For immediate release
GT Academy 2010 winners make their racing debut at Snetterton
- Luca Lorenzini & Jordan Tresson move one step closer to a real European GT4 Cup drive
Snetterton (Norfolk, UK) – Sunday 14 March, 2010 – PlayStation® and Nissan’s quest to turn a virtual driver into a real one took another step forward this weekend, when Luca Lorenzini from Italy and Jordan Tresson from France took to the track at the Snetterton circuit in a pair of identical Nissan 370Z cars. The pair recorded 10th and 11th place finishes respectively in the 750 All Comers event but, more importantly, secured valuable signatures that will assist them in their bid to qualify for an ‘International C’ race licence.
Lorenzini and Tresson were winners of the recent GT Academy 2010 event at Silverstone, which took place from 26 February – 2 March. The racing driver’s boot camp saw the pair beat off hot competition from around the world to impress a panel of judges that included Eddie Jordan, Johnny Herbert and Nürburgring specialist Sabine Schmitz.
The 18 competitors that attended Silverstone were chosen in national finals contested on the Gran Turismo game on PlayStation®3. Over 1.2 million gamers from 17 different countries entered the original competition.
Luca Lorenzini from near Mantova in Italy and Jordan Tresson from Villers La Montagne in northern France returned to the UK last Monday (8 March). The Snetterton race was the beginning of a comprehensive training programme that sees them living near the RJN Motorsport team in Oxfordshire for nearly two months. They will participate in a series of national races in the hope of qualifying for an international licence in time for the start of the European GT4 Cup. Only one driver will be selected to race the full season in a race-prepared, 400bhp Nissan 370Z GT car.
The 750 MC season opener at Snetterton was a tough test for the pair. They were racing on road tyres in standard 370Z cars, but were up against some quick, open-top, slick-shod sports cars such as Radicals and Ginettas. However, both drivers impressed their new team boss, Bob Neville.
“I am happy with a good solid start”, said the experienced boss of the PlayStation Nissan team. “This was about getting used to being on a track with lots of other cars around. The fact that most of the cars were a much faster class than ours and were on slick tyres was probably quite useful in terms of making Luca and Jordan very aware of what was going on around them and adjusting lines to let people past safely. This is all part of what a racing driver has to learn.
“Their pace was virtually identical. Jordan was slightly quicker in qualifying but Luca’s fastest lap in the race was a fraction quicker and he finished ahead. What I am very pleased about is that Luca and Jordan are behaving like team-mates and helping each other. With only one drive in the European GT4 Cup at stake there was a danger that they would be competing against each other, but I am pleased that they are both taking the right attitude”.
Having raced on Saturday, Jordan and Luca acted as race marshals on Sunday, which is an important learning activity that also earned them an extra ‘signature’ to build up towards the all-important licence. Coupled with a signature for the Advanced ARDS achieved at Silverstone during the week and one for the race, both are progressing well with a total of three signatures each.
But it was the racing that was obviously more exciting for the new drivers.
“I really enjoyed the race,” enthused 21-year-old automotive engineering student Jordan Tresson. “We didn’t go as fast as I would have liked, but our goal was to stay on track and not take risks. We finished in good places and got two signatures. I’ve been enjoying the training this week, we’ve been in the gym every day. Our next big race is at Pembrey and I’m looking forward to it as we get more time on the track.”
Echoing his sentiments, Luca felt they got off to a positive start: “It was a nice weekend,” said the 26-year old mechanic. “The car felt great, it was prepared well, there were no mistakes out on the track. I had so much fun at this event I can’t wait to race again.”
Luca and Jordan will be back on-track on 27 and 28 March at Pembrey circuit, where they will compete in a round of the Welsh Sports and Saloons Championship.
News and views on GT Academy 2010 and progress on Luca and Jordan’s training can be followed on various platforms including:
www.facebook.com/GTAcademy | http://eu.gran-turismo.com | www.twitter.com/GTAcademywww.youtube.com/gtacademy2010 | www.flickr.com/photos/GTAcademy2010
For more information, please contact your local PlayStation or Nissan PR manager.
A wide selection of photos available at: www.flickr.com/photos/GTAcademy2010
Additional notes:
About GT Academy
GT Academy 2010 uses the virtual world of the PlayStation® Gran Turismo® game to find a real-world racing driver. The stakes are high, with an intensive race training programme and a season-long drive in a full race-spec Nissan 370Z in the European GT4 Cup as the ultimate prize.
