Sony Computer Entertainment UK and Nissan Motor (GB) Limited have announced 32-year-old John Moorby a programmer from Macclesfield and 22-year-old student Alex Ingram from Edinburgh as the UK qualifiers of the Nissan PlayStation® GT Academy. The pair will now go onto represent the UK, against gamers from 17 countries at the international final staged at Silverstone Circuit from 26 February – 2 March.
From the 20 competitors who travelled to Brands Hatch from around the UK, only Moorby and Ingram will keep their PlayStation®3 (PS3™) loungeroom racing dream alive. They will now see if they can transfer their gaming skills to the real track at Silverstone, where the fastest gamers from around the world will undergo a rigorous training programme for the chance to become a real racing driver.
Tensions were high as the UK’s most talented PlayStation racers battled it out at Brands Hatch, competing over a series of online races staged on a specially designed version of the hugely popular Gran Turismo™ game. The final gaming heat of the day was staged on the world-famous Nürburgring circuit. Moorby and Ingram crossed the line in first and second positions to qualify for the next stage of GT Academy 2010.
As part of the National Final, last year’s winner of the GT Academy, Spaniard Lucas Ordoñez, and his Nissan team-mate Alex Buncombe gave the UK competitors a taste of the final prize with a passenger ride around Brands Hatch circuit in the Nissan 350Z GT and a race-spec 370Z. The 350Z GT was the same car in which Ordoñez and Buncombe recorded a race victory to secure second place in the 2009 European GT4 Cup Racing Series.
Alex Ingram said: “I was nervous but I managed to hold on to my second place and I am really chuffed. I have been really determined since the start of GT Academy. I knew coming in here that everyone was very closely matched so I was confident that I had as good a chance as anyone but I am really delighted. The passenger ride in the 370Z was amazing so I can’t imagine how unbelievable a real drive at Silverstone will be.”
“I have been a massive Gran Turismo fan since the beginning. This has been a great day and Nissan and PlayStation have given all of us an incredible opportunity. I don’t know what to think about Silverstone. I’m sure I’ll be very nervous as it gets closer. I didn’t imagine I could win today, so I might have to cancel the holiday I have got booked in March now as I’ll need a week off for Silverstone,” said winner John Moorby.
Moorby and Ingram will now join other international finalists at Silverstone circuit for the GT Academy – a five day, comprehensive race driver boot camp. Participants will have the chance to develop new driving skills through a series of driving, physical and mental aptitude tests.
The two international finalists that are judged to display the talent and determination to succeed in motor sport will undergo an intensive driver training programme to prepare them to qualify for an international race licence. The driver with the most potential will claim the golden prize of contesting a full-season in the 2010 European GT4 Cup racing series in a Nissan 370Z GT, prepared by RJN Motorsport.
David Wilson, Head of Communications for Sony Computer Entertainment, commented: “GT Academy reflects the PlayStation spirit of turning dreams into reality. We have been overwhelmed that over 1.1 million people from around the world and 260,000 in the UK alone have taken up the challenge to transfer their racing passion for Gran Turismo and attempt to become a real racing driver.”
“We now move to the GT Academy 2010 international final stage and a baptism of fire awaits our two UK winners,” said, Terry Steeden, Sports car product manager for Nissan Motor (GB) Limited. “It’s going to be fascinating to see who can most effectively adapt their on-screen skills to the real track. If the international finalists are looking for inspiration, they should recognise what last year’s winner Lucas achieved in such a short space of time.”
Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have joined forces again to bring gaming and motor sport fans the ultimate racing competition. GT Academy 2010 will go live on 17 December, 2009 and will use the virtual world of the new PlayStation® Gran Turismo®5 game to find a real-world racing driver. The stakes are high, with an intensive race training programme and a season-long drive in a full race-spec Nissan 370Z in the European GT4 Cup as the ultimate prize.
GT Academy 2010 is the second instalment of this incredible competition. In 2008/09, Lucas Ordoñez, a 23-year-old Spanish student, graduated from his PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) console to become a full-on racing driver via the GT Academy. Lucas is living proof that the answer to the question posed by PlayStation and Nissan - “can the world of virtual racing unearth a real racing talent?” - was a resounding “yes”.
After a debut in the Dubai International 24 Hour race alongside former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, Lucas teamed-up with British driver Alex Buncombe to campaign a Nissan 350Z. Driving for the RJN Motorsport GT Academy team, the pair took part in the full European GT4 Cup season, mostly run alongside the prestigious FIA GT series. Their stunning performances included two race wins and two second-place finishes that left them an agonisingly close second in the drivers’ classification, but winners of the Teams’ Championship.
The success of Nissan and PlayStations’ ‘experiment’ spurred them on to make GT Academy 2010 even bigger and better. The competition falls into four main stages.
Full details here: http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/128779-gt-academy-returns.html#post1216240
GT-R Update
- A change in the policy regarding the Transmission Oil replacement
- Clarification regarding the warranty coverage for driving with ESP/VDC in the “OFF” position
1) Transmission Oil replacement
The GT-R has been on sale in Europe for over 6 months now and during this time our engineers have been surveying the European market and customer usage. As a result of this work we are now in a position to make improvements to the following servicing procedure:
- ‘Normal operating’ transmission oil temperature upper level has been raised to a maximum of 120'C (was 110'c)
- Hot usage (extreme driving conditions), where the transmission oil has exceeded 120'C (was 110'C) will need changing within 3000 miles of running at this higher temperature – was 1800 miles.
During extensive testing in normal road conditions, including the Autobahns in Germany, the transmission oil temperature did not exceed 120'C and showed no evidence of degradation whilst running in this condition. Therefore, the top limit of the normal operating oil temperature range has been raised to 120'C. This means that, unless used in extreme conditions, transmission oil changes will only be required at the longer change interval of 18,000 miles or 18 months. The risk of requiring more frequent transmission oil changes has been significantly reduced.
2) Clarification regarding the warranty coverage for driving with ESP/VDC in the “OFF” position
The warranty restriction regarding ESP off is intended to advise customers that Nissan cannot warrant (or guarantee) the performance, safety or stability of the vehicle in this condition.
GT-R is a high performance supercar and as such, ESP is designed to help maintain a high level of dynamic stability. Mechanical failure encountered while driving with ESP Off is covered by warranty, any damage due to lack of driver skill and subsequent loss of vehicle control is obviously not warrantable.
There is no specific risk of mechanical failure from driving with ESP off and there is no intention to reject a warranty claim based on the ESP setting. There has never been a warranty claim rejected in Europe due to this and Nissan has no intention of doing so in the future.
However, it is Nissan’s social responsibility to strongly recommend ‘ESP On’ at all times, to maintain a high level of dynamic stability. The only circumstance Nissan recommends using ‘ESP off’ is to escape from mud/snow at low speeds.
Obviously there will be a rewrite of the owners manual for later sales but this will take time.
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