TPRA News

Yes, you're supposed to shower your spouse with love every day of the year but on February 14th, you're supposed to do it even more. Apparently.
Girls? Prepare to get red gifts and red flowers. Guys? Prepare to buy red gifts and red flowers.

Also in the news today is the announcent by Kaz on Twitter of the next update to GT5 - 2.05. It'll most likely mend all of the bugs that 2.04 created and may even introduce some more bugs, such is the way with updates. Props and respect to the team at Polyphony Digital for their continuining commitments to us and for all of the hard work they do for us.

Lots of love,

TPRA News. ❤

Whether it's on your mobile phone, in physical form or simply a piece of paper kept in your pocket, mark your diary for Tuesday, February 7th because the next update to Gran Turismo 5 is being released!

The last update we recieved (2.03) was of course last month, releasing alongside the third set of Downloadable Content (DLC) for GT5 - Car Pack 3 and the Speed Test Pack.
No word the contents of the update, whether it'll be a large update or just a few small bugs squashed remains to be seen. Kazunori Yamauchi will probably Tweet about it in the coming says, so keep your browser bookmarked with TPRA News to get all of the gossip on the new update!

Thanks to 'mobilmasher' for the early tip!

GT5 Photo Mode image courtesy of 'Blackyk'.

Five teams entered but only one emerged victorious. Precision Motorsports (PMS) took home the gold after themselves and four other teams took their bodies and minds to the absolute limit. They took on 12 hours of endurance racing at the Daytona Road Course with many fans in attendance rooting for their favourite teams and drivers. It was the first TPRA Enduro of 2012 and what an Enduro it was.

The teams had spent weeks whittling down 21 potential cars to just one. Every team decided on the '06 Race Modified Chevrolet Corvette except for Peace Keeper Racing Team Bravery (PKRTB) as they opted for the '07 Ferrari F430 Scuderia. It was arguably the best looking car out there, racing in a beautiful choice of colour - Competizione Red.

Precision Motorsports (PMS) won the first two stints and the last two stints. The only two teams that prevented them from victory in a stint was Baker Built Racing (BBR) in the third stint and Team Unity in the fourth stint. PMS never lost the lead and stayed at the very top of the standings in overall time until they took victory with 'Choate51' winning the final stint. This was PMS' first enduro and when they revealed their impressive driver roster they were considered the favourites for the win. They delivered with an abundance of awesomeness and dominated almost every race.

In fact in some of the stints, the distance between the guys at the front and the guys at the back was enormous. In an early show of brilliance, the third stint was dominated by BBR's 'redsoxboy80' as he lapped the entire field leaving second place man, 'tunernaut' for PMS the only un-lapped driver in that stint.
The fourth stint started off with a bang as BBR's 'Oldtimer01' was left hung out to dry in the early corners. The other drivers made an aggresive start and 'Oldtimer01' was left with no room and ended up on the grass. He smartly decided to change his strategy and went for longer stints in-between pit stops and saved a pit stop over the other drivers. It was not to be though as he finished last in the stint.

For me as a reporter, the sixth and final stint was one of the one most exciting.
Drivers were becoming fatigued - they'd either been driving all day or had been sitting in the garage with anticipation all day. Cars were also becoming fatigued, or at least their engines were. Both 'THE_KART96' for Peace Keeper Racing Founders (PKRF) and 'AlfaVeloce32' for Precision Motorsports (PMS) lost engine power on lap 24. Luckily 'AlfaVeloce32' was driving the second car on PMS, their first car was being driven by 'Choate51' who went on to win the stint.
Team Unity also had a bad last stint. The very talented 'SpecMiata-JSW' had little experience with this car and circuit and also with strategy. The GT Academy finalist ran out of fuel on lap 40 but managed to crawl back to the pits to fill up on fuel. He then ran out again on lap 45 as he didn't know how much he needed to finish the race. This time he over-filled with fuel and was too heavy. He decided to run to the end and changed to the medium compound tyre but by this point, his race was pretty much ruined. This reiterates the point that a driver may have the skill, but if they're under-prepared then they could suffer.
Towards the end it got even more exciting. 'larrys4227' for The Killer B's lost all power to his engine as his team threw their arms up in frustration back in the garage. Why were they so frustrated? His engine blew one lap before the end, and he was also catching a struggling 'SpecMiata-JSW'.
A great stint-long battle between Former Team Wat (FTW)'s 'group44' and BBR's 'badaboya1' finished off the enduro as 'group44' beat 'badaboya1' by a wincing three-hundredths-of-a-second.
The race was cut short after a sudden, intense rain storm caught the drivers off-guard. While nobody fell off the circuit, the event was shorted by around 2 hours and PMS was declared the winner.

