- Michael Caruso to race #23 GT Academy Nissan Altima V8 Supercar at Symmons Plains Nissan and PlayStation® seek to find Australian gamer to join GT Academy winner's list
- Australia witnessed success of GT Academy up close with 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour win
- GT Academy winners turned NISMO Athletes racing around the world in 2015
- VIDEO: Michael Caruso talks GT Academy 2015 https://youtu.be/LuM825dF6u0
MELBOURNE, Australia (23 March 2015) – Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) are pleased to confirm that the Nissan PlayStation® GT Academy will return to Australia in 2015 – and to celebrate, Michael Caruso will race the #23 GT Academy Nissan Altima V8 Supercar at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania this weekend.
As well as Nissan PlayStation GT Academy branding, Caruso's Altima will carry nissan.com.au/GT15 across its windscreen. Those interested in receiving more information regarding GT Academy, including 2015 qualification details, are encouraged to register at this website to be kept up-to-date with the latest GT Academy news.
The unique, world-renowned competition sees gamers qualify for their country's National Final by posting times in Nissan cars to the Gran Turismo®6 leader board, only possible on PlayStation®3 (PS3™). Finalists are then selected from the National Final to compete against the world's best gamers at Race Camp, where the GT Academy winner is crowned, completing the journey from 'gamer to pro racer'.
Last year Australia was part of the first Nissan PlayStation GT Academy International competition, which saw gamers from 'down under' compete against finalists from Mexico, Thailand, India and the Middle East in the GT Academy International Race Camp at the Silverstone F1 circuit in England.
After a hard-fought week of competition, Australia's best finalist, Joshua Muggleton, narrowly lost out to Mexico's Ricardo Sanchez. Sanchez has since gone on to complete Nissan's gruelling Driver Development Program and race a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to fifth place overall and second in class in the 2015 Dubai 24 Hours.
Earlier this month, Sanchez was announced as an official NISMO Athlete and will to race a GT-R NISMO GT3 in the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series for Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.
In 2015, GT Academy winners turned NISMO Athletes will compete in racing championships across the globe, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, Super GT, GP3 Series, Japanese F3, the European Le Mans Series, Blancpain Endurance Series, ADAC GT Masters, the Pirelli World Challenge and more.
Racing programs for the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winners will include iconic races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours, Nurburgring 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours and Suzuka 1000.
It was at another prestigious race, the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour in February, where previous GT Academy winners Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss, along with Japanese driver Katsumasa Chiyo, took outright victory aboard a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, giving the Nissan GT-R its first major win at Mount Panorama since its back-to-back Bathurst 1000 wins in 1991-1992.
A key element of GT Academy is the television series that follows the journey of the finalists as they strive to make their virtual-to-reality dream come true. The 2014 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy series has been screening this month on ONE HD and will soon be available to view online at YouTube.com/NissanAustralia.
QUOTES:
Richard Emery – Managing Director & CEO, Nissan Motor Co Australia
"The success of the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy is well documented, but I think that Australians now have an even greater appreciation for it following Nissan's win at the recent Bathurst 12 Hour," said Emery.
"It was amazing to watch Wolfgang and Florian lapping the unforgiving Mount Panorama circuit wheel-to-wheel with seasoned professionals at the front of a world-class GT sportscar field, only a few years after they had won GT Academy and made the switch from gamer to racer.
"The fact that they took victory along with Chiyo-san was one of the standout performances in the history of GT Academy and an amazing moment for Nissan and NISMO.
"Last year we saw some fantastic talent come through the GT Academy program here in Australia and we saw Josh Muggleton come extremely close to winning the overall competition.
"This year we hope to find an Australian GT Academy winner, with the aim of them following in the footsteps of the likes of Ordonez, Mardenborough and of course Reip and Strauss."
Michael Caruso – Driver, #23 GT Academy Nissan Altima V8 Supercar
"GT Academy is a sensational program so I'm pleased to carry it on my #23 Altima V8 Supercar in Tasmania this weekend," said Caruso.
"It still amazes me that drivers discovered by playing Gran Turismo on PlayStation 3 are now racing in some of the best championships in global motorsport such as WEC and Super GT.
"It's a credit to Nissan and PlayStation that they support young driving talent – but in true Nissan style, do it in such an innovative and exciting way.
"Winning the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy can be the start of big things for an aspiring driver. Hopefully we can have an Australian winner this year – and maybe one day a GT Academy winner in V8 Supercars."
