Our inbox will be relieved at least. Not a day goes by without somebody firing us a note saying either they - or their amazing old Capri - can lap the TG test track faster than Stig. Next year, on Playstation 3, you'll be able to find out.

Top Gear has hooked up with Sony to make our iconic test track part of Gran Turismo 5. And as an office with the permanent distraction of a Playstation 2, race seat, force-feedback wheel and a copy of the current GT4, it's the best news we've had since Alonso missed out on the F1 championship.

The latest iteration of the GT series will also be fully online - and, alongside lapping the TG circuit, players will be able to download classic episodes of Top Gear via a dedicated motoring channel called Gran Turismo TV on the Playstation network.

So, how long do we have to wait? As with previous versions of the game a scaled-down prologue will come first with around 10 tracks and 60 cars. This will feature the Top Gear TV content but not the TG track. There's no official word on when this is due, but we're expecting it to hit the UK around Spring next year.

The full version of the game is due to arrive around Christmas 2008 and, again, details are yet to be confirmed. We have been told to expect around 900 cars and, of course, our track.

We'll obviously keep you posted on the development of the game, but in the meantime check out our guide to the TG track to find out exactly what you'll be letting yourself in for.

Drive the TG test track http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2007/10/stories/09/1.html.

Top Gear on GT5


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