Despite a rather topsy-turvy six hours at the Nürburgring, Lucas Ordoñez has claimed the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am driver title and with it the teams’ championship for Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.
An incident-packed race saw the Nissan team’s nearest challengers, the AF Corse Ferrari, eliminated early in the race, but the GT-Rs didn’t have it all their own way either. Numerous visits to the pit soon added up and eventually both cars finished more than 20 laps down on the class leaders.
For a time it looked like the title was in Alex Buncombe’s pocket as he lead Pro-Am overall – and co-driver Jann Mardenborough (on double-duty with British F3) was busy setting laptimes that would embarrass the Pro cars, with a 1’57.106 being the fastest lap in class by a good margin.
Both cars endured numerous incidents that eventually left them 8th and 9th in class, but it was the all-gamer car of Ordoñez, Reip and Pyzera that took the important points that gave Lucas the drivers’ title – with Peter taking 3rd, just a point from 2nd in his first season racing GT3s.
Meanwhile at Silverstone, Middle East and South Africa champions Salman al Khater and Ashley Oldfield were embroiled in a 1000km race of their own. Paired with Tomas Scheckter, the team took a class victory in their Nissan 370Z GT4.
Congratulations to all the GT Academy graduates and RJN Motorsport!
See more articles on Alex Buncombe, Jann Mardenborough, Lucas Ordonez, Mark Shulzhitskiy, Peter Pyzera, and Wolfgang Reip.
Congratz Salman and Ashley !!
Can’t say I personally care about GT academy, has nothing ever to do with me other than something to pump up PD’s ego and a distraction to developing GT6/7 that is what we actually pay for.
GT Academy is run in conjunction with Nissan, once again people failing to understand what they are trying to shoot their mouths off. It’s the GT movie and Kaz doco all over again (it’s NOT PD organising these side ventures). PD are smart aligning themselves with these projects as it creates exposure for them. Your $60 or 40 quid or 1000 pesos or whatever currency you use might get them a few laps round the ring that’s about it. PD and Kaz are very humble folk and its you who has the ego problem. You could care less about the community as a whole and care only for your self centered agenda. You talk all this “I” diatribe, then when it comes to the $$$ it’s all of a sudden we. Who the %^*& are you to speak for everyone on here. FFS Grow up.
Mate I think you’re a bit extreme. My point is that I am not interested in GT academy when I buy GT I want the best GAME possible.
I’m not the king, I don’t speak for the community, don’t be thinking that I should. I can have my opinion, stop thinking it should be the same as yours to be acceptable.
To me it’s not about doing some time trials (that PD has to spend time setting up and monitoring) and hoping I will win to become a real race driver, I want to play a game in my living room and have some AI that can compete.
First and foremost GT is a game, and naturally that is what it’s community is about.
Without being a good and competitive game in this era GT will fade away and be nothing more than a label. Being a good GAME in the first place was what got GT its name.
Bring a good game will benefit the community more than a few time trial events or marketing.
Imagine the day when PD steps up and brings proper sounds, decent AI and a livery editor. Maybe every second post on this site will not be about those features, maybe we can start talking about our races and cars, how you finally beat that hard race or that awesome lap time.
Marketing does not make people enjoy a product, people enjoy a good product.
If you buy GT to dream of being in GT academy, go for it, but that is not me.
RS, you make some valid points in that last post. I am with you that I want the best game possible as well. I appreciate that you have your opinion and everyone is entitled to have one. If we all agreed on everything it would be very boring indeed. I am not asking you to have my view either. If you had structured your initial post as you did your reply it offers a more even view and I would have supported your post. I guess I am just tired of seeing people who consistently offer nothing negative of what PD do, You have given Kudos where Kudos is due which shows that you are not one of the regular mindless gits bagging for the sake of bagging.
I want to play a game in my living room and have some AI that can compete. ***Absolutely this would be fantastic***
Imagine the day when PD steps up and brings proper sounds, decent AI and a livery editor. *** This will be heaven and look forward to what is coming***
If you buy GT to dream of being in GT academy, go for it, but that is not me. *** It’s not for me either I am fast but not fast enough. But you gotta admit that it’s a wonderful op for those amongst us who are to get a chance to do something that normally you need the connections or money or both. It’s like the Data Logger for the Yaris and 86, won’t ever get to use this but its a wonderful application for those who can.****
At the end of the day we may not see eye to on everything but we both want the best GT possible!
OK RS How does GTAcademy distract from developing GT6? That makes no sense, just like it makes no sense to fault PD when its a joint venture between them and Nissan, plus the on track real world results speak for themselves. You didn’t even have to share that misguided negativity in this particular blog. Next time go to the GTAcademy threads and voice your disdain.
Its not about you at all it’s about all of us.
Looks like Wolfgang has 4 legs, maybe that’s how you win a GT academy either that or “swallow” up the competition
Found this as well, a very cool look at PD http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-09-20-inside-the-house-of-cars, If it was on here previously, apologies I missed it. Thought it may interest some of the other GT heads on GTP
Reip has the funniest pose imo :)
I’d say a close second to Lucas’s conctepated pic.
I really dont like the splitter on these gtr racecars because it makes the front end look squished, it really started bugging me with the 2012 schulze motorsports gtr in the game
Splitters serve a purpose on race cars and it’s not aesthetic.
Ya i know sayba but they dont have to be ugly just look at the c6r, 911 rsr, z4 gt, 458 gt and every other gt soec racecar on this planet they all have form fitting splitters except the gtr. The gtrs have splitter that bend up onto the car and make it look squished however in 2011 the gtrs had form fitting splitters plus they took corners faster not just according to the game but in real life vids from 2011 the car even looks like it is cornering faster than the 2012 car on the same track.
*gt spec
Lol jann is the only one who isn’t quite off if the ground kinda makes it look like he is stretching
Is it me or does Lucas look like hes taking a dump?
hahahahaha, really had to look at the pic after I read this. Yes 103 you are right and he even has that strained facial expression to boot.
Thanks alot tpark lol now I can’t stop looking for the toilet he should be sitting on haha.
Big Congrats to Lucas Ordoñez for winning the Pro-Am Class in BES. Well done :D
Amidst my Lucas taking a dump comment I almost forgot to give credit to him and his team for the accomplishment that they achieved. At this time I would like to congratulate all the GT Academy winners for their continued excellence in the quest of “From Virtual to Reality.”
Lol tpark103
Congrats for the team and epic photoshop skills!(not really)
No kidding eh… I hope that’s not a pic that will be used to represent the team anywhere on this planet. At least the accomplishment is real! Congrats people, awesome!
Have a good one
Congratulations to Lucas and all the GT Academy graduates! ;)
As i say to my teenager…no good will ever come from staying in you bedroom all the time…Huh! hold on! that don’t stand up no more.. will have to rethink that…well done for making the best of a chance…nice one..
Oh, what a feeling… it must be to show that the GT series is the best driving/racing series ever made!
subtle humour there SD, Nissan will looooove that slogan!
The damage on that #35 GT-R would give PD a good feed back to work on the car damage on GT6 :p
Subtle humour aside, the photo IS quite funny in itself…
Jann looks like he’s on a stretching rack and Lucas looks like he’s taking a dump!
Yep been great for the morning funnies SD
Congratulations and very well done to you all. The GT Academy guys are doing us proud. Great Stuff!!…;-))..
That’s surpringsily awesome!!!!
Jann can drive but he has no “hops” lol jk, Bravo to our GTAcademy Champions.
Hey PC don’t you know Black Men can’t jump? ;-P
Bloody fantastic!! Well done fellas!!
Great congratulations :)!
This is awesome seeing what Kaz set out to do to defy all of the critics against him!!
Nice work!
Great work!
Great going guys.
Amazing stuff. Now, on to the Bathurst 12H!
Hell ya :D