Race For Real at the GT ACADEMY: Live Recruitment Events

The search is ongoing for the gamer who can apply his or her video racing skills to real-life circuit driving.

Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) recently introduced the GT Academy to the country, opening doors to Filipinos wanting to break into the racing profession.

With the GT Academy, any player who can prove their driving skills in the world of video games can compete in a real racetrack. From the time trials in the recruitment stage that will run until June, the 20 fastest gamers will advance to the National Finals in July, where they will shift to real race cars. The top 6 drivers will join Asia’s best at the Race Camp in August at the prestigious Silverstone Racing Circuit in the UK where they will be tested on their strength, stamina, mental agility and of course, driving skills. The emerging winner will join others from the different regions in a series of rigorous training under the Driver Development Program.

 Since its launch in 2008, the 2015 GT Academy season will be the biggest year yet. Gamers from up to 24 countries around the world are expected to join, with GT Academy International and Asia reaching a staggering 2.2 billion potential entrants. Nissan and PlayStation are looking for the finest to progress from virtual racing to the real world of racing for Nissan.

To date, the fastest lap time recorded in the Philippines is 1:02:762 and the slowest in the top 20 is 1:03:671.  So far, 3,005 attempts have been recorded in the live recruitment events which started last April 10 and will run at various venues until June 28.

Last April 24-26, the Nissan GT Academy was at the SM Sky Dome in SM North EDSA. Joining the hopefuls was gorgeous celebrity, Sam Pinto who exuded girl power behind the wheel. Despite being unfamiliar with the video game, she confidently slid into the driver seat of the simulator pod and revved through the virtual track. Sam learned to drive when she was 16 years old and figured that with a little practice, she can clock a decent lap time and compete with the other gamers. “This is the closest I can get to being a race car driver, they told me it’s open to women too, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” Sam explained. “Driving on the simulator was a nice escape from traffic, it was fun to be able to just floor it!” she continued.

For GT Academy updates and Live Event schedules, please visit NPI’s Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/NissanPhilippinesInc.



The Shift from Gamer to Racer

GT Academy takes skilled Gran Turismo 6 players and turns them into professional racers in five stages.

First Gear: The Recruitment (April - June)

Hopefuls will be narrowed down to the top 20 gamers to be determined by time trials taking place behind the wheel of GT pods during live recruitment events.

Second Gear: National Finals (July)

The National Finals will determine top 6 Filipino players who will go to the next round and go bumper-to-bumper with the best Gran Turismo drivers in Asia.

Third Gear: The Race Camp Week (August)

Players will be tested on their strength, stamina, mental agility and driving skills against Asia's best at the Silverstone Racing Circuit in UK.

Fourth Gear: Driver Development Program

The emerging GT Academy Champion in Asia will join other GT Academy winners in a rigorous training under the wing of professional coaches and racers at the Silverstone Racing Circuit in UK.


Fifth Gear: Graduation
After passing the Driver Development Program, graduates will receive their International C License, allowing them to compete in a prestigious racing event anywhere in the world.