https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUo5RPIcas

For some of us, Gran Turismo was our first driving simulator. For those of us who have been around a bit longer, there were other toys, like Tomy’s Turnin’ Turbo. Back in 1983, this tabletop marvel was all the rage among budding young gearheads — so we’re told — with its Porsche-inspired design, sleek instrument cluster, and Tron-like visuals.

Welcome back to GTPlanet’s Member Motorsports Spotlight. I’m a GTPlanet forum member and sim racer with a passion for real life motorsports. You can read all about my motor racing exploits in the first installation of this recurring series.

If you were watching the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, you’ll probably have noticed that almost no-one started the race where they qualified. Nine of the 20 drivers earned grid place penalties, resulting in a rather shaken-up grid.

We’re fans of ridiculous off-road vehicles. Whether it’s a lifted Mercedes wagon, a supercar turned dune buggy, or a real life Warthog, they pique our interest. Now there’s a new car to add to our growing list of weird off-road vehicles: a Mad Max-inspired Bentley Continental GT.

If you’re into racing, well, this weekend really isn’t your sort of weekend. Most any other time of the year you could turn on the TV (or YouTube) and find a plethora of racing. Not so much right now, though.

Grab your favourite Nissan and prepare to drift — this weekend’s Forzathon celebrates the Japanese cars in Forza Horizon 3. The challenges, lasting September 8–10, are solo affairs and won’t require any help from a friend.

Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it intends to offer an electric option on every new model line from 2020.

The iRacing crew has released the latest update for the long-running subscription service ahead of its fourth 2017 season.

Turn 10 has revealed that Forza Motorsport 7 has gone gold ahead of its October release. In a blog post on the series’ website, the “biggest and best” Forza yet will be arriving at retailers soon enough. In a surprise announcement, it has also been confirmed that a demo version of the title will be playable from September 19.

After years of speculation, it seems that TVR is finally back with us. The much-loved brand has just unveiled the car it hopes will put the company back in business – appropriately enough at the Goodwood Revival.

Sector3 Studios has confirmed the iconic Imola race track will land in RaceRoom Racing Experience next week.

SimBin Studios is intending to open the world’s first esports competition exclusively for women.

Welcome to Mirror Mode, GTPlanet’s series that shines a spotlight on retro racing games. For this, the fourth round, we’re looking at a franchise long tied to the PlayStation brand: Ridge Racer. Ridge Racer V arrived alongside the PlayStation 2 early in 2000.

MINI has rolled out its latest wild-and-crazy John Cooper Works GP concept ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Welcome to Wednesday Want. Each week, our team will pluck a car from our thousands-strong Car Suggestions forum and give it some time in the spotlight. From the weird to the wonderful, we’ll be covering the full automotive spectrum. You can check out past Wednesday Want entries right here.

In the run-up to the release of Project CARS 2 and Forza 7, their respective predecessors are available for cheap this week.

Back in July, we told you about a private team that set out to break the Nürburgring record with a Viper ACR. Since the story ran though, the team went on to improve its record run. 

F1 2017 continues to stir following this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix with the latest update now available to PC players. Since its release over one week ago, Codemasters continues to update the game, fixing issues along the way. Those playing the game on PS4 will see improved texture quality, while stats for multiplayer events now display correctly.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is about to get some serious competition.