Jordan Greer

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Thanks to GT5 Prologue’s new method of online time and replay verification, we are beginning to see the rise of legitimate competitions endorsed by business and “old media”.  This time, Australia’s Tarmac magazine is fueling the fires of the age old rivalry between the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and Subaru Impreza STi.  It’s simple enough to participate – just set your best time at London and upload it to the game’s online database.  Then, enter the competition and see if your time holds up.  The fastest drivers of each car will receive either a Mitsubishi or Subaru prize pack.  However, there does appear to be an oversight in the rules, as the use of Professional or Standard physics is not specified.  Tarmac editors posted on our forum that “it’s up to the driver”, but this seems a bit preposterous considering the vast differences between the two modes.  Either way, give it a go, and be sure to use your GTPlanet Registry PSN tag!

Just a reminder to those of you who have yet to submit a time for the GTPlanet Registry Qualifier – the deadline has been moved up to this coming Sunday, September 14, 2008 at midnight GMT.  Remember, a GTP_Registry tag will be required if you want to compete in all future GTPlanet racing events, and the registry will be closed to all new members for one full week following the deadline.  Click here to review all the details about the qualifier, and be sure to send our On-Line Racing manager, Sphinx, a kind word of appreciation for all of his hard work!

Many GTPlanet members made it into the GT Academy’s final rounds, and we have anxiously awaited to hear the results from Silverstone.  Today, thanks to a heads-up by our own dark_ruffo, we can confirm the two winners are Lucas Ordoñez of Spain and Lars Schlommer of Germany.  These two lucky and highly skilled drivers will now continue their training for the 24 Hours of Dubai race in January of 2009.  Congratulations to both of you!  If you’re reading, please stop by our forums and make yourself known!  Of course, even those who won’t be driving in Dubai had an amazing experience, as reports have begun trickling onto our message boards as all the competitors arrive home.  Grandi, of Finland, has been posting details and fielding questions about the experience.  The drivers were pushed to their limits, with tests ranging from physical exams and karting endurance races to piloting a 350Z, Caterham 7, R35 Nissan GT-R, and open-wheeled formula car in nasty weather conditions around the famous British circuit.

In yet another confirmation of the Top Gear test track appearing in Gran Turismo 5, the show has launched a contest giving away 5 free copies of GT5 Prologue.  It’s easy enough to enter – just answer 9 automotive news and Top Gear questions correctly before September 1.  As you might expect, however, only UK residents are eligible, but it’s exciting to see the BBC acknowledge the GT series once again.  See Top Gear’s website for all the questions, terms, and conditions.

The GTPlanet PSN Registry has quickly grown to be the largest organized group of racers in the online world of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue with more than 412 members.  More importantly, it’s going to be the most important set of credentials that you can have when private race rooms come along this fall, as a requirement to compete in officially-sanctioned GTPlanet online events.  In anticipation of this, the Registry’s organizer, Sphinx, is dividing members into separate divisions based upon their performance in an official qualifying time trial.  The new divisions will allow online racers to enjoy much more competitive races with each other this fall, and will give you a good idea of where you stand with the rest of the world (or would that be…the ‘Planet?).

The August 1st update to Gran Turismo 5: Prologue brought quite a few changes.  Although there were many undocumented features, the new peer-to-peer downloading option for Gran Turismo TV is the one with the broadest implications.  Basically, it allows others to download programs directly from your PS3, using your internet connection’s upload bandwidth.  This can help downloaders, as it eliminates the bottleneck generated by the traditional client/server network architecture while alleviating some of the distribution and hosting costs for Sony and Polyphony Digital.  Here’s the official description from GT5 Prologue’s Network Options page:

The big August 1st update has been live for more than 24 hours in most of the world now, and although the download was rocky for some, most everyone has their hands on the latest iteration of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.  Now, we’re discovering quite a few tweaks and bug fixes that weren’t documented in the press release.  For example, in-game sounds have improved, there’s a lot of new music tracks, Logitech’s G25 handling characteristics have changed dramatically, and online race hosts can no longer leave an online race and disconnect the other players.  Threshold has a very hot thread in our forums right now, as everyone tries to document a full list of changes as they are discovered.  Join the rest of GTPlanet in our GT5 Prologue Forum and share your opinion on all the changes!

When we first learned that the in-game GTTV feature was going pay-per-view, prices were still up in the air.  Today, Sony announced that all content would be available for just 99 cents during the two weeks starting August 1st.  Presumably, programs will be priced differently once this introductory promotion is over, but it will encourage people to at least try out the service.  What do you plan on watching, if anything?  Head on over to our Gran Turismo 5 Prologue forums and join the conversation!

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue has played a prominent role at the 2008 British Motor Show, with rumored circuits like the Nurburgring Nordschliefe and Le Sarthe both making appearances.  The most exciting news coming out of the show, however, is the Lotus Evora.  Shortly after its debut, Lotus allowed show goers to “drive” the new car in – you guess it – GT5 Prologue.  Obviously, the Evora isn’t in the current version of the game, and rumors are flying that it’s coming via a future update.  Here’s the first batch of official screenshots, including a rare look at the new car’s interior.