Nicolas Hammann - My Journey: 2014 US GT Academy Champion

[Cano]

Indeed, great job from all involved. Say the same to Ricardo from a fan in Mexico if you see him soon.

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Congrats Nic. You are living the dream

I have a question. Do race car drivers drive much different from clean racers online in gt6? What I mean by this is do they really protect their car and give you room if you're anywhere near them or they more aggressive and fight for position and block everytime? For example if you're coming up behind a slower car will they see you and move or see you and block you?Or is every driver different and you have to figure them out quickly?

The drivers that I raced against at the 24hrs of Dubai were pretty clean. It all depended on the car and class. The slower cars were very good about letting you go as long as they knew you were there. For example as long as you had a nose ahead they would easily give you the position and let you go. The harder cars to pass were the 997 Porsche class and the GT3 cars for many reasons. Some drivers were better than others. I remember in my night stint I had a good battle with the BMW Z4 and Ferrari 458. These guys gave you room and did not block. The experience of the driver also plays a factor. On track you could tell who understood what they were doing or who was just driving around the track. Overall the drivers were very clean and would definitely give you room. It also helped being able to power past almost every car on track besides the GT3 class cars because they couldn't really block you, you just had to wait until the straight. In general though in an endurance race it is all about clean racing and not putting the car in danger anywhere on track, and I believe all of us did a good job of this.

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Hey @NISMO_Nic great racing at the 24 Hours of Dubai it was real fun watching you guys race!

What I really wanted to know from you is when you went to Europe for the GT Academy camp what was the written test like that you had to take? I don't know if you can say much about it but I would really like to know what would be worth studying if I had a chance to go

I would not worry too much about the written test, the other GT Academy finalists would most likely agree. You watch a video and discuss before taking the test. Going through school I was always the kid nervous for any test and I was also nervous about this one at Racecamp. After looking back that was the least of my worries throughout the entire week. So I would not worry about the test at all, focus more on physical and in-car training if you can.

 

[scca_ziptie]

Test is beyond easy - common sense stuff to a driver.

As Nic said, focus on getting in as many different types of cars and as much track time as possible. Physical stuff is secondary, but still massively important.

Signed,

The guy that got his @$% kicked in the physical department!

 

[Mr.Herron]

Hey Nic, this is Josh from the video crew this past weekend. Congrats again on the podium, you dudes did a KILLER job. Had a real good time working with you all in Dubai. Looking forward to where this takes all of you guys. Also, we'll be sure to let you and your dad know when some Shawano action happens!

-Josh

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Hey Nic, this is Josh from the video crew this past weekend. Congrats again on the podium, you dudes did a KILLER job. Had a real good time working with you all in Dubai. Looking forward to where this takes all of you guys. Also, we'll be sure to let you and your dad know when some Shawano action happens!

-Josh

Thanks Josh. I really enjoyed working with you and the video crew and sharing the incredible Dubai experience with you. Yes please let us know when Shawano has some events and we will definitely get up there! Take care!

 

[NISMO_Nic]

I am currently working on a writeup for my Dubai experience and will have some pictures as well to follow. I am hoping to post the writeup very soon and will also post some videos and pictures on my website www.nicolashammann.com in the near future. In the meantime if there are any requests for the writeup or questions that you would like to ask, please let me know. I really enjoy talking about the fantastic experience and want to share it with all GTPlanet users.

 

[MX450248]

@NISMO_Nic how do the drivers from other teams react to a bunch of gamers coming onto the scene of professional international racing? Do they treat you all with respect, not give you the time of day, or somewhere in between?

 

[scca_ziptie]

^^ I'd say "post" weekend - it would have to be "with respect" and probably a bit of envy. But that's just an outsider opinion..

 

[MX450248]

The envy part is what could fuel the disrespect. I'm just wondering

 

[NISMO_Nic]

@NISMO_Nic how do the drivers from other teams react to a bunch of gamers coming onto the scene of professional international racing? Do they treat you all with respect, not give you the time of day, or somewhere in between?

Most of the drivers are very respectful. At the end of the day we are all racers and true car guys. Some drivers are a little arrogant and don't even want to be associated with us but this mainly happened at the go-kart track during our driver development. Once we got to Dubai racing with everyone from NISSAN and RJN Motorsports around, other drivers knew that we weren't just gamers anymore!

 

[NISMO_Nic]

I added a few pictures on my website http://www.nicolashammann.com/photos.html and added a video of my first test session with the NISSAN GTR GT3 at Dubai. Take a look!