The entire race was broadcast live over the Internet courtesy of BBR's 'Maineiac_Moose' who gave up his seat in the race to give the world some way to watch this great event. The feed ended up receiving over 300 views total and at it's peak, viewership was over 20 people at one time.

Precision Motorsports (PMS) had a winning overall time of 10 hours, 35 minutes and 2 seconds. Baker Built Racing (BBR) finished second with an overall time of 10 hours, 38 minutes and 39 seconds; some 3 minutes behind PMS. Rounding out the top three was Team Unity with an overall time of 10 hours, 41 minutes and 33 seconds.
Full results for all teams can be found here.

Congratulations to Precision Motorsports for taking the well-deserved victory. They not only had the skills but also prepared properly - this ultimately turned into a winning combination.

Special thanks goes out to 'PKR_DUNTOV3030' for putting this event together. He worked supremely hard and even had the energy to run the last stint for his team, Peace Keeper Racing Founders. Also, special thanks to 'Maineiac_Moose' for the live feed - a truly terrific feature.

Thanks to all participating drivers and to all those who helped make this event happen. Well done all!

TPRA Enduros will return...

The Tuner's Pit is running its first Enduro of 2012, featuring a re-make of the famous Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Road Course.

Here are the teams:

Entered Teams/Cars
1) Precision Motor Sports (PMS) - 1 #63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) '06 RM Pink
- Monster_Energy71 (Captain)
- Choate51
- Tunernaut
2) Baker Built Racing (BBR) -1 #51 Black
- redsoxboy80
- SSRacing69
- rmk700
3) Baker Built Racing (BBR) -2 #5 Black
- calvins48 (Captain)
- imfasterkb
- badaboya1
- Oldtimer01
- nba336
- mobilmasher
4) KILLER Bs RACING (KBR) #99 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) '06 RM Bright Green Metallic
- Larrys4227 (Captain)
- desmalta1
- Puckhead77
- The_Revengel
5) Precision Motor Sports (PMS) - 2 #64 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) '06 RM Lavender
- Blackyk
- Alfaveloce32
- Tangled_up
6) Peace Keeper Racing (PKR) Founders #96 Corvette Z06 (C6) RM '06 Electric Orange
- THE_KART96
- mmacek96
- MiamiPhill
7) Peace Keeper Racing (PKR) Team Bravery #77 Ferrari 430 Scuderia '07 Competizione Red
- PKR_DUNTOV3030 (Captain)
- PKR_MoparSRT
- PKR_oldboy1943
- PKR_WheelerTurner
8) Team Unity #33 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) '06 RM CAPRI BLAU
- hey6541
- Ricks95
- SpecMiata_JSW
9) Former Team Wat (FTW) #42 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) '06 RM Titanium Silver
- Rooster722
- group44

A special feature for this event is a live video feed, provided by Maineiac_Moose.


Video streaming by Ustream

We hope you enjoy watching the race!

The latest software update to Gran Turismo 5, 2.03 is now making itself available to gamers worldwide. It is currently only live in North America but will go live for other gamers around the world later today and tomorrow in preparation of the newest batch of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the game.

But what does 2.03 exactly bring to the table?

-- 12 new My Home theme colors and 12 new wallpapers for [GT Mode] have been added to the game. Please find these from the [My Home Settings]-[My Home Design] menu on the left side of the screen.
-- Tyre wear speed prediction has been added to the pit stop decisions in B-Spec, to prevent tires from wearing out completely during long races.
-- Regenerative braking (which recovers energy by converting kinetic energy into electricity) in electric cars have been made stronger to extend driving distance.
-- Electric cars will now also creep forward (as in standard automatic cars) when the brake is released without pressing the accelerator.
-- Regarding the Chaparral 2J race car’s performance points, the increased performance factor due to the downforce produced by the fan is now calculated.
-- An issue has been corrected where the car would pit-in unintentionally during the last lap of a B-spec race.

