Gran Turismo 2 License Tests

(UPDATED: September 8, 2014)

The license tests return for Gran Turismo 2. A collection of new cars and new challenges mean that you will need to try and drive harder to begin your quest towards becoming Gran Turismo World Champion. There are five licenses for you to acquire. If you clear the five licenses, a special sixth challenge awaits you- the Super License! First things first, though- you have to get all of your licenses in order. You now have three degrees of International licenses. Unlike in Gran Turismo 1's license tests, you now can do license tests in racing cars. You also have some rally license tests to further test your racing skill. Enter the insane world of GT2's license tests with this resource!

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

SEP 8 2014 - edited spelling error, certain other edits

--- Gran Turismo 2 License Tests at a Glance ---

^ Gran Turismo 2 features five licenses to acquire, compared to the three in Gran Turismo 1. If you get all five of these licenses a bonus challenge awaits...

In Gran Turismo 1, you had to exit out of Simulation Mode and go to the Replay Theater to get a look at how to do each of the License Tests. Now, you get to view demonstration videos without having to leave Simulation Mode. Just simply go to "Demonstration" to see how to race each course. You may want to follow the videos as closely as possible to deliver the best time in each test. Also a plus for GT2 was that you got a glimpse at the qualifying times for each test. That way, you had an idea as to what time to shoot for to land the best time.

GT2 had lots of firsts for license tests:
• first GT to feature license tests for real-life locations
• first GT to feature license tests for a real-life race track (Laguna Seca)
• first GT to feature license tests featuring race cars and Race Modified cars
• first GT featuring rally tests

A lot of the tests take place on these fantasy courses rather than all of them being on every track in the game (like in GT1). Most of GT2's license tests feel more like they are done at a racing school or racing school facility rather than tests on each track in the game. Gran Turismo 1 had almost every car in the first available color when you were to buy them (usually white). This game, however, has cars in various colors. The new rally tests allow you to take your driving skills to new levels by allowing you to be more aggressive. Racing on rally courses allows you to be more aggressive as you can slide the car out hard into corners. Considering how fast a lot of the faster cars go, you were in for a thrill ride unlike any other!

Gran Turismo 2 is the first Gran Turismo that gives you the opportunity to race events without needing a license. To be in the bigger-paying races, however, you need to acquire licenses. This resource will help you.

--- Gran Turismo 2: B-License ---

Like in the first Gran Turismo, the B-License demonstrates your basic ability to competitively race a car. You will be given mostly underpowered cars and simple handling tests to test your ability. Getting gold in at least one of the ten different tests shouldn't be hard to come by as long as you know how to handle each course given to you.

B-License tests in GT2:
B-1 Start, Acceleration, and Braking 1
B-2 Start, Acceleration, and Braking 2
B-3 Start, Acceleration, and Braking 3
B-4 Circle Track 1: Acceleration Basics
B-5 Circle Track 2: Acceleration Basics
B-6 Basics of Cornering 1
B-7 Basics of Cornering 2
B-8 Basics of Cornering 3
B-9 Basics of Cornering 4: S-Turn
B-10 Basics of Cornering 5: S-Turn

B-1: Start, Acceleration, and Braking 1.

Game Description:

"Start from a still position and stop as quickly as possible within the area past the 1,000 neter finish line. It is best to switch from full acceleration to full braking. Hint: use the distance markers to learn where to start braking."

License Times:
GOLD - 38.650
SILVER - 38.900
BRONZE - 39.800

Launch Speed at: (none)

My Advice: As you would imagine, you are not racing a supercar for your first test. Instead, you are driving a quirky, 67-horsepower Toyota Vitz. Do not think about coming to a stop until somewhere midway between 900 meters to 950 meters. Brake hard and quickly to score the best time.

B-2: Start, Acceleration, and Braking 2.

Game Description:

"Similar to the previous test, but you go faster and will need to start braking sooner. Braking too soon will make you stop before the finish line and braking too late will make you overrun the finish area."

License Times:
GOLD - 29.270
SILVER - 29.550
BRONZE - 30.500

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: This Fiat Coupé has 211 horsepower and is your second test car. Think about braking at give or take the 900 meter mark.

B-3: Start, Acceleration, and Braking 3.

Game Description:

"As in the previous test, you will go from full acceleration to full braking. This car accelerates quickly, so you will need to start braking sooner. Hint: use the distance markers to learn where to start braking."

License Times:
GOLD - 26.800
SILVER - 27.300
BRONZE - 28.000

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: The R34 Skyline you will be racing has loads of power and four-wheel drive. Considering this, you will rocket down the track at full speed. You now have to think about braking somewhere after 800 meters but before 900 meters to clear this test with passing credit.

B-4: Circle Track 1: Acceleration Basics.

Game Description:

"Make 2 laps around this 30-meter radius circuit. The key is to maintain high speed. To do this, keep steering steadily while minutely adjusting acceleration. Feel the car shift outward as you accelerate more, inward as you accelerate less."

License Times:
GOLD - 23.700
SILVER - 24.200
BRONZE - 27.000

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: The Nissan March G# packs 75 horsepower and is front-wheel drive. Therefore, there isn't too much you really have to do to keep this car stable except drive this course properly. Keep the car as far inside as possible while keeping the car at an acceptable, yet consistent speed.

B-5: Circle Track 2: Acceleration Basics.

Game Description:

"Make 2 laps around this 80-meter radius circuit. The key is to maintain high speed. To do this, keep steering steadily while minutely adjusting acceleration. Feel the car shift outward as you accelerate more, inward as you accelerate less."

License Times:
GOLD - 32.500
SILVER - 33.600
BRONZE - 35.300

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: Unlike the previous test, you will driving a much more powerful car on a much larger radius track. The same rules still apply. You now just have to adjust to the new car and the new track. Look for a consistent speed to ride around this course with while keeping the car on the absolute inside without going into the inside grass.

B-6: Basics of Cornering 1.

Game Description:

"The left corner comes out after a straight-away. Approach the corner on the outside and steer toward the apex on the inside, then leave the corner fully on the outside. This is called 'out-in-out cornering.' Try to smoothly follow the yellow line."

License Times:
GOLD - 24.650
SILVER - 25.200
BRONZE - 27.000

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: From a standing start, you will race your blue Mazda Demio through a stretch of road going to the left. Future GT games have dashed lines with both blue and red lines, but this one is a yellow dashed line. Use it for reference. You don't have to follow the line, but at least get an idea as to where your braking point should be.

B-7: Basics of Cornering 2.

Game Description:

"Start at 31 mph. You must brake slightly to slow a bit for this corner. Approach the corner on the outside and steer toward the apex on the inside, then leave the corner fully on the outside. Try to smoothly follow the yellow line."

License Times:
GOLD - 20.750
SILVER - 21.300
BRONZE - 22.800

Launch Speed at: 31 mph

My Advice: This is the first test to utilize a launch speed, so make sure the gas is engaged prior to starting this test. Your car is more powerful than the Demio from the previous test. You will be racing a Honda Integra Type-R on the same course as the previous test. The same technique applies in trying to clear this course. Just remember that you will need to brake a little earlier since you're at a higher speed and that you are in a more powerful car.

B-8: Basics of Cornering 3.

Game Description:

"This test has the same corner radius as the last test, but it's a right corner instead. You must brake slightly to clear this corner. Try to smoothly follow the yellow out-in-out line."

License Times:
GOLD - 23.310
SILVER - 23.800
BRONZE - 25.500

Launch Speed at: 31 mph

My Advice: If you can clear the previous test, then you should have no problem with this one. You must now try to clear a right-handed corner in the same car as in B-7.

B-9: Basics of Cornering 4: S-Turn.

Game Description:

"For this S-turn test, you will make two consecutive out-in-out corners. Try to smoothly follow the yellow guideline. A little braking when entering the corner is OK. The key is to drive smoothly."

License Times:
GOLD - 23.500
SILVER - 24.200
BRONZE - 26.000

Launch Speed at: 0 mph

My Advice: Your car is a kelly green Mercury Cougar. While not the old-school Cougar from the 1960s, you are racing the quirky front-wheel drive Cougar from 1998. Take advantage of its 172 horsepower engine to make the most of this course. Remember that you need to switch directions midway between the corners. Keep the car stable as you transition from one corner to another.

