Gran Turismo 5 Signature Edition Challenge Starts Today

The Signature Edition Challenge to win a real-life Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG kicks off today! As previously mentioned, the challenge will be run entirely within GT5’s B-Spec mode and is, of course, open only to Signature Edition owners.

To enter, redeem the voucher code included on the card in the SE’s branded leather wallet in the PlayStation Store. Afterwards, you’ll be able to access the challenge presumably in the game’s “Seasonal Events” (introduced in v1.05). According to the official announcement, here’s how it works from there:

Once they have completed these steps they will be able to access the Signature Edition Challenge from within GT5. The Challenge takes place in Gran Turismo 5’s innovative B-spec mode – where players take the role of team director with their own AI drivers doing the racing. The Challenge is being held over a series of five, five-lap races on different circuits. The choice of B-spec mode opens the competition to more than purely the fastest GT5 racers as players, and there will be no limit on the number of times entrants can complete the races.  In-game leaderboards for each region will display the top 50 race times for each circuit, as well as the top 250 combined times across the five races.

Entrants with the fastest total time from each region [2] at the closing time (23:59 (GMT) on  31 January 2011) will be invited to take part in the second phase of the competition – the Mercedes-Benz Driving Event. Winners from each international region will compete against each other in a series of real driving challenges under the scrutiny of judges. Points will be awarded for each challenge with the winner taking home the stunning SLS AMG.

Good luck to all GTPlanet participants!

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Comments (83)

  1. Koolad

    Boring, lottery, cheated… I cannot agree more :D

    I can’t find a motivation to keep watching the AI play alone (I know what B-spec is meant to be, don’t tell it again).. BORING!

    The worst 120 (180-60) euros spent in my life.

    1. Mário Diniz

      Only after the game was launched, otherwise I wouldn’t buy the SE. This is a major fail, no hardcore fan spend lots of hours looking at the TV seeing the AI playing, it’s SO boring the b-spec it should never exist in first place. I don’t know what’s in PD head but it’s a big BIG disappointment.

    2. davissi

      For me it was just that I specifically read somewhere (and I don’t remember where!) on one of the main sites that it would be a ‘GT Academy style’ competition with probably a similar qualifying format. That’s why I bought the sig edition, only later was it pointed out that it was in B-Spec mode.
      So the famed ‘driving simulator’ that builds its whole reputation on realism in virtual ‘driving’ is giving away a huge prize for…something else.

    3. Marxgorm

      techincally it is GT Academy style since it is “get the fastest time on a set of tracks” just in a different mode. and it was announced in due time that it would be b-spec.

    4. Greg

      Technically GT academy requires driving skill. B-spec just requires the ability to push buttons. So if your good at hitting parked cars while changing radio stations, B-spec is for you……
      What a joke.

  2. Marxgorm

    B-spec is not a lottery, nor is it random. It requires an understanding of the game, and everyone can count on those winning the spots for the finals are die hard fans of the series (since they bought the overpriced box) and that they understand the game mechaninics. Also the finals with the driving of the actual car will separate out those who are unfit to drive the car. I do not see a problem with this competition and I thank Polyphony and Mercedes for arranging it. I will give it my best shot, and If I fail I hope some other GTP member wins it. atleast the one leading region north is GTP.

    1. Apollo

      So many things wrong with your comment.

      B-spec IS random. If you’ve ever replayed the same event a few times to gain credits/experience, you’d notice that sometimes your guy, given the same overtake instruction in the same overpowered car, will one time pass everyone on the first straight and another time get stuck and ram into people for 30 seconds before he finally decides to go around them. That’s called random.

      Die-hard fans of GT5 would’ve been playing A-spec, not B-spec. I feel really sorry for them that after paying extra for this competition, now they’re forced to keep their PS3 running B-spec for like 200 hours (a guess, probably still too low) to get a level 40 driver that can win.

      Driving cars will separate out those who can’t drive cars? Wow… amazing insight.

      Face it: the people who make it to the real-life driving are the ones who would rather waste hundreds of hours watching poor AI drivers than practicing racing techniques themselves. Those aren’t the people that deserve a new “race car”.

