Just wondered if you've ever played Waverace? It may be like that where each lap some aesthetic change is made to the course.
In this it would obviously be more extreme, I think the way it'll work is that as the first person crosses a point, an event will trigger, and if you get caught and destroyed in the rucus, you'll spawn in front of the accident after a time penalty or something, then the next lap you take the new opened up routes. (or should I say closed-up?)
I'm genuinely excited about this, as the guys behind the project seem to really be pushing for a blockbuster title, and taking MW-like ideas in their online modes. The IGN preview gives you a good idea of the passion:
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/109/1095814p1.html
It seems like the sense of speed, the rush to avoid hazards, explosions and slightly looser handling could make this an absolute stonker. I'm pretty sure I'll buy it unless there's a major faulty component, I initially had doubt about the environment, but the multitude of circuits and surfaces and environments really appear to match the gameplay of the series. I must say I hadn't really given any thought to the game showing at E3, but the memories of how close Pacific Rift came to being incredible have started spinning my mind.
Exploding through office buildings can only ever be described as a win.