Before you read any further, keep in mind this rumor – while very promising – has only been mentioned by one person, so proceed with caution. With that said, Oldschool27 of the PlayStation Forums claims to have spotted a playable Gran Turismo 5 demo at a PS3 kiosk inside a Best Buy in Oregon. He’s backed up his story with pictures and information about the “5 tracks” and “15 cars” featured, including Rome, Daytona, Toscana, and Jeff Gordon’s #24 NASCAR.

You can read his thread for yourself, though it was unfortunately closed by the PS Forum moderators due to “flaming”. Others were understandably suspicious, and as of Wednesday night no other Oregon-based forum users were able to find this at their local stores just yet.

Regardless, the pictures are quite convincing, and it should be expected that retailers will receive playable demos of the game at least some time between now and November. Oldschool27, if you’re reading, please contact me or leave a comment below regarding the exact location of the store you visited so that others can go and check it out. Thanks to Ricardo for the tip!

Related posts:

1. GT5 Playable Demo at Le Mans 2010
2. McLaren F1, Nurburgring in 3D Gran Turismo 5 Demo
3. Gran Turismo 5 Will Be Coming in 2010

NOTE: This post is from GT Planet.

As time goes by and big power GT-Rs get more plentiful more and more tuners are running into the same old pesky problems. In fact, whenever you see horsepower at these levels this problem tends to rear it’s head. That is flaky air flow sensors, air flow sensors that lack resolution or airflow sensors that just max out way earlier than needed.

To put this problem to bed AMS have tackled it head on;

The AMS Nissan GT-R upgraded MAF sensor was designed to eliminate the driveabilty problems with big horsepower GT-R’s. As with any GT-R, once you start to reach the 800HP threshold, driveablity problems occur. AMS diagnosed these issues and quickly sorted out a solution. Thanks to our tuner Chris Black, we now have a MAF sensor capable of handling big power and big amounts of air. Kiss your P0700 codes goodbye! Stop dealing with rough driveablity problems if you are running Greddy 20G’s, big bolt-on turbos or full turbo kits. These Mass Air Flow Sensors are designed and calibrated to handle big power!

These babies are good to handle airflow levels up to 1200bhp and are retailing for $999.95. Hit up the AMS website linked below for the full details…

Link: AMS Website

View Entire Article: AMS Release Upgraded Mass Airflow (MAF) Sensors for Nissan GT-R at GTRBlog.comOriginally appeared on and © GTRBlog.com. 2010. | Read comments.

NOTE: This post is from an outside source.

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Racing

Tanner Foust took the top spot in the first-ever Rallycross competition in the United States this past weekend, piloting an all-wheel-drive Rockstar Engergy/Etnies Ford Fiesta.

Rallycross has existed around the world for years, but the sport officially debuted in America at the 2010 X Games, where it was called Super Rally. Foust just happened to win gold in the inaugural X Games competition, too. Rallycross mixes circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition on a short course, featuring jumps, hills, unbanked turns and quick transitions between different road surfaces. Two more Rallycross events are scheduled to take place this year, all of which will be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Foust has been participating in European Rallycross events for quite some time, and he’s also gained exposure by competing in Formula Drift and previous X Games competitions. What’s more, Foust is one of the hosts for the U.S. version of Top Gear. Somebody get this guy a vacation.

Look for the next U.S. Rallycross event to take place on October 2-3 and follow the jump for the full release about Foust’s win along with a brief video of Tanner ripping down the front straight with his rear bumper flapping in the wind.

Gallery: RallyCar Rallycross at New Jersey Motorsports Park

[Source: Tanner Foust]Continue reading Tanner Foust wins first RallyCar Rallycross event in U.S. [w/video]

Tanner Foust wins first RallyCar Rallycross event in U.S. [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports

It is only fitting that NASCAR has as history of cheating that’s as cunning and varied as the methods of the original, moonshine-running racers skirting the law. Popular Mechanics has detailed 11 great moments in the bending and breaking of NASCAR rules, which include a cheating incident and ejection in the very first series race in 1949, an inflated basketball to circumvent gas tank capacity and frame rails loaded with BBs to get around weight restrictions.

