GT Academy
History
GT Academy began in 2008, as a driver development program that took Gran Turismo gamers, and turned them into professional racecar drivers. The program supported by Nissan and Playstation, has continued to find talent in countries across the globe. The program has expanded immensely from its start in 2008, and in 2014 five GT Academy winners were crowned.
GT Academy began in 2008, as a driver development program that took Gran Turismo gamers, and turned them into professional racecar drivers. The program supported by Nissan and Playstation, has continued to find talent in countries across the globe. The program has expanded immensely from its start in 2008, and in 2014 five GT Academy winners were crowned.
GT Academy, the program that turns dreams into a reality, all thanks to Nissan and Playstation
2014 North American GT Academy
The 2014 North American GT Academy eliminations began online with Gran Turismo 6 at Spa Francorchamps, where individuals tried to record a lap time that placed them inside the top 28 in the United States, and top four in Canada. I had two weeks to record a lap, and on the final weekend, while racing in the SCCA June Sprints at Road America during the day and on my Playstation 3 at night, I was able to record a lap time of 2:15.238 that placed me 20th in the nation and 230th in the world. I was relieved to make the cut after two years of trying and was headed to the next step of the competition New York City, National Finals.
Once in New York, myself along with 31 other gamers were tested in Speed, Strength, and Soul. Danny Sullivan judged the competitors and narrowed the group from 32 to 12. In New York we participated in an autocross competition, an online racing tournament, and finally a media interview. After two days of competition I made the list of 12 finalists and was going to Silverstone, U.K. for GT Academy Racecamp.
The 2014 North American GT Academy eliminations began online with Gran Turismo 6 at Spa Francorchamps, where individuals tried to record a lap time that placed them inside the top 28 in the United States, and top four in Canada. I had two weeks to record a lap, and on the final weekend, while racing in the SCCA June Sprints at Road America during the day and on my Playstation 3 at night, I was able to record a lap time of 2:15.238 that placed me 20th in the nation and 230th in the world. I was relieved to make the cut after two years of trying and was headed to the next step of the competition New York City, National Finals.
Once in New York, myself along with 31 other gamers were tested in Speed, Strength, and Soul. Danny Sullivan judged the competitors and narrowed the group from 32 to 12. In New York we participated in an autocross competition, an online racing tournament, and finally a media interview. After two days of competition I made the list of 12 finalists and was going to Silverstone, U.K. for GT Academy Racecamp.
At National Finals in New York City. We participated in a series of online races where we each tried to display our racecraft and speed on Gran Tursimo 6. This along with an autocross and a media interview narrowed the field to 12.
Excited and motivated from that point on everything I did was in preparation for Racecamp. I ran every day, lifted weights, and did numerous car exercises in preparation for Silverstone.
At Silverstone, the 12 of us competed in numerous challenges testing our Speed, Strength, and Soul. Rob Barff, Danny Sullivan, and Boris Said were the judges for the competition. Throughout the week I was able to continue in the competition watching fellow competitors get eliminated and sent home. On the final day I made the last race where three other competitors and I raced head to head in an eight lap race. I took pole position by a tenth and was able to win the race in the Nissan 370z Racecar. After review from the judges on individual performances I was crowned the 2014 GT Academy Champion.
At Silverstone, the 12 of us competed in numerous challenges testing our Speed, Strength, and Soul. Rob Barff, Danny Sullivan, and Boris Said were the judges for the competition. Throughout the week I was able to continue in the competition watching fellow competitors get eliminated and sent home. On the final day I made the last race where three other competitors and I raced head to head in an eight lap race. I took pole position by a tenth and was able to win the race in the Nissan 370z Racecar. After review from the judges on individual performances I was crowned the 2014 GT Academy Champion.
Myself and the eleven other GT Academy competitors along with the judges for GT Academy 2014.
“Winning GT Academy is a surreal experience and most of the time I have to remind myself that I did win, and all that preparation, hard work, and determination paid off. Dreams do come true, and I cannot thank all my instructors, judges, and everyone at Racecamp enough for helping me improve throughout the week, and win the competition. Nissan has a truly amazing program with GT Academy, and I am so grateful and fortunate to represent everyone at Nissan and this program with every race I enter.”
-Nicolas Hammann
To view the 2014 GT Academy week through my eyes click below.
GT Academy Week Write-up
Please click on the episode links below to watch all the episodes from GT Academy, and watch as I progress throughout the week, and win the competition.
-Nicolas Hammann
To view the 2014 GT Academy week through my eyes click below.
GT Academy Week Write-up
Please click on the episode links below to watch all the episodes from GT Academy, and watch as I progress throughout the week, and win the competition.
Click on the List Below to Watch All the GT Academy Competition Episodes from 2014
Episode 1: Virtual to Reality
Episode 2: Finding the Zone
Episode 3: No Man Left Behind
Episode 4: Race For Your Place
Episode 5: The Braking Point
Episode 6: May The Best Man Win