ENCOURAGING Filipino gamers to believe in their dreams, Nissan Philippines Inc. formally launched the second season of the Nissan GT Academy Philippines on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium.
“Through this virtual-to-reality racing competition, we look forward to giving more opportunities for Filipino gamers to realize their dream of becoming professional race-car drivers,” said NPI president and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan.
Embodying their “Innovation that Excites” tagline, NPI also revealed the new Sony Playstation 4-exclusive Gran Turismo Sport, showcased for the first time during live recruitment events of the Nissan GTA 2016.
Nissan PH, in partnership with Polyphony Digital, introduced the upgraded racing video game ahead of its official global release in November.
Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the inaugural 2008 Nissan Playstation GT academy in Europe, graced the opening of the event, encouraging participants to grab the Nissan GT Academy Season 2 as an opportunity to make their race-car dreams come true.
“Back then, I was just studying for my MBA. When I saw an ad for a new competition called ‘GT Academy’, I knew I had to join and take this shot to be the racing driver I dreamed to be,” said Ordoñez who also completed a podium finish in the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours.
“Now, here I am racing on every possible tournament. It felt great to have taken that move. I hope Filipinos will grab this opportunity too,” he added.
Last season, the competition saw over 13,000 hopefuls vying for the Top 6 spots that represented the Philippines at Race Camp Week in Silverstone Circuit, UK.
Joward Policarpio bested other competitors from Asia to win last year’s competition and was crowned the first Filipino Nissan GT Academy Asia champion.
“Determined ka dapat, you also need a little bit of racing experience and lots of practice, but most of all, just have fun and enjoy,” Policarpio said.
