I remember this was the case when Wipeout HD just came out. It never worked for very long though. I think this has just been fixed rather than being a new feature.
@Darkdrium777: maybe you're right (probably :P). But I remember a point where I thought "why isn't the progress bar working anymore?". I probably never noticed that it didn't work before that.
By the way: I BEAT ZICO YESTERDAY! Feeling sooo happy :D Just one more trophy to go (Arcade Perfect).