B-10: Basics of Cornering 5: S-Turn.

Game Description:

"In this S-turn test, you will be going faster than in the last test, so you must brake more solidly before entering the corner. Try to smoothly follow the yellow line through the corner. Smooth driving is the key to improving your time results."

License Times:
GOLD - 20.300
SILVER - 21.100
BRONZE - 22.700

Launch Speed at: 62 mph

My Advice: You are doing the same test as in the previous one, but at a higher speed. You have to brake sooner and prepare to counteradjust midway through the course. Pay special attention to your speed.


You now have your B-License, but why stop there? There are many more licenses for you to obtain!

--- Gran Turismo 2: A-License ---

The B-License tested your basic abilities. The next step is in making the most of your B-License skills. The majority of tests here involve your ability to corner effectively.

A-License Tests in GT2:
A-1 High Speed Braking
A-2 Cornering and Braking
A-3 Intermediate Cornering 1: FF Car
A-4 Intermediate Cornering 2: FR Car
A-5 Intermediate Cornering 3: FF Car
A-6 Intermediate Cornering 4: FR Car
A-7 Applied Cornering 1: S-Turn
A-8 Applied Cornering 2: S-Turn
A-9 Applied Cornering 3: Sharp Turn
A-10 Applied Cornering 4: Sharp Turn

A-1: High-Speed Braking.

Game Description:

"You will start braking while going much faster than in the B license test. Remember: faster speed means a longer braking distance. Hint: use the distance markers to learn where to start braking."

License Times:
GOLD - 18.000
SILVER - 19.200
BRONZE - 19.700

Launch Speed at: 124 mph

My Advice: This is the final of the tests that utilize Test Course. Your red R33 Skyline will blast down the front straight at tremendous speed. Your goal? Slow her down! You will need to start thinking about braking when going past the 700 meter mark. Brake at some point between 800 and 900 meters to get the best possible score. Here's a BIG hint on knowing when to brake: if racing in Automatic transmission, brake as soon as the Skyline enters fifth gear! The Skyline will reach 148 mph before engaging fifth gear. So the moment the car starts to near 148 mph, brake hard!

A-2: Cornering and Braking.

Game Description:

"Instead of simply braking, you must brake while turning. Note how the car moves outward when you apply the brakes and inward when you release them. Apply and release the brakes gently and quickly to control braking while rounding a curve."

License Times:
GOLD - 21.100
SILVER - 21.500
BRONZE - 22.500

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: A 1000-meter course goes left after the 800 meter mark. It bends further into the 900 and 1000 meter marks. The challenge is to find a suitable point to slide the car out. Think of this as a prelude to rally racing. Since this is like a rally test, you are given a great car from a rallying make- a 1998 Subaru Legacy B4 RSK. This course is not easy to understand. You need to first look for a solid braking point as you're turning. Then before the 900 meter mark, make sure to slide the car out as you're braking. The clock will stop when your car comes to a complete stop in the finish area. You will need to run this course a few times to get the general grasp of this course.

A-3: Intermediate Braking 1: FF Car.

Game Description:

"This is a cornering test using a FF (front wheel drive) car. Follow the line (called a 'record line') that shows the ideal part on the course. Apply solid braking when entering the corner to lower your speed."

License Times:
GOLD - 19.200
SILVER - 20.000
BRONZE - 21.600

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: This course is similar to the course in License Test B-7. You need to properly handle this section using a front-wheel drive car. A front-wheel drive car is not meant for serious driving performance. You have the weight and the driving going to the front wheels, thus not making you able to power through corners effectively. The biggest positive to front-drive cars is that you have to do something really stupid to spin out the car. Your Integra Type-R is the car of choice. Take care of business as best as you can by clearing this corner effectively.

A-4: Intermediate Cornering 2: FR Car.

Game Description:

"This is a cornering test using a FR (rear wheel drive) car. Note how differently the car handles compared to the FF car. The response to fishtailing also differs from FF cars."

License Times:
GOLD - 19.300
SILVER - 19.900
BRONZE - 21.800

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: You will be racing a gray/grey rear-wheel drive car. A front-engined rear-wheel drive car has perfect weight distribution. The front engine's weight coupled with the rear driving the car makes these cars the most complete of cars. There is one problem with rear-wheel drive: the fear of spinning out. Therefore, you can push the performance of a rear-drive car only so far.

A-5: Intermediate Cornering 3: FF Car.

Game Description:

"Practice cornering with L-shaped turns. Even though it's an L-shaped turn, smoothly follow a circular line. Practice accurately tracing a line through the apex - the point at which the car is closest to the inside of the corner."

License Times:
GOLD - 12.600
SILVER - 13.200
BRONZE - 14.700

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: There is no yellow line to help you find the proper line, so you will need to properly judge and trace the proper line to clear this course properly. You must do that with the Integra Type-R. Use the demonstration video to get an idea as to where to brake at. Remember that you are racing a front-wheel drive car for this test, so take this into consideration to clear the course effectively.

A-6: Intermediate Cornering: FR Car.

Game Description:

"."

License Times:
GOLD - 12.500
SILVER - 13.200
BRONZE - 14.900

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: Take the 93 mph head start as you blast into the turn. It is the same course as the previous test, but in a rear-wheel drive car. You can afford to race a bit more aggressively heading into this corner with the Toyota Altezza RS200.

A-7: Applied Cornering 1: S-Turn.

Game Description:

"Practice attacking corners in a high-powered 4WD machine. 4WD cars, known for high stability but poor turning performance, have many peculiarities to watch out for, including record line tracing, timing of accelerator use, and fine steering adjustments."

License Times:
GOLD - 24.600
SILVER - 25.200
BRONZE - 27.000

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: You are racing a course that is very similar to B-9 and B-10. Take advantage of the 3000GT's four-wheel drive to clear this test. A four-wheel drive car is more suited towards rally racing than road racing. While you get the traction of front-wheel drive and the power and drive of rear-wheel drive, a 4WD car is heavy with all the added parts. The 3000GT is certainly not a lightweight, weighing in at about 3700 lbs. This car makes plenty of horsepower and has great acceleration. Take this white 3000GT and give the drive of your life with this machine!

A-8: Applied Cornering 2: S-Turn.

Game Description:

"Practice attacking corners in a high-powered FR machine. With FR cars, the timing of accelerator use greatly affects the car's movement. Use fine steering adjustments to neatly trace the record line. Your exit speed in the last corner is very important."

License Times:
GOLD - 24.000
SILVER - 24.400
BRONZE - 26.000

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: The 1997 Toyota Supra RZ is your car. Your yellow Supra RZ packs some good horsepower and is a blast to drive. However, the high spoiler can make this car a lot twitchy. So be ready to take on the corners while making sure not to push the Supra's limits too far. This is the same test as A-7, but in a different car.

A-9: Applied Cornering 3: Sharp Turn.

Game Description:

"The cornering test uses a combination of right-angle corners. Smoothly follow the cornering line. Make sure to you cross the apex, and always be sure to give full throttle when exiting the last corner."

License Times:
GOLD - 14.100
SILVER - 15.200
BRONZE - 17.700

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: Two 90-degree corners make up a tight chicane. Attack the corners by finding the best line to carve through both corners properly. The 3000GT is your car through this test. Its 4WD should help you to get traction and acceleration here.

A-10: Applied Cornering 4: Sharp Turn.

Game Description:

"The involves a combination of right-angle corners. The key is to stop braking and start using your steering at the turn entry to control the car's position, then give full throttle when exiting the last corner."

License Times:
GOLD - 13.700
SILVER - 14.800
BRONZE - 17.000

Launch Speed at: 93 mph

My Advice: The same test as before, but in the Supra RZ. Because of this, you must be aware of the difference in handling dynamics between the 3000GT and this RWD Supra. You can be a bit more aggressive with the Supra than you can with the 3000GT. Just remember-there is a limit to how far you can push the Supra before inducing a spin. Drive this one smart, and you'll do just fine.


