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Back to June 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 22-06-2011 at 13:06: British Driver Crowned Nissan GT Academy 2011 Champion | |
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Pole position and the race win in the Nissan 370Z was enough to satisfy Head Judge Eddie Irvine that Mardenborough was a worthy winner of GT Academy 2011, a collaboration between Nissan and PlayStation® that saw over 90,000 people from 10 European countries take part on the Gran Turismo®5 game. Mardenborough will now begin an intensive Driver Development Programme and compete in a number of UK national races to enable him to qualify for an International race licence. In January, 2012 he will line up on the grid of the Dubai 24 Hour race in a Nissan 370Z GT4 car – the ultimate prize in what has become the ultimate racing competition since its inception in 2008. He has the potential to follow the first GT Academy winner, Spaniard Lucas Ordonez who finished second in class at L the Le Mans 24 Hour race earlier this month. Race Camp started the day before the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race where the 12 gamer finalists gathered to watch Lucas Ordonez, winner of the first Academy, complete his journey from the virtual world of PlayStation®3 to become a real racing driver. The 2011 Race Camp held a variety of challenges that included karting, driving Nissan 370Zs, GT-Rs and single-seaters, high-pressure pursuits, a military-style assault course, driving a full race-spec GT4 car and even aerial dog-fights in stunt planes. “I am really buzzing, ecstatic,” said a jubilant Mardenborough. “This competition is going to change my life massively. I can’t imagine, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m not sure about the next Lewis Hamilton, but being the next Lucas Ordonez would be a pretty good start.” Four-time Formula One winner and Head Judge Eddie Irvine said: “I have been surprised by this experience. When I arrived, I saw there was some work to do, but the six that made it through to the final day did so because they reacted positively and showed some real grit and determination. “Mardenborough did a great job throughout and the final decision turned out to be fairly straight forward. He has been given an amazing opportunity by Nissan and PlayStation but the hard work has only just begun for him. Even with this head start, making a career in racing is tough and he’ll have to have talent, determination and luck in pretty much equal measure if he is to make it,” said Irvine. |
The 2011 GT Academy Race Camp has produced another motorsport ace in waiting after 19-year-old Jann Mardenborough from Cardiff, Wales took the chequered flag in a four-way, 20-minute race on Silverstone’s national circuit. 
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