These "races" are not typical for Gran Turismo, instead they are more like time trials. Whatever place one finishes at, whether it's first or second or third, is not as important as how much overall time it takes to do these.

 In other words, a driver might totally blow two of these, winding up in third place and second place, finishing a half-second behind the winner each time. But if that final try gets aced, finishing multiple seconds less than the competition, this overall time gets subtracted from the overall results, and we could possibly be declared overall winner.  

 

 There are three stages per outing. Three cars start in front of us, all of which dash off with several seconds to spare, so there's no fear of bumping into anybody. No more of those stupid 5 second penalties for hitting other cars (or even worse, other cars hitting US) like were found in Gran Turismo 4. Instead of competing for track-space, one must best the time of those opponents. Penalties are only given after slamming into side barriers, but these are easy to avoid, especially after memorizing the layout of each trial.   

 

As we drive, there's also a co-driver along for the ride, as is typical for real-life rallies. This is apparently the dude with the British accent, telling us what's coming up next.

It seems best to stay somewhere in the middle of the track as much as possible, where tire ruts can be seen. The dirt has been tamped down here, and it's possible to pick up a little speed, especially (and obviously) during straight areas, which the co-driver calls "Long".

There are presently no weight-to-power ratios for these stages, as I don't find it pertinent to add challenge in a situation which we are not allowed to practice. >:( I've found that putting my car near the power limit (within about 10 hp) is enough of a restriction as it is, especially if the car being driven is not an all-wheel drive.

 

Cars which are 2,000 pounds (908 kg) or less can be used for best results if they are front-drive, 2,300 pounds (1,048 kg) if they are rear-drive, and I have yet to experiment with all-wheel drives because these feel 'cheaty'.  

So likewise, if you're skooling the opponents in your STi or whatever, try driving something with a rear-drive layout. If that gets too easy, try front engine/front-drive.

 

Now comes opinion time. >:) These races are more realistic than the rallycross events of previous Gran Turismos. They are closer to how things are done in real-life. But GT5's versions aren't nearly as daring or fun as what's in GT2 or GT4. Never is there a sense of "oh sh!t I'd better hurry up!" in the GT5 versions, like at Tahiti Maze, Grand Canyon, and other such nail-biter tracks., as some monster dirtcar crowds those mirrors

 

The crowd-cheering noises are annoying as hell, too.       

Opponents
Three opponents are randomly chosen, typically front-drives or weaker rear-drives.There are three races which all take place in stages on one day. By the time we've reached the last stage, it's the end of the day apparently. The sun is going down.

 

As seen during other Gran Turismo 5 outings, not everybody is created equal. Some automobiles do better than others. I am going to try to outline from best to worst below, but keep in mind that these are just general observations. Sometimes the Volkswagen does better than the Ford, and so on. Those at the very bottom though, are guaranteed to suck.   

 

'06 Ford Focus ST170

'06 Ford Focus ST

'05 MINI Cooper S

'03 Dodge SRT4

'08 Megane Renault Sport

'06 Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 Twin Spark

'05 Volkswagen Golf V GTI

'08 Honda Civic Type R

'04 Honda Civic Type R

'97 Honda Civic Type R

'09 Volvo C30 R-Design

'95 Honda Civic SiR-II

'99 Honda Integra Type R

'03 Peugeot 206 RC

'09 Volvo C30 R-Design

'80 Renault 5 Turbo 

'97 Toyota Celica SS-II

'03 Pontiac Vibe GT

'03 Mazda Axela 23S

'01 Volkswagen Golf IV GTI

'02 Mazda Familia Sport 2.0

'01 Toyota WiLL VS

Parts