GT Academy 2014 Starts April 21 in Gran Turismo 6
So do you want to be the next racer to go from the couch and the PlayStation to behind the wheel of a real race car? Then prepare yourself for GT Academy 2014, which starts Monday, April 21 in Gran Turismo 6.
The best competitors in the virtual event have a chance to become a real-life Nissan NISMO driver.
According to GT Academy’s Facebook page:
Champions will be selected in 2014 from competitions in Europe, Germany, USA and a new International GT Academy comprising Australia, India, Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Kuwait), Mexico and Thailand.
After completing an intensive three-month Driver Development Programme, rated among the best in the world, the five global GT Academy 2014 champions will qualify for the ultimate prize – driving a Nissan in the gruelling Dubai 24 Hour race in January next year.
NISMO’s Global Head of Brand Marketing and Sales, Darren Cox, commented, “Nissan and NISMO are proud to launch the sixth instalment of GT Academy with our friends at PlayStation and Polyphony Digital. Six years ago this innovative approach was seen as a risk, but it is now a firmly established route to professional motorsport. GT Academy started in Europe but is now expanding globally with new editions being launched in several emerging markets. To highlight the global nature, our European winners have become NISMO Athletes and are racing across the globe in several top level championships. We are looking forward to discovering even more new stars in 2014. Anyone who thinks they have what it takes should give GT Academy a go. Not everyone can win, but the experience is hugely rewarding at every stage of the competition.”
Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital, explained: “I am very proud that GT Academy has returned for its sixth season, and that Gran Turismo together with Nissan will once again serve as the platform for the development of new racing drivers, whom otherwise would not have had the chance to pursue their dreams. Even if you don’t make it through to the next round of GT Academy, the GT6 qualifying challenge will improve your skills as a driver and all players taking part will be rewarded with in-game credits to enhance their experience.”
Perhaps the biggest success so far from the program is 2011 winner Jann Mardenborough, a British driver who was a Le Mans 24-hour podium finisher and will compete in Formula One feeder series GP3 in 2014
[Source: GT Academy Facebook]
