The Gran Turismo 5 PS3 Time Trial Challenge Starts This Week!

180w ago - Today SCEA Producer Taku Imasaki announced that the Gran Turismo 5 PS3 Time Trial Challenge officially starts this week!

To quote: Two weeks ago we announced the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge, and I'm here to give you a breakdown of what to expect when the demo hits PSN this coming Thursday.

This demo was specifically designed for the GT5 Time Trial Challenge to challenge racing fans to master every straight-away, corner and bump of the track.

We want to use this demo to find out who are the best racers in both the US and Canada. We also created this demo to showcase the realism of the brand new physics engine which is constantly improving before GT5 releases.

As Gran Turismo fans know, our GT games let you select between standard or professional driving physics and adjust a multitude of driving assists, but to make this a real "challenge" for all you racing fans, the GT5 demo has professional driving physics, and many of the assists are disabled. But don't worry.

Even if this demo seems challenging, you'll be able to turn on some of those extra assists and enjoy GT5's 950+ cars, its new and improved online racing, and several other features we have yet to disclose when it comes out.

One thing you may have been wondering since the announcement two weeks ago is which track you'll be competing on. Well, as suggested by the prizes, you'll be racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway course, on a special road course layout of this historic track, stunningly re-created as only the masters at Polyphony Digital can.

And as you can tell from the screenshots (visit the official GT website for the full gallery), it looks gorgeous. And it's fitting that the competition is set on Indy, because the fastest US player and fastest Canadian player will win VIP packages to the 2010 Indianapolis 500 next May.

There will be two time trial events available when you boot up the demo, both featuring the Nissan 370Z. One event will put you behind the wheel of the car in its stock configuration, and the other lets you drive a tuned version with reduced weight, tires with more grip, and more aerodynamic body parts.

The tuned version drives and handles a little better, so you'll want to start with it to get a feel for the game and to learn the track. When you're ready, take the stock 370Z for a spin, but be careful to watch your throttle or you really will be going for a "spin."

And of course the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge is your entry method for a chance to win round trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two (winner and guest) to attend the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, a.k.a. the Indy 500, in May.

Each winner also gets a VIP package that includes two all-access passes for Carb Day (final Indy 500 practice, pit stop competition, special concert festivities, special event car rides in the 2010 Indy 500 event vehicle), all-access passes to the garage, pit area, and Victory Lane for pre and post-race celebrations for the race, and two VIP suite tickets to enjoy the race. The fastest players from both the US and Canada will represent their fellow GT fans at this exciting historic race. That's a pretty sweet way to spend a weekend.

That's about it. I look forward to seeing you all competing for that top spot down to the wire on January 25. Look for me competing against your time, if I make the top tier. My PSN ID is skebe. Good luck!