You now have your A-License! Now let's try get to get the International licenses!





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High Speed Ring

(UPDATED: April 11, 2012)

Shaped like Fuji Speedway of the '90s and run in reverse, High Speed Ring is the first challenge for most Gran Turismo racers. This track was very simple to learn while also enjoying high speed racing. High Speed Ring has appeared in every major Gran Turismo game except Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. The first two Gran Turismo titles featured this track as a high-speed road racing playground. It was simple in nature and great fun for beginners to learn racing in Gran Turismo. This blog post takes a look at High Speed Ring.

--- High Speed Ring ---

^ (picture from Gran Turismo 2)

High Speed Ring is perhaps the simplest track to learn in the Gran Turismo series.

High Speed Ring.

High Speed Ring is not hard to figure out. The only real challenging areas are the S-bend and the final section. The rest of the track is essentially hammer-down fun. In the reverse direction, however, you are faced with this track's toughest sections first. You exit the tunnel being faced with the tough S-Bend. Once it is cleared in the reverse direction, the rest of the track is a high-speed ride to the finish with minimal or no braking. In fact, the reverse configuration of High Speed Ring is Polyphony Digital's imagination of the old Fuji (after Hermann Tilke decided to make the track more like stop-and-go traffic than the high-speed road course it was in the past). Even through the Gran Turismo titles, this track still remains great fun to race in almost any car.


Here is a look at High Speed Ring over the past major GTs.

High Speed Ring: GT1 and GT2.

This was the High Speed Ring as many Gran Turismo gamers were about to be accustomed to. The banking makes this track ride more like an oval. There were some trees and some grandstands to one side. There were a few extra banked corners, especially as you headed into the S-Bend. You had to attack the corners hard, and the banking helped you do just that. Another high-speed blast followed with trees on either side of the road. The final corner had some sufficient banking. A strong entry set you up for a strong finish. It was tough to imagine pit road where it was. Then too, you didn't have to pit here since there was no endurance of any kind here.

High Speed Ring: GT4.

(dry video)

For GT4, High Speed Ring got a serious makeover. No more is there a close wall on the outside on the front stretch. Instead, this track feels more like (no disrespect) a proper circuit. You're still going to pay dearly if you drive on the grass on the outside. The banking in the first corner is still fairly unchanged. The rest of the track, however, has changed drastically in appearance and in flow. Between the second corner and the S-Bend used to be just straight road with some grandstands on the outside. For GT4, there is now a short bridge you cross over water leading into a significantly less banked S-Bend. The banking is less dramatic in GT4's version of High Speed Ring compared to the first two iterations. There was much more forest coming out of the tunnel in GT1 and GT2's versions. In GT4, however, there is a big hill on the outside and a dip in the earth on the inside. Personally, I find the pit entrance to GT4's version of High Speed Ring to be much more useful and realistic than in GT1 and GT2's versions. The negative to this, however, is that you don't have as much inside to use to carve into the corner. You probably don't need so much anyways since you can still ride the far outside or middle groove to clear this corner safely. As a whole, High Speed Ring in GT4 looks and feels more like a proper circuit than GT1 and GT2 provided.

This track looks the same for Gran Turismo PSP.

High-Speed Ring: GT5 Prologue and GT5.

(dry video)

(wet video)

The beauty of GT5 is that this track can be raced on in the rain. This track looks even more like a proper Grand Prix racing facility with the various facilities around the track. There are now grandstands on the far inside heading into Turn 1. Turn 2 has some extra grandstands as well. Anyone who has played or seen this track in GT5 knows there is now much more water to cross along with a second bridge. The bridge that makes up the actual race track is now a nice looking, cable-stayed bridge. The water view is spectacular and even more so in replays. Its challenge heading into the S-Bend, however, is unchanged from GT4. The tunnel is a bit more fancy now compared to GT4. The entrance to pit road is after the tunnel now, and to the outside, there are more grandstands. What was a dip in the earth on the inside is no more. More hills and trees make up the far inside heading into the final corner. This course is infinitely more beautiful than ever.





This is a classic facility in Gran Turismo lore. Enjoy your racing to the max when you challenge High Speed Ring!

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Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy on Amazon

This post is a resource for all of you to shop for games featured in this blog as well as with accessories. If you shop on Amazon and want Gran Turismo titles and accessories, this blog post will help you to scoring your own copies of Gran Turismo games or get Gran Turismo accessories. Remember that this blog features many resources and things for all Gran Turismo fans. I am not saying this is going to be the next best thing. All I'm saying is... this is MY contribution for Gran Turismo fans. So be sure to get your GT fix however you wish. This is for you to purchase these items on Amazon if you're willing to shop for these games online. These resources from Amazon are available for you to purchase. My blog and its content means nothing if you do not have these games to play.

NOTE: All of these items are available on Amazon, and I am providing them to you via Amazon. Please read "An Important Amazon Note" for information on all items featured in my blog(s) from Amazon.

Gran Turismo 1.

^ Gran Turismo 1. My review: Gran Turismo 1 Review

Gran Turismo 2.

^ Gran Turismo 2. My review: Gran Turismo 2 Review

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec.

^ Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec. My review: Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec Review

Gran Turismo 4.

^ Gran Turismo 4. My review: Gran Turismo 4 Review

Tourist Trophy.

^ Tourist Trophy. My Review: Tourist Trophy Review


I have NOT reviewed the games below, but these are there for you on Amazon if you want to buy them.

Gran Turismo PSP.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

Gran Turismo 5.

This game is here! Get it NOW on Amazon if you're a Gran Turismo fan! There are two versions of this- Standard and Collector.

^ GT5 - Standard Edition.


^ GT5 - Collector's Edition.





For more Gran Turismo material on Amazon, please use this widget below. Scroll through the pages to find whatever you are looking in for Gran Turismo:








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Grand Valley Speedway

(UPDATED: April 11, 2012)

Grand Valley Speedway is the signature race track of the Gran Turismo series. Why so? It is a Grand Prix course unique to Gran Turismo as it has its own appeal different from any other racing game. It is home to the Grand Valley 300km endurance race. The Grand Valley 300km is the signature endurance of Gran Turismo. So this blog post is a look at Grand Valley over the years even as Gran Turismo 5 is coming along.

--- Grand Valley at a Glance ---

^ Grand Valley. TOP: Grand Valley. BOTTOM: Grand Valley (East Configuration). Pictures are from Gran Turismo 2's Arcade Mode disc.

In Gran Turismos 1 and 2, we were all introduced to the classic circuit in its lovely form. The full course is over three miles of road racing goodness. Among the exterior features of Grand Valley are the city buildings into the first hairpin, the three tunnels, the bridge on the backstretch, and more. This track was designed both as a beautiful Grand Prix course as well as a punishing race track.

On a club level, the Grand Valley East track takes away the second hairpin area and the other two tunnels. This track still remains intense. Grand Valley Speedway's East track has shown up in every major Gran Turismo except Gran Turismo 3.

The only real change over the different versions of GT has been a re-profiling of the tight chicane out of the final tunnel in GT4. Even on GTPlanet, I noted that the chicane should be a bit more open and not as tight. I think this change made racing the chicane more fun and not as constricting.

--- Grand Valley Speedway History ---

Gran Turismo 1 and Gran Turismo 2 had mostly unchanged versions (except for maybe the signs posted around the track). This is where we saw all the different nuances that made this track so iconic in Gran Turismo lore. It provided one of the loveliest views of any Gran Turismo track when you enter the final tunnel after crossing the bridge. Seeing the view going through the final tunnel gives you a spectacular view. The various lush greens that make up this course was lovely even for PlayStation 1 standards.

The track would see a makeover in Gran Turismo 3. For the first time, this track could be raced in evening conditions if you race the track in the reverse direction. Many of the features from the GT1 and GT2 versions were vastly changed. Instead of a view of downtown buildings in GT1 and GT2, a big rotating billboard made up the area heading into the first hairpin. The grandstands got a makeover as well, feeling more like a Formula 1-style race track. With the PS2's power, much more majestic mountains and hills surrounded this track. The tire walls and tunnels were also given a lovely makeover. My biggest disappointment with GT3's version of Grand Valley was how restricted the tunnel view was in the final tunnel. GT3's version looks more like a proper racing facility than some purely fantasy course. Other than that, GT3's version was a lovely makeover.

The loveliest version of Grand Valley was in Gran Turismo 4. I noted on GTPlanet about what modifications to courses you want to see made happen. Some of my suggestions included offering elements from the very first versions of Grand Valley with the downtown buildings. Well, PD took it further. You can see some of the city buildings heading into Turn 1. More lush greenery came about in GT4's version. Some have complained about how highly saturated the colors are in GT3, so less saturated colors were used in a variety of courses. Also, the course was made more beautiful with more watery areas. You could see this as you're racing the full course where the East section is blocked off. The most beautiful touches can be seen on the bridge and into the final tunnel. You have to see replay views to appreciate the full beauty of Grand Valley in GT4. You see what looks like flower petals on the water from replay views. The bridge itself looks wonderful as well. Gran Turismo 4 outdid itself with the tunnel view in the final tunnel. You see what looks like a little village from outside the tunnel. It is the most spectacular touch to this track in the game's history. While I don't race Grand Valley East, its touches look as spectacular as the full course, though you obviously don't experience the full course and all of its details. This track is the same in Tourist Trophy and Gran Turismo 4, since they use the same engine.

From what I have seen with a Gran Turismo 5 video at Grand Valley, it seems like it is the same version as seen in GT4. Perhaps GT5's version is like GT4's, but with minor changes. Don't mess with success, I guess.


Needless to say, Grand Valley Speedway is the signature race track of Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo racing. While it may be a fictional track, it boasts an imposing and challenging character worthy of a Formula One Grand Prix. It makes for great racing whether for 2 laps with economy cars or 60 laps in the fastest race cars.

--- Grand Valley Speedway in Videos ---

Have a look at the evolution of Grand Valley in videos. These videos are provided for educational purposes.

Gran Turismo 1 and Gran Turismo 2 (both are essentially the same); this is a GT1 video:


Gran Turismo 3:


Gran Turismo 4:


There you are. A look at Grand Valley by me! I hope to make many more blog posts regarding various tracks through the history of Gran Turismo. Be sure to subscribe to this blog to keep tabs on my latest posts!





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Karting in Gran Turismo 5

Kart racing in Gran Turismo 5 is one of a few different styles of racing showcased in GT5. The Gran Turismo PDI GT100 (I'm pretty sure the "PDI" stands for "Polyphony Digital Inc.") will be your kart for which to go racing with. Enjoy the thrill of going full speed in a purpose-built racing machine with no suspension, no trick driver aids, no fenders, and no excuses. It's just go-fast goodness. Allow me to explain through the course of this blog post.





Why should you care for kart racing in Gran Turismo 5? Well for many people, kart racing usually conjures images of being at family fun centers. Almost as if karts are only for arcade racers. However, there is a much more serious side of karting. While kart racing is fun, it is also a major stepping stone in the lives of many prospective racing talents. Many professional racers started out in karting. Considering this, kart racing is a thrill ride that easily will fuel the racing career of any prospective racer.

While there is kart racing at family fun centers and in various racing games (like I'm a huge fan of the Mario Kart series), the kart racing here will be very real. Racer José Guillermo Gidley (better known as Memo Gidley) noted that you learn everything about racing a Champ Car (back in the days of CART) by racing a go-kart. This gives you the idea that you can win with ANY car in any race by simply learning from kart racing. You go so fast in such short space in karting. For those who dislike racing with Kei/mini cars and very slow cars, most people would dislike racing karts since they don't go very fast. However, you are extremely missing the point. Kart racing is great fun no matter what any haters think. Look at it this way- you wouldn't know a thing about racing that Ferrari F2007 had you not hone your driving skills behind the wheel of a go-kart. Karts are immensely fun. For me, personally, I never got to appreciate the physical endurance it takes to race a car had I not did some go-karting myself. Five minutes on a go-kart track is punishing enough to the body. If you can't take five minutes in a kart race, how can you endure races in real cars much faster and much longer than some kart races?

The first step in showing commitment to a more concentrated racing model is in offering kart racing. Think about it- these karts are the most basic pure racing machines. They don't go very fast or have lots of power. They don't have things like rollcages or side-view mirrors. Some racing karts even have transmissions. Long story short- if you want to become a racing champion, you NEED to race go-karts. The news of Gran Turismo 5 featuring kart racing came to the surprise of many people (myself included). With its inclusion, however, it has sparked interest in racing lots of courses. I've done some karting myself. I sometimes watch kart racing on TV and on YouTube. I LOVE kart racing! Perhaps Gran Turismo karting won't be to the level of real kart racing in every inconceivable aspect. However, its inclusion will mean loads of fun for all racers. Imagine the online racing element of kart racing. Oh... and the karts are Premium.

I don't have a PS3 or have done any karting in GT5, but I do think kart racing will be absolutely fun for Gran Turismo 5. I want to help you get excited for kart racing by showing you a few videos. Here are two videos previewing kart racing in Gran Turismo 5. The first video was the trailer from GamesCom 2010, and the second video is a kart race using a course generated in Course Maker:

^ from GamesCom 2010


^ kart racing on a generated track (Tokyo Bay environment)

Sadly, it is the only kart available for GT5. Part of me wants to imagine more karts being featured in a future Gran Turismo. Imagine racing shifter karts, 250cc karts, even the almighty superkarts. It is great to ponder about for the future. For now, though, enjoy karting in GT5. I hope the YouTube videos above help you in getting excited for kart racing in GT5.





So get excited for karting if you haven't already! There is already a suite totally dedicated to kart racing in Gran Turismo 5 among the racing events. Make sure to get your fill of kart racing when GT5 is released proper and enjoy karting to the max!

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The Evolution of Cars in Gran Turismo

In Gran Turismo games, the cars are the stars. It was tough coming up with so many stars, however, when the majority of cars featured were Japanese. Gran Turismo games have improved and evolved on the car front over time. Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital are still a great deal to Japan, so you can not necessarily say that Gran Turismo should entirely phase out Japanese cars in favor of cars from other nations.

This blog post provides insight in regards to car counts over Gran Turismo titles heading into the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. It is a look at how Gran Turismo has evolved in featuring many varieties of cars in each game. This blog post may be updated regularly to include new content or edit any false information.

--- The Evolution of Cars in Gran Turismo: GT1 ---

...Humble beginnings on the car front...

The most humble of beginnings had Gran Turismo mostly with Japanese cars. Japanese car companies outweighed American and European cars in GT1. The ratio of Japanese makes account for 7 (if you count Acura as a Japanese make, though Acura is the North American luxury arm of Honda) of the 11 makes. American and European makes each have two representatives. The depth of cars far outweigh any of the American or European makes. You could only buy used cars from Japanese makes. Also, you could buy race cars for a cool 500,000 Credits, but ONLY from Japanese companies. You can still win a lot of other cars not sold in any of the racing events by accomplishing certain tasks like winning championships and going all-Gold in license tests.

Even when doing the three nationality races, it felt flat knowing you had only so many cars to choose from, especially if racing American or British cars. The good news is that you had cars from the two nationalities that could slaughter the best of tuned Japanese cars (some even would argue that USA and British could slaughter most Japanese cars even untuned). So it wasn't really a total loss. This just meant that the majority of cars were Japanese. Just had to adjust. In addition to not as many different nationalities of car, there were only a few real classic cars. Or in fact just one- the 1963 Chevrolet Sting Ray Corvette.

The kinds of cars were also interesting. There were no Kei cars until GT2 came along. There were some powerful sports cars from all three nationalities. There were, however, no hardcore supercars. The depth of race cars were mostly GT cars ranging from the (then) JGTC and a few cars that raced Le Mans (like the Honda NSX LM GT2). Interestingly enough, there was only one proper rally car, and that was the Subaru Impreza Rally Car. A car that gets up to speed as quickly as a rally car does makes it tend to have no place in a game that doesn't feature rally racing. Only thing close to a rally course is Trial Mountain.

