Following the NASCAR trailer release, two new preview videos of Polyphony’s Gran Turismo 5 for the Playstation 3 have surfaced.

The first, taken at the Nissan Gallery in Nagoya, shows the Nissan GT-R Super GT race car at Tokyo and the GT-R road car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in silky-smooth 60fps 720p HD resolution.   Ferrari's and McLarens going at each other!  We are in heaven.....  bring it ON!

The second gives us a first impression of the title’s driver animations, showing Subaru WRC driver Petter Solberg and his co-driver Phil Mills at work.

Gran Turismo 5 will be bringing 1000 cars and over 60 tracks to the Playstation 3, including new features such as damage, weather and day/night effects. There’s no date for either the release of the Japanese or the International versions yet.

From VirtualR

The Red Bull Formula One team has released a new video, showing Australian F1 driver Mark Webber on-board the team’s motion simulator, showing us a lap around the 2010 version of the Bahrain International Circuit, venue of 2010’s first F1 Grand Prix.

2010 will be the first year that the Formula One Grand Prix will be using the longer endurance layout of the track, the new variant was first used during the 2006 Bahrain 24 Hour race and includes nine new turns.

Like four other Formula One teams, Red Bull uses the Pro-version of rFactor for their simulator that is used for driver and crew training and other tasks.

From VirtualR

iOpener’s beta test of their Real-Time Racing game continues next Thursday (March 11th) with a new event at Zolder, featuring the Mini Cooper S and the BMW Z4M that was first tested during the ten hours of Zolder.

The beta test will allow thousands of RTR testers to race in real-time against professional drivers on the Belgian track, right from their home.

If you don’t have a Real-Time Racing beta key yet, this is your chance to win one as iOpener is giving away two keys for those who can answer a rather simple question. The winners will get their key in time to join the event next Thursday so click here and enter the competition.

From VirtualR

GT Academy 2010 is coming to a TV screen near you in 2010. We have Day 4 and Day 5 highlight videos coming very soon. But, you can see a "Collection of Moments" promotional video right here.

It was not an easy decision for the GT Academy judging panel that consisted of Eddie Jordan, Johnny Herbert, Sabine Schmitz and experienced sportscar driver Rob Barff. Irishman Daniel Collins and Spaniard Marco Calvo just failed to make the grade from among the final four. However, they could be proud to have emerged from an original 18 and, even more impressively, from among the 1.2 million gamers that entered GTAcademy via the PlayStation®3 Gran Turismo time trial.

“This has been extraordinary,” enthused former Formula One team boss, Jordan. “I have been absolutely blown away. I could not believe that these gamers, with no experience of racing cars could do this. Apart from one accident today, we have had no issues at all on the driving side. They really are great drivers, all of them, and this has been a great experience. In the end, I think we had two clear winners and I think they will do very well. But each and every one of the 18 can be rightly proud of what they have achieved and I know that they have all had an amazing experience that will stay with them forever.”

The final day of action started with an early morning triathlon, comprising a muddy sprint from Whittlebury Hall to the Silverstone off-road area for bike changeover and a cycle to Stowe circuit, followed by laps in the 370Z. The event produced high drama when Jordan Tresson, who was the clear leader, put his chances of winning at risk when he misjudged the first corner of the new Stowe Circuit on cold tyres and crashed into a tyre barrier.

“It was a serious incident and he really let himself down at that point,” explained Barff. “However, overall Jordan has been extremely good and fast and he is supremely fit. Crashing on cold tyres is a mistake that many drivers have made, and I suspect he will not do it again!

“This has been a fantastic final day. I was so impressed with how quick the guys were in a full GT4 car. Luca has been so consistent and got better and better throughout. I think we have a great pair. Dan Collins is a PlayStation learning machine who has just grown and grown. Marco had a great last day but just wasn’t quite there.”

Lapping the Stowe Circuit in a full race-spec Nissan 350Z GT4 car must have been a highlight of GT Academy for the gamers turned drivers. It was the very same car that had carried their predecessor, Lucas Ordoñez, to second place in the 2009 GT4 Cup. However, there was a final, and incredible, challenge still to come for the four finalists.

After 10 minutes of practice and a 10 minute qualifying session, all four drivers lined up in identical race-prepared Nissan 370Zs on Silverstone’s famous start-finish straight. The competition was fierce in a 20 minute race, punctuated by a simulated driver change in the pits. With the drivers having to release their steering wheels, jump out of the car and run around it before getting back in, it proved to be a decisive element of the race. Jordan Tresson entered the pits with a lead, but it was third-placed Marco Calvo who re-entered the circuit first after a lightening pit stop. Marco held on for the win and hoped that he had done enough to progress to the fourth stage of GTAcademy.

“This has been an incredible journey for all of us, but particularly for our two winners,” said three-time F1 winner, Johnny Herbert. “They have really stood out over the course of the week and today showed that they are ready to compete in a GT4 car at international level.

“All 18 drivers that we started with have got a lot to take away with them. They have driven things and experienced things that they never would have. It has been wonderful to be a part of this and I look forward to watching the progress that Luca and Jordan make from now.”

First up were tense ‘dog-fights’ on Stowe circuit in the Nissan 370Zs. With the drivers starting at opposite points on the circuit, this was a pursuit race. After entertaining races between Marco and Luca and Jordan and Daniel, the French and Italian drivers emerged as the finalists, with Luca taking the win. The third place race-off was won by Daniel over Marco after the Spaniard spun.

Physical fitness is vital to any racing driver and has played an important part in GT Academy. A ‘bleep’ test – where the contestants undertake shuttle runs with an ever-decreasing time limit between each one – was won by the ultra-fitJordan , who carried on well beyond his competition. Carrying a leg injury from the previous day’s assault course, Daniel saw it through to be second. Marco was second to be eliminated for failing to keep up with the ‘bleeps’, thus finishing third. Luca was the first one out, and so last.

Staying on Stowe circuit, the four contestants had the opportunity to take the wheel of the GT-R in race mode. With judge and lead instructor Rob Barff monitoring their progress from inside the cockpit, Formula One Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert drove his old team-boss Eddie Jordan in a second GT-R to scrutinise their racing lines at close quarters…sometimes inches!!! As well as being able to assess the drivers, the exercise proved useful for putting the drivers under pressure with Herbert all over their tails at high speed. Overall the contestants were judged on their consistency and speed over five laps.

The afternoon saw a fascinating knockout session played out on the National circuit. Each competitor drove the 370Z for a ten minute ‘qualifying’ session. The drivers then switched to Silverstone’s single-seaters. The driver with the worst combined qualifying time was eliminated and the remaining drivers repeated the exercise until the winner emerged. The test of driving versatility and speed was won by Italian Luca Lorenzini.

Jordan Tresson was second, Daniel Collins third and Spaniard Marco Calvo was the first driver eliminated having struggled in the single-seater.

A second ‘press conference’ challenge, confirmed that the four finalists had all paid attention to Louise Goodman’s media masterclass. All four contestants put in excellent performances and responded well to some difficult questions – all in English.

“I was so impressed with all of them in the press conference,” said two-time Nürburgring 24 Hour winner Sabine Schmitz. “On the track it has been a very interesting day. To see them driving real cars with no traction control has impressed me. The GT-R is a very fast car and it not easy to go as quickly as they did. They even managed to get Johnny Herbert into trouble while he was chasing them, which was funny! I am enjoying this process enormously. It is a fantastic event and really big fun.”

Rob Barff was delighted to get some dry track time today: “The first dry day has given us a great opportunity to assess the drivers in a different environment. Jordan Tresson has excelled in fitness. Luca has been driving incredibly fast this afternoon. Daniel Collins just continues to improve with every lap. Marco Calvo definitely enjoyed the wet conditions, but he did struggle a little this afternoon. But tomorrow’s another day and there is still a lot left to run in this competition. GTAcademy 2010 has been brilliant. It has proved again that this crazy idea really can work!”

From GTplanet

“This was not really a test of fitness, but more one of mental stamina,” explained ex-Royal Marine Commando Ben Mason who ran the assault course. “In that respect, they all did very well. Some of the guys might not have been fit by our standards, but they pushed hard to the end in difficult conditions.”

France’s Jordan Tresson had both the physical and mental aptitude required to take first place. He was followed home by Italy’s Giacomo Cunial and Ireland’s Daniel Collins.

After a much-needed hot shower and breakfast, the competitors met with Nissan athlete Geraldine Fasnacht. The Swiss gave the racing hopefuls an insight into her life as an extreme sportswoman and what it takes to survive at the top.

Former ITV Formula 1 presenter, and ex-Jordan Grand Prix press officer, Louise Goodman then enlightened the participants in the ways of the media. She gave them a brief but impressive mediatraining workshop to prepare them for a possible life as a racing driver.

Back at Silverstone the competitors were back on track, albeit a damp track. They continued to hone their car control with a drifting test in the rear wheel drive manual Nissan 370Z. The contestants enjoyed the pleasure of lapping Silverstone’s National Circuit in the GT-R set-up in race mode. The final, and perhaps most challenging, on-track session of the day took place in Silverstone’s single-seaters on the new Stowe Circuit. The GT Academy instructors assessed all activities to feed back to the judges.

In a packed day, there was no let-up for the competitors on their return to the hotel. They were taken straight to a class room to undertake their ARDS (basic race licence) exam before a mind-coaching session with a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) expert.