GT Academy Graduates Deemed Too Fast For British GT

GT Academy Motorsport February 7th, 2013 by Famine

In 2012 Jann Mardenborough became the first GT Academy winner to drive in British GT. After a season long assault on the title, including a momentous win at Brands Hatch, his RJN Motorsport GT-R GT3 came within half an hour of the championship only to be denied by the reliability of the brand new car. But the team have been denied entry of two RJN cars for 2013 because Academy drivers are too fast.

Like many other GT series worldwide British GT employs a pro-am format, where an experienced racing professional (in the case of GT Academy, Alex Buncombe) is paired with a “gentleman” driver, who is expected to be the slower of the two. The GT Academy drivers’ lack of racing experience ensure they qualify for the gentleman driver bracket, but Jann’s pace put him on a par with the professionals of the series – meaning the GT-R was subject to a time penalty every race to allow the others to catch up!

Faced with two of this year’s four graduates coming at them in a pair of cars and potential for yet more confusion this year, the Stéphane Ratel Organisation – promoters of British GT – have refused the team’s application. The manager of the series, Benjamin Franassovici, said:

[GT Academy] has shown itself to be a great way to source raw talent and turn that into real racing talent as we saw in British GT last year with Jann Mardenborough. However Nissan’s ability to find such amazing raw talent means that we cannot accept their full season entry for British GT in 2013. Their new recruits have very little racing experience so they have to be on the lowest performance grade. Their talent, going on Jann’s speed last year, doesn’t reflect this lack of experience so it is not fair to put them up against our Pro/Gentleman grid, the basis of British GT3.

Though Nissan have hinted at an invitational appearance during the season, it means the four graduates will not be racing in the UK’s top GT series in 2013. It’s likely their calendars (along with previous graduates’) will be announced when Nissan formalise their 2013 schedule at new Nismo headquarters opening in Yokohama on 26th February.

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65 Comments

Newest comments are displayed first.

  1. February 7th, 2013 at 8:30 pm - #
    steebz

    Sounds like we need a Gran Turismo racing league in real life.

    Imagine that eh?
    ;)

  2. February 7th, 2013 at 7:20 pm - #
    TP1

    Sounds like the competition is slightly scared of the console-to-real GT drivers! HAHA! Epic! Bravo guys!

  3. February 7th, 2013 at 7:18 pm - #
    Z Crazy

    Conspiracy Theory:

    It could be a ploy to get a big dollar team (relatively) to compete in the organizer’s ailing championship FIA GT1…

  4. February 7th, 2013 at 6:00 pm - #
    Soyuz 77

    If GT Academy continues, (hoping it does…) I’m wondering what they will do with the winners?

    Especially if this continues to happen.

    • February 7th, 2013 at 6:07 pm - #
      Beeblebrox237

      Maybe they can field Formula 3, 2, and 1 teams. Okay, that’s wishful thinking, but you never know.

  5. February 7th, 2013 at 5:04 pm - #
    racingchamp30

    I always thought that is the racer they would of want more are racers that are able too set a record lap time , warm up times for a race, not tell them that they can’t race cause the drivers are too fast. LOL

    • February 7th, 2013 at 7:00 pm - #
      Pit Crew

      Read the part about the rules, “Gentleman Driver” requirement for British GT specifically, and in MotorSport GT Races its not an uncommon statute.

  6. February 7th, 2013 at 4:52 pm - #
    Nurburgthing.

    Genuinely amused and impressed.

    I think Kaz is a legend. Kooky, but still a legend.

  7. February 7th, 2013 at 3:58 pm - #
    infamousphil

    Dang! And I thought a decade ago… we could teach kids, if not to drive, at least the fundamentals of handling an automobile, with PD’s simulator.

    Chin up chaps. Your talents will not go not needed.

  8. February 7th, 2013 at 3:55 pm - #
    leexr2i

    Mabe they should try out other gt academy finalist.. Rather than the winners ;-)

    • February 7th, 2013 at 4:20 pm - #
      sangdude82

      Lol, that’s not a bad idea.

  9. February 7th, 2013 at 3:35 pm - #
    Pit Crew

    ARRRGGHH, punished for being too good…but rules are rules. Puts quite an exclamation on Janns “Raw” talent.

  10. February 7th, 2013 at 3:06 pm - #
    MOTORTRENDmitch

    That is obviously crappy news, but also VERY cool news as well.

