I was recently shocked to find out that a mechanic in my village specializes in BMW M and Mercedes-AMG cars. Seeing his work, I knew I could trust him with my RX-7. And tomorrow I will take it for some upgrades.
In less than a week, I’ll be hitting the track in my 1991 Japanese sports car. I can barely contain my excitement, and I’m lucky to have a tight schedule for the next few days. Even so, there’s always time for a quick session of Gran Turismo 7. I knew that Sport mode still had two time trials that I hadn’t tried yet. And one of them would be at Laguna Seca.
Polyphony Digital also used the iconic track in May with the Volkswagen Scirocco Gr.4. Players were able to test their driving skills in the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray about a year ago. Along with Spa, Tsukuba and the Nurburgring, Laguna Seca is one of the tracks I know inside out. But of course, that doesn't make me a pro at driving there. Despite my experience there, I do a light warm-up before every Time Trial session.
Toyota GR Corolla MORIZO Edition 2022
Photo: autoevolution
I've seen so many drift-spec Supras and Corollas lately that I can't believe Nissan hasn't come up with a replica yet. Some racers have tried their hand at the GT-R, but it wasn't necessarily very good at the sport. At least, it wasn't as glorious as the old S-Chassis cars.
I needed a car to start driving around Laguna Seca, so I went with the GR Corolla MORIZO Edition. I paid 71,500 credits for it at Brand Central and didn't know what to expect. It quickly proved its worth: fun, agile, and easy to drive. I originally planned on doing two laps, but when they were over I wanted to do two more.
I reached a top speed of around 120 mph (193 km/h), hurtling down the main straight, stopping the clock at 1:42.246 on my fastest lap. At this point, I was a full second slower than I had been in the tuned Toyota ambulance. However, the GR Corolla proved quicker than the Renault Megane RS and even the Mazda RX-7 FD3S. However, testing on different days doesn't always yield the most accurate results.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
Photo: autoevolution
Every time I think of this car, the Pennzoil commercial comes to mind. Maybe that's why I chose a yellow Challenger SRT Demon. I've been a big fan of supercharged cars ever since I first heard and saw a Kenne Bell Cobra almost 20 years ago.
Yet, I have never driven the SRT Demon before. I have to put it on my “100 cars I must drive before I die” list. It costs 200,000 credits from Brand Central and I wasn't ready for what it is. It feels like it's constantly trying to take your head off, with the wheels spinning all the way into fourth gear every time you get in it. You'd almost have to be John Constantine to tame this vehicle, as its acceleration capabilities are practically unholy. I took it to 142 mph (230 km/h) on the main straight and the handling isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I did four laps to get a solid one, as I kept going off the track due to severe oversteer at certain points. The SRT Demon would have destroyed the GR Corolla on the drag strip, but it was only two seconds quicker at Laguna Seca with me driving. But I can see how it could be capable of 2:35 or even 2:30 with the right inputs.
The 2017 Lexus RC F GT3
Photo: autoevolution
Knowing I would have to drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Time Trial, I thought I would start early. So, I bought the Lexus RC F GT3 from Brand Central for 450,000 credits.
My target was the 2008 Lexus SC430 GT500, but I didn’t have the money to spend. While the Demon felt like a sledgehammer, the RC F GT3 is a sharp Japanese sword, a Katana. I nearly hit 150 mph on the main straight, and there was seemingly endless braking power to call upon. Again, I drove for four laps.
It's without a doubt one of the most exciting cars in the game, and I've lapped Laguna Seca in 1:27.815 on my third attempt. I'm sure some of you will be noticeably faster on this track, so let me know your best time if you can do better.
Laguna Seca Time Trial
Photo: autoevolution
I was still using my controller, because it's too hot outside today. (35 degrees Celsius/ 95 degrees Fahrenheit). When I started playing, user K. de Bruin was the man to beat with a fast lap of 1:18.978. R8G_Kylian19 was only 0.047 seconds faster, and it's unknown if anyone can better that lap time.
So far, less than 240 drivers have taken less than 80 seconds to cross the finish line. If you're thinking of getting the Silver Record Reward, you'll need a fastest lap of 1:22.877. And for Gold, it's a bit more difficult, at 1:21.298. My best in the first session was 1:25.915. And I thought to myself: that's pretty good!
Then I realized that nearly 90,000 players out of about 137,000 were faster than me. That’s a scary statistic, and I realized that practice is key. When I improved to 1:25.302, I left nearly 21,000 competitors behind. So, I switched to the Logitech G29 for one last try. The problem is, using the PS VR2 in this heat feels like a punishment.
And I couldn't keep going for more than 30 minutes. I found that using third gear through the Andretti hairpin was a good way to keep things stable while still being on the gas. Shift to fourth for turn four and use the same gear for turn six. I'm still struggling with turns five, eight (the corkscrew) and 11, but Tigdney's tutorial might help some of you improve. My best time behind the wheel was a 1:24.525, putting me in the top 60,000 drivers ever with bronze in the books. I think I could use some coaching.