, I can tell it's a much better game. Many players complain about it on social media, but often, it's for silly reasons. I may have lost interest in it without all the updates, but the new cars, races, and time trials are always a good reason to use my PS5 once or twice a week.

Right now, we're all eager to see update 1.49 coming up in a few days. Participating in the latest Weekly Challenge sounds like an excellent strategy to pass the time and get more practice.

Japanese 4WD Challenge 600

I only had 678,000 credits in my bank account when I started this challenge. The first race occurs at Fishermans Ranch, and the game suggests using a 600 PP car. You may remember my test at this venue recently, where I put a bunch of fast cars through their paces using dirt tires.

And the 2017 Nissan GT-R was one of them. You only have one lap to overtake all of your opponents if you want to win this thing. I'm quite experienced driving here and love sliding around. However, I tried to keep my lines as clean as possible to avoid wasting time. Winning wasn't difficult, and I crossed the finish line three minutes and 30 seconds after I started.

That added 30,000 credits to my account and a 6-Star Roulette Ticket (Parts). I'm not the only one who doesn't take an interest in the latter. Winning a Carbon Ceramic Brake Kit (worth 10,000 credits) for a Toyota 86 is not my idea of a "grand prize." But I hoped the main reward would be better than that.

Schwarzwald League

Schwarzwald League immediately reminded me of racing Porsches in the virtual German Forest during the early 2000s NFS craze. But this event takes us to Japan's fictional High-Speed Ring (2.7 miles/4,345m long).

I thought about using the 911 GT3 RS again, but it might have been slightly repetitive. So, I chose my 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series instead. It is one of the most formidable cars in the game, no doubt about that. I hit 204 mph (329 kph) down the main straight, and it was pretty easy to navigate around it. It's a fun challenge, and with a car like this, there's no way you can lose.

My most fierce opponent was an Audi R8 V10 Plus, and it finished 14 seconds behind me. Going through all five laps will take less than seven minutes; my best one was a 1:15.495. Winning will add 65,000 credits to your account, and I'd say it's easy money!

Special Event

I was happy that the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit was on the list for this week's challenges. I have better knowledge of this layout after doing the Online Time Trial with the Nissan S14 a while back. The only problem was I didn't own a 2017 Alpine A110. I saw two of those going up the Transalpina Mountain on 7s Day, and I'm quite sad I haven't driven one yet.

Oh well, the GT7 version will have to do for now. I paid 80,000 credits for it at Brand Central and spent a bit extra on Racing tires. I opted for this upgrade because some opponents weren't driving a factory-spec car. I barely finished P5, five seconds behind the leader, and what I had to do was obvious. Spending just over 100,000 credits in the garage helped me bring the weight down to 1,992 lbs (904 kg) and the performance levels up to 332 BHP.

I was up in P1 by the third lap on my second go. The A110 is a proper racer, but don't treat it lightly, as it could still give you some trouble in certain situations. Finishing this event was a happy moment, as I scored 85,000 credits plus an extra 150,000 credits Reward Ticket for the effort.

Nissan GT-R Cup

I don't remember driving at Blue Moon Speedway, but I didn't mind trying it. It instantly felt like a NASCAR location, and I opted for my trusty, tuned R32 GT-R for the job. Even though its speedometer has a 111 mph (180 kph) limit, I still went up to 174 mph (280 kph+) down the main straight.

It's a fun little event with all the cool GT-Rs you can think of, and it made me think I need a Nismo 400R in my life soon. Well, I mean my virtual life, as I'd be more than happy to own an R32 GTS-T in the real world.

If you get a car close to the 700 PP limit, you shouldn't have any problems winning the race, banking an additional 70,000 credits. Five laps will take about seven minutes, as I stopped the clock at 1:20.251 for my fastest one.

World Touring Car 900

Knowing how things went down last week, I feared the World Touring Car 900 would be a huge headache. I struggled to be on the podium at Suzuka with my Honda NSX GT500, and I barely made it using the steering wheel and PS VR2 setup. For several reasons, going for 10 laps around Autopolis International wasn't easy for me.

I don't think I've ever experienced this layout before. I've seen D1 GP races here, but that doesn't translate to seat time. Also, I'm not quite good at managing my tires and fuel consumption, although I have recently experimented with situations like this. With no modern racing car in my garage, the iconic Porsche 962 C sounded like a good fit for this race.

I feared handling may be slightly outdated, but I didn't worry about power levels. The World Touring Car 900 is the most exciting race of these Weekly Challenges! I only refueled late into the race, opting against changing the tires. Sure, I had to deal with lower grip levels, but the 962 C just ate away at its competition throughout most of the track.

You must be patient through the technical section, using only second and third gears. But there are a few flat-out points where you can enjoy the full power of your car. I finished the race in 18 minutes and 14 seconds, with my main opponent (an RC F GT500) coming in two seconds later. I set a fast lap on the seventh one (1:44.370) and cashed in on the 150,000 credits prize.

And I was eager to see what my 6-Star Roulette Ticket would bring. I missed adding a Bugatti to my garage and ended up with a Vision Gran Turismo vehicle instead. It's good that I'm a Mazda enthusiast, and I wanted to see what the LM55 Gr.1 can do in the same venue where I raced with the Porsche. With 641 bhp on tap, it's also extremely light at 1,900 lbs (880 kg). After two attempts, my fastest lap was 1:38.597, almost six seconds faster than the 962 C.

It's a snug fit inside, and I had to use a different camera angle to tell where I was going. But taking it to Tsukuba was what left me speechless. I didn't realize how fast it was until the final corner. It's the first car I've driven in this game to help me set a sub-50-second record around Tsukuba in Japan. Looking at my all-time lap records, I see that the Toyota GT-One comes in P2 but is almost two seconds behind.

I used the Logitech G29 steering wheel for that run, whereas I was on the controlled pad for my LM55 lap. I feel it could stop the clock at 47 seconds or less with the right approach. I'll be back with more GT7 updates soon!