An iconic real-life track is returning to Gran Turismo
Rolllllling staaaaaaaaaaart!
With only a couple of months to go until the launch of Gran Turismo 7 - be still my heart that beats like a piston - Polyphony Digital is revealing some more of what to expect, including a return of an iconic circuit last seen in 2013's Gran Turismo 6. Which is to say that Daytona International Speedway is back.
You might know the circuit from its slightly fanciful appearance in Sega's Daytona USA, and while that game remains an all-time great I regret to inform you that the real thing isn't overlooked by a cliff with Sonic etched into its face, nor is there a playable slot machine on the bridge over the back straight. But!
The real thing plays host to top tier events such as NASCAR's big ticket Daytona 500, as well as the Daytona 24 Hours for slightly more cultured motorsport fans. The real-life event takes place at the end of January and has traditionally marked the start of the motorsport calendar, with the round-the-clock race playing host to multiple classes of sportscar - and all of which should provide an ample workout for the returning dynamic time and weather conditions we're expecting in Gran Turismo 7 when it launches on March 4th later this year.
It also plays host to next weekend's virtual Daytona 24 Hours in iRacing, which I'm busily prepping for by launching LMP2 cars off the newly profiled chicane that appeared in this week's big update. Here's hoping those big fat floortray killing sausage kerbs don't make it into Polyphony Digital's take on Daytona.