 

[Jordan]

Great stuff, Nic, and congrats once again for a great result at Dubai. 👍

How slippery was it off the racing line there?

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Great stuff, Nic, and congrats once again for a great result at Dubai. 👍

How slippery was it off the racing line there?

Thank you very much! I cannot believe how amazing the entire event was, and to finish on the podium was truly a result of the hardwork NISSAN and RJN Motorsports put forth.

It definitely was slippery. Even in this test session you can hear the rubber pickup and this was before the entire race! I know in my first two stints I was in the dark so I couldn't really see the rubber on track but I could hear and feel it.

When I went out in the day at around 12pm I couldn't believe the amount of rubber buildup out on track. I was very careful when passing slower cars, not running too deep because the lack of grip. The last thing I wanted was to slide into a lap car with two hours to go! It just gives me the shivers thinking about it! The car was unbelievable to drive and a lot of fun! I wish I could have had you all along with!

 

[Tijee]

Hey Nic, I was wondering how is the car tuned before the race? Do you drivers tell the engineers your general feedback, like 'too much oversteer/understeer', or do you already know whether you need to change downforce, LSD,...? Also, how difficult is it to find a setup that suits the different driving styles of the team?

And one last question, relating to Gran Turismo: I've never seen a video showing a pro driver, a GT academy student, or even Kaz, playing Gran Turismo in the cockpit view. I find it surprising since it's supposed to be more realistic. Is the bumper cam view closer to reality? BTW, do you still practice on GT6?

Thanks a lot for answering all our questions, very nice of you!! 👍

 

[DMacs13]

Thanks for the vid! It's crazy seeing that there's not much grip on that circuit. I guess it has a lot to do with the dust and tire on the track

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Hey Nic, I was wondering how is the car tuned before the race? Do you drivers tell the engineers your general feedback, like 'too much oversteer/understeer', or do you already know whether you need to change downforce, LSD,...? Also, how difficult is it to find a setup that suits the different driving styles of the team?

And one last question, relating to Gran Turismo: I've never seen a video showing a pro driver, a GT academy student, or even Kaz, playing Gran Turismo in the cockpit view. I find it surprising since it's supposed to be more realistic. Is the bumper cam view closer to reality? BTW, do you still practice on GT6?

Thanks a lot for answering all our questions, very nice of you!! 👍

Tijee, the team does an amazing job of setting up the car. When we were at Dubai the team had the car setup to a certain configuration that they use as a baseline and then after each session we'd sit down and debrief the handling as well as other car related issues such as seat or mirror positions.

We really didn't go into much detail besides how the car handled. We discussed if the car was understeering or oversteering but for the most part we didn't change much on the car. We don't go into detail whether to change LSD settings or ride height, we just explain how the car is handling and the team discusses what we can do as drivers or the team can do to fix this handling issue.

As far as the view, I think it is just personal preference. I think on some things I do play with the cockpit view but with others I do the bumper cam. I know for GT6 I do the bumper cam to see more of the track and terrain. If I use the cockpit view I don't get much view of the track but again just personal preference.

Also I do still play GT6 and enjoy racing the GT3 car even more now because I know how it drives in real life!

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Just posted an update on what I have been doing since Dubai in January, please visit http://www.nicolashammann.com/updates for the update. I will try and keep everyone informed on my 2015 plans as much as I can!

Thanks.​

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Awesome article by Sportscar365.com! Thank you Tony DiZinno for the kind words and support!

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/post-dubai-hammann-targeting-nissan-lmp1-opportunity-in-2016/

Take a look and enjoy! I hope to find out my 2015 racing schedule shortly! Stay tuned!

 

[SGT Serb]

Good job out there Nic, looking forward to hearing what the rest of 2015 has in store for you and the other GT Academy graduates!

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Two things recently have been posted that follow my journey with GT Academy and the Road to Dubai!

First if you haven't watched Masterclass Episode 17, take a look! The episode shows my fellow GT Academy teammates and I, as we get behind the wheel of the GTR before Dubai for the first time, the RJN Motorsports team packing up before Dubai, and a trip to Gaetan's household to see how he is training for Dubai.

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Second, yesterday GT Academy and NISSAN released an episode on Hulu.com that shows my family and I as we explain my journey and passion for cars. The episode also shows my family's business, Cal and Gus Motors, and also shows some history of Road America. The production team did an awesome job and if you can please take a look!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/764682

 

[SGT Serb]

Nice episode Nic.. Its great to be able to follow all the winners' journeys after race camp.

Does Nissan give you any indication of what you might want to start getting ready for next?