However, there's always some fixes that aren't officially released or mentioned by Polyphony Digital, so the hunt begins! Start finding those hidden fixes, people!

But there's more! New images and information has been released regarding the latest DLC coming to GT5 - 'Car Pack 3' and the 'Speed Test Pack'.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage ’10 | 217,350Cr. | 509bhp | 1680kg | 521PP


Jaguar XJR-9 LM Race Car ’88 | 4,750,00Cr. | 749bhp | 894kg | 709PP


Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 ’11 | 400,000Cr. | 690bhp | 1575kg | 583PP


Mini Cooper S Countryman ’11 | 34,500Cr. | 181bhp | 1310kg | 390PP


Nissan Leaf G ’11 | 40,600Cr. | 107bhp | 1520kg | 333PP


Volkswagen 1200 ’66 | 60,000Cr.| 33bhp | 1160kg | 216PP


New shots of Special Stage Route X (SSRX) and it's accompanying Data Recorder feature have also been released. The new circuit and this new mode make up the second part of GT5's latest DLC - the Speed Test Pack.


Special Stage Route X (SSRX) in the day.


Special Stage Route X (SSRX) at night.


A filled-out Data Recorder sheet, using the Red Bull X2011 Prototype '11.

All of this new DLC will be available on the PlayStation Store from Tuesday, January 17th for North American gamers. Other areas will get the DLC in the coming days.

Yes, in less than 24 hours, North American GT5 gamers will be able to get their oil-ridden hands on the most recent Downloadable Content (DLC) for Gran Turismo 5! European gamers will be able to enjoy the DLC from this Wednesday. Why the delay? The North American PlayStation Store gets updated on Tuesdays and the European PlayStation Store gets updated on on Wednesdays.

Car Pack 3
Please note: All vehicle pictures are real-life images. We understand that it's hard to tell if they're in-game shots or real-life shots so this disclaimer was needed.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage '10

It does what it says on the tin. The clue's in the title. Take one look at the car and it just looks like it's going to be loud, mean and fast. That V12 engine delivers 510bhp and is mounted in the front of a car that only weighs 1,680kg, thus allowing the car to accelerate from 0-60mph in just over 4 seconds. Once it gets it past that, the needle on the dial will go all the way around to 190.

Jaguar XJR-9 LM Race Car '88

It was Standard, it's now Premium. You'll remember the XJR-9 from it's incarnation into the Gran Turismo series in Gran Turismo 4. Yes, it currently exists in GT5, but only as a Standard car. This means no high-beams, no working wipers, no fully-fledged interior and only some jagged lines and and a blacked-out interior to represent it in the game. But from tomorrow we'll be able to enjoy the iconic car's full prowess as it careers down the Mulsanne Straight at La Sarthe using the full extent of it's 7.0-litre V12. The car that stopped Porsche's success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans will indeed make players stop in their tracks as they see the Jaguar XJR-9 sitting in their Garage.

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 '11

A car that goes for almost $400,000 in real-life can be yours in the game for a much more reasonable fee. The Aventador replaces one of the most recognizable super cars of the 21st Century - the Murcielago. The V12 engine that had been used since the Miura has been replaced for the Aventador but it's by no means lost it's talent. It's still a V12 and it's a 6.5-litre bad boy that shoves out 690bhp, 510lb-ft of torque and shoots the Aventador all the way to 217mph. 0-60mph is dealt with in less than 3 seconds. The Aventador is not only fast in a straight line but does something that a V12 Lamborghini has never done before - corner responsibly. Yes, you can still throw it around but thanks to an F1-style push-rod suspension, the Aventador is perfectly balanced at all times. Just what the doctor ordered for GT5 then.

