Bangkok--10 Apr--Nissan Motor
Leading with a passion for “ Innovation that Excites”, Nissan today announces the launch of “Nissan GT Academy” Season 2 in Thailand, the search for six Thai gamers wanting to jump from the virtual racing world of PlayStation®3 racing simulator Gran Turismo®6 to the cockpit of a real racing car on the racetrack at Silverstone Circuit, in the United Kingdom and the possibility of becoming a professional race car driver.
For Season 2, the Nissan GT Academy Online Qualifying will start on 21st April 2015 via PlayStation® Network (PSNSM) while the “Nissan GT Academy Live Event” will be held in June. The Top 10 competitors from each qualifying channel will join the Thailand National Final Competition in late June 2015, to win one of the six tickets to the incredible “Nissan GT Academy International Race Camp” at Silverstone, and fight for the one chance to become a NISMO athlete.
“Nissan GT Academy started in Europe in 2008 then expanded to America in 2011 with a belief that excellent virtual racing-gamers can become professional race drivers if they are properly trained in high-level motorsports skills. That dream was realized for the winners of the Nissan GT Academy in previous years, such as current NISMO athletes Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough,” said Mr. Prapat Choeychom, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Nissan Motor (Thailand).
“Building on the success of the Season 1, which generated overwhelming interest from more than 30,000 young generation gamers nationwide to compete via PlayStation® Network (PSNSM) and in the “Nissan GT Academy Live Event, which led to 28 winners competing at the Bira Circuit, where the six winners were selected to attend the Nissan GT Academy International Race Camp at Silverstone, the Home of British Motor Racing, Nissan decided to continue the GT Academy in Thailand Season 2 as the program is in line with our Brand DNA of ‘Innovation that Excites’. We believe in the capabilities of Thai racing enthusiasts, and we support them to unlock their potential, follow their dreams, and get to taste the real world-class motorsports,” added Mr. Prapat.
Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate, 19, the first GT Academy Thailand Champion, expressed that GT Academy had given him an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience that he could never forget. “I was at the world-class race circuit–the place where every racing enthusiast dreams of. I also got to drive the very distinctive Nissan supercars such as Nissan GT-R R35s, Nissan 370Zs, among others. Those racing challenges, and the time we had with leading Thai and international motorsports professionals was a big learning curve for me. So, I’d like to encourage everyone to join Nissan GT Academy Season 2, and get yourself well-prepared because this program, this opportunity, will really change your life!”
Nissan GT Academy Online Qualifying via PSN comprises four rounds of competition, starting with Silverstone and GT-R NISMO as the first race circuit and first race car, on 21st April 2015. The final round of Online Qualifying ends on 16th June 2015. In Season 2, only the Top 10 virtual racers from Online Qualifying will be invited to join the Thailand National Final Competition in late June.
This year, Nissan will hold only one “GT Academy Live Event” in Bangkok in June 2015. Competitors will race with the “Nissan GT6 Simulators” to win their seats at the Thailand National Final, where the 10 fastest racers from the “Live Event” will compete against the other Top 10 from online channels. Ultimately, only the six best will earn their tickets to the “Nissan GT Academy International Race Camp” in the United Kingdom in August 2015.
For more information on Nissan GT Academy Thailand Season 2, please visit: http://gtacademy.nissan.co.th