Nissan’s flagship console to track series, GT Academy, has won an Autosport Award in a prize ceremony held over the weekend.
The innovative programme, which has seen gamers like Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has won the award for Pioneering and Innovation at the Autosport ceremony held at Grosvenor House in London.
Darren Cox, Nissan’s Director of Global Motorsport, collected the award on behalf of the programme and stated:
“There have been so many stories about drivers paying to be in F1, everyone in this room knows a driver who should have got there but didn’t make it but we’re finding drivers who didn’t even know where they wanted to be. We’re taking drivers from the virtual world to the real world and making them successful. The first year people thought we were lucky, and then we must have kept getting lucky!”
“Innovation is often painful, there have been many bumps in the road but it has been worth the effort as we are rewarded every step of the way by the sense of pride we feel when one of our graduates stands up there on the podium, alongside guys who have been racing all of their lives. It’s a real team effort; a close-knit team that I am immensely proud of.”
With Nissan having fingers in so many pies including Sportscars, GTs and Australian V8 Supercars, including a Formula 3 link with Jann Mardenborough and Carlin, it could be seen that the GT Academy would provide drivers with some of the widest career options in modern motorsport.
