Life changes quite a bit when you enter adulthood. You won’t have as much time to play video games or hang out with your friends as you did back in school. But that’s alright, as there are other perks to enjoy.
I often look through Legend Cars, thinking about ways to score 10 to 20 million credits for a few select vehicles. I know there are several methods to get there, but it’s still time-consuming. Anyway, I’m not here to complain. Instead, I’d like to walk you through the newest Weekly Challenges, which helped me add over 600,000 credits to my bank account.
You’ll score 100,000 credits just for finishing 3rd or better in a single race, and you can expect an extra 200,000 credits after you’ve gone through three races. Complete them all, and you’ll get a 6-Star Roulette Ticket. I unlocked the 2017 Ford GT, a car I had recently sold. So, I guess that left me with mixed feelings at the end of the day. But it’s not like you should only engage in these challenges for the rewards alone. That’s just the icing on top!
Sunday Cup Classic
Photo: autoevolution
It all started with the Sunday Cup Classic, and I was ecstatic to see that Tsukuba was the playground for this event. With a suggested PP level of 350 or less, there weren’t many cars in my garage that fit the description.
The 1965 Mini Cooper ‘S’ is one of the slowest vehicles I own, with less than 70 bhp on tap. I knew driving it wouldn’t be boring, though, as this thing only weighs a meager 1,330 lbs (605 kg). I was in the lead by the end of the second lap, so don’t expect serious threats from your opponents.
The classic Mini makes for a pleasant experience as it’s nimble around the corners, and there’s barely any need for braking. That’s what I would call a recipe for fun! I finished the three laps in under four minutes, with an ’80s Golf GTI approximately seven seconds behind me.
Japanese Clubman Cup 550
Photo: autoevolution
This event’s name suggests that things are about to get much faster. I love participating in an all-Japanese race, especially when you can opt for modified cars. For some reason, I couldn’t select my FC RX-7 for this event, so I went with the next best thing: the RE-Amemiya FD3S RX-7.
Its PP rating is slightly above the suggested level (612 instead of 550), but the game won’t enforce the limit on you. I have had a lot of practice at Spa-Francorchamps over the years, and last week’s Online Time Trial provided a memory refresh, too. The FD isn’t quite as dramatic as the classic Honda F1 car, but it’s still pretty fast as it goes up to 146 mph (235 kph) down the main straight.
I realized I should have opted for a slower car when I crossed the finish line 29 seconds ahead of the driver in P2. The race lasted for seven minutes and 58 seconds, and my fastest lap was 2:43.194. That’s about as fast as my lap in the 2017 NSX but about four seconds slower than I recorded with the Honda RA272.
Porsche Cup
Photo: autoevolution
As much as I love RX-7s, I know that one day, I’ll have to find a way to add a 911 to my garage. So it goes without saying that I was happy to see the new Weekly Challenges series include the Porsche Cup. You must go up against 15 opponents for five laps at Kyoto Driving Park-Yamagiwa. It’s not a track I was familiar with, but it doesn’t take long to adjust to the 4,912-meter layout.
The PP limit is now 650, and I noticed a selection of older Porsche lining up for the race. I realized a bone-stock 911 Carrera RS (993) might not be up to the task, so it was time for a few upgrades. I started with BBS LM-R wheels, new bumpers front and rear, side skirts, and a rear wing. And then I must have spent about 100,000 credits, taking the performance figures up to 496 bhp and 1,054 kg. Once I got around to driving it, I realized I should have probably upgraded the gearbox and tires first.
The pendulum effect is still something to worry about as this is an older 911, so sensible inputs are crucial to avoid crashing. I’ll have to spend more credits upgrading this car and taking it out on the Nordschleife for a fast lap soon. Until then, I needed nine minutes and 40 seconds to complete the Porsche Cup. Even though I didn’t score the fastest lap, I was still seven seconds ahead of a modern 997 GT3. You’ll score 70,000 credits for this race alone, and it’s worth doing it again just for fun.
Special Event
Photo: autoevolution
The Special Event for last week’s challenge was a pretty slow run at Goodwood in the Porsche 356. I wouldn’t have bought the BAC MONO too soon if it wasn’t for this race. I had some interactions with the car in the real world many years ago when it debuted. But somehow, it didn’t light a fire inside me (probably because I couldn’t drive it).
The car costs 240,000 credits at Brand Central, and I opted for a Gitanes Blue Pearl Metallic finish. I was happy to go back to the Brands Hatch GP track in it, as I already have some knowledge of the layout thanks to previous events here. I completely underestimated how bonkers this experience would be. The one-make race is intense from start to finish, with plenty of wheel-to-wheel action to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat for over eight minutes.
Turn one was quite tricky for me, and I lost many precious seconds returning to the track. I was also surprised by the excessive wheelspin up to third gear, but I guess that’s normal with a power-to-weight ratio of 4.21 lbs / HP. This was the most difficult event this week, and I got a photo finish in P3 (0.004 seconds ahead of my opponent). The winner was slightly over four seconds ahead, and the race will take about eight minutes and a half to complete. Finishing in P3 meant I received an extra 26,000 credits, which means I spent almost ten times as much just to enter it.
World Touring Car 800
Photo: autoevolution
As always, the last event of the Weekly Challenges is where you must go in for a fresh set of tires and fuel, depending on your chosen car. To make things slightly more complicated, the game developers made it a rainy race at Fuji Speedway. It’s good that I’ve been practicing my skills in this situation recently, albeit using slightly slower cars.
You’ll have to defeat 19 opponents over 10 laps for this race to emerge victoriously. The suggested PP level is 800 or less, mostly a line-up of Gr.3 cars. I opted for my detuned Porsche 962, although I was tempted to spend all my budget on a Ferrari 458 GT3. I was just experiencing a severe thunderstorm at home while attempting this race, which made for a very authentic experience. Running on wet tires makes the 962 slower but stable, and I realized it may be slightly overkill for the task at hand.
I was up in P1 by lap four. The rain stopped, and as I was driving on the dry line, I realized I had blown through the set of tires quite fast. I pitted and went for the same compound again, as the track never completely dried up. You’ll need to last for 20 minutes in this race to cross the finish line, but the 140,000 credits reward is worth it. In hindsight, I should’ve opted for a slower car, as the 962 felt like a lyon among hyenas in the Japanese arena. Oh well, maybe I’ll race here again soon. But until then, I have to check out the latest online Time Trial driving the Porsche 917.
