- Mexican Johnny Guindi Hamui wins 2016 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy International Final
- Australian representatives impress, but unable to repeat Matt Simmons' winning fortunes
SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom – Mexican Johnny Guindi Hamui has won the 2016 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy International final in a dramatic conclusion to the popular race driver talent program at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom.
Alongside his countryman Enrique Rodriguez Manjarrez in the two-driver final, 'Johnny' steered the Nissan 370Z NISMO race car across the line in first place in the final, and was awarded the top prize after displaying speed and consistency across the gruelling eight day Race Camp.
The win for the 22-year-old Mexican grants him a place in the Nissan Driver Development Program and a race seat in the 2017 24 Hours of Dubai alongside 2011 GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough in January.
'Johnny' fought off 35 other gamers from six regions to secure the prize, and his journey with Nissan continues almost immediately as he will compete with RJN Motorsport at Brands Hatch this weekend.
North Africa finished second in the final race ahead of Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and an unlucky Australian team.
Mentored by 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour winner Katsumasa Chiyo, Australians Chris McIvor and Bradley Packham started the final race on the back foot, having qualified last after a frustrating stock car challenge where the team's car lost drive due to a fuel module failure.
It was a blow for the Australian team who had led the stock car race and proven a match for all its rivals during a competitive Race Camp, featuring a range of challenges including simulator racing, gymkhana eliminations, SAS assault courses and beach racing in Nissan GT-Rs.
Brad Packham, a mechanic for a Supercars Championship team in Australia, made a strong start, making it as high as third place before losing time in an incident. Packham handed over to McIvor early in the race, and while he made some in-roads, he was ultimately eliminated in another on-track incident.
This is the third-straight year that Australia has entered the competition, with Josh Muggleton finishing second in 2014 and Matt Simmons claiming the top prize last year.
Simmons went on to compete in the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup this year, racing a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. He is competing with Nissan Supercars star Michael Caruso in the Hampton Downs 101 GT race in New Zealand this weekend.
QUOTES – JOHNNY GUINDI HAMUI, 2016 GT ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL WINNER
"I can't believe it, what I've just achieved is going to take a while to sink in!" said Hamui.
"It's been an unbelievable experience with some seriously tough competitors and I've had the best time of my life.
"In the race I was just so concentrated on doing a good job that my 11 laps in the car flew by. I was alone for five laps and I was just looking for consistent lap times and then on my sixth lap I saw the North Africa car coming out of the pits. I was in a great rhythm and overtook him on the outside. After that it was all about holding it together and luckily I did that, I can't describe the feeling when Jann read out my name as the winner!"
QUOTES – MIKE CARCAMO, NISSAN MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
"The final race was just phenomenal, hats off to all the teams who did a great job with the new format with the two drivers, it made for a really exciting race," said Carcamo.
"Johnny did a great job in his second stint, having to come from behind and also overtaking guys and pushing hard, this was a real-life racing scenario and another great year for GT Academy!"
About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal 2014.
Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
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