Nissan recently launched its GT Academy programme in South Africa. The Nissan GT Academy is a ‘virtual-to-reality’ racing competition that has experienced success in Europe and America since 2008 and serves as a platform into the world of motor sport for emerging talent.

Nissan GT Academy looking for talent across SA

In collaboration with Playstation, the Nissan GT Academy went live on 15 October 2012 with an exclusive, free downloadable gaming format that will remain open until 10 December 2012. Any person with a Playstation 3 (PS3) and using Gran Turismo 5 as a base can attempt the eight step qualification programme online.

The fastest gamers will join a pool of winners from various live events around the country to compete in the national final in January 2013. Winners of the national competition will then make the transition from PS3 to real Nissan sports cars when they are invited to take part in the International Race Camp competition at the Silverstone Circuit in March 2013. The overall winner will then take part in an intensive Driver Development Programme to prepare for a chance to race in the Silverstone 24 Hours in 2013.

Lucas Ordoñez, the 27 year-old Spaniard who won the Nissan GT Academy competition in 2008, went on take second place on the podium at the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hour race and contested in the full European Le Mans Series in the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan LMP2 race car.

“Winning the Nissan GT Academy has changed my life,” says Lucas. “It was by chance that I came across the competition in a motoring magazine and decided to give it a go. I wasn’t a very serious gamer, but when I played my friends I usually won, so I had a bit of a feeling for it, I think.”

Nissan GT Academy – Live Events Dates

Details of how to enter Nissan GT Academy 2012 can be found on gtacademy.nissan.co.za