Gran Turismo 1, then was a GT that didn't have much to offer in very interesting cars. That would change in future installments.

--- The Evolution of Cars in Gran Turismo: GT2 ---

... bigger, badder, better...

Leaning on and expanding on what GT1 brought, Gran Turismo 2 came into the world in celebrating automobile culture while also providing rally racing. Many more interesting cars were brought into the GT universe along with many more manufacturers. Three new nationalities of car were made present in Gran Turismo 2: France, Germany, and Italy. The car list went from about 170 cars to 600 (give or take). That is a difference of some 530 cars! A new focus on rally racing has offered some extra options for race cars. There were even some touring cars that were featured in GT2.

The depth of cars was expanded in Gran Turismo 2 to make for a diverse amount of cars. Car nationalities were subdivided into four cities apart from the main Simulation Mode world. East City had Japanese cars, West City had Italian and French cars, North City had British and German cars, and South City had American cars. More recent models were introduced into GT2 to keep up with recent times among cars. Newer companies that debuted in GT2 include (among many others) Daihatsu, Suzuki, Tommy Kaira, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Ruf, Chevrolet, Ford, Vector, and Lister. Non-Japanese companies now offered Special Models. This gave you a chance to purchase special concept and race cars from various companies. Not all cars were 500,000 Credits in price. Some will cost you 1,000,000 Credits or even 2,000,000 Credits!

GT2's car depth was further subdivided with a host of cars based on modern and classic cars. It was the first game to debut Kei cars. These Kei cars were very compact and not very fast at all. The only two non-Japanese cars you can put in the Kei category are the 1970s Fiat 500 and the Mini Cooper cars. Most of the other usual suspects made a return. If you wanted to make a statement, though, say it with muscle cars! Gran Turismo 2 had one of the best showcases of muscle cars with many classics. The American car category was much improved from Gran Turismo 1. You had everything from low-powered American cars to some of the most imposing muscle cars and sports cars. Even the very exotic Vector cars shown up. Adding to the supercar allure were cars such as the Lister Storm, Lotus Esprit, the two Venturi cars, and the Jaguar XJ220. In addition to these cars, various luxury and executive cars shown up. Mercedes-Benz offers two of them north of 100,000 Credits. Jaguar offers up some of its luxury as well. What about race cars? Well for the first time ever, closed-top prototypes were featured. Two of them are the Nissan R390 GT1 and the Toyota GT-One. Many more rally cars were featured. They range from more proper rally cars to the two hillclimb beasts offered by Suzuki. There was literally something for everyone- even a van powered by a V10 Formula 1 engine! One final note... the first-ever hybrid car in any GT game was featured with the Toyota Prius in this title.

Among many discriminating racing game fans, however, it was disappointing to not see companies like Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini featured. The only thing close to a Ferrari is the Momo Corse Toyota MR2 race car. Gran Turismo 2 has offered the best diversity.





There is MUCH more to discuss! Read the full blog entry (or disregard this section if you are reading the full blog entry) to see MUCH more on the change in car culture and evolution of car lists in Gran Turismo!

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GT5 Course Maker Commentary

Gran Turismo 5 does not allow you to make your own courses from scratch. Instead, you build courses based on randomized roads and mostly sector-based sections. Polyphony Digital said that it would be too complicated to make a proper course maker. The inventive PD, however, decided to come along with such random roads. The best possible usage of this Course Maker is in rally racing with all of its unpredictable twists in road variations. At least from initial videos, the element of rally racing is much improved with this Course Maker being a huge contributor.

WARNING: This blog post contains embedded YouTube videos. Your browser may slow down with these videos.

--- Course Maker: The Generating Element ---

Time to break down the three different uses of Course Maker based on videos I have seen. GT5 offers up the Course Maker to create generated roads based on certain parameters. A few different environments are offered to set the background for each locale. Users are able to create courses based on time, a number of sectors, and the time of day. Whether or not the course is an open circuit or a closed circuit can also be modified, but I think this may not apply for every environment. Then afterwards, each sector can be further refined by setting values for road width and complexity of the road among other aspects. A track can then be tested to see if it's of any good. If not, you can do more generating.

Just the thought of generated elements with no corner-by-corner appeal will leave most fans disappointed. The potential exists for this to be a solid package. The likelyhood of unique courses isn't possible when everything is generated. However, you can still create worthwhile and exciting courses based on flow.

--- Course Maker: Use-by-Use ---

Allow me to touch on the three different usages of this new Course Maker.

Course Maker: Closed Circuits.

For me, the promise in closed circuits with Course Maker isn't very high. The environments you choose from don't seem all that special when you have such closed space. I will note, however, the promise is definitely there for almost any kind of course that you can imagine. Almost every racing course has two or three sections. Closed circuits that are longer sometimes have multiple sections. Circuit de la Sarthe and the Nürburgring Nordschleife from GT4 are primary examples. It would seem boring to make some kind of generated permanent road course that seems no different from a true original course. However, it does have promise in open road-style courses. Some short environments are only good for kart racing, so this ties into making the most of each track. Any car can really race any track. I just mentioned karting because I've seen some karting venues featured. The environment I tend to like most for closed circuit use is the Eifel Circuit environment.

This video demonstrates a closed circuit using the Course Maker. The environment is Mount Aso:


Now you can see from the video, if you're creative, you can imagine turning a lot of the empty spaces to feature things like grandstands, certain on-track facilities, perhaps even some more proper guardrails, gravel traps, you name it. This is still not bad for a generated course based on an open road environment.

Course Maker: Open Circuits.

Open circuits (or point-to-point) present the most promise with GT5's Course Maker. True point-to-point racing is finally possible for the first time since Gran Turismo 2's Pikes Peak course. The best reason to make the case for Course Maker in GT5 is because of how the roads can vary as a whole and the diversity of each road. True rally fans have complained about five-lane off-road sections rather than more traditional one-lane or two-lane roads of traditional rally stages. From initial pictures, the generated road element seems a bit disappointing since there aren't a lot of elements that really seems like they are worthy of traditional rally quality. No blasts through forests, no water splashes, and that sort of thing. I certainly envision its potential to be immense. Considering the generated element of roads and elevations, Course Maker seems more conducive for open circuits.

This is a demonstration of an open circuit created by the Course Maker. The track is the Toscana (Asphalt) environment, and this course is a demonstration of GT5's rally-style environment:


Note the track map at the center. You can actually toggle the placement of the map (or if to have a map at all) in GT5 from what I've read online. This specific track comes in at 8.73 kilometers, which translates to 5.42 miles. The environment still seems very featureless as you blast down these roads. Part of me wants to imagine seeing nearby houses and buildings, and maybe something like bridges or something. It isn't TOO boring, however, to where things seem completely lifeless. The generated trail looks great in its configuration.

Course Maker: Demo Runs.

Perhaps the most creative use of these courses in Course Maker is in demo runs for cars. This is where you see the car in action on a generated road. This effect is similar when you notice certain TV shows and programs that do road tests in the countryside or in exotic locations. Along the bottom of the screen is a scrolling bit telling you more about the car as you see the car zoom along on the demo road. This effect looks to be an inventive and unique way to discuss each car in the game as the car is in action.

Here is a Demo Run demonstration using generated roads. The environment is Toscana, and the car is the Mitsubishi Lancer:


Doesn't this look interesting to demonstrate the abilities of a car? It looks great!

--- Course Maker: What Does the Future Hold? ---

(All items here are based on what we know so far (as of Nov. 21, 2010) on Course Maker)

Based on what we know so far, what will GT6 (or at least, GT5 with some downloadable updates) hold? I think this suite has to improve for closed circuits. I would like better overall control in designing and refining courses. Imagine you want to have certain mountains and trees in a certain area. Maybe you want to make the course fully flat. Maybe you want to make your own Formula 1-style, postmodern racing facility with all the bells and whistles that would make Hermann Tilke proud. Will we see more environments than Tosana, Eifel, Alaska, Liege, and Tokyo Bay? Could something for city courses be possible in the future?

The one thing I would REALLY wonder for a future GT or an update would be if an entire location was generated to simulate the many stages of traditional rallying. Imagine if a makeshift village, some coastal sections, some mountain roads, some forest roads, and things like that were generated. I really see Course Maker being made better for rally racing (both tarmac and non-tarmac rallying) than I really do with closed circuits. An overall better suite for this package would be great in moving forward.





Of course, I haven't played GT5 or own GT5 to make any assumptions. I still don't even have a PlayStation 3 (I am in no hurry). What do you make of this Course Maker for GT5? Feel free to comment in this blog here. Thank you for reading! Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page:
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Gran Turismo Rallying

Rally racing debuted in Gran Turismo 2 for the GT series. Rally racing is a different animal apart from the road racing in Gran Turismo games. Rallying allows you to get more aggressive and race a car a bit harder than you normally would in circuit racing. You can slide the car out hard to make the most out of handling tight and tricky corners. Almost as satisfying as taking on an intense set of corners is making serious jumps from hills.

What makes rally racing so fun is the fact that many courses and stages have been created by Mother Nature. So no worries about any Hermann Tilke-style snoozefests. Get ready for some of the most intense racing action among any discipline of Gran Turismo!

This blog post is merely a digest look at rally racing in Gran Turismo. I just talk about rally racing in Gran Turismo games rather than offer any advice. Enjoy your read and feel free to comment!


^ Peugeot 206 Rally Car kicking up dust around Tahiti Dirt Route 3 in Gran Turismo 2.

Gran Turismo 2 Rallying.

The vision for Gran Turismo 2 was to have a more concentrated focus on the history of automobiles while also delivering a new experience of rally racing. Previously, Gran Turismo 1 featured the first-ever rally car in a Gran Turismo game as the Subaru Impreza Rally Car was featured. Subaru, along with a handful of other cars and car companies found their way into Gran Turismo 2 with rally cars. Two of my all-time favorite rally cars are in Gran Turismo 2- the Lancia Stratos and the Peugeot 206 WRC. Sadly, you can only really gain the 206 WRC while you have to do something to get the Stratos Rally Car (at least in Simulation mode).

To this day, Gran Turismo 2 remains the only title in the GT series to feature an open circuit- Pikes Peak (albeit an abbreviated Pikes Peak). Many fans of the Gran Turismo series would love to see Pikes Peak return. Also unique to Gran Turismo 2 was that all of the rally events were basically time trials (like real rally racing) rather than the one-on-one race battles in future GT titles. So one can say that Gran Turismo 2 delivered the best rally package of GT games past. With GT5 on the horizon, who knows what GT5 will provide?

The rally tracks of Gran Turismo 2 include Green Forest Raceway, Smokey Mountain South, Smokey Mountain North, Tahiti Dirt Route 3, Tahiti Maze, and Pikes Peak (uphill and downhill).

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec Rallying.

As Gran Turismo 2 introduced its GT fans to rallying, Gran Turismo 3 continued the rallying style. A few new cars and a few new venues were added. A few new rally cars were available, but the notorious Escudo Pikes Peak returned bigger and badder than ever. With the rather weak trails of dust from Gran Turismo 2, Gran Turismo 3 allowed you to kick up more clouds of dust as you raced off-road.

Among the off-road tracks, Green Forest and Smokey Mountain South were axed. Smokey Mountain North (the better of the two in my opinion) is just Smokey Mountain. Tahiti Dirt Route 3 was renamed to Tahiti Circuit. The formidable challenge of Tahiti Maze returned for another tour of duty. The new challenge for rally racers was Swiss Alps. This track has some easy-going and smooth corners great for sliding out of control. There is even a bridge that is crossed during a lap around Swiss Alps.

If you want to consider it an off-road track, then Special Stage Route 5 Wet marks the first time an all-tarmac course is used in a rally environment. Four cars can race on Special Stage Route 5 Wet in Arcade Mode. In GT3's Simulation mode, however, you are on proper racing tires. Of course, there are no Rain tires. So you will be slipping and sliding on highways and streets trying to outduel the other driver.

Gran Turismo 4 Rallying.

Gran Turismo 4 offered many new experiences in rallying. For one, tarmac rallies are possible to race on. More importantly, the debut of racing on snow and ice were offered to GT racers. Those who have played Gran Turismo 2 may remember the Opel Tigra Ice Racing car. That car would have a happy home on one of this game's two snowy/icy courses- Ice Arena and Chamonix. A lot more modern and classic rally cars found their way into GT4, including the return of the Stratos Rally Car. It also was the first Gran Turismo to feature Paris-Dakar (or just Dakar nowadays) "cars." I say "cars" because the "cars" are mostly SUV-type machines. The Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution Rally Raid Car is a hulking beast taking on the various courses of GT4.

The first rally course we laid eyes upon in GT4's development was Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon offered the most realistic rally course in GT history with its narrow roads and tricky corners. It seemed near impossible to try to pass your opponent on a track like this. Cathedral Rocks was another new course utiziling El Capitan. There were some proper tarmac rally courses with Citta d'Aria and (my favorite) Costa di Amalfi. You can also race around George V Paris for a tricky tarmac stage utilizing beautiful Paris. If you want to call it a Rally course, then Tsukuba wet marked both the first wet real-world course and the first permanent circuit with wet characteristics.

As for the two icy courses, Ice Arena was nothing special. It was an alright course that you could use to basically prep your ice racing skills. The real nightmare was Chamonix. You go from some icy tarmac to taking on the snow-covered roads of Chamonix. It was a total nightmare, but nowhere near the Nürburgring Nordschleife (which I call the "Nürburgring Nightmare") in terms of complexity. Chamonix was one of the toughest rally courses to master of all off-road courses in GT4.

There is one last element to GT rallying in GT4- run into a wall hard or ram into your opponent in a Special Condition race, and you suffer a 10-second penalty bringing your car down to no more than 31 miles per hour. You almost have to use this strategically if you know you are losing. This was an alternative to damage rather than actually assessing fouls to racers in my view.





Using what all we know about rallying in GT games past, we look forward to what Gran Turismo 5 has to provide. Features such as Sebastien Loeb (7-time World Rally Champion) being a consultant for GT5 rallying and the prospect of randomly-generated rally courses across certain environments will mean interesting trends in rally racing in GT5. Of course, the Eiger Nordwand rally stages will only sweeten the pot apart from the Eiger Nordwand we've raced all the way back with Gran Turismo HD. So the sky is the limit for what this title will provide in rally racing. Also, Gran Turismo 5 features some lovely particle effects for rally racing. You see dust and grass realistically get kicked up. Also, cars collect dirt and snow. Cars can also roll over in GT5, making the rally racing element even more intense. If all goes well, Gran Turismo 5 could well feature the best rally racing in Gran Turismo history.

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The Importance of Tuning

Your car is only as good as it came out of the factory. To turn your car into a winning machine, one must spend Credits at the Tune Shop to take a car from factory stock to race car rock. Over the years and over the various iterations of Gran Turismo, performance tuning makes the most of any car. There are some people who are good with stock cars. If you REALLY want to build that dream machine, you need to tune your car as best as you can. You have what it takes to take a car from good to great. In addition to buying parts for cars in Gran Turismo titles, you need to tune those parts to make the most of your car as well as to tune to the given tracks you face. These items alone can make the difference between winning and losing.

Tune Shop Insight from Past Titles.

Gran Turismo 1 offered the basic eight menu items for tuning cars. There were eight key areas: Muffler and Air Cleaner, Brakes, Engine, Drivetrain, Turbo, Suspension, Tires, and Others. They were basic menus that meant the best opportunities to upgrade your car. Mufflers and air cleaners gave your car the performance edge by boosting power. A car that has a better way of breathing yields more power. Plus, your car sounds more like a race car. Going fast is cool, but you need to slow her down a time or two. So make sure to purchase brake upgrades. Brakes are more effective when you purchase a Brake Balance Kit. This will allow you to make better use of your car under braking. The various engine upgrades actually help make the most of your car's engine performance. Normally-aspirated cars can be equipped with NA upgrades. The car can have some permanent engine upgrades like Full Engine Balancing and Port and Polish. Only so few cars can have their displacement improved. Through my playing, most old Nissan Skylines could have displacement upgraded. Of course, there is no replacement for displacement. The Drivetrain options fielded lots of options to improve your car's delivering of power. Most critical is the transmission. However, don't forget about the flywheel (improves engine performance), the clutch (more efficient usage of shifting), and the driveshaft (improves power delivery especially in RWD and 4WD/AWD cars). Give your car a lift on the turbo side by purchasing turbo kits and intercoolers. What good is a powerful car if it rides like crap? Change this by going with a suspension kit. In GT1, you purchased suspension kits along with your choice of stabilizers. The tires you purchase in GT1 are either semi-racing or full racing. Finally, you can perform other tasks like weight reduction (very important for making the most of an already-tuned car) and Racing Modifications. It was these elements that would continue to evolve the tuning formula for Gran Turismo games.

Gran Turismo 2 took many of the options from GT1 and added a few new items. The least of which include the debut of LSD (limited-slip differential) tuning, dirt tires, the infamous Simulation Tires (cars with a severe lack of grip designed to simulate real-world handling), yaw control system, active stability controller, and TCS controller. There are more options also to tune up your car in addition to purchasing these upgrades. Racing Modifications are available again, but not every car can receive these modifications. A non-essential element introduced was that of being able to change wheels. You can do this to adjust the wheels for all four tires.

Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec didn't really change much in the tuning department, but it was pretty much the same as past GT titles. The really different aspect in GT3, however, was that race cars can actually be tuned now to include more parts (mostly horsepower upgrades and tire choices). This game also included more racing tire options. You had race cars already equipped with Medium tires, but you could select a few other variations to suit certain cars and tracks. Many of the "For Professionals" options from GT2 are gone, and so were Racing Modifications. Also, TCS and ASC are equipped on all cars. While not essential to tuning up your car, GT3 debuted GT Auto. GT Auto allowed you to wash your car, change the oil (a big horsepower element), and change the wheels.

The first GT to introduce something really new tuning items was Gran Turismo 4. Gran Turismo 4 included some options to shake up the tuning element scene quite a bit. One of the first new additions was Nitrous. While many of you think of nitrous like in street racing games, the boost just provides a real temporary boost that isn't seriously noticable. Also new was the ability to add a Supercharger to cars, which gives normally-aspirated cars turbo-like tuning power. GT4 was the first GT to offer more options for Standard tires. Options for Economy, Road, and Comfort tires were offered in addition to three grades of Sports tires (Soft, Medium, and Hard). This game even debuted Snow Tires to take on the snow and ice courses. Among the new Other options include options to Increase Rigidity and even a Rigidity Refresher Plan. This will help keep your car's chassis sturdy and fresh even after lots of racing. There are actually nine different items in the Tune Shop, but many of them don't have Full Models available. Also new to GT4 was that of some original upgrades from the all-new Tuning Village. For certain cars, a fifth turbo and an original suspension kit were offered. So few cars could be equipped with these original parts, though. I will say this- you can use the most recent Mazda Miata models for the Tuning Village. A non-essential element of tuning is in changing the wheels for various tires. You can change wheels for street tires, racing tires, dirt tires, and snow tires. Also, you can equip a car to have a rear GT wing. This will allow you to tune for downforce.

Tuning Itself from Past Titles.

This is a brief overview of tuning aspects of past GT titles.

Gran Turismo 1 began the whole tuning deal with a deal of options to tune your car. There are options for suspension tuning, engine tuning, transmission tuning, and aerodynamics tuning. Perhaps what I liked most was being able to adjust turbo boost. It helped make the most of my turbo cars' power. In Gran Turismo 2, the tuning aspect was upgraded to include other options like a new auto-setting to seamlessly set the gear ratios. Options for the other tuning parts are not as detailed as things were in GT2. You could even tune things like TCS and ASM among others. The tuning in Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec was not only more detailed, but also included a scrolling marquee that gave you advice on what you are tuning. This provided a big help in giving you tuning advice. Gran Turismo 4 offered up more advice and many more tuning options. You can even tune the Nitrous if you have Nitrous installed for your car. You can also adjust the ballast for your car to give your car a little weight. Certain racing series add ballast to weigh down cars as penalty weight. You can use this to weigh down your car yourself.

Final Thoughts.

Having the ability to race as hard as possible is an essential tool. A car is capable of only so much. You must spend Credits and time to tune your car. The more time you spend tuning and perfecting your car, the more of a complete racing weapon you will create. You must spend money. You must spend time. You must think about how to set up your car. If you are to stand any chance, you need to make the most of the car you are racing to make it as complete of a track car as possible.





--- Gran Turismo 5 Tuning Preview: Car Parts ---
By seeing some YouTube videos, here is a look at some of the tuning elements of GT5 that you can buy for your car. So here are some of the various elements you can purchase for cars in Gran Turismo 5:

Body/Chassis.

* Chassis Weight Reduction - Stage 1
* Chassis Weight Reduction - Stage 2
* Chassis Weight Reduction - Stage 3
* Rigidity Improvement
* Window Weight Reduction
* Carbon Bonnet
* Carbon Bonnet (Body Color)

Engine.

* Engine Tuning Stage 1
* Engine Tuning Stage 2
* Engine Tuning Stage 3
* Sports ECU

Intake System.

* Sports Intake Manifold
* Sports Air Filter
* Racing Air Filter

Exhaust.

* Sports Exhaust
* Titanium Semi-Racing Exhaust
* Titanium Racing Exhaust
* Sports Exhaust Manifold
* Catalytic Converter: Sports

Turbo Kits.

* Low RPM Range Turbo Kit Turbocharger
* Mid RPM Range Turbo Kit Turbocharger
* High RPM Range Turbo Kit Turbocharger
* Supercharger

Transmission.

* 5-Speed Close Ratio Transmission
* 6-Speed Close Ratio Transmission
* Fully Customizable Transmission

Drivetrain.

* Single-Plate Clutch
* Twin-Plate Clutch
* Sports Flywheel
* Semi-Racing Flywheel
* Carbon Propeller Driveshaft
* Torque Distributing Center Differential
* Fully Customizable LSD

Suspension.

* Fixed Sports Kit
* Height-Adjustable Sports Kit
* Fully Customizable Kit

Tires.

* Comfort Tires - Hard
* Comfort Tires - Medium
* Comfort Tires - Soft
* Sports Tires - Hard
* Sports Tires - Medium
* Sports Tires - Soft
* Racing Tires - Hard
* Racing Tires - Medium
* Racing Tires - Soft
* Dirt Tires
* Snow Tires

GT Auto Options.

Here are some of the options for cars in GT Auto:

* Car Wash - give your car a good washing.
* Oil Change - change your car's oil.
* Paint Car - give your car a new coat of paint based on cars in your possesion.
* Paint Wheels! - change the color of wheels for your car.
* Change Wheels! - give your car a new set of wheels.
* Aero Parts - purchase aero parts for your car.
* Overhaul Engine - rebuild an old engine to be new again.
* Increase Chassis Rigidity - like in GT4, restore's a car's chassis to new.
* Racing Modifications - while not for every car, this gives cars a permanent racing makeover.

! = not available for Standard cars.


In addition, there are a host of other options to help make the most of your car in GT5. Racing Modifications return for Gran Turismo 5. Both Standard and Premium cars can have colors changed based on cars you own. However, you can not change wheels on a Standard car, nor can you change the color of the wheels on a Standard car. To say the least, tuning will be every bit as important for Gran Turismo 5 as it has been for the past four GTs.

Speaking of Gran Turismo 5, you can order it on Amazon by clicking on this image below and placing an order on Amazon:


^ pre-order for now, available proper on November 24, 2010. Available in both Standard and Collector editions.







Thank you for reading my blog! I will keep providing more resources to keep this blog going strong. I want this to be as much of a success as my primary blog. Will you help? Help yourself to subscribe to this blog by visiting John's GT Space on FeedBurner!

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Gran Turismo 1 License Tests

(UPDATED: March 19, 2012)

Before you can race, you need licenses. Acquiring your racing licenses will allow you to compete in all events of Gran Turismo 1. What you are about to read here is a brief overview of what each license test in Gran Turismo 1 entails. I have completed all License Tests in my playing of Gran Turismo, so I will share with you some of my times. Do not look for advice on License Tests here. Instead, this is just a resource for you Gran Turismo 1 gamers.