Mini Countryman S (R60) '11

From a 690bhp Italian bull to a 184bhp German SUV, the Countryman S may seem inferior but let me tell you, it certainly isn't. Since children aren't included in Gran Turismo 5 (maybe the next DLC?) it would be silly to use the car to ferry them around in the game so why not take advantage of the Countryman S' 4-wheel drive system and head to Toscana? The first ever crossover SUV from Mini comes with a 6-speed transmission as standard, a long wheelbase for great stability and more interior room. Okay, who am I kidding? The Mini Countryman S is designed to be on the legal roads and in an occasional flat field for when the family goes camping. It has a 5-star crash rating from Euro NCAP for maximum protection and safety when Dad drives it into a ditch on a family outing or you "accidently" throw it into the Armco barrier in GT5.

Nissan Leaf G '11

Okay, so now we go down even further in the power pecking order. We're now all the way down here with 110bhp in electric form and zero emissions. The numbers don't really get any bigger for all you petrol-heads out there. However, this car isn't for petrol-heads and doesn't even use any petrol to run it. The Leaf or 'LEAF' (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) is the first all-electric car from Nissan and is massively overpriced. $35,200 to save the world. Impressively though, the car produces no tailpipe pollution and as previously mentioned - absolutely no emissions. It's not a hybrid like the Toyota Prius, it needs to be plugged in and charged to keep it going, much like the Tesla Roadser sports car, but on more of a city car scale. So does the car belong in the game? A driving game featuring a car that is more about saving the planet than actually driving? Polyphony Digital and Nissan have a major collaboration and the car has actually won numerous Car of the Year awards from various publications, the Nissan Leaf may indeed pave the way for the future of cars. While this reporter thinks the car is totally impracticable and pointless, it's plain to see why this landmark of motoring needs to be in a video game like Gran Turismo 5.

Volkswagen 1200 '66

Officially the Type 1 but better known as the 'Beetle' or the 'Bug', the Volkswagen 1200 is arguably the most recognisable car in the entire world, maybe only eclipsed by the original Mini. The 1200 is the longest-running and most-manufactured automobile of a single design platform anywhere in the world and certainly deserves a place in the virtual car museum that is Gran Turismo 5. Do we really have to talk about power and what the engine can do? The car that revolutionised the global car industry is famous for it's simplicity in design both externally and internally; it served as a benchmark for other compact cars that followed.. "Volkswagen" translates from German to English as "People's Car" and the 1200 is just that. A car that was aimed at everyone and succeeded in it's goal. The 1200 started in 1938 and it's production eventually ended in 2003 - 65 years of brilliance. This particular version coming to GT5 is from 1966. Power was increased to 50hp for the 1966 model year and the 1200 was by then a firm favourite with all kinds of citizens. Surfers, families, drag racers, teenagers hanging out with their friends, the list goes on. Everyone loved the 1200 and The People's Car finally finds it's place in Gran Turismo 5 for the people to drive once more.

Speed Test Pack
Special Stage Route X

You've seen the cars but where are you going to drive them? High Speed Ring? Suzuka Circuit? Think again. Also coming as part of tomorrow's DLC and part of the Speed Test Pack is an all-new circuit named 'Special Stage Route X' (SSRX). It's gigantic at 30km in length, features a 12km-long straight and four massively banked turns. Some may remember the Test Course from past Gran Turismo games and it's absense in GT5, but rather than simply bringing Test Course back, Polyphony Digital are handing us a brand new circuit based on it's idea. Architectural comparisons have been made to the famous Tokyo Bayshore Route while comparisons of SSRX's lengthy straight have been made to Volkswagen's testing facility at Ehra-Lessien, which has a 9km-long straight. Stand in the middle of the straight and it is impossible for one to see either end, due to the curvature of the Earth. But what can you actually do with the circuit? Well, the possibilities are indeed endless. NASCAR, Drag Racing, the list goes on.

Data Recording

So you have a huge test circuit and nothing to record the information with? Wrong. The Speed Test Pack also delivers a new mode to Gran Turismo 5 that enables players to record a whole host of aspects about their car. So you can take your brand-new Lamborghini Aventador (or any other car in the game) and see how long it takes to complete a quarter mile (400m), how long it takes to complete a full mile (1,000m), how quickly it can reach 60mph, how quickly it can reach 100mph, it's maximum speed and the maximum G-Force the car can achieve. This amazing new tool will prove invaluable for testing the true performance of the cars in your Garage.

