Playing video games may not be the best use of one’s time, but in some cases it can pay off.
Three graduates of Nissan’s GT Academy contest, which turns video-gamers into race drivers, will be racing professionally for Nissan in the world’s top sports car series.
Nissan’s GT Academy, a global contest for players of the video game Gran Turismo 5, gives the fastest virtual drivers a chance to compete in real cars on real racetracks. Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson, and Jann Mardenborough, the first three graduates of Nissan’s GT Academy, will be driving some of the fastest cars on the planet at some of the most important races, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The first winner, 26-year-old Lucas Ordonez, took full advantage of his opportunity, going from video games to a class win at Le Mans in 2011 with Signatech Nissan.
For 2012, Ordonez will drive a Zytek-Nissan for Greaves Motorsports in the European Le Mans Series, and will again race at Le Mans. “2011 was an incredible year for me,” said Ordonez in a Nissan press release
“I learned a lot with Signatech Nissan. They believed in me and trusted me to get the job done. Nissan has set me my next challenge: an overall championship victory. With two top team-mates and a championship-winning team I am aiming to win the European Le Mans Series outright.”
2010 GT Academy winner Jordan Tresson will take over the seat Ordonez vacated at Signatech Nissan in the World Endurance Championship. The 23-year-old Frenchman drove in the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2011; for 2012 he is stepping up to a prototype.
“I am taking a very big step up from GT racing to LMP2 this year,” said Tresson. “I have tested the car already and it is so quick through the corners! I will have to work hard but I am ready for it.
“Racing at Le Mans, especially for a French driver, is a special dream. To be racing with a French team, both at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship at so many legendary race tracks, is almost more than I can imagine.
“It will not be an easy year. Our opponents will be tough; the LMP2 class is big and there will be many cars with Nissan engines. I can’t wait to get started on our test program now as this is shaping up to be the biggest opportunity of my life.”
Jann Mardenborough, the 2011 GT Academy winner, will follow Tresson’s path into the Blancpain series, driving Nissan’s GT-R GT3. The 20-year-old Brit has already earned a podium finish in the Dubai 24 Hours, co-driving with Ordonez, Tresson, and U.S. GT Academy 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter.
“A year ago I was on a gap year and hadn’t even applied to enter GT Academy and now I’m heading into my first full season as a racing driver,” explained Mardenborough.
“I have had an incredible six months on the GT Academy driver development program where I have been thoroughly knocked into shape by a group of instructors who I am sure will be lifelong friends.
“I’m super excited about racing the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3. There are no nerves, I just want to crack on and test the new car. Starting the season at Monza in April will be a big moment for me and I can’t wait!”
Many professional drivers use video games to learn new tracks. The games have grown so sophisticated that drivers can determine racing lines, braking, and turn-in points before ever turning a wheel at a track. Nissan and Gran Turismo have proven that skill in the game actually translates to the track, even for players with no racing background.
There is more to GT Academy than winning video games. Winners have to survive an intense four-month training program to develop the physical strength and endurance needed to survive the heat and G-forces developed in a racecar.
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