- Nissan PlayStation GT Academy gives contestants their own Le Mans driving experience this weekend
- Winner of this online gamer-to-racer competition could go racing for real with Nissan
- Four previous Nissan GT Academy winners line-up on Saturday for Le Mans 24 Hours
LE MANS, France – This is the weekend of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, a legendary event contested by big car brands and world-class racing drivers - and members of the public are being given the chance to find out what it’s like to drive there in the radical new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO racer. More than that, by entering the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy online competition, gamers could go on to become a racing driver for real. Four previous winners of the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy have been turned from gamers to racers by Nissan and are competing at Le Mans this weekend.
To play the latest round of the Nissan GT Academy, which features the high-speed 8.45-mile (13.6 km) Le Mans circuit, players simply need to download a free update on the Gran Turismo 6 game then follow instructions, or visit Gran-Turismo.com for more details. The competition is open to entrants aged 18 or over until June 16.
The fastest gamers go through to a National Final, and the best performers here progress to a week-long Race Camp at Silverstone circuit in England, where they will be put through their paces on track in Nissan sports cars. Winners from each Race Camp are given an intensive Driver Development Program, with the chance to qualify for an international race license and race for Nissan professionally.
Previous Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winners Lucas Ordóñez (ESP), Jann Mardenborough (GBR), and Mark Shulzhitskiy (RUS) are all competing at Le Mans this weekend in the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO in the race’s premier LM P1 category, and Gaetan Paletou (FR) is racing in the LM P2 class just 10 months after winning GT Academy Europe.
The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is new this year and, compared to its LM P1 rivals from Audi, Porsche and Toyota, still at a relatively early stage in its development. The Nissan’s innovative design was inspired by the unusual demands of the Le Mans circuit and its high speed corners. Winners of the race typically cover more than 3,125 miles (5,000km) during the 24 hours.
For more information about GT Academy please visit: www.facebook.com/GTAcademy and http://gran-turismo.com
About GT Academy 2015
GT Academy is a collaboration between PlayStation® and Nissan that uses the virtual world of the Gran Turismo®6 game to unearth real-world racing talent. Now in its seventh year, GT Academy includes separate competitions for Europe (France, Italy, UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic), International group (Australia, Mexico, North Africa, Turkey and United States) and Asia (India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan).
The GT Academy qualification round will be part of a free Gran Turismo®6 update on PlayStation®3 (terms and conditions apply). The fastest gamers in each participating territory gain access to their region’s National Final event. A number of competitors can also gain access via a series of Live Gran Turismo events organised locally. The National Finals add driving, fitness and a media element to the gaming.
From National Finals, the action moves onto the legendary Race Camp, where the competitors are put through their paces on track in Nissan sports cars under the watchful eyes of high profile judges and mentors. Winners from each competition will be invited to take part in the intensive Driver Development Programme. They could qualify for an international race license and race for Nissan professionally, with the chance to potentially join Nissan’s elite Nismo Athletes.
Previous winners of GT Academy are now regular racing drivers. In 2015, Jann Mardenborough (UK, winner in 2011) is racing in the World Endurance Championship for Nissan in the top LM P1 category and in GP3, a feeder series to Formula One, with the championship-winning Carlin team. Lucas Ordoñez (Spain, winner in 2008) will be racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours this year in the Nisan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 entry, alongside Mardenborough. The 2014 Champions, Gaetan Paletou (Europe) and Ricardo Sanchez (International) are competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.
News and views on GT Academy 2014 and the progress of all the GT Academy drivers can be followed on various platforms including: www.facebook.com/GTAcademy | www.twitter.com/GTAcademy | www.youtube.com/gtacademyeurope | www.flickr.com/photos/gtacademyeurope.
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