Car Pack 3 will set you back a modest $5.99 (€5.99/£4.79) and the modesty continues with a charge of just $3.99 (€3.99/£3.19) for the Speed Test Pack. A package that enables players to buy both packs for a discount is not currently available, nor is a PlayStation Plus discount.

Also arriving tomorrow (worldwide) is update 2.03. The following fixes are to be included:

-- New themes for My Home in GT Mode.
-- An option for tire wearing in Pit Strategy (B-spec).
-- Simulates regenerative braking on electric cars.
-- Chaparral 2J Race Car ’70: Fan down force option.
-- Fixed unintended pit stop error in the final lap of a B-spec race.
-- 12 new colors and 12 new wall papers for My Home theme.
-- Electric cars run slowly without applying acceleration.
-- Regenerative braking affects the cruising distance.

New footage of GT5's ne DLC circuit, 'Special Stage Route x' has been uploaded to YouTube.

It's not clear how or where this was undertaken but the circuit certainly looks awesome!

TPRA News is proud to be first with this thrilling news!

Thanks to 'windfire1010' for the tip!

Sony Asia have officially announced “GRAN TURISMO®5” DLC ‘Car Pack 3’ and “GRAN TURISMO®5” DLC “Speed Test Pack”. You can discover the full details here.

This comes after the details of this DLC were leaked by a user at GTPlanet's Forum today.

The prices have now been announced, albeit in of Hong Kong Dollar. Car Pack 3 will be available for HK$47, which translates to US$6.05, so expect a rounding down to US$5.99 on the PlayStation Store. The Speed Test Pack will be available for HK$31, which translates exactly to US$3.99.
For the European users, Car Pack 3 should be €4.99 (after rounding up) and the Speed Test Pack should be €2.99 (after rounding down).
For the users from the United Kingdom, Car Pack 3 should be £3.99 (after rounding up) and the Speed Test pack should be £2.50 (after rounding down).
Be aware - these prices are guestimates from converting the Hong Kong Dollar prices and the final prices that appear officially on the PlayStation Store may be different.

Update 2.03 and the DLC are scheduled to be released Worldwide exactly a week from today on January 18th. You will be to find the DLC in the PlayStation Store. Also expect some in-game maintenance the day before this all releases. It will probably keep the majority of users offline for a short while.

Discussion is already well under way in our forums regarding this new DLC and update 2.03. Make sure you share your thoughts with other members!

TPRA News is proud to be the first with this exciting news!

Thanks to 'windfire1010' for the tip!

A rather intriguing post appeared over at GTPlanet's Forum yesterday. New GTPlanet user, 'Space Empire' posted the following regarding possible details of the next update to GT5 - 2.03 and further DLC. 'Space Empire' does not cite a source so this could all just be "photoshopped"; if it is indeed a fake, then it's clear that somebody has some great graphics skills and a lot of time on their hands.

The post starts of by telling of the details of the next DLC pack entitled "The Speed Test Pack". Ffirst the track, "Special Stage Route X Oval" and the cars, "Car Pack 3":


-- Nissan – Leaf G 2011
-- Aston Martin – V12 Vantage 2010
-- Volkswagen – Volkswagen 1200 1966
-- Jaguar – XJR-9 LM Racecar 1988
-- Lamborghini – Aventador LP700-4 2011
-- Mini – Mini Cooper S Country man (R60) 2011


As many fans had speculated, "Special Stage Route X Oval" is indeed the track seen in the Acura NSX Conept Video released earlier this week. A "Test Course" track was featured in past Gran Turismo games and enabled players to drag race their cars, discover their cars top speed, it's accelration, braking ability and more. The track was absent in GT5 but it looks like we could be getting an updated one in the next batch of DLC.


Details of what update 2.03 could bring us are as follows:

-- New themes for My Home in GT Mode.
-- An option for tire wearing in Pit Strategy (B-spec).
-- Simulates regenerative braking on electric cars.
-- Chaparral 2J Race Car ’70: Fan down force option.
-- Fixed unintended pit stop error in the final lap of a B-spec race.
-- 12 new colors and 12 new wall papers for My Home theme.
-- Electric cars run slowly without applying acceleration.
-- Regenerative braking affects the cruising distance.

