Nissan’s dream job swap: Manchester City stars become racing drivers for the day
- David Silva, Bacary Sagna, Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala don racing suits in Nissan’s Dream Job Swap, with Mangala triumphing
- Nissan’s professional motorsport drivers Jann Mardenborough, Miguel Faisca, Ricardo Sanchez, Lucas Ordóñez trained by City’s coaches and City legend Paul Dickov
- Almost one in three children aged 9-13 years deem a footballer or racing driver to be the most exciting1 jobs
- To watch the Job Swap visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcHgs5V_3j8&feature=youtu.be
Four Manchester City players have experienced the Dream Job Swap, becoming racing drivers for a day and being tutored by some of Nissan's best GT Academy drivers.
David Silva, Bacary Sagna, Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala got behind the wheel of Nissan's Juke NISMO RS and took to the track with professional motorsport drivers Jann Mardenborough, Miguel Faisca, Ricardo Sanchez, Lucas Ordóñez for a car control session.
The job swap concept was inspired by a Nissan-commissioned study that found that nearly a third of nine to 13-year olds believe that footballers and racing drivers have the most exciting careers in the world*1.
Youngsters are clearly dreaming of following in Silva’s footsteps, with nearly a quarter (22%) admitting that becoming a footballer would be their ultimate dream job.
Driving was very much on the children’s radar too, with 64% of the 1,000 respondents highlighting learning to drive as their most exhilarating future milestone1.
Nissan racing driver, Jann Mardenborough, is the perfect reflection of these childhood hopes and dreams – the Cardiff-born 24-year old had the enviable choice of choosing a career in football or motorsport. As a teenager, he was signed to Cardiff City FC’s junior squad but, thanks to Nissan’s pioneering GT Academy programme transforming gamers from arm chair racers to aspirational track professionals - opted for life in the fast lane instead.
City’s household names found themselves in the fast lane too, as the four first team players went head-to-head at “Manchester City Race Way” on the Etihad Campus.
Following a few spins, stalls and false starts, Fernando and Mangala came through the semi-finals in Nissan’s on-track competition, with Mangala taking the trophy in a hard-fought final.
Nissan Motors GB Marketing Director Chris Marsh, added: “Through our partnership with Manchester City Football Club, we’ve been able to bring to life some of the ultimate passions of our fans – football and driving.
“Being able to make some of the country’s most celebrated talent accessible to our fans through this activity is what makes this partnership so exciting. Seeing the reaction from the players and drivers experiencing the dream job swap has been fantastic and we hope to get a similar reaction from viewers!”
The Nissan Juke NISMO RS used in the driving elements of the Dream Job Swap is the hot, performance version of Nissan’s popular crossover model. The car marries the rich racetrack heritage of the enigmatic NISMO brand with impressive performance credentials, aggressive styling and optimum handling characteristics.
Portuguese Faisca won the football tests, under the watchful eye and tuition of City coaches and City Legend, Paul Dickov, which involved a speed, dribbling and shooting contest.
The Dream Job Swap was organised by Nissan, Official Automotive Sponsor for Manchester City. To find out more about the Nissan Juke NISMO RS visit:
NOTES TO EDITORS
1All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Census Wide
*The stat which highlights nearly a third of nine to 13-year olds believe that footballers and racing drivers is the most exciting job in the world has been reached by adding two stats together: 16% selecting football and 13% selecting racing driver totals 29%, just shy of a third
Total research sample size: 1000
Subject range: Children aged 9-13
The survey was carried out between 4.04.16 – 6.04.16
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR IMAGES GO TO http://www.nissanpress.co.uk/
About Nissan in the UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
- Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began in 2012
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than eight million units with 80 per cent of production exported to 100 markets worldwide
- Total investment made and announced since then is over £3.6 billion
- 476,589 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2015
- In 2015, one in three cars built in the UK was a Nissan.
- Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,700 people
- Nissan's European Design Centre is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people
- Nissan's European Technical Centre is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people
- Nissan’s sales and marketing headquarters in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire employs around 190 people
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,600 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last financial year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 675,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, small cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, the world’s most popular electric vehicle with 96% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers a strong line-up of 23 diverse and innovative models in Europe under the Nissan and Datsun brands.