GT Academy 2010 is the second instalment of this incredible competition. In 2008/09, Lucas Ordoñez, a 23-year-old Spanish student, graduated from his PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) to become a full-on racing driver via the GT Academy. Lucas is living proof that the answer to the question posed by PlayStation and Nissan - “can the world of virtual racing unearth a real racing talent?” - was a resounding “yes”.
The 2010 GT Academy competition was open to participants who are over 18 from the following territories: Australia; Austria; Belgium; France; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; New Zealand; Portugal; Spain; Switzerland; UK; and Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Terms and Conditions of entry stipulate that anyone who holds, or has held, a national or international race licence will not qualify for GT Academy. This rule was aimed at maintaining the purity of the “virtual to real” concept. (Terms & Conditions available at www.eu.playstation.com/terms)
GT Academy 2010 is divided into five key stages:
Stage One – Between 17 December, 2009 and 24 January, 2010, over 1.1 million entrants downloaded the Gran Turismo time trial via PlayStation®Network, accessed through PS3. They recorded timed laps in two virtual cars – a standard Nissan 370Z and a race-tuned version. Times in each participating territory were logged on a leader board.
Stage Two – The holders of the twenty fastest online times from each participating territory qualified for national final events, which pitted them in multi-player races on various Gran Turismo tracks to select the fastest one or two Gran Turismo drivers to proceed to the next phase.
Stage Three – 18 finalists, chosen from each of the national finals events, headed to the world famous Silverstone circuit from 26 February until the 2 March for the GT Academy itself - a five-day, comprehensive race driver ‘boot camp’. They developed new driving skills and competed in Nissan GT-Rs, 370Zs, single-seaters and karts. They were also judged on fitness, mental attitude and media skills by a panel of judges including Eddie Jordan, Johnny Herbert, Sabine Schmitz and Rob Barff. Eventually Luca Lorenzini (26, from near Mantova in northern Italy) and Jordan Tresson (21, from Villers La Montagne in northern France) emerged as the victors having displayed the talent, speed, fitness, aptitude, drive and determination to succeed in motor sport.
Stage Four – Luca and Jordan are now involved in a UK-based intensive driving and racing programme to prepare them to qualify for an international C racing licence. The pair are based with the RJN Motorsport team in Oxfordshire and competing in a number of race events in Nissan 370Zs under the watchful eye of team principal Bob Neville.
Stage Five – There is only one place available for the driver with the most potential to compete on an international stage. The overall GT Academy 2010 champion will race a full season in the European GT4 Cup in a Nissan 370Z, prepared by RJN Motorsport. The opening race is scheduled for May, 2010.
About Gran Turismo®
With more than 53 million units sold worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo® franchise for the PlayStation®, PlayStation®2 and PlayStation®3 is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulation ever created due to its true-to-life graphics, physics and real-life cars and tracks. Since the inception of the Gran Turismo franchise, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the gamer with the most true-to-life driving simulation within the industry and a unique medium for motor manufacturers to showcase their products.
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 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. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, over 27 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 140.7 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 55.9 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 31 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 650 million items have been downloaded.
More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com or visit the Virtual Press Office at www.scee.presscentre.com.
PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan employs around 12,500 people in its European design, research and development, manufacturing, logistics, and sales and marketing operations. In calendar year 2008, the company sold 601,647 vehicles across 40 markets in Western and Eastern Europe including Russia. Furthermore, the company produced a total of 539,580 vehicles in its Spanish and British plants.
For more information, please go to www.nissaneurope-newsbureau.com
About the Nissan 370Z
Nissan's new 370Z continues the bloodline of previous Zs by offering an authentic rear-wheel drive sports car experience, with enhanced performance and handling thanks to its more compact dimensions and attention to weight-saving.
In the first full redesign of the iconic Nissan Z since its re-introduction in 2003, the new 370Z now sports a shorter wheelbase, greater use of lightweight body materials, a new engine with more horsepower and a new 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, as well as the world’s first synchronized down/up shift rev control system for the manual transmission.
But to get the full measure of the new model, now designated the Nissan 370Z, one need look no farther than the purposeful, athletic design which retains the Z's basic DNA, but adds a purposeful muscularity. The new 370Z remains true to the Z's original philosophy, offering accessible performance, true sportscar handling and athletic, agile design.