Racing sim fans are set to have a big holiday, with both Microsoft and Sony having racing games as part of their next-gen console launch title line-ups. For those that aren’t ready to plunge into the next generation, Polyphony Digital will be releasing Gran Turismo 6 for the PlayStation 3 later this year.

It seems the release for the next Gran Turismo could be imminent. Sony announced pre-order bonuses for the game last week, and a demo for Gran Turismo 6 will go live on PlayStation Network.

The new demo is a bit different from most playable demos, however, as it is linked to a competition sponsored by Nissan’s GT Academy team. The demo will walk players through the basics of the game and includes some “warm up” races and time trials to complete using Nissan cars. The 31 players who complete the longest time trial with record times will race against each other and the winner of the Racer X competition at E3. The winner of that race will be able to attend a real GT race camp. The time trial competition runs from today until July 28, though the demo will stay up until August 31, with a bonus race being added after July 28 for players who earn bronze medals in all the available time trials.