GT ACADEMY TIME TRIAL CLOSES WITH OVER 765,000 EUROPEAN ENTRIES
Gran Turismo®6 demo downloaded by more than 1.3 million worldwide
Leading competitors move to National Finals and first taste of Nismo performance cars
London & Paris - 30 July, 2013: The online phase of the virtual-to-reality competition closed on Sunday night with more than 765,000 entries overall recorded from the 18 participating European countries. Worldwide, more than 1.3 million people downloaded the special demo of the forthcoming Gran Turismo®6 game that featured ultra-realistic recreations of Silverstone Circuit, the all-electric Nissan Leaf and Nissan 370Z.
National Final events across Europe will feature a Gran Turismo gaming competition, before competitors are tested behind the wheel of a real Nissan Nismo performance car, as well as for fitness and personality. The best of the gamers will be selected to represent his country at European ‘Race Camp', taking place at the UK's Silverstone Circuit in September.
At Race Camp, the PlayStation gamers will be put through a series of tough driving, mental and fitness challenges under the watchful eye of high-profile, experienced country mentors and judges. Now in its fifth year, the GT Academy programme has evolved its selection process to ensure the gamers with the most racing potential will have their chance to become GT Academy Champion and a ‘Nismo Athlete'. The winner of the 2013 European competition will be rewarded with a full season's racing in a 500+ horsepower Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 race car.
The GT Academy Driver Development Programme has evolved into one of the most sophisticated in the world. Its success has been evidenced in championship wins as well as notable LMP2 Class podiums at the Le Mans 24 Hours for former GT Academy Champions Lucas Ordoñez (SPA) and Jann Mardenborough (UK). Just last weekend, Jann and Lucas teamed up with the 2012 GT Academy winners from Europe and Germany, Wolfgang Reip and Peter Pyzera, to record a Pro-Am podium (seventh overall) in the famous Spa 24 Hours in the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3. Jann had a busy weekend, having also recorded second place in a Formula 3 race at Spa.
Nissan's Director of Global Motorsport, Darren Cox, has been a passionate advocate of the GT Academy Champions, now Nismo Athletes, and is keen to assess the 2013 crop. "GT Academy has been responsible for unearthing some fantastic racing talent and we have the results to prove it. With so many entrants this year and increasing levels of realism from GT6, we are absolutely confident that there will be some huge talent among these gamers. With our experience over the past five years of GT Academy, and increasingly sophisticated and innovative tests developed in conjunction with Nismo, we know how to ensure that the best talent will rise to the top over the coming weeks. There is a lot to play for. We have recently announced that previous champions will be racing or testing in Australia, the USA and Japan, and we had all six Nismo Athletes in action at the Spa 24 Hours just last weekend."
"The online qualifying demo on GT6 has been very well received and the numbers of entries to GT Academy is phenomenal," commented Usama Al-Qassab, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's VP of Product Marketing. "After National Finals the action moves to Silverstone and, of course, these ultra-fast gamers will know exactly where to go having completed so many virtual laps there on the GT6 demo! Real driving starts to take over in GT Academy from National Finals, and we are looking forward to working with Nissan and Nismo as they implement some sophisticated performance tests for the gamers."
The GT6TM online demo will now remain open until the end of August with all players rewarded with the inclusion of a Nissan GT-R to drive in a final challenge, not linked to the GT Academy entry.
Details of how to enter GT Academy 2013 can be found on various platforms including: www.facebook.com/GTAcademy, www.gran-turismo.com and @GTAcademy.
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Additional notes:
About GT Academy
GT Academy is a collaboration between PlayStation® and Nissan that uses the virtual world of the Gran Turismo® game to unearth real-world racing talent. Now in its fifth year, GT Academy includes separate competitions for Europe (France, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) and CEE (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia), Germany, USA and Russia.
A free online Gran Turismo®6 GT Academy qualification demo is open to anyone with a PlayStation®3 to download (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 to Silverstone for 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. One winner from each of Europe, USA, Russia and Germany will be invited to take part in the intensive Driver Development Programme. They could qualify for an international race license and potentially join Nissan's elite Nismo athletes.
Previous winners of GT Academy are now regular racing drivers. In 2013, Lucas Ordoñez (Spain, winner in 2008) and Jann Mardenborough (UK, winner in 2011) competed in Le Mans 24 Hours in the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan LMP2 car. The 2012 Champions, Mark Schulzhitskiy (Russia), Wolfgang Reip (Europe), Steve Doherty (USA) and Peter Pyzera (Germany) are competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.
News and views on GT Academy 2013 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 .
About the Gran Turismo® Franchise
Gran Turismo® celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2013, having first appeared internationally in 1998. The multi-award-winning franchise has been the most successful ever for PlayStation®, and in 2013 it also surpassed worldwide sales of 70 million units. Various iterations of Gran Turismo have been created for PlayStation®, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSPTM (PlayStation® Portable), and have always been regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulators ever created due to true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design. Since the inception of Gran Turismo, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products. Gran Turismo®5, the latest iteration of the game, was released on 24 November, 2010 and has sold 10 million units worldwide.
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®2 (PS2®) computer entertainment system, PSPTM (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system, and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 109 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE has revolutionised home entertainment since they launched PlayStation® in 1994. PS2® further enhances the PlayStation® legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP® is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games with high-quality full-motion video and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3® is an advanced computer system, incorporating the powerful Cell Broadband Engine and RSX processors. PS Vita is an ultimate portable entertainment system that offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. SCEE also delivers the PlayStation® experience to open operating systems through PlayStation®Mobile, a cross device platform. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories.
More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com/www.playstation.com/oblocked::http:/www.playstation.com/www.playstation.com.
PlayStation, PS4, PS3, PS2 and PSP are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 695,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.
About Nismo
For the full Nismo story please click here.
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