Sony and Polyphony Digital have announced the arrival of a playable time trial from Gran Turismo 5 for the PlayStation 3. On December 17th, a downloadable, one-track level featuring the Nissan 370Z will hit the PlayStation Network – and it’s the real thing.

This time trial does more than give you early access to Gran Turismo 5. It’s also your entry point for 2010’s GT Academy, the competition that will find Europe’s best virtual drivers and train them to become real-life racing drivers at the UK’s famous Silverstone racetrack.