Nissan storms the pro racing circuit 

GT Academy winners vindicating weeks of intensive mental and physical training. Nissan race cars proving their mettle. This year, man and machine have taken Nissan to victory in the professional racing circuit – including the world’s oldest sports car endurance race, Le Mans 24 Hours, and more.

Le Mans 24 Hours 

The Le Mans 24 Hours is a punishing test of staying power – demanding precision and intelligence to speed ahead while sustaining fuel, tyres and unflinching concentration at the wheel. A formidable test, but one in which Nissan race cars and the Nissan GT Academy passed with flying colours. 

Nissan take first and second place in the LMP2 category 

The LMP2 category features cars tailor-made for the Le Mans 24 Hours and endurance races in the European, North American and Asian Le Mans Series. Here, Nissan engineering was put through its paces – and came good, with Olivier Lombard first to cross the finish line in the Zytek-Nissan from the Greaves Motorsport stable. Following up a close second came the Oreca 03-Nissan from the Signatech-Nissan team – manned, among others, by GT Academy winner turned pro-racer, Lucas Ordoñez. 

Euphoria for Lucas Ordoñez – 2008 GT Academy winner 

Graduate of the very first Nissan GT Academy, Lucas Ordoñez first embarked on his transformation from PlayStation® Gran Turismo® 5 gamer into bona fide racing driver back in 2008. Now in 2011, his success with the Signatech-Nissan team in Le Mans 24 Hours has consolidated his position in the exhilarating reality of the pro racing world. After a glorious reception on the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours, an awestruck Ordoñez enthused:

“The team was incredible. We have had few problems, but they managed them really well and now we’re on the podium – Le Mans podium! At the most difficult moment of the race, just a few minutes ago, I thought everything was lost, but we just kept going. We made it and now we’re second! It will take a while for it to sink in.”

Be sure to tune in to Eurosport* for GT Academy Road to Dubai every week. The show tracks the progress of the video game experts trying to succeed in the real world of motor racing, and is aired every Tuesday at 11 p.m., then again on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Friday at 12 a.m. If you miss it, be sure to catch up on Eurosport 2*, where it is shown every Wednesday at 6  p.m. and Thursday at 1 p.m.

*Broadcast timings subject to occasional changes, depending on Eurosport programming constraints.

More success for GT Academy winners 

Our 2010 winner, Jordan Tresson of France, is also pursuing a career in racing – competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series GT4 in the Nissan 370Z. And as for this year’s crop of hopefuls, European GT Academy winner, Jann Mardenborough, took pole position, fastest lap and an unrivalled first place at the Rockingham Circuit of the Nippon Challenge National Series. Hot on his heels, American GT Academy winner, Bryan Heitkotter, also proved his potential to the PlayStation® Nissan Team, taking second place on every count.