Nissan GT5 academy driver ‘wins’ first race

The world’s first virtual-to-real life racing driver Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the Nissan/PlayStation GT Academy 2008 has just took part in his first real race, following an intensive training schedule last year, where Lucas was coached by established drivers such as Johnny Herbert.

Last weekend Lucas yet again held his own on a track of seasoned competitors as he partnered experienced driver Alex Buncombe in the first race of the competitive European GT4 series. Recording two strong results, 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 massive 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 3rd place finish.

Team boss of Nissan Playstation, Bob Neville added that 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.

Darren Cox from Nissan Europe said that the team objective was for a top six result, but they had overachieved against strong opposition from Aston Martin and BMW.

Launched in May 2008, GT Academy is an international driving competition from Nissan and PlayStation, which invited gaming fans from across Europe to put their virtual driving skills to the test and win the chance to compete in the real life racing world. Ordoñez was the first winner of GT Academy.

Post a comment: