Podium joy for the world's first ever virtual to real life racing driver.
Racing success continues for the world's first virtual to real life racing driver Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the Nissan/PlayStation® GT Academy 2008. Following an intensive training schedule last year, where Lucas was coached by established drivers such as Johnny Herbert, his first foray into European GT racing has proven to be yet another positive step for the young gamer turned racer.

Lucas yet again held his own on a track of seasoned competitors as he partnered experienced driver Alex Buncombe in the first stint of the competitive European GT 4 series. Recording two strong results overall, Lucas and the Nissan PlayStation team enjoyed an exciting weekend at Silverstone that provided the perfect next step for Lucas into the world of real Gran Turismo racing.

Race one saw a storming drive by Lucas and Alex from 11th on the grid to 6th position but it was race two that delivered a memorable result for the drivers. Buncombe displayed a textbook start from 4th on the grid and was leading by the end of the first lap. The advantage was lost due to the intervention of a safety car and a cautious pit stop and it was left to Ordoñez to rejoin the track and battle it out for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. A titanic scrap raged throughout the rest of the race but Ordoñez seized his chance and in the last few corners made his move to take an unexpected but well deserved podium.

Lucas said; "I was really pushing hard on the last corners, trying to overtake the BMW. I could tell that he was losing grip on his rear tyres and I managed to overtake him on the last corner. I'm really happy that we came third in my first race weekend in GT4, it's great for me. We'll try to continue to improve in Italy in two weeks time. Alex showed that the Nissan can lead races and I need to help convert those chances."

Team boss of Nissan Playstation, Bob Neville added "Last year the Nissan Z and Alex Buncombe won more races in European GT4 than anyone else, but the podium today feels like more of an achievement. We have seen Lucas grow in such a short space to deliver this exciting drive today."

Mark Bowles, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe added; "The creator of the Gran Turismo series of games, Kazunori Yamauchi was at Silverstone to witness this important chapter in our commitment to take a Gran Turismo gamer and turn him into a real life racing driver - he and I can't wait for the next instalment."

Darren Cox, Nissan Europe said; "I set Lucas, Alex and the team a objective of a top six result, they have overachieved against strong opposition from Aston Martin and BMW. Lucas must not let this result go to his head and focus on consistent results over the next five race weekends across Europe".

Success continues for the world’s first ever virtual to real life racing driver.
There is no stopping the world’s first virtual to real life racing driver Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the Nissan/PlayStation® GT Academy 2008. Following a skilled performance in the Dubai 24hr race in January, where Lucas raced alongside established drivers such as Johnny Herbert, his journey into the world of racing shows no signs of slowing down.

Lucas has continued to impress the racing world with his dedication and his achievements as a driver and it has just been announced that he has been offered the chance to race alongside experienced partner Alex Buncombe in the upcoming GT4 European Championship. The first races are at Silverstone on 2nd and 3rd of May and this will be Lucas’ first opportunity following GT Academy to prove himself behind the wheel of a racing car.

Lucas said; “I can’t believe how much my life has changed since this time last year. I was honoured to have had the opportunity to race in Dubai in January and I can’t believe I now have this opportunity to race the Nissan Z in the GT4 European Championship. I am learning more all the time and I am so grateful to be doing this – it is a dream come true for me.”

The sun finally rises on the success of a racing dream .
Ambitions are realised and a racing star is born as the Nissan/PlayStation® GT Academy team reach their ultimate goal

After nine months of hard work, challenges and successes the Nissan/PlayStation® race team have achieved what they always believed to be possible. GT Academy has found a talented virtual racer and turned him into a real racing driver with the skills, determination and talent required of a GT champion.

Having been described as ‘an idea somewhere between crackpot and genius’ the team have proved that this was an idea nearer to the genius end of the scale. This weekend saw GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez realise his and their dream – to qualify for his International race licence and successfully race as a key member of the team at the Dubai 24hr endurance race. This is the first time a racing driver has ever been found in this way and Lucas competed in a series of races to earn the required licence to compete at this level. The challenges on the day were constant, with the race comprising of a mix of punishing day and night driving, searing temperatures and a packed 90-car grid. Lucas rose to the challenge not least of all at one stage achieving the 9th fastest time overall on a lap.

