The Gran Turismo Awards recognizes the best vehicles at the SEMA SHOW (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged, one winner from each category is selected on performance and style by leading automotive media. From there, it falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show” winner. Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views each of the category winners and selects a vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand; one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out the latest new features and content for Gran Turismo 5, including our recently released GT5 DLC.

For those who didn’t attend last year, here’s a look at our 2010 GT Awards “Best in Show” car, Mark Stielow’s red 1969 Chevy Camaro…

For those of you in town to attend SEMA this week, come on by with your badge to check out the awards event and a great concert. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Available this June at retailers nationwide for $159.99 (MSRP), this Limited Edition PSP Entertainment Pack will allow you to play like you’re in the big leagues with MLB 11: The Show or feel the edge-of-your-seat racing excitement of Gran Turismo. With this kind of value, there’s no doubt this bundle is a great gift for dads or grads everywhere. Enjoy!

During the National Finals Event in Orlando, the contestants will be divided into groups of four and will race in a series of live head-to-head races in Gran Turismo 5. Racing select Nissan vehicles, contestants with the fewest points at the end of each round will be eliminated until only the fastest 16 remain. The 16 finalists will advance to Phase Two of GT Academy, where they will compete against each other in a series of challenges, including going behind-the-wheel of real Nissan race cars, for a chance to become a professional race car driver and the official GT Academy winner for the U.S. The winner will then have the opportunity to train with an elite racing team and will work towards a debut as part of a professional team in a major endurance race.

In no particular order, the 32 finalists heading to Orlando are Carl Posey, Christopher Morton, Emerson Trimble, Ryan Gordon, Damian Gosztyla, Sean Johnston, Steve Driscoll, Brian Rice, Tom Carstensen, Kris Norris, Nick Fontana, Iliya Bridan, Connor Clifford, Kyong Oh, Gregory Russell, Darryl Sutherland, Christopher Roberts, Jason Miller, Matthew Wright, Phillip Arscott, Landon Harrison, Brett Jones, Glenn McGee Howle, John Wilding, Nick Tenhulzen, Jose Sebastian Cedeno, Andre Gomes, Rich Pratt, James Edwards, Bryan Heitkotter, Derek Dalton, and Brock Harrison.

Congratulations from Sony, Polyphony Digital, and Nissan North America to all 32 of these amazing individuals. The stakes are high. The competition will be fierce. Good luck to all of them.

Continue to check back here on the PlayStation Blog and the official GT Academy Facebook page for updates on GT Academy and the National Finals. For more information on GT Academy, please visit: http://us.gran-turismo.com/us/.

The Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA recognizes the best vehicles in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged, one winner from each category is selected on performance and style by leading automotive media. From there, it falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show” winner. Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views each of the category winners and selects a vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand; one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out and play Gran Turismo 5 prior to launch.

For those of you in town to attend SEMA, come on by with your badge to check out the awards event and a great show. We look forward to seeing you Wed evening!

For more stories like this, and more Sony Electronics news from CES, head on over to Sony.com.
Of course, we’ll be providing gaming highlights right here on the PlayStation.Blog. And for those joining us tomorrow afternoon – see you there!

Starting December 17, PlayStation 3 users will be able to download the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge from the PlayStation Store for a chance to win. Everyone who downloads it will get a chance to try out Gran Turismo 5’s brand-new physics engine by test driving the new Nissan 370Z on the road to winning an exciting grand prize package that would drive any GT fan wild.

The Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge features both a stock and a tuned version of the new Nissan 370Z, and includes two time trial events on a single track, one for each version of the car. Both cars drive and handle differently, each providing a unique challenge for newcomers to the GT series and long-time fans alike. And you’ll have to master both to have a chance at winning, because the grand prize will go to the player with the best combined time for both the stock and tuned Time Trial events.

What does being the best of the best earn you? The winner will receive round trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two (winner and guest) to attend the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, a.k.a. the Indy 500, on May 30, 2010. It doesn’t end there, because the winner and guest also get a VIP package which includes two (2) all-access passes for Carb Day – which includes the final Indy 500 practice, pit stop competition, special concert festivities, special event car rides in the 2010 Indy 500 event vehicle, as well as all-access passes to the garage, pit area, and Victory Lane for pre- and post-race celebrations for the race and two (2) VIP suite tickets to enjoy the race. This is the experience of a lifetime for true racing fans.

