It is not a difficult sight to visualise a typical 23 year old, parked on a couch, playing racing games on PlayStation. But then, how many of these young lads take these games seriously? ....Enter Lucas Ordonez. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and blue denims, we caught up with this Spanish racer at the 12th Auto Expo in India to know more on how he used his virtual racing knowledge in real life racing.
In 2008, Lucas Ordoñez put his PlayStation® skills on the Gran Turismo® game to good use when he became the inaugural winner of the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition. Then a 23-year-old MBA student, Ordeñez was one of the fastest online gamers in Spain and followed this up by beating an international field during five days of intensive race training in real cars at the famous Silverstone circuit.
Lucas also stated that he is very excited to see the response from Indian gamers. Nissan GT Academy gives a great opportunity to gamers to showcase their virtual racing prowess and register fastest lap timings. Out of the five cities, fourteen contestants who clock the quickest lap times will be eligible to compete in the National Final, the first gateway to GT Academy’s coveted International Race Camp. The 14 contestants who enter the National Final will need to go through a two-day intensive physical and mental training examination programme which will filter out only six contestants who will be eligible for the International Race Camp at Silverstone in the United Kingdom
It took high level of dedication and concentration for this young Spanish to achieve his dream of racing on a real circuit in Dubai. He saw the GT Academy as his one way ticket to the world of super car racing. Lucas tells us that it is important to dream it big and also believe in it as a profession. He also tells us that presently there are many talented virtual racers participating and thus the competition has shifted to a higher level.
When asked, how precisely virtual racing helps a real racer, he said virtual racing very closely simulates real life racing condition. The judgement needed in cornering a car on these games is identical to racing on a real life circuit.
Now that he is doing his dream job, what are the lists of cars he would like to possess?, Lucas chose Nismo GTR as his first car as he swears by its speed, performance and dynamics. He then chose Porsche as the second car which he would wish to own. It is not just modern high speed cars that fancy Lucas as he also expressed his desire to get a Datsun 240z.
This is a fantastic opportunity for all you all maniac virtual racers. Make sure you are there participating in this state-of-its-kind event. Who knows you might be rubbing shoulders, pouring champagne and living life on the fast lane with the famous racers of the world.
The dates and venues are as following:
March 20-23, 2014: R-City Mall, Ghatkopar, Mumbai
April 17-20, 2014: Inorbit Mall, Hyderabad
May 15-18, 2014: Mantri Mall, Bengaluru
June 5-8, 2014: Express Avenue Mall, Royapettah, Chennai