If this information is concrete then we could be looking at Polyphomy Digital listening intently to their fans once again. We asked for the return of "Test Course" and we could be getting it. We asked for faster cars as part of new DLC and we could be getting them. Let's wait and see what Kaz and PD have to say about this.

Thanks to 'windfire1010' for the tip!

TPRA announces the return of Enduro racing!

A proper event post with all pertinent details will be forthcoming. In the interim, here are the general race details for your information:

- Event is being held one week before the Grand AM Rolex 24 hour event at Daytona
Road Course and is similar to said event, but not exact.
- Event will be a 12 hour endurance race.
- Maximum number of race cars entered will be 12.
- Each car entry must have a minimum of two drivers and may have a maximum of six
drivers.
- Each driver must drive a minimum of one stint. There is no maximum number of
stints per driver.
- Each stint will consist of 60 laps.
- There will be a 15 minute gap between stints.
- The intent is for this event to not be complicated. No tire restrictions, no tuning
restrictions, etc. The allowed vehicles will be PP limited, that is all.

Feel free to go ahead and post your intent to participate in this thread. You can list your drivers, etc.

The approved car list will be included in the official event post ASAP.

They're on the same team but it was every man for himself on Monday as 'tunernaut' ended 'Monster-Energy71''s seven-race winning streak at the Suzuka East Course in Japan as part of the 'Arrive and Drive' series. 'tunernaut' won race 1 but 'Monster-Energy71' returned to form and won race 2.

'Monster-Energy71' hadn't lost since late November last year when he was forced to retire at Spa in his BMW 320i Touring Car at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. He could only manage 3rd in race 1 on Monday after starting on pole. He was leading by over six seconds at one stage but ran wide and fell down the order. This gave the opportunity to the equally impressive 'tunernaut' who went on to win the race and take the fastest lap on lap 25. 'pkr_aracer77' drove an impressive race after starting from 4th on the grid and crossing the finish line in 2nd to taste the champagne on the podium. But for one to succeed, another must fail and this was unfortunately the case of 'jkmayol' who started on the second row of the grid in 3rd but ultimately finished 5th in the race. A strange result for such a strong competitor who'd had such a strong qualifying session earlier in the day.

Race 2 had an inverted field from race 1 but remarkably the top three drivers in race 1 were also the top three drivers in race 2. 'Monster-Energy71' instantly went back to winning ways and won the race, followed by his fellow Precision Motorsports Squad (PMS) brethren 'tunernaut' in second place and again another impressive drive from 'pkr_aracer77' as he took the final place on the podium. To further prove that he's still got it, 'Monster-Energy71' took home the fastest lap time on lap 24.

The drivers were in AEM S2000s at Suzuka East Course in Japan. The S2000 won the SEMA Award for Best In Show in '05 and is actually a drifter car. This was evident as the car slid through the esses almost constantly; control was paramount and had to be factored into a victory.

A day that could've been a monstrous Monday for 'Monster-Energy71' turned into a terrific track day for 'tunernaut', despite both drivers being on the same team. All this really does is reinforce the fact that team PMS is a force to be reckoned with in any upcoming Endurance events and although they are a new team, they shouldn't be underestimated.

A new trailer has been released by Polyphony Digital showing the new Acura NSX Concept car, revealed yesterday (GMT) at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, U.S.A.

At least 2 new locations or tracks can be seen in the trailer, leading to speculation over future DLC for Gran Turismo 5. The car is pretty much a done deal for DLC since when Polyphony Digital usually release a trailer of an upcoming car or concept car modelled in GT5, it usually finds itself into the game either through a free udpate or DLC.

But what the fans have really been yearning for are more tracks. The October 2011 DLC gave us Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps but since then, we've heard little on the track DLC front. Could this trailer give us a sneak peak as to what we might see in the next DLC? Maybe. But those locations you see in the background could just have been made for the sole purpose of the trailer.

If PD's 2-month release schedule of DLC is to be upheld, new DLC should follow in February. Right after the proposed late January update of course!

Thanks to 'THE_KART96' for the tip!

It was recently leaked and now it's real. The "XL" edition of Gran Turismo 5 will hit shelves on January 17th and will include a trunk-load of content.