    2. Marxgorm

      what? there is nothing random about b-spec. It would be humanly impossible for me to run on the same time on the same millisecond on a 5 lap race 3 times in a row if it was not. Given the same conditions your b-spec driver will respond to the situation the same way every single time. if there is a variation like the distance to the car ahead or the angle to the curve, the situation will play out differently. Do not godamn assume stuff because you observe and conclude without proper knowledge of the subject.
      A b-spec compo is fair and just since it boils down to dedication and understanding of the gamemode, it requires a versitale set of drivers and a different approach to each track. I am level 30 aspec and have golded everything in every GT to date, and I KNOW that this competition requires skill and dedication, I have already invested a lot of hours into it and watching the lap times improve is just as satisfactory as watching the laptimes improve when you are driving yourself.

    3. Bob

      Nothing random about b-spec?
      Lmbo, I have six level 36-37 drivers right now, that i’ve never given a command to, all with 98% to 100% win ratios, and very excellent attributes. That’s because every time GT5 caps an attribute lower than any of my other drivers, I delete him and start a new one.
      The attributes cap is entirely random, though it ussually happens after about level 30, and I have deleted a few hundred to get the six I have. My skill and determination have nothing to do with it.
      I use them to make cash, running the same event races over and over, which have the same identical starting grid, yet never they play out the same way twice due to the randomization built into AI routines to avoid the “cars on rails” effect.
      Even the type of streak the AI is on is random.
      Your driver uses the same AI has the rest of the AI cars, modified by various attributes, to make it so they don’t all just behave in the same predictable manner. The only difference is a controll set that allows you to prompt behaviors in your AI.
      They don’t get better because you train them, or mine would all suck. They get better because leveling up allows use of better AI routines. Those same routines reduce the random screwup factor has well, but allways contain random variables that allow for it, even if only rarely.
      I have never paid attention to versatility of my drivers, only where the skills capped, and never take a different approach per track, yet they win because of higher than average skills. I know this because lesser skills on the same level of driver = loses.
      The fact is, your “skill and dedication”, though AI managment is important, could very well be beat by someone like me, who cares little for b-spec, and using the same method to randomly gennerate a perfect level 40 driver, just tells it to pass a few times, but otherwise has no b-spec skills at all to speak of.
      Nevermind skill and determination. They’ll just be after the car…..

    4. Marxgorm

      You have not driven the signature competition then, beacuse that is cars on rails, the AI behaves identical on the races, the only random factor is you, if you bump into an AI on one lap you upset the chain of events ofcourse, but the AI itself move as if it was scripted.

      And no, to beat the top times you need more than the best “skill capped” racer, you will need a driving plan mapped out where commands are exceuted on pretty much .05 tolerance level to make the perfect lap, and for each improvement you make on the driving plan the chain of events ahead of you change, so it takes a fuckload of trial and error to make the best time, trial and error sums up every good time trial event imo and is just as valid as the GT academy.
      and hell yes, I am after the car.

    5. Bob

      BTW, for those who want easy leveling with rare loses, and good cash, start your level 0 driver out in Dreamcar Championship with a Formula Gran Turismo. Don’t tell it what to do, just let it go for the easy wins through the whole championship . Then it’s good for other races with more fair car choices….

    6. Beepbeep

      LOL, people trying to justify b-spec crack me up. B-spec is what you let your little sister play so she feels like she’s playing big kid GT, and you don’t have to make a new profile for her or have her messing up yours.
      All I do is keep telling it to pace up over and over, and got a top 25 laptime on first try. I wasn’t even telling it to pass. Planning and skill my arse. Luck more like it. The winner will just be a top ai that some guy told to pass and speed up repeatedly, with no plan.
      Level 30 a-spec qualifies you has an authority on b-spec? Heck mate, i’m 33 a-spec , and 31 b-spec. Same has bob above, use b-spec to make money or I would be level 2 at most. Guess the 33 a-spec and a complete dedication to the series makes me part of the bloody b-spec dev team then. You just described most of the fanbase. Congrats on 30, but that’s like boasting having finnished school with average marks.
      And saying knowing how to tell an ai when to pass and speed up = the driving skill required of GT academy? ROFL.!! I mean, I could explain, but the need to alone is disturbing enough, and I think everyone else doesn’t need it, so just ROFL.
      Well, had my good chuckle for the day, i’ll leave you to your struggle for converts. Sounds like your doing a good job convincing yourself at least……

    7. Beepbeep

      Hehe, just saw how you followed up the no randomization in b-spec argument by pointing out how a player induces events by acting has a random variable, in turn randomizing the event to behave different for different people. Kinda countered your own argument mate.

    8. Marxgorm

      Okay then, pull a 4.57 run on Indy with your stragetgy of pacing up and let me know how that works out for you. Those of us who have top 10 world times have worked hard for them, I can promise you that.
      If you pull a 4:57, I will eat my words about this competition.
      I did not counter my own argument, but I can rephrase it:

      You know what to expect every single lap if you perform equally to your last run, so if you need to improve something on lap 4, you can do what you did in the first 3 laps over and try to improve.
      My point was that the AI was not random as in blocking you or crashing when you are doing a good lap, if something bad happens, you caused it, and unless you change your patterns, it will happen the next time as well.
      in a 10 min race there is a possibillity of issuing 60 commands, but WHEN you issue those is the key, there are thousands of timeframes in each race where the correct command is the key. It is basically car chess.
      I undestand if that is not your thing, but belitteling us who actually try to perform in this game mode is childish and uncalled for.

    9. GTforever

      jeez man, you keep spewing out your supposed expertise , yet don’t even know common knowledge things about how your AI is programed and how it changes with level. You try tellin us all about your (average)a-spec skill level and GT history like it’s some great accomplishment granting you vast b-spec knowledge. Then you start flip flopping parts of your argument. Is it really any wonder people are telling you your full of crap? It doesn’t matter that some of what you say is correct because you discredit yourself with the bull you keep adding to the truth.
      Besides, don’t matter how hard or easy the b-spec portion is, it still ain’t driving. That’s what most don’t like, and telling people that it’s some kind of display of GT Academy comparable skill will get you nowhere close to changing most minds about that. It’ll only get more

    10. Marxgorm

      My B-spec knowledge comes from playing b-spec instead of using it to AFK farm, and my competition times speak for themselves in regards to my abillities in the gamemode, and all those are done with a sub 40 driver.
      please point out where I have flip flopped my argument please, I can’t seem to find it.
      I will be sure to think of you when I am @ the driving event.

    11. Don't feed the troll

      You gotta be a troll. I can’t believe there is someone boasting that they’re some kind of b-spec expert. That’s like sayin you can use crayons without going over the lines.
      You do realize that simply admiting the human factor countered your own argument. Absolutely no way anyone is going to make every button press, every time, at exactly the right time, for every one of the 250 races they compute the score from, so there is a random variance in button pressing times right there…..
      Oh forget it. Your obviously a troll. You sound like some kid and wouldn’t surprise me if your not even in the contest.

    12. Marxgorm

      I am 30 years old, married and I have 2 children, I am in the competition and currently leading region North with several seconds. All my track times are on the top 10 world leaderboard for the competition, and all my times are the leading times for my region.
      But seriously, I will give up defending B-spec, It is a lottery, all the hours I have spent improving my times and timings must have been a waste then, I am obviously not a real gamer when I do not swing the steering wheel replica myself. I appologize for defending the game mode and will let you all get back to circlejerking over how bad it was for mercedes to give the community a car though the horrors of B-spec.

    13. MustBeTrue

      And i’m the bloody Queen of England. I just posted it online, so it must be true……
      Lol, too bad the scorring is set up so having the top time doesn’t mean you pass the round. Some chap can win just by being consistently in tenth enough times.
      However, must say, I did particularly enjoy the part where you demonstrated your 30 year old maturity by ending with a child’s tantrum. Good show.
      +1 @Don’t feed

    14. Marxgorm

      there are no rounds, best total time for each region wins the trip. 31 days remaining. I lead my region by almost 8 seconds, and I welcome everyone who want to challenge my leaderboard ownage.
      leaderboards are public if you are in the compo, so feel free to verify my claim.

    15. MustBeTrue

      Uhhhh, round 1 is the the b-spec, the next being real driving.
      You must just hang round here and argue everything regardless of whats said. Spot on, definite troll. I don’t feed trolls.

    16. ROFL

      There’s your proof people……Troll confirmed.
      And of course it’s not like just anyone posting here can just pick a name from the leaderboard and claim to be him. Oh, wait, they could.
      Epic fail.

    17. Marxgorm

      well, except you COULD try to contact me since my PSN id is identical, roughly 10 people have done already asking for b-spec help, and I have given help and laptimes around the world have improved.
      The troll here is you, you brought nothing of value and you leave without honor.

