Nissan GT Academy India Concludes With 6 Winners

Nissan GT Academy will choose six gamers that they will turn into pro racers. Nissan's goal is to find talent in an unorthodox way. They have achieved this by allowing participants from all over India to try their luck in a simulator. The winners will be taken to Silverstone for training in a Nissan GT-R. However, they had to go through several tests in India itself.

28 participants were selected from entire India. These competitors were the best in their city and have defeated over 5,00o participants. They were given the opportunity to post the fastest lap at Silverstone track. They had three attempts to post the fastest time. From here only 18 would go forward to the next round.

The 18 contenders were caught off guard, when Nissan officials told them that the track will be changed to Monaco. They had ten laps to prove how consistent their lap times could be. The top 12 were soon announced and were subjected to a media challenge, like in the real world.

The Final 12 contenders were taken to a track that had grass all over. It was specifically selected to make it difficult for the gamers, who would take the wheel of a stock Nissan Micra. The instructor showed them the best line by walking through the course.

Each of the twelve participants got three laps of practice laps in Nissan's Micra. They then had one final lap that would be counted and would determine their chance to be selected for Silverstone. Each driver found it easy to transfer his gaming skills into the real world, with ease. It was unfortunate one participant stalled his car and ruined his chance.

This was the end of virtual as well as real life driving. The 12 participants had to prove they were physically fit to be a racer. The first test was a plank test to check their core strength. The winner was determined simply by whoever could last the longest in a plank form.

The GT Academy tested its final 12 with difficult task of doing slow push ups. The goal was simple whoever, could outperform the other. The winner was selected, when everyone else could not do a push up further.

The jump and reach test was to determine competitors ability to show their agility. The participants had to first mark their highest level without jumping. They then had to jump and mark their reach. This enabled a fair playing field even if you were short or tall.

The Bleep test was held in Jaipur's hot weather, participants had to run a circuit and were eliminated if they could not finish the circuit in given time. This was the final test and was the ultimate test for gamers.

The final six to go and compete in Silverstone were selected on mix factors. The fastest lap and the best performance in fitness test were rewarded. India's first Nissan GT Academy winners were given trophies confirming their status. Glen Ivan Suchitha and Abhinay Bikkani from Bangalore along with Prakash Nair from Trivandrum won from the south. While from Mumbai Akshay Gupta and Karl Patel made it to the top six. The final spot was filled in by Abhinav Bhatt from New Delhi.