After (along with other companies and Sony) recently leaking this special version of Gran Turismo 5, online retailer Newegg has provided a price ($39.99) and details of the game:

We're supposed to get another update at the end of this month, as mentioned in the news section of GT5, but Kaz nor the game has mentioned more DLC yet. As you can see above, the description on Newegg's site says "All of the DLC from October, December and early 2012". Does that mean more DLC this month as well as an update? Or is "early 2012" considered February and March as well as January? We're supposed to get to DLC every 2 months so February would be a good, educated guess for more DLC since our last batch was last month. An udpate in late January and DLC in early Febraury sounds like a plan, Stan.

A new year and it seems that nothing changes. After finishing off 2011 with a string of victories, 'Monster-Energy71' starts 2012 with another victory as he wins again at Spa in the Amuse S2000 GT1 in Division 1. In Division 2, British-born 'PeyePete' took the glory.

The afternoon began with a retirement. 'MiamiPhill' was billed as a potential victor after qualifying on pole in Div 2 but his car never even left the pits. The car was started up and minutes later there was radiator fluid spilling everywhere. With just minutes to go before the race began, there was nowhere near enough time for 'Phill''s team to fix the problem and get him out there.
This gave 'PeyePete' the pole and what did he do with it? He took the opportunity by the scruff of the neck and walked away with the win. He opted for a 3-stop pit strategy using soft compound tyres all the way. 'oldboy1943' did his team proud and came up from 6th on the grid to cross the finish in second place after going to the other end of the spectrum with his pit strategy. A one-stopper on medium compound tyres enabled him to gain no less that four positions in the race. 'THE_KART96' also finished higher than he qualified after starting on the second row of the grid in 4th and climbing up one place to take the last spot on the podium. There were a few rookies in yesterday's race, including 'muniz21' who started in an encouraging 2nd place on the grid after qualifying but finished the race in an unfortunate 5th. Other rookies 'heartcell' and 'ekrainey' finished in 4th and 7th positions respectively. A nice showing from the newer guys, ready to make a name for themselves at the TPRA. Maybe they'll follow 'Monster-Energy71''s outstanding start to his career; 'Monster' only joined the TPRA in October last year and has already won a number of times, including his current 7-race winning streak.

And that was the story in Div 1. 'Monster-Energy71' took his seventh-straight win after qualifying in 2nd position, passing pole-sitter 'Windfire1010' in the process. 'Windfire1010' went on to finish in 2nd place followed by 'tunernaut' who finished where he started in third. Just like the rest of the grid in fact. All of the drivers except for the top two finished where they started, one notable driver being 'SSRacing69' who was billed to climb up the grid from 5th but he never did. An explanation for this could be from what he said before the race, "I'm feeling pretty lousy." We also caught up with 'SS' after the race, "My race, well let's just say "my train of thought took the bus". I wanted to take a wide entry into the pits but the grass was much closer than I thought. Once the wheel hit the grass I lost steering and nosed it into the wall, dead stop and had to hit reverse." Not a good day's racing from a man who's so used to winning.

And 'SS' wasn't the only one with pit entry problems. 'PeyePete' crashed there in practice and 'bamboo4wt' retired in Div 2 after crashing near the pit entry. His tyres were very worn and he simply couldn't keep the car on the circuit. He had this to say after the race, "I really practiced at Spa as it is the track I have the least amount of experience at, but the crucial mistake was not working the pits [entry] in practice. [I] Really let myself down on this one." The pit-entry at Spa is indeed very tight and it's crucial to get your line correct; this task becomes even more challenging when one's tyres are worn and have less grip.

Circuit de Spa-Franchorchamps is featured for the first time in a GT5 Seasonal Event!

Take out your Dream Car and get racing!

TPRA News is proud to be first on the scene with this news!

Thanks to 'MoparSRT' for the early tip!

The second race of 2012 is going to be a scorcher for sure. It's the vengeful Amuse S2000 GT1 tackling the notorious Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in a race that'll separate the men from the boys. But who'll come out on top?

'Monster-Energy71' is a shoe-in after his impressive run of consecutive victories to finish off last year. Can the man who saw out 2011 in style start 2012 with yet another win? He starts on the front row today in second place.

TPRA Alien 'Windfire1010' cannot be underestimated. He has already established his dominance today by taking pole position by around half a second but can he translate that into a win? 'Windfire1010' is no stranger to winning and doesn't need to reassure himself of a victory out there today.

