Thank you to everyone who supported me here throughout the week and especially on race day.
I was so happy and proud to be picked to represent team GB on the final day. First we went out on the national circuit (all the racing took place here) in the Nismo 370z. 1 out lap, 1 flyer - I think was just to get us warmed up for using the race prep'ed 370z's. We'd done this combo earlier on in Race Camp in the benchmark test. However this time, the traction control was turned off.
The track looks and feels identical to the GT6 version. The braking points are also nearly identical, which helps the transition that much easier. With the TC turned on in the 370z Nismo for the benchmark test, and it being really restrictive, the car itself felt nothing like the 370z tuned on GT6. We had more weight and really grippy, wide (275s I think) tyres. And even on the final day with the same combo with the 370z Nismo with the TC off, you couldn't really get the car sideways. At least I couldn't, because I felt it was faster to leave it in 3rd for Becketts and Luffield. But GT6 does teach alot of the theory required to be able to go fast in real life.
So after the initial practice in the Nismo, we switched to the 370z race car. We had 4 runs of 1 outlap, 3 flyers and 1 inlap, each with a different instructor. I spun on the exit of Brooklands pushing a bit too hard on my first practice run, but better to do it in practice than in the race! Each instructor suggested different things to me, which I took on board which helped me go faster, and I could see this as each practice run went on. The last 2 instructors said I had the best lines out of any of the contestants.
I was feeling confident going into quali. But after lunch and race briefing by the race director, it started to rain, as forecasted. I heard from someone (or Romain himself) that he has had wet racing experience around Spa. And Miguel could heel-toe. Whereas myself, with zero racing experience and only just having cured my downshifting problems from the previous day's practice around the Stowe Circuit, was about to go out on a wet, greasy track. I think 4 guys went out for quali first, when the track wasn't as wet. By the time the other 3 guys, including myself, went out for quali, the rain continued to fall. My 4th to 3rd gear changes were horrendous and no matter what I did, either by braking earlier, bringing the clutch up slower, my rears would look and I would spend 2-3 seconds gathering the car up before even focusing on the exit of the corner. My windscreen was also fogging up badly throughout this session and it nearly got so bad I came in, but the quali session was only 10 mins. (Filip later had this problem, but
in the race, even though I had warned the instructors of this beforehand, they must have forgot to turn his blowers on).
So I think I qualified last, but 3rd in the second heat race. Then again, I was only a car length behind the car in front, who was parallel with the 2nd place car on his left. In the race briefing room, they said that the 5 second board would be shown, and at the end of that 5 seconds, the red lights would come on for between 7 and 10 seconds, until turning off signaling the start of the race. The board was shown, I made sure I was in 1st, got my revs up and the lights had already turned off! (One of the instructors later pointed out that it was between 2 and 7 seconds for the lights, even though I wasn't the only contestant who heard 7-10 in the briefing). So I got a bad start, but got on the back of the guy in front pretty quick. On the 3rd or 4th lap, I got a slight run coming onto the Wellington straight. I nailed the 3rd-4th gear change, and he changed up to 5th which gave me an even better run. I went round the outside of Brooklands (Baz, one of the instructors told me there was loads of grip round the outside there in the wet, cheers dude!) and finished the move by holding the inside for Luffield. It was only 6 laps, but was starting to catch Romain by the end, as well as setting fastest lap (on the lap I did the overtake
). It felt good to get my first overtake in a proper race under my belt!
Onto the final race I got the best start, and moved up to 3rd immediately. I actually missed 2nd gear (still getting used to left hand drive, though I only made 2 mistakes with regards to gears in the final race, was getting more used to it). I could have got a little higher up i.e. along side the 2nd place guy, but I would have been on the outside to copse so I think it would have led to the same outcome. I was close to the guy in front going into Becketts, and ducked out from behind him to pressure him, but outbraked myself instead - car wasn't up to temperature etc. So Filip went by me, and I knew I had to get by him early. Got him on the inside of the next corner, Brooklands, I think, and finished the move on the exit.
By the time the 2nd lap came round, Romain made a mistake, and the gap between me (2nd) and Miguel (1st) was about 5-6 seconds. Having to defend slightly from Filip for a lap or 2 by having to take a slightly tighter line at a few of the corners, rather than the wider, ideal wet line, I matched Miguel for a few laps. Then I took 3-5 tenths out of him each lap, up to the point where at the end of the race it was 2-3 seconds. He was making way more mistakes than me, his car was making all sorts of shapes. If he hadn't have quickly recollected each mistake, I would have been on his backside pronto. Miguel even said to me he saw me getting bigger in his mirror which made him make mistakes. But the fact is, he won both of his races (Edit: he won just the final race), and you'd feel hard done by if you did that and didn't get the overall win (as WRP rightfully pointed out). Maybe if I had qualified a bit better, I could have done it. I qualified in tough conditions, tougher conditions than 3-4 of the other competitors, but as Wolfgang Reip said to me, "winning GT Academy is 70% skill, 30% luck".
But waiting around for 2 hours, and then stepping up on the podium knowing I had a real good chance at
winning GT Academy was surreal, and an amazing experience. The whole week was an amazing experience. I got to drive Nissan Micras around an oval, do 145-150 mph in the new GT-R in the wet and fire paintballs from my 370z race car from the inside of the car, amongst other great experiences.
I would like to thank Playstation, Nissan and GT Academy and staff for putting on such a great competition. It really is one of a kind. I would also like to thank Paul O'Neill, Tiff Chittenden, Jann Mardenborough and Simon Fitchett and all of the racing instructors for the support and advice they gave me throughout the competition, and also after the race.
All the competitors were very friendly and respectful. It was great to meet everyone, especially some of the GTP members here. Team GB was the most competitive group to be in, so it was an honour to represent them and the UK (and GTPlanet
) on the final day.
Congratulations to Miguel for winning. He's a great guy with a lot of skill. I wish him the best of luck for the future.
👍
(previously known as PlayStation®Network (“PSN”
