BRITISH DRIVER JANN MARDENBOROUGH CROWNED GT ACADEMY 2011 CHAMPION
- 19-year-old from Cardiff wins the opportunity to be the next virtual-to-real racing driver
Silverstone, Thursday 16 June 2011 - The 2011 GT Academy Race Camp drew to a thrilling conclusion today when 19-year-old Jann Mardenborough from Cardiff took the chequered flag in a four-way, 20-minute race on Silverstone's national circuit. Pole position and the race win in the Nissan 370Z was enough to satisfy Head Judge Eddie Irvine that Jann 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.
Jann 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.
Thibault Lacombe (FRA), Carlos Murillo (ESP) and Danilo Bordino (ITA) finished in that order behind Jann in both the race and the overall competition. These four had been selected earlier in the day by Irvine for the final race challenge. Sascha Meyenborg (DEU) and Thomas Arends (NED) had been eliminated after their first taste of driving a real GT4 race car around Silverstone's Stowe Circuit.
Race Camp started on Friday, 10th June at the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race where the 12 super-quick gamers gathered to watch Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the first Academy, complete his journey from the virtual world of PlayStation®3 to become a real racing driver.
Lucas and his Signatech Nissan teammates - Franck Mailleux and Soheil Ayari - clearly demonstrated to the GT Academy finalists the potential of the programme when they took second place in the LMP2 class. To graduate from PlayStation gamer to the Le Mans 24H podium in less than three years is an incredible achievement.
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 Jann. "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 Ordoñez would be a pretty good start.
"This whole experience has been amazing and I would like to thank everyone involved, especially, PlayStation and Nissan. A massive thank you to my mentor this week, Johnny Herbert. He is amazing. Such a great guy and a great teacher."
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.
"Jann did a great job throughout and the final decision turned out to be fairly straight forward. He has been given an amazing opportunity by PlayStation and Nissan, 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. I'll keep an eye on him and hope he doesn't let me down."
You can continue to follow the GT Academy 2011 story on
www.facebook.com/GTAcademy, www.flickr.com/photos/gtacademyeurope
and www.youtube.com/gtacademyeurope.
Ends
For more information, please contact your local PlayStation or Nissan PR manager.
Additional notes:
About the Gran Turismo® Franchise
With more than 60 million units shipped worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo® franchise for the PlayStation® , PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSP (PlayStation® Portable) is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulator ever created due to its true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design. 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 most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products.
Gran Turismo®5 was released on 24 November, 2010 and sold 5.5 million units worldwide in its first two weeks on sale. The ninth instalment of the world's best-selling racing franchise features a completely new physics engine for an improved feel for steering during turns and drifts, delivering a more intuitive driving experience than ever before. The gamealso features an impressive line-up of more than 1,000 licensed cars from the world's top manufacturers. Other innovative features include stereoscopic 3D support, real-time car damage, dynamic weather effects and a deep online and community feature set where players can race online with up to 16 competitors through PlayStation®Network. With the widest scope and depth of gameplay options in the Gran Turismo series, Gran Turismo 5 offers users an entertainment experience that is only possible on PS3.
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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, PSPTM (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, 47.9 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 149.8 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 67.8 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, more than 69 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.43 billion items have been downloaded.
More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com/.
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About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 12,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 528,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Japanese brand in Europe.
http://www.newsroom.nissan-europe.com/
About the Nissan 370Z
Nissan's 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 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.