All fixed, it was the PS3 that froze up on me, not the game. Just had to pull the plug instead of turning the PS3 off, it wouldn't respond no matter how many times I held and pushed the button.
The 4 ways to shut down any game (in order of least to most risk of losing save data).
1. Exit via PSN with the controller.
2. Press Power button on front of PS3 and hold it.
3. (tie) Shut off PS3 via on/off switch in the back.
3. (tie) Pull the plug.
Probably anything but the last one should ever be given a consideration. I've never heard of a PS3 refusing to shut off when the back power switch is toggled.
Many of us have slims which have no back switch, pulling the plug is the only option sometimes. Had to do it myself a few times (not with GT5 yet).
I'd like to note that the chances of losing data during a read operation are slim. You normally only have to worry during a write operation and if there was no saving icon you should be safe more often than not.