And although a stricter rule book and the Car of Tomorrow might make “rules violations” harder ever year, it certainly hasn’t stopped: a site that keeps track of NASCAR penalties shows the series has docked five teams five teams already this year. Perhaps that’s because, as Darryl Waltrip said after getting busted in 1976, “If you don’t cheat, you look like an idiot.”

[Source: Popular Mechanics | Image: Jason Smith/Getty Images]NASCAR’s greatest cheats detailed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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InsideSimRacing has just published their Gran Turismo 5 Special, dedicating almost the entire 38-minute episode to video reports from Gamescom 2010 by our cooperative team of Andreas (from InsideSimRacing), Famine, and Venari. They discuss everything that we learned from the show, and go into more detail about the private breakout session, the Yamauchi interview, and how the latest GT5 demo compares to previous games from the series. It’s divided into three different segments, so be sure to watch through the full episode to make sure you catch everything. The guys at ISR have even more GT5 material from the show coming, so stay tuned.

Once again, I’d like to thank Famine, Venari, and Andreas for all their hard work at the show, Darin at InsideSimRacing and their Sony representative, Alex, for providing us with so much awesome access throughout the week. Well done, guys!

Related posts:

1. GTPlanet, InsideSimRacing Team Up for Gamescom 2010 Coverage & Yamauchi Interview
2. InsideSimRacing Gamescom 2010 GT5 Video Coverage Preview
3. In-Depth GT5 Gameplay Analysis by InsideSimRacing.tv

NOTE: This post is from GT Planet.

Well we did mention that the SpecM name was tentative and today we’ve heard another rumor from sources close to Nissan that the R35 GT-R “Gentleman’s Edition” will launch in the Japanese market as the Nissan GT-R Egoist. While the name seems insane to us it’s not too far outside the bounds of Japanese naming schemes so that we’d completely rule it out.

The SpecM nameplate is likely to be kept in markets outside Japan however so don’t completely cross it off your wish list just yet…

On the topic of rumors from sources close to Nissan Japan, here’s another we’ve just heard. Those folks hopeful that 520ps is the new peak power figure for the 2012 GT-R might be surprised to learn they can expect to be dissapointed. After seeing this figure making its way around blogs and forums one might start quoting it as fact by now but to this date no figure has appeared either officially or leaked. In the true spirit of it not being over ’til the fat lady sings, we’re now told by our reliable sources that 530ps – 540ps is more accurate.

I’ll leave that last one out there…

View Entire Article: More Power In Store for 2012, Spec-M Named for Japan Market: The Nissan GT-R EGOIST at GTRBlog.comOriginally appeared on and © GTRBlog.com. 2010. | Read comments.

NOTE: This post is from an outside source.

Remember the outraged city of Siena, which was preparing legal action against Sony because the city’s*Contrade flags appeared around*GT5’s karting track, Piazza del Campo? There was some concern and confusion regarding what the eventual outcome would be, but the solution fortunately turned out to be quite simple: the offensive flags were removed and Siena’s cultural heritage “protected”… *As*reported by Corriere Fiorentino:

The Consortium*continues the note, “notes also welcome the establishment of the Sony to withdraw immediately from the market any promotional materials containing references to and claims on which there are exclusive rights of Contrade and the Consortium, as well as the commitment to remove, dall’edizione the game on the market by November, flags and any reference to the Feast Contrade and Siena.*In addition to the successful from the strictly legal matter, the Consortium is pleased because the reasons underlying its action, namely the protection of historical and cultural heritage as the Palio of Siena community were listed by Sony. “

Related posts:

1. GT5 Gameplay Video: Fiat 500 F ‘67 at Piazza Del Campo
2. Sony, Polyphony Digital Face Italian Legal Threats
3. Gran Turismo 5 Nürburgring GP Circuit Screenshots

NOTE: This post is from GT Planet.

Filed under: Motorsports, Motorcycle, Racing

Tragic events unfolded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend when Peter Lenz, 13, was killed after falling off of his motorcycle and being hit by another rider during a warm-up lap.