  11. February 7th, 2013 at 2:21 pm - #
    01GTP

    We could hope that the race schools/academy’s of the world will step up to the GT Academy’s kind of training.
    That could lead to better racing for everyone.

    I imagine Nissan will get seats for these gents in some series.
    That will be another series fortune and the BGT’s misfortune.

    It’s too bad the sanctioning body feels they have to eliminate such drivers from their series.

    • February 7th, 2013 at 2:58 pm - #
      Jav

      The SRO never said they needed to eliminate them, they just can’t be paired with other Pro drivers. It is a legitimate ruling by SRO, the pairing of 2 Pro drivers gives the team an unfair advantage over the normal Pro-Am teams as simple as that!

  12. February 7th, 2013 at 2:15 pm - #
    SubaruWRC555

    Not cool SRO!!! Just cuz they had more talent out of the box does not mean they should not have there application turned down. I bet I they show up with two crappy and unheard of drivers then it would be accepted:(

    • February 7th, 2013 at 2:27 pm - #
      Jav

      That’s the point of the series, GTAcademy drivers are Pro drivers not Am drivers. If they are paired with true Am drivers they will be allowed to race with no problems. But if the team wants to pair them with other Pro drivers then there comes the conflict of having an unfair advantage over the rest of the field!

  13. February 7th, 2013 at 2:14 pm - #
    Jav

    I don’t see the problem here. Nissan(RJN) needs to stop shooting fish in a barrel and start doing serious PRO Racing with their GT Academy talent.
    GTAcademy guys are by no means Amateurs, they are Pro drivers and going against a Pro-Am team with a Pro team is like taking candy from an innocent kid! They need to stop the BS and give this guys a real Pro ride, not some Club Racing on a full on GT3 effort going up against old farts who get lost on the track on inferior equipment!

    • February 7th, 2013 at 5:00 pm - #
      Both Barrels

      That about sums it up.

  14. February 7th, 2013 at 2:09 pm - #
    blacknumber3

    British GT Official: “I’m afraid we must disqualify you from competition. You race too darn fast.”
    GT Academy Grad: “Umm………….Sorry?”

  15. February 7th, 2013 at 2:03 pm - #
    Foxiol

    Amazing. That is cool because now they could go anywhere or change to a different competition. Hope Nissan have seats for them.

  16. February 7th, 2013 at 1:42 pm - #
    UrieHusky

    What a joke =/
    But I suppose it’s a compliment in a weird kind of way lol

    • February 7th, 2013 at 2:06 pm - #
      MSTER232

      No. It’s just that whoever decided that they are “too fast” and kicked them out of the 2013 championships has been playing too much GT5 with people that are better than them :) .

    • February 7th, 2013 at 3:37 pm - #
      Pit Crew

      Agreed Urie

    • February 7th, 2013 at 5:03 pm - #
      HKS racer

      LOL and I thought real racing won’t kick you from the lobby…

      I was wrong!

  17. February 7th, 2013 at 1:35 pm - #
    ZedMan1996

    Well they should not be penalized for their gifted abilities.

  18. February 7th, 2013 at 1:34 pm - #
    BoneSawTX

    makes sense, if your amateur is coming out of a driving academy and spending more time in the cars than the most likely Doctors and lawyers that make up the rest of the amateur field it is unfair. He’s going to pickup experience much faster.

  19. February 7th, 2013 at 1:22 pm - #
    sangdude82

    This happens whenever Nissan dominates in the world of motor racing. Australian Touring Cars Championship in the 90′s, 2011 FIA GT1 Championship (a.k.a FIA GT Series) and now the British GT. Of course, PD has supplied the drivers through the GT Academies for this series but those drivers drive Nissan race cars which prepped by RJN Motorsport so we gotta give them some credit as well (minus the reliability issues).

    I’ve always wondering, why didn’t Nissan participate in the 2012 FIA GT Series? Did FIA ban them from entering the series because they were too good in 2011?

    • February 7th, 2013 at 1:30 pm - #
      ml_paladin888

      JRM didnt have the funds to run in the series (having joined WEC last year) JRM will be back in the endurance series though, running their GT3 GT-Rs

    • February 7th, 2013 at 1:35 pm - #
      Zuel

      +1

      Nissan has done the same thing again as they done through the late 60’s to the mid 80’s. Farming teams and drivers to help make their product better, look at the history with Shelby, Saleen. Look at the current teams that Nissan are work with now, no need to say anymore.

  20. February 7th, 2013 at 1:05 pm - #
    Sir Tuddle

    I don’t know if i should be angry or pleased ._.