Speaking of foreign intelligent organisms, another TPRA Alien takes his place on the grid on the third row; 'SSRacing69' starts in fifth place with "Mr. Practice" 'badaboya1' and speed-demon 'tunernaut' in front of him in fourth and third positions respectively. Can 'SS' clamber his way onto the podium? Don't bet against it.

But what about a wildcard? Who will stand out from the pack and gain a bunch of positions from further down the grid? Names that jump out include 'MiamiPhill' and 'robiker'. They've consistently gained positions in the past and have qualified much higher in the past as well. 'rokiber' starts in eighth, does he have the metal to climb up the field? You can count on it.
'MiamiPhill' is even further down the field in tenth position. His task asks more of him but is ultimately more rewarding. Will his reward be the podium? Or even a win?
The veteran 'THE_KART96' could pull out all the stops and finish higher than he qualified. The tenacious tuner knows how to make a car work and knows better than anyone that a great tune can give you a great result. We'll see just how great he is today.

The drivers are all game from here on out. Is one amused?

All of us at the TPRA News wish all members a prosperous and happy 2012!

The TPRA is going to be changing this year and the ball is already rolling, and we're only 3 days (GMT) into the new year!

Don't miss a classic tonight - the Suzuki Cappuccino at Suzuka Circuit East Course. It's an Arrive and Drive event so just bring a stock "Cappi" and come out and have fun!

On Wednesday, we'll be running the Amuse S2000 GT1 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The racing will be amusing for sure!

As I sit here this morning preparing for the new year I find myself confronted with some age old issues...

I have always tried to please everyone, and in trying to please everyone I have never truly achieved the goals I set for myself when I founded this league. That is all about to change, there will be a complete rewrite of the rules , regulations and policies all of which will be published in the coming three day weekend. We will be starting a new era in the TPRA legacy one that remains true to the ideals and values I used to form this league and live my life. One that capitalizes on the resources we have developed, secured and maintained for years now and abandons those that we can not.

This league is about having fun and promoting the cleanest and most drama free racing environment available for its membership, a place where adults with similar expectations and values can race and share good times without unnecessary regulations and conditions. Somewhere along the journey I allowed this league to stray from that goal and the league has suffered greatly because of my actions. Volunteers that have graciously donated their time were asked or took it upon them selves to create systems that are or were unmanageable, unnecessary and unreliable.

This forum and website are not a business pursuit they are extensions of my hobby, one that I chose to share with you, my goals did not include becoming the best racing league in north America, my goals did not include becoming the most realistic racing league ever, my goals did not include attempting and cater to the needs of everyone. Along the way I have compromised my values questioned my beliefs and not achieved my goals. I have gone against my better judgment in order to include the beliefs and dreams of as many as possible ,and in doing so I allowed the league to become something I am not proud of and do not enjoy. That time has come to an end.

The forum will be cleaned out and reorganized to make it a proper tool for promoting, clean, fun, fair racing that requires little effort to administer and maintain allowing everyone involved a chance to get as much as possible from the racing with out requiring huge personal commitments from the membership to operate. There will also be some changes in the rules governing the membership, membership is a privilege not a right, rules will be enforced without hesitation, members that engage in activity that challenges the values and beliefs of this league or the rules set forth to maintain an adult drama free racing environment will be given a chance to conform or they will be cast out. Drivers that display an inability to race clean will be counseled and if that does not correct the problem they will be denied the privilege of participation.

I know full well that these changes will not be accepted by everyone and I can live with and respect that , what I can not live with is a league that is more work than its worth and members that create drama and division within the membership.
For those of you that decide to stay I guarantee you a league in 2012 that will give you more control over what you are racing. I guarantee you a league with a zero tolerance policy on drama and racing styles that jeopardize the enjoyment of others.
I will be in my office for the next three days putting this league and the tools we have back in order to prepare for the best year of racing the TPRA has ever offered.

They say the world will end in 2012, I aim to make sure that if this does comes to pass, those of you that chose to race with us in 2012 will have the time of your lives.

A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

From all of us at the Tuner's Pit Racing Association and all of us at the TPRA News!

Have a great day!