  3. redragon95

    what about Turkey, we are in Europe(not in EU but in europe actually), even if we arent in Europe, we are in Middle East and still there’s a competition for UAE and nothing for us. And they sell the SE here officially

  4. Magic Ayrton

    Why don’t they fix the many glaring omissions first???

    1. Replays in 2 player split screen and online replays

    2.The sound when you stage tune a car (even premium) sounds like a bag of nails

    3.Buy an expensive car like the Xanavi Z, hate it.. then can’t even sell it! Cant get any money back.

    4.No tyre smoke in rear view mirror. (minor complaint)

    5.Can’t make enough money to buy expensive cars so have to grind fest a million races to buy one poxy racing car which I will probably not like and can’t even sell on!

    Fix these faults please..

    1. Magic Ayrton

      Oh and I want to be able to change ALL my gear ratios, not just the top speed, and do it on a 6 speed heavy duty gearbox (not a whiny racing one).

      Please FIX !!

    2. Anes

      :facepalm:

      /Quote Why don’t they fix the many glaring omissions first??? /End quote

      Losing faith in the human race. No one should have to explain to you that this was a pre planned competition from months back. You have no idea how loud the sound was of my palm hitting my forehead when I read your post…

  5. GT5Canuck

    No Chrome Line cars for Canadians, no Merc contest for Canadians, no GT Academy for Canadians. We up here are really feeling the Sony love.

  6. JB OZ

    Just posted the terms and conditions in the GT5 forum, if you win economy flights at least one night in a 3 star hotel.

    Treated like a star… I bet they will advertise the win like he was treated like a star.

    1. Ads

      What do you expect them to do? Put every contestant up at a 5 star hotel after flying them in first class? They’re giving away a goddamn Mercedes Benz SLS…but that’s still not enough for you ungrateful cry babies.

    1. JB OZ

      I feel cheated, I would not have bought the signature edition if I knew the comp would be run like this.
      I love how the sell the signature edition advertising a chance to win a real life SLS and then the details, terms and conditions are decide after the sale date.

      This would have to be the all time worst organized games in history, so much BS and one stuff up after the other.

  7. Mário

    B-SPEC ONLY? What are they thinking?! They should have announce this before, woulnd’t have bought it. What a let down.

  8. Anes

    So I qualify for the real life driving test in Germany or whatever by ranking my AI driver and then managing my driver to set a best time over 5 tracks? Does anyone else see the fail logic in this?

    I manage my driver, to qualify for a real world driving test of my own personal driving skills.

    >Manage a driver
    >Qualify for a test of my driving skills

    >Manage
    >Drive

    wtf man

    1. tyl0r_r

      The problem with your logic is that you assume any of this has to do with testing your driving ability, real or otherwise.

    2. Apollo

      I guess the idea is to reward people who hate driving so much that all they did was level their B-spec guy to 40?? lol

      They could really end up with ANYONE at the real driving part of the competition. I hope some of their test cars are wrecked to teach them a lesson.

  9. davissi

    I wish everyone all the best in this competition, I stupidly assumed it was a driving competition so I forked out the cash. My fault, oh well at least I can say I’ve helped fund this anyway !
    All the best.

    1. Kingchesh

      Same as davissi , had to spend ages levelling up some driver to try and and get a good lap time. O well got gt academy next year.

  10. Kingchesh

    Sean s.
    When did you redeem your code ? It will not let me. Went to playstation store went on redeem codes and it keeps saying code invalid

  11. Sean S

    Anyone manage to figure out how to enter the comp yet?

    I’ve redeemed my SE code on PSN and signed into gran-turismo.com and I can’t see anything different in-game.

  12. jbthbt

    I wish I could come up with something shocking and ignorant to say to spark controversy, but instead I’ll settle for saying: I’m glad to hear that they’re doing something a little different with this. The B-spec competition is really a unique way of doing it. Best of luck to you guys and I’d love to see a GTPlanet user end with with the SLS.

  13. RTSolvalou

    Hopefully it will go to a good person, A new Mercedes Benz does not belong in the control of a baseball cap wearing wannabe-gangster putz under 25.

    1. Jakemania

      While I do hope it doesn’t go out to some punk, that’s a pretty extreme stereotype you are making.