This post may be edited to ensure further quality for my readers. It may also be edited simply just to change the appearance of this post.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

MAR 19 2012 - updated look of post

--- Gran Turismo 1: License Overview ---

^ Licenses. You need them to beat the game, so why not get them to have any chance of beating this game?

There are three licenses in Gran Turismo 1- B, A, and International A. Each License Test features eight different areas of concentration to help better your racing skills. There are seven tests followed by a Final. Each test requires that you complete the task asked of you and to perform the task in a set par time. If you fail to complete the test within the par time, you will fail. If you leave the course at any time (as in all four wheels leaving the road) or if you hit a wall hard enough, you will fail. You need to practice your skills on a consistent basis. Do not be ashamed if you fail on the first try- just make sure to do better in your next run.

• The B-License is required to compete in the Sunday Cup, each of the drivetrain races, and the Lightweight Cup. This license recognizes your ability to properly drive and race a car through a variety of situations.

• Think of the A-License as the "Advanced" license. Abilities learned from the B-License tests are put to the test in more crucial license tests. Getting your A-License is important because the majority of championships in Gran Turismo 1 require an A-License. Seven different championships require an A-License. That is more than any other.

• All International A license tests are time trials using either the Dodge Viper GTS or the TVR Griffith 4.0. Here, all of your B and A license skills are put to the test as you must pilot these sports cars through a one-lap time trial. Everything you have learned from the other two license tests will help you to master Gran Turismo.

Two Methods of License Tests.

There are two methods to getting licenses in GT:

• Get them all at once before racing?
• Get the needed licenses and go racing after getting the license?

If the first method is to your liking, this will allow you to learn the most about the game without needing to return to the License menu. If the second method is to your liking, then you will need to come back to get the other needed licenses once you are done with the all the races for which a certain championship/race requires. I prefer you get all of your licenses before doing ANY racing. This way, you won't have to keep going back to the license area.

Another thing I would prefer- don't worry about going all-Gold. Sure, it is a great accomplishment to ace every license test (you also win new cars for all-Gold), but only worry about trying to win the licenses before thinking about trying to better your performance. I recommend you just get your licenses rather than worry about getting gold in all license tests.

--- Gran Turismo 1: B-License Overview ---

The B-Grade License demonstrates your ability to properly operate and race a car. Each of the eight tests in Gran Turismo 1 will help you to hone your driving skill. You can not become Gran Turismo World Champion if you don't have a license. So make sure to take care of this test early to have ANY hope of becoming any kind of Gran Turismo champion. Or... you can just endlessly race the Spot Race where, you earn no cars or achieve any real glory. It's up to you. Get your B-License, or why EXACTLY did you buy this game?

Contents:
• Starting and Stopping 1
• Starting and Stopping 2
• Basics of Cornering 1
• Basics of Cornering 2
• Basics of Cornering 3
• Basics of Multiple Cornering 1
• Basics of Multiple Cornering 2
• B-License Final Test

B-1: Starting and Stopping 1.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point and come to a complete stop within the goal area situated 1,000 meters away. You will fail the test if you exceed the goal area, or if you exceed the time limit.
The test car is a Mazda Demio.
The time limit is 36 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 34.750
SILVER - 35.200
BRONZE - 36.000

My Advice: There is no need to steer your car in this test (unless you want to intentionally fail). This test concerns your ability to start and stop a car. Your Mazda Demio is in no way a sports car. Therefore, don't expect to blast down the 1000m road with blistering speed. Remember- you need to get up to speed and then come to a complete stop in the finishing area. Start thinking about where to brake once you pass the 800m mark.

B-2: Starting and Stopping 2.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point and come to a complete stop within the goal area situated 1,000 meters away. The car in this test is more powerful than in the previous test, so you will have to start applying your brakes earlier.
The test car is a Mitsubishi GTO.
The time limit is 27 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 26.400
SILVER - 26.700
BRONZE - 27.000

My Advice: The same advice from the previous test applies to this one. Just remember that you need to brake quicker since this Mitsubishi is much more powerful than the Demio.

B-3: Basics of Cornering 1.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point down the straightaway, turn on the first corner, and then go through the finishing gate on top of the hill. Try and keep a smooth racing line. You will fail immediately if you leave the track.
The test car is a Honda del Sol.
The time limit is 30 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 28.150
SILVER - 28.500
BRONZE - 30.000

My Advice: You will be racing the first corner of Deep Forest in a front-wheel drive car. Try to attack this corner by keeping a smooth line. Front-wheel drive offers great traction and is almost unable to spin out. Take advantage of your FWD car and make the most of its handling characteristics to clear this test.

B-4: Basics of Cornering 2.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point down the straightaway, turn on the first corner and then go up through the finishing gate on top of the hill. Try and keep a smooth racing line. You will fail immediately if you leave the track.
The test car is a Nissan Silvia.
The time limit is 26 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 24.800
SILVER - 25.500
BRONZE - 26.000

My Advice: You will be racing the first corner of Deep Forest. This time, in a rear-wheel drive car. Acceleration and weight distribution will be much improved going from the FWD Honda to this Silvia. You will get up to speed quicker since the Silvia is a much faster car. Be careful- if you accelerate too quickly in a RWD car, you will spin out. Accelerate carefully when exiting the corner, and you'll do just fine.

B-5: Basics of Cornering 3.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point down the straightaway, turn on the first corner and then go through the finishing gate on top of the hill. Try and keep a smooth racing line. You will fail immediately if you leave the track.
The test car is a Mitsubishi GTO.
The time limit is 25 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 23.650
SILVER - 24.300
BRONZE - 25.000

My Advice: The Mitsubishi GTO (or 3000GT) will take on the same first corner of Deep Forest. Remember that the GTO is four-wheel drive. Great traction and acceleration is expected with a 4WD car. Remember that 4WD cars can be heavier than their FWD and RWD counterparts. Make sure you don't get too much speed going into this section. Otherwise, your GTO will do a little off-road racing... and you'll fail.

B-6: Basics of Multiple Cornering 1.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point, go around the S-bend while maintaining a smooth racing line and go through the finishing gate. You will fail immediately if you leave the track.
The test car is a Mitsubishi FTO.
The time limit is 28 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 26.350
SILVER - 27.000
BRONZE - 28.000

My Advice: The S-bend of High Speed Ring will be raced on here. In it, you will need to properly navigate this section with a solid racing line. Your car is front-wheel drive, so you will need to drive the course in a consistent manner to deliver the best time.

B-7: Basics of Multiple Cornering 2.

Game Description:

"Accelerate away from the starting point, go around the S-bend while maintaining a smooth racing line and go through the finishing gate. You will fail immediately if you leave the track.
The test car is a Nissan Silvia.
The time limit is 27 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 25.750
SILVER - 26.300
BRONZE - 27.000

My Advice: Use the Nissan Silvia on the same course that you just ran with the FTO. A rear-wheel drive car has a tendency to get out from underneath you if you accelerate too hard out of corners. The S-Bend at High Speed Ring will definitely make you pay if you accelerate too hard and too quickly. So take it easy and drive smart.

B-8: B-License Final Test.

Game Description:

"This is a time trial on the full course of High Speed Ring. Start from the start/finish line and complete one lap of the course.
The test car is a Mazda Eunos Roadster.
The time limit is one minute 22 seconds."

License Times:
GOLD - 1:19.500
SILVER - 1:20.500
BRONZE - 1:22.000

My Advice: You will be racing all of High Speed Ring in a Mazda Eunos Roadster (or the Miata) in a one-lap time trial. This car is just right to race since it is not too powerful and not too fast. Learn the flow of the track and adjust your driving style to clear this course successfully. The only real problem area is the S-Bend. Handling this section plays a huge role in how your lap time eventually shapes out.


Congratulations! You got yourself a B-License! :)





There are two more licenses to go, so make sure to read the full blog entry to check out my look at the A and International A licenses! Disregard this line if you are reading the full blog entry.

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