Lucas said; “As soon as I got in the 350Z I calmed down and felt at home. It was the most amazing feeling, I saw all of my team climbing the barrier and cheering me on. It was the craziest feeling of my life.”

In addition the whole team experienced a huge amount of drama throughout the race and encountered a series of mechanical difficulties that forced the car into the pits a total of 21 times. Despite this the team drove exceptionally well and Lucas impressed his whole team with his driving.

Former F1 driver and teammate Johnny Herbert said; “Lucas did brilliantly, producing a mistake-free drive under big pressure. He has achieved everything we had hoped from him and proved that with the right level of dedication and talent it is possible to make the transition from virtual racing to the real thing”.

Darren Cox, Nissan Europe added; “Lucas just kept on impressing us. He was fast and safe and his dedication to the whole process has stood out at every stage. We are incredibly proud of what he has achieved and he has helped both Nissan and PlayStation to realise a dream - with teamwork, belief and a lot of hard work we have proven that anything is possible”.

Mark Bowles, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said; “It’s been a long journey and Lucas taking the chequered flag in Dubai was a fantastic moment for all of us. PlayStation and Nissan have always believed the virtual to reality story was possible and through 9 months of commitment from the team we have achieved what we set out to do – take a Gran Turismo gamer from his PLAYSTATION 3 to behind the wheel of the Nissan 350Z GT4 in Dubai”

GT Academy Names Winning Drivers.
GT Academy, an international driving competition from PlayStation® and Nissan, has found its winners following a gruelling and emotional week-long international final at iconic British racetrack Silverstone. 28-year old Lars SchlÖmer, from Germany and 23-year old Lucas Ordóñez from Spain beat 20 other competitors from across Europe to be crowned the GT Academy champions. The pair now face a four-month intensive training programme with Nissan’s race team to earn their racing license and compete in the ultimate test of driving skill and stamina: the Dubai 24hr endurance race in January 2009.

Winning the GT Academy will be life-changing for both competitors. Lars SchlÖmer, a taxi driver from Bonn and Lucas Ordóñez, an MBA student, will both put their lives on hold to become part of the Nissan race team. Both winners have harboured lifelong dreams to become racing drivers.

During the five-day GT Academy at Silverstone the 22 competitors faced a series of rigorous tests to prove they had the physical and mental ability as well as the driving skills to become a real race car driver. The boot camp-style competition ran under the watchful eye of a panel of five judges who followed the competitors’ every move. Racing legend Johnny Herbert acted as a mentor to the competitors and assisted the judges in making their final decision.

Speaking of his win, Lucas Ordóñez said: “I can’t believe it. This is a dream come true. I knew this would be difficult and I did not expect to win, but I just took each day as it came and tried to push to my maximum.”

Lars Schlömer said: “I have wanted this for the last ten years of my life but I just never had the chance. This is amazing. I truly would have been heartbroken if I hadn’t won. I would not have entered this competition if I did not believe I could win because coming to Silverstone and not winning would have been like giving a dog a bone and then taking it away again!”

Commenting on the talent of the two winners, Steve Deeks, Chief Director GT Academy said: “Virtual to reality? I would say unequivocally yes. In fact, after this process I have been re-evaluating how we should teach young drivers and I would now absolutely recommend to people that they get into PlayStation before they come to us. All these guys arrived at Silverstone knowing about sequential gearboxes, over steer, under steer, driving lines etc... A keen driver from the streets would not have half the knowledge. And the reaction time and ability to cope with the pressure they have had coming through the gaming part of the competition made them very well equipped from day one.”

Racing legend Johnny Herbert commented: “This competition has far exceeded my expectations. I have often thought that somewhere out there is someone who is better than a Lewis, Kimi or Felipe but they just haven’t had the chance to drive. Looking at the 22 GT Academy finalists for the first time, I was sure that we would have a few with absolutely no feeling who wouldn’t make it out of second gear but we didn’t have one. Nobody disgraced themselves and they were doing stuff they have never done before and it was very impressive.”