      I’m hoping you aren’t stating that anyone under 25 is one, though, as it wouldn’t exactly show much character on your part.

    2. Vannillla Ice

      I think the op is referring to middle to upperclass suburban young men that think sticking rims and speakers on a rusty 1987 toyota, and driving arround blarring music about how the whitey popo keeps the black man down, while on the way to buy overpriced cloths at the mall with their allowance, gives them street cred has hardcore gangsta killas. Nevermind the fact that they would piss themselves if the real thing ever so much has asked to borrow a quarter.
      I don’t think he ment all 25 year olds has a whole.

    3. Madman Apex

      i hope it does go to a backwards cap wearing gansta putz under 25 who puts gold rims on it, goldplates all the trim, paints it metallic red in honour of the worlds ugliest McLaren SLR

    4. occasionalracer

      Poor America.. littered with by-products of the entertainment/music industry and the countries inequalities. Yup I’m talking about all the youth sucked into thinking if they gangsta they as hard as it get. Yea dog, I’m man.

    5. Jakemania

      Haha, I’m 19, and I’m as far away from ‘gangsta’ as can be.
      I like ricers, but an SLS is certainly not a car that I would do any changing to. The red one I saw Saturday was pretty wicked looking. Not sure how it was so clean with all of the snow and salt we have on the roads!

    6. irononreverse

      One thing I would like to ask is what is the insurance going to be like for a driver under 25 if they win the SLS?

      I knew someone who was paying over £2000 a year for a poxy 2 litre vauxhall!

  14. pikalulz007

    Well good luck to all SE owners. Poor little me in the US.

    I’d be even more jealous if it was an A-Spec competition. Slightly. But still.

    1. Edward Cullen

      This is totally unfair! Yamauchi is asian and he doesnt support very well his region! US GETS G.T. ACADEMY, EUROPE GET SLS(they are treated specially because motorsport the heart of motorsport started their? DISAGREE!) and ASIAN! we got nothing but 3 chromline editions in game plus its only available on japan only! IM SICK OF THIS WHITES TREATING SPECIALLY OVER ASIAN!.

    2. Madman Apex

      @Edward Cullen im in canada, so close to the us but OH SO FAR from the GT academy. i wish the GT academy and an SLS and the chrome-lines where up for grabs and available to everyone where GT5 is SOLD. :(

      man i would love to get my hands on one of those SLS’s… Mmm mmm mmm its a thing of beauty! in any color except grey/silver. i hate silver/grey.

      to the winner… ENJOY.

    3. unoc

      EC, yes, Asains especially Japanese are flying under the rader in this game… out of the 1000 cars only 100 or so are Nissans…. and only another 150 are hondas and mazdas. Only a bit over half of the games cars come from a single country… how badly does this game show the culture.

      In Australia we don’t even have our own region, we get mobbed in with Europeans for online, yet get excluded in other things and we have a big ford of australia vs holden (gm) over here than is rather bogganish but quite big and how is it represented? No dealers, just 2 standard cars! There are 50 times than many skylines alone!

      Why is there a mazdas mx5 or roadster from several years premiumised but only 1 M5 to show all M5s BMW has every made?

    4. ICEMAN_ZIDANE

      it’s a little bit too easy , ok there are many players ( but in TT were much more because it was on the whole world ) but after wining bspec races it’s a little bit too easy
      some races with a real car and then the winner gets the SLS
      after that the winner thinks he is a good driver and drives with full power on the highway and than … ? XD

    5. Egg

      @ Edward Cullen, don’t play the race card as it simply won’t work, just deal with it. And no matter how much you disagree, europe is indeed the heart of motorsport.

    6. Antony Henley

      @ Edward Cullen,

      So the fact that in the US GT Acadamey there are various prizes being given out is not fair either.
      Seeing as in the SLS Prize all you get is the car and the trip to Germany for a lucky few people to actually drive away in an SLS. Not to mention most of those people paid the equivalent (in their own countries currency) £130 to enter. So Dont think the US is really hard done by. I just feel sorry for the countires that cannot particiapte.

    7. Frosty

      Yah? Well my B-spec level is 122410, and my driver just sprang to life one frosty Christmass Eve, when Santa came to say, “Got change for the parking meter? Wasted all mine on Ho Ho Ho….. ”
      Now B-spec Bob drives me to work every day. :p

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