Ben Spies, who took second place during Sunday’s MotoGP event, commented on the unfortunate events:

“I told myself before the race, I was riding my heart out for him today. I’ve lost a teammate in the past, my best friend. He was at an age at least he knew what he was doing; he obviously loved it. He knew how dangerous it could be.“

Lenz was set to compete in a USGPRU series race, which is for riders ages 12 to 18 who would like to gain experience for higher-level competitions like MotoGP. This was the first fatality in the nine-year history of USGPRU. Our condolences go out to Lenz’s family and friends.

[Source: The Indianapolis Star | Image: Facebook]13-year old motorcycle racer killed during warm-up lap at Indy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos from the most recent build of the game shown at Gamescom 2010.

Related posts:

1. GT5’s Nürburgring GP Circuit Gameplay Videos
2. Circuit de la Sarthe Confirmed in Latest GT5 Demo
3. Top Gear Test Track: GT5 Screenshots & Gameplay Videos

NOTE: This post is from GT Planet.

As mentioned in our previous Spec-M Exposé the 2012 Nissan GT-R is set to arrive on the scene shortly with so many changes that Nissan had to go out and revise the chassis designation bumping CBA-R35 in favor of the new DBA-R35 tag. While we touched on the cosmetic changes in part 1 of this post we didn’t delve into the more technical changes yet so here goes.

Aero Updates

Aero changes to the front bumper, rear diffuser and rear underspoiler mean that the 2012 GT-R slips through the air with even less drag than the already impressive 2009 model. As mentioned previously, these changes help it lower it’s co-efficient of drag as well as increase downforce in the rear by as much as 10%. The rear vents also assist in keeping rear underbody temperatures lower meaning less heat transfer from the GT-R’s hot exhaust into the critical areas like the GR6 transmission fluid and rear differential.

Nissan took the opportunity with the rear diffuser/underspoiler rear design to build in a rear Euro mandated fog light using an LED strip along the bottom edge in the center.

Chassis Updates

As well as aerodynamics, street and circuit handling in the 2012 GT-R is going to benefit greatly from some key chassis stiffening updates in the DBA-R35. Strengthening members are added to the front area under the dashboard (highlighted above). In the engine bay, new bracing members extend from the rear of the strut towers to the firewall.

As well as increasing chassis rigidity by adding new key metal – the GT-R engineering team has improved the manufacturing line to improve GT-R build quality and panel fit consitency for every car built.

Suspension Updates

Again showing that the Nissan GT-R engineering team is focussing on driver feel, they’ve gone to the extrordinary length of changing the suspension geometry on the DBA-R35 model. The changes to the front suspension lower arm move the stabiliser bar further out and change the shock absorber lever angle. To go with these changes up front is a castor angle change from 5°35 to 6°00. In the rear, Nissan has tuned the roll center.

All around, Nissan’s update to the suspension to adopt an aluminium free piston design as well as spring, damper and valve rate changes mean the suspension is able to more quickly adapt to changes in surface and direction. The net benefit is a more stable and more responsive feel with even more feedback to drivers than ever before.

Brakes, Wheels and Tires Updates

Nissan’s experience with racing over the past few years with the GT-R has taught them that more stopping power is always better. To that end they’ve upped the front rotor size on the DBA-R35 from 380mm of the CBA-R35 to 390mm.

As mentioned already, the DBA-R35 will debut with a new design Rays forged aluminium wheel each 3kg lighter than the outgoing type. These wheels will come in two new colors Hyper Blue Black and Hyper Titanium. The new Rays wheels feature improved knurling to help further with reducing tire slip on the rims themselves.

To fit these new wheels are updated versions of both summer tires already being fitted to the GT-R, namely the RE070R R2 from Bridgestone and the SP Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTT from Dunlop. Both are touted to improve grip and increase sidewall stiffness, something very important in a heavy awd vehicle such as the GT-R.

Part III to come soon where we’ll cover the remainder of the DBA-R35 changes including interior and engine changes, so stay tuned…

View Entire Article: 2012 Nissan GT-R Leaks: Part II More Confirmed Details at GTRBlog.comOriginally appeared on and © GTRBlog.com. 2010. | Read comments.

NOTE: This post is from an outside source.