GT Academy Winner Scores First Race Win
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQm-6zNOEJE
Despite spending the majority of his driving career in front of Gran Turismo, GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez and teammate Alex Buncombe scored their first race victory at the Zolder circuit in Belgium last week, behind the wheel of the RJN Motorsport Nissan 350Z.
This is a huge step for the team (they’re running second GT4 European Cup championship) and a major landmark in Lucas’ career. It’s also a very proud moment for sim racers everywhere – whether your game of choice is GT, Forza Motorsport, or something on the PC, we all have Lucas to thank for “legitimizing” our hobby. Here’s what RJN team boss Bob Neville had to say about the latest victory to gadget website T3:
“Whatever happens now in the rest of the season Lucas has proved a big point. His first season of GT racing has delivered a win in an international race series again top line drivers, in top line cars. [...] The main focus is maintaining our second place in the [rest of the] Championship. That would really show everyone that a Playstation gamer can go from bedroom to championship contender in one year.”
GTPlanet user DustDriver was on hand at the event – check out his gallery of photos and videos here. Congratulations, Lucas, and good luck in Portugal next month!
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Newest comments are displayed first.
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September 3rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm - #Lucas Ordonez
Round 5 GT4 Zolder (Full version Film)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeNWPPCV2ZEEnjoy!!
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August 31st, 2009 at 7:54 pm - #kiri
Congrats Lucas
*three thumbs up*! YES THREE! -
August 31st, 2009 at 7:20 am - #Rens
I saw aprts of the GT4 race this morning. They did very well. I believe they are third in overall score of the GT4 series now?
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August 30th, 2009 at 8:54 pm - #Canadian STIG
Well said meatbag
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August 30th, 2009 at 11:27 am - #meatbag_
@ Mark:
this IS about GT5, its interesting because when your mom yells down into the basement you live in that you need to stop playing games and do something productive with your life, you can come out of your basement and show her that a guy took his gaming skills and applied them in real life.
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August 30th, 2009 at 10:14 am - #Mark
Please give some info about GT5…this is not interesting..
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August 29th, 2009 at 1:20 pm - #Stradivis
NASA uses simulation to perfect their pilots. Airforce uses it too. Even F1 teams use it. So I guess it’s logic that simulation shall become an entry door for many pilots out there in the years to come. It’s cheap, safe and can cover lots of things needed for a pilot’s formation.
This is a great historic mark for racing in general.
Congratulations.
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August 29th, 2009 at 1:39 am - #Tek9[R]
Great job! Is this the start of a Gran Turismo “revolution” in the motorsports world? I hope so. Good luck next race!
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August 28th, 2009 at 7:13 pm - #Aristedis
@DustDriver
thanks …..
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August 28th, 2009 at 5:26 pm - #DustDriver
@Aristedis
A team can choose to enter 1 or 2 drivers for a car. -
August 28th, 2009 at 5:12 pm - #ralph89
Congratulation Lucas, hope you guys win next round. GT Academy RULES! I guess.
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August 28th, 2009 at 4:49 pm - #Aristedis
yes i don’t know good English…..i ask if only the nissan team has 2 drivers for the race….i see the podium ….2 drivers for nissan….1 driver for the 2 and 1 for the 3 place….anyone can answer me?
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August 28th, 2009 at 4:26 pm - #Nigma
Aristedis is asking if nissan is the only team to have 2 drivers because of the pic of the podium shot where there both on top and the 2nd an 3rd place winners only have 1 driver standing there
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August 28th, 2009 at 2:33 pm - #Martin
@MarcoM: It’s the same person asking the 2 drivers question over and over. I have the feeling it’s a language barrier problem making it difficult to understand his question.
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August 28th, 2009 at 2:32 pm - #Martin
Lucas, congratulations! He’s showed what hard work and dedication can do. And he’s so modest, he’s happy for Nissan and Playstation at the end of the video, not himself. What a great guy, I hope we can see him moving up in the racing world. If this winning trend continues, it certainly seems possible.
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August 28th, 2009 at 2:25 pm - #Bakemono858
Congrats Lucas! Make the Gran Turismo community and K.Y. Proud!
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August 28th, 2009 at 1:56 pm - #MarcoM
Damn I would have liked to go there. But I couldn’t. Great you have won at Zolder.
Off topic: what is it with these questions of Nissan having only 2 drivers. RJN has a 350z running the European GT4 championship. One mandatory pitstop results in 2 drivers per car. Or am I missing something?
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August 28th, 2009 at 1:55 pm - #John
Actually now that I think about it… that’s more than impressive… that’s like a dream come true!
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August 28th, 2009 at 1:54 pm - #John
MJRTOM, my bad… I didn’t realize thats what this was about… I thought GT acadamey was just a driving school and this was relative only because of the car he drove… so this guy learned playing GT and took that learning to the course resulting in a win? That is impressive… and interesting…
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I am very happy for lucas but it wasn’t all video gaming that got him through, sure it started him off but there was a lot of other tests that he had to do such as a physical, mental and psychological aspect to the win. At the end of the day, were it not for Gran Turismo, then Nissan would not have found this kind of talent.