VIRTUAL TO REALITY: JUKE NISMO DRIVING TIPS

2013/02/01

VIRTUAL TO REALITY: JUKE NISMO DRIVING TIPS

Nissan Live reporting: The latest news direct from the Nissan Juke Nismo Live Event in Barcelona, Spain, where Nissan's performance arm is being officially launched in Europe.

Barcelona, Spain 01 February, 2013 - From virtual to reality, GT Academy finds the ultimate online gamers and turns them into professional racing drivers. On the way to the podium at international top tier races including Le Mans 24 Hours, the driving skills of GT Academy winners are put to the ultimate test. Now it's time for them to share some of their secrets...

Before arriving at the Nissan Live event in Spain, the most recent European winner, Belgian competitor Wolfgang Reip, and the first ever GT Academy champion, Spanish driver Lucas Ordoñez, used one of the first Nissan Juke Nismos to highlight some driving tips and take on a GT Academy style challenge.

Linking the skills developed in the virtual world with tangible real-life driving experiences is familiar territory for Nissan. The hugely successful GT Academy programme is the ultimate virtual-to-reality racing competition. After four seasons, the European programme has turned four talented gamers into genuine real-world circuit stars.

Capturing the imagination of a generation of gaming fans, more than 830,000 people from participating European countries downloaded and played the online qualifying demo for 2012. Based on the Gran Turismo®5 game for PlayStation®3, players use a range of virtual Nissan cars on a variety of circuits, culminating in a one-lap time trial using a Nissan 370Z on a new virtual version of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan.

The popularity of the GT Academy concept has now made it a successful global programme. With competitions run in Russia, the USA, South Africa and the Middle East, millions of gamers across the globe have the chance to fulfill their motorsport dreams from the comfort of their living rooms.

NEXT WEEK: Watch a full road test review with Lucas and Wolfie as they drive the Juke Nismo on location in Barcelona.

For the full Nismo story and full Juke Nismo details, images and videos, please click here.

About Nissan in Europe

Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 695,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.