The contest is open to US and Canada residents, with an independent contest for each country. That means that there will actually be two grand prize winners: one for the US and one for Canada. And I’m sure there will be some friendly rivalry to see which country has the fastest racers, in true Gran Turismo spirit. You just have to be 18 years old or older to win because much of the cool VIP experience the winner will be treated to require the participants to be 18 for safety reasons.

In the event of a tie of combined Time Trial lap times, the player with the fastest stock non-tuned Time Trial lap will be deemed the winner. In addition, five runner-ups in the US and five in Canada will receive a voucher to download Gran Turismo for PSP.

You’ll have plenty of time to study Gran Turismo 5 and go for your best possible time, because the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge will run through 5PM PST on January 25, 2010. After January 25 you won’t be able to download the game from PSN, but those who already have it will be able to continue to play it past the contest end date. Click here for official rules for the US.

So mark December 17 on your calendar for your chance to test your driving skills in the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge. Don’t forget to look for more Gran Turismo 5 exciting news in the coming weeks and months on the newly re-designed official Gran Turismo website.

Two days ago, PlayStation hosted the 7th annual Gran Turismo (GT) Awards in Las Vegas, taking place in conjunction with the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. We had some impressive entries and a fantastic turnout at the ceremony, headlined by a live performance from the The Offspring at Rain nightclub inside the Palms hotel. Kazunori Yamauchi – creator of the Gran Turismo franchise – chose a 1970 Ford Mustang from our Hot Rod category as our overall “Best in Show” vehicle, so a big congratulations to owners Todd Gartshore and Phil Koenan – get ready to see you car cruising around the virtual tracks of Gran Turismo 5!

Speaking of GT Awards winners, we got a chance to catch up with two of our past champs at the event and got their thoughts on winning “Best in Show”, but also how it feels to see (and play) your very own car in Gran Turismo, which they were able to play last night for the first time. Here’s what they had to say:

Brian Filoteo of High End Performance, Inc., 2008 winner with his 2007 Infinity G37

“Being a part of the winning team at the GT Awards was a surreal experience. We all feel very grateful and humbled by winning the most prestigious award in the automotive aftermarket industry. It’s every enthusiast’s dream to be immortalized in Gran Turismo and we are extremely honored by being one of the select few to win – can’t wait to win again! Watch out for us next year when we release our next big project. Everything we do here is for our brother JR. May he rest in peace.

Seeing the car in the game is a hair-raising experience. Immediately after walking in the award ceremony last night, we were graced with videos of our car in the game. I got goose bumps just from seeing the car driving around the beautiful virtual world of Gran Turismo. The look and feel is identical to real life and the detail captured in the game is incredible. The drive feel is also scary similar, especially the sensation of speed. Real life physics and textures are presented perfectly and really the only thing that can compare to it is actually hoping in a real car and taking a drive. On behalf of high end performance and JR Rocha I would like to thank SCEA and Polyphony Digital for the opportunity and the fulfillment of a dream. JR Rocha, this is all for you and we miss you with all our heart. Thank you again for the honor and the privilege to be a Gran Turismo Awards winner.”

Marcel Horn, President of HPA Motorsports Inc., 2007 winner with his 2007 Audi TT

“Being a GT Awards finalist is an honor in itself; to be linked with the elite of the industry and have our team’s work acknowledged by our peers amidst the vast range of impressive vehicles at the SEMA Show makes me extremely proud. The night we took home the Best in Show award, our entire team was on cloud nine. The energy level in the room was amazing as all egos seemed to be checked at the door while everyone shared in this common passion.

Having our 2004 Golf R32 appear in Gran Turismo 4 had been a highlight for our team and forever changed my view of gaming simulators. What SCEA and Polyphony have achieved with this latest rendition of the game had me questioning virtual vs reality. The incredible detail they captured brought the car to life. Driving our Audi TT at the awards party last night was one of the most liberating experiences, and I marveled at the sensation of speed and uninhibited interface with the car. I have quickly discovered a new addiction with this game—one that won’t require donations to the state patrol!”

Go here for additional information about the event and to see pictures and all of the category winners.

The Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA recognizes the best vehicles in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged and selected on performance and style by leading automotive media, it then falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show.” Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views all category winners and selects the vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand, and one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out the latest gameplay of Gran Turismo 5. Winners from the past two GT Awards events, the 2007 HPA Audi TT from the 2007 awards, and the 2007 high performance Infiniti G37 from the 2008 awards, will be playable in the latest version of Gran Turismo 5 at the event.

Also to help celebrate the awards and the upcoming SEMA week, we have teamed with the automotive enthusiast site Autoblog to have them give away a GT PSP entertainment pack each day the entire week (five in all) starting Monday, November 2nd. We encourage you to jump on over to Autoblog to check out the contest and try your hand at getting one of these prized possessions. Good luck!

If you followed the October 1 launch of the PSP debut of Gran Turismo, you’ve seen our TV ad teaser, the TV commercial itself, and the behind-the-scenes video for the TV commercial featuring Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust.

And if you are a true GT fan, you drooled over the custom GT-branded helmets and Alpinestars racing suits featured in the videos. Well, now’s your chance to win your very own suit, helmet and gloves!

You’ll also win a Gran Turismo PSP Entertainment Pack which just launched on Tuesday! The Entertainment Pack features a Mystic Silver PSP-3000 system, a copy of the game, a PlayStation Network voucher for The Italian Job movie, a 2 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, a voucher for the exclusive white version of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and a Sony Music Pass voucher for 10 free songs.

How do you win one of these custom racing helmets and suits, you ask? Just send us a video, essay, or slideshow presentation and prove to us that you are the biggest Gran Turismo fan around. How you prove that is up to you.

The first place winner will get the driver racing suit, gloves and helmet with the visor, as worn by Rhys Millen, a Gran Turismo PSP Entertainment Pack, plus a Gran Turismo poster signed by Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust.

The second place winner will get the passenger racing suit, gloves, and open-face helmet worn by the passenger in the TV commercial, Tanner Foust, plus a Gran Turismo PSP Entertainment Pack, and a Gran Turismo poster signed by Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust.

The third place winner will win a Gran Turismo PSP Entertainment Pack, and a Gran Turismo poster signed by Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust.

And seven more winners will receive a Gran Turismo poster signed by Rhys Millen and Tanner Foust.

To enter, email your video (up to 2 minutes), essay (1 page) or slideshow presentation to PlayStation_Community_Support@playstation.sony.com by midnight PST on November 22 with “GT PSP Contest Entry” in the subject line. Visit here for official entry rules. Contest open to US residents only.

So what are you waiting for? Prove you’re the ultimate Gran Turismo fan and you’ll be able to wear your GT pride on your sleeve, and head, and all over!

It’s been four months since we officially took off the car cover on Gran Turismo for PSP at E3 back in June, and Gran Turismo makes its big debut on the PSP today. Thanks to all the dedicated GT fans for the support!

Those of you who have already downloaded it from PSN or bought it at your local retailer already know that Gran Turismo delivers an unrivaled and authentic racing experience on the PSP, not to mention a massive collection of 800+ cars. Polyphony Digital specifically designed the game for the PSP, with more accessible gameplay modes and more social gaming-oriented multiplayer racing. Gran Turismo breaks a lot of new ground, both technologically in terms of hardware performance, as well as in terms of bringing innovative new features to the Gran Turismo series that are tailored for gaming on the go.

By the way, thanks for your positive feedback on our Gran Turismo TV commercial. The TV shoot itself was so exciting that we just had to create a Behind the Scenes video to show you how we captured the competition between the Corvette ZR1 and Gran Turismo on the PSP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The video features interviews with director Jeff Zwart, as well as Rhys Millen, driver of the ZR1, and Tanner Foust, passenger playing the PSP. Tanner is used to driving at fast speeds as a famed drift and rally champion, but had to adjust to playing the PSP while being thrown around by Rhys’ driving. My favorite part of the day was driving in that camera car you see in the video, especially down the corkscrew!

I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes video and the TV commercial as much as we all enjoyed making them.

Don’t forget that you can get a red Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to add to your in-game car collection in this month’s episode of Qore, for a limited time only. One car down, more than 800 left to go! And all the cars you unlock in the PSP version can be transferred over to Gran Turismo 5 when it comes out.

Happy racing!