VIDEOS:
2014 GT Academy Australian National Final highlights: https://youtu.be/ybO99cOqVVo
2014 GT Academy International Race Camp highlights: https://youtu.be/9d7eBxa29QQ
Sanchez announced as 2014 GT Academy International winner: https://youtu.be/ybO99cOqVVo
Examples of GT Academy winners in action in 2015 (NB: not a complete list)
Lucas Ordonez (2008 GT Academy Europe winner)
FIA World Endurance Championship LM P1 Class – Nissan GT-R LM NISMO
Super GT Championship – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500
Japanese Formula 3 Championship
Jann Mardenborough (2011 GT Academy Europe winner)
FIA World Endurance Championship LM P1 Class – Nissan GT-R LM NISMO
GP3 Series
Wolfgang Reip (2012 GT Academy Europe winner)
Blancpain Endurance Series PRO Class – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Florian Strauss (2013 GT Academy Germany winner)
Blancpain Endurance Series PRO-AM Class – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Gaetan Paletou (2014 GT Academy Europe winner)
Blancpain Endurance Series PRO-AM Class – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Ricardo Sanchez (2014 GT Academy International winner)
Blancpain Endurance Series PRO-AM Class – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Bryan Heitkotter (2011 GT Academy USA winner)
Pirelli World Challenge – Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
Note to Editors:
* See http://www.facebook.com/NismoAUS and http://www.nissan.com.au/news for updates and confirmation regarding the scheduling and location of live events.
Follow the official GT Academy Facebook page and NISMO Australia Facebook page for the latest updates on the competition and status of all GT Academy Champions
About Nissan PlayStation GT Academy:
- GT Academy is an international virtual-to-reality contest that allows the best Gran Turismo gamers to compete for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a real-life professional race driver. Any player who proves his or her skill in the virtual world has a chance to go wheel-to-wheel in a real racecar on a real circuit to achieve the grand prize - a spot on the Nissan racing team, and all the training and licensing needed to race in international events.
- Created in 2008 by Sony Computer Entertainment and Polyphony Digital Inc., in collaboration with Nissan, this competition has grown in popularity all over the world, with GT Academy competitions taking place everywhere from Germany to the USA and Russia to the Middle East. The top Gran Turismo gamers are identified in a series of online time trials or from live events using pre-selected digital Nissan vehicles. Thousands of hopefuls are narrowed down to a select few, who will then participate in a National Final Event where they battle in special racing pods during a series of Gran Turismo rounds, real driving skill challenges, a fitness challenge and a media test.
- The top performers from these National Finals are then invited to take part in the Final Selection Round - an intense Race Camp competition held at the famous Silverstone Racing Circuit in England. Here, the action jumps from the virtual cars of the PS3™ game to actual Nissan sports cars, as competitors are tested on their strength, stamina, mental agility and driving skills. Judges look for pure talent, drive, passion and dedication to determine who really has what it takes to become a professional racecar driver.
- A television show documenting the intense competition and training for the final GT Academy competitors will be aired on national television channels. Follow the official GT Academy Facebook page and NISMO Australia Facebook page for the latest updates on the competition and status of all GT Academy Champions.
About Nissan Motor Company
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 approximately 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012.
Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN
About Sony Computer Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). SCEE, based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®2 (PS2®) computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system, and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 109 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories.
More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.au.playstation.com.
PlayStation, PS4, PS3, PS2 and PSP are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About the Gran Turismo® Franchise
Gran Turismo® celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2013, having first appeared internationally in 1998. The multi-award-winning franchise has been the most successful ever for PlayStation®, and in 2013 it also surpassed worldwide sales of 70 million units. Various iterations of Gran Turismo have been created for PlayStation® , PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSP (PlayStation® Portable), and have always been regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulators ever created due to true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design.
Since the inception of Gran Turismo, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products. Gran Turismo®5, the latest iteration of the game, was released on 24 November, 2010 and has sold 10 million units worldwide. The forthcoming Gran Turismo®6 was announced for release at Christmas 2013 at an event celebrating 15 years of Gran Turismo at Silverstone Circuit in May.
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 almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN
For more information please visit:
Nissan Australia YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/NissanAustralia
Nissan Australia Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NissanAustralia
Nissan Australia Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Nissan_Aus
Nissan Australia Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/NissanAustralia
Nissan Global: http://reports.nissan-global.com/EN/
Nissan Newsroom: http://www.nissan-newsroom.com/EN/
Nissan Channel 23 Blog: http://blog.nissan-global.com/EN/
