Menu Book 42 is the one where a lot of GT7 players get stuck, and it is almost always at Suzuka. The car is fast enough, the race starts well, then it rains and everything goes wrong in two laps.
Here is what the book asks for, which car I would take and how to handle the rain. I checked the race data on 5 October 2026.
What is Menu Book 42?
It is a Bonus Menu Book called Gr.1 Prototype Series. It came with update 1.15 in May 2022.
To see it in the Cafe you need two things:
- You have finished Menu Book 39, the end of the story.
- You are at Collector Level 30.
If you are not at level 30 yet, add cars to your garage. Every new car raises it, and expensive cars raise it faster. The whole order of the story is in my GT7 Cafe menu books list.
The reward for finishing the book is a six star roulette ticket.
The three races
The Gr.1 Prototype Series is in World Circuits. Today it has ten races, because Polyphony kept adding to it. The book is about the first three.
| Race | Length | Credits for the win | The problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytona Road Course | 10 laps | 115,000 | Fuel. The banking is flat out for a long time |
| Suzuka Circuit | 10 laps | 175,000 | Weather. The game gives a 40 percent chance of rain |
| Sainte-Croix, layout C | 8 laps | 210,000 | Length. It is the longest layout, over 6.2 miles a lap |
The rules are the same in all three: 950 PP or less, racing tyres only. Like the other race books, a top three finish is what counts. You do not need the win, but the win pays more.
Which car to use
The event is named after Gr.1 but the game only checks the PP and the tyres. Any car at 950 PP or less on racing tyres can enter. A Gr.1 prototype is still the easy answer, because it has the downforce for Suzuka and Sainte-Croix.
| Car | Where you get it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Porsche 919 Hybrid '16 | Brand Central | Four wheel drive. The safest car of the three races if it rains |
| Mazda 787B '91 | Legend Cars, when it is in stock | Light and fast on the Daytona banking. Thirsty |
| Mazda LM55 VGT (Gr.1) | Brand Central | The cheap choice players on GTPlanet finish the book with |
| Toyota TS050 Hybrid '16 | Brand Central | Like the 919, a little softer and kinder over kerbs |
My pick is the 919. Four wheel drive is a big help when the track is wet, and the hybrid boost gets you out of the slow corners. The full ranking is in the best Gr.1 cars in GT7.
The 787B is the car this page recommended for years and it still does the job. It is only sold at the Legend Cars dealer, so you may have to wait for it. See how to get the Mazda 787B.
Whatever you take, look at the PP in the garage before you enter. If you are over 950, fit harder tyres first, then add a little ballast or a power restrictor. If you are well under, more power is the quick fix. The GT7 tuning guide shows how each part moves the number.
Race 1: Daytona Road Course
Ten laps and no weather to think about. The only real question is fuel.
Most of the lap is flat out on the banking, and a prototype drinks there. One of the game's own drivers says before the start that they will save tyres and fuel to do the race with no stop. That is the plan to copy.
- Start on racing hard tyres. They last the ten laps.
- On the banking, turn the fuel map to a lean setting. You lose very little time in a straight line behind another car.
- Go back to a rich map for the infield, where the lap time is.
- Stay in the slipstream on the banking and pass on the brakes into the first corner.
If the fuel is not going to last, stop once, early, and take only what you need.
One warning from the GTPlanet forum: people get a penalty here for crossing the pit entry line. Commit to the pit lane early.
Race 2: Suzuka
This is the one. Ten laps, and the game tells you before the start that there is a 40 percent chance of rain.
Read that number properly. It means the rain is not fixed. In some attempts it stays dry for the whole race. In others it starts around the middle. Players on GTPlanet report it arriving anywhere between lap 4 and lap 8. So a guide that tells you to pit on one exact lap will be wrong half of the time.
What works is to drive the race you can see:
| What you see | Tyre | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, no rain on the radar | Racing hard or medium | Stay out |
| Rain on the radar, track still dry | What you have | Stay out. Do not pit for rain that has not arrived |
| Track getting wet, car sliding in the fast corners | Intermediate | Pit this lap |
| Standing water, spray | Heavy wet | Pit this lap |
| Rain stopped, a dry line showing | Racing medium or hard | Pit as soon as the line is dry |
Open the weather radar on the MFD and leave it there. You see the rain coming a lap or two before it arrives.
A few things I would do every time:
- Start on a dry tyre. The track is dry at the start. Medium is a good balance. The in game tip is that soft is quickest while it stays dry, and that mediums may need a stop anyway.
- Do not pit for the forecast. Pit when the track is wet, not when the sky is grey. A stop for rain that never comes is the most common way to lose this race.
- When it gets wet, go straight to intermediates. A racing slick on a wet track has almost no grip. You lose more in one lap on slicks than the stop costs.
- Take fuel at the same stop. Then you only stop once.
- Be smooth. On a wet Suzuka the fast changes of direction in the first sector punish any sudden input. Short shift out of the hairpin and Spoon.
On a real wet track the grip is often off the normal line, where there is less rubber. In the game it is simpler: slow the entry, wait, and put the power down late and in a straight line.
If the rain stops and a dry line appears, the slick is faster earlier than you think. That was the old advice on this page and it is still right: when the AI is on wets on a drying track, you gain a lot by going back to slicks first.
And if it all goes wrong, restart. With a 40 percent chance, a dry race is never far away.
Race 3: Sainte-Croix, layout C
Eight laps of the longest layout in the game, over 6.2 miles each. It pays the most of the three, 210,000 credits for the win.
It is a long race, so tyres and fuel will not do it in one go with most cars. Players who finish it comfortably report the same simple plan: racing hard tyres, one stop at half distance after four laps, rich fuel map.
Two things about the track:
- The lap has big elevation changes and a lot of medium speed corners. A car with downforce is worth more here than top speed.
- The game warns you about the pit lane side of the main straight. Watch for cars going in and out of the pits there.
After the book
Go back to the Cafe and collect the six star ticket. How the tickets work is in how to get roulette tickets in GT7.
Do not forget the series itself. The other seven races of the Gr.1 Prototype Series are some of the better paid events in World Circuits, and the 30 minute race at Road Atlanta pays 320,000 credits for the win. More ways to earn are in the GT7 credits guide.
FAQ
How do I unlock Menu Book 42 in GT7?
Finish Menu Book 39 and reach Collector Level 30. Then it shows up in the Cafe as a Bonus Menu Book.
What is the best car for Menu Book 42?
A Gr.1 prototype at 950 PP or less. I would take the Porsche 919 Hybrid for its four wheel drive. The Mazda 787B and the Mazda LM55 VGT Gr.1 also do the job.
Do I need a Gr.1 car for Menu Book 42?
No. The rules are 950 PP or less and racing tyres. Any car that fits can enter.
Does it always rain at Suzuka in Menu Book 42?
No. The game gives a 40 percent chance of rain. Some attempts stay dry and in others the rain comes around the middle of the race.
When should I change tyres at Suzuka?
When the track is wet, not before. Go to intermediates as soon as the car slides in the fast corners, and back to slicks when a dry line shows.
Which races are in Menu Book 42?
Daytona Road Course over 10 laps, Suzuka over 10 laps and Sainte-Croix layout C over 8 laps.
What is the reward for Menu Book 42?
A six star roulette ticket, on top of the prize money of the three races.
What is the PP limit for the Gr.1 Prototype Series?
950 PP or less, on racing hard, medium, soft, intermediate or wet tyres.