 

[NISMO_Nic]

NISSAN has informed me of what races I will be racing this year. I cannot say too much until later next week but I am very excited to be getting behind the wheel soon!

Also don't forget if you are available at 1:05pm (EST) tomorrow afternoon tune in on http://www.imsa.com/races/sebring-international-raceway-4 to watch Nick McMillen and Bryan Heitkotter as they race at Sebring in the NISSAN 370Z!

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Tune in tonight (3/31) at 8pm CST as I share my GT Academy story with Lit Motorsports and how with PlayStation and Nissan my lifelong dream of becoming a professional racing driver came true! You can submit questions for me to answer as well! Very excited and cannot wait!

Tonight 8pm CST!

 

[drspeedy]

Tune in tonight (3/31) at 8pm CST as I share my GT Academy story with Lit Motorsports and how with PlayStation and Nissan my lifelong dream of becoming a professional racing driver came true! You can submit questions for me to answer as well! Very excited and cannot wait!

Tonight 8pm CST!

such a nice and humble guy 👍 I really wish you the best racing career . you deserve the best 👍

 

[Ap3xLub3r]

Hey Nic, congrats on making it. Can't wait to race you one day! Jeje. Here's my concern, Am married with three lil munchkins. Am the sole financial provider. Wondering if Nissan provides for them while am in the U.K or do I have to have a plan for them to manage while am gone? What about while your not racing are you still "taken care of"? I hope you don't think am prying into your personal life that's not the message I mean to send out. I would just like to inform my self and other with similar situations. Your answer is going to be a pivotal point in my life and I will be able to know wich path is right for me and my fam. Thanks so much for your reply I really appreciate it. I sympathize for the recent tradegy.

 

[NISMO_Nic]

Hey Nic, congrats on making it. Can't wait to race you one day! Jeje. Here's my concern, Am married with three lil munchkins. Am the sole financial provider. Wondering if Nissan provides for them while am in the U.K or do I have to have a plan for them to manage while am gone? What about while your not racing are you still "taken care of"? I hope you don't think am prying into your personal life that's not the message I mean to send out. I would just like to inform my self and other with similar situations. Your answer is going to be a pivotal point in my life and I will be able to know wich path is right for me and my fam. Thanks so much for your reply I really appreciate it. I sympathize for the recent tradegy.

I wrote you a message explaining the best that I could your situation and participation in GT Academy.

Thanks,

Nic

 

[NISMO_Nic]

I am pleased to announce I will be racing in the Blancpain Sprint Race on July 3-4 at Moscow Raceway with Mark Shulzhitskiy, the 2012 GT Academy winner from Russia. The official press release is below.

http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/...-nismo-in-moscow-blancpain-sprint-series-race

Since the first week in June, I have been living in the U.K. training for this event. I attended the 24hrs of LeMans with Nissan working in hospitality and also getting to spend time with Mark getting acquainted with my teammate. Just to experience the 24hrs of LeMans was truly amazing and I recommend if anyone is a racing fan to try at least once in their lifetime to go! After LeMans I did some training on the sim as well as in-car instruction in preparation for Russia. I haven't been in a racecar since Dubai so any seat time I get is very valuable.

I then flew over to Brussels this past Tuesday and got to test the GTR GT3 at Spa-Francorchamps at the official 24hr test day! I got two, four lap sessions and it felt great to be back in the car. I forgot how truly amazing the GTR is to drive! The brakes, power, and downforce are incredible! Just to get to drive some laps at Spa was truly amazing and Eau Rouge is the best corner I have ever driven in real life! Florian Strauss was very helpful in getting me comfortable in the car again and I really appreciated his help! I attached a few pictures from the test as well!

I arrived back in the U.K. last night and am continuing to train on the sim preparing for the intense two, one hour races on July 3-4!

You can live stream the race at the link below and also an event timetable is listed on the website as well!

http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/

I am really looking forward to racing in Russia with Mark and cannot wait to be racing in one of the premier motorsports series in the world. You can follow all the action by visiting my website, www.nicolashammann.com,

liking my Facebook Page (https://m.facebook.com/nicolashammann?refsrc=https://m.facebook.com/fbrdr/274/998097103540622/&_rdr),

and following me on twitter @NISMO_Nic.

If you have any questions about the event or anything else please let me know!

 

[Wardez]

I am pleased to announce I will be racing in the Blancpain Sprint Race on July 3-4 at Moscow Raceway with Mark Shulzhitskiy, the 2012 GT Academy winner from Russia. The official press release is below.

If you have any questions about the event or anything else please let me know!

So excited for you Nic, I was really hoping this would happen! What an epic trip!