Do you think GT Academy is fixed?
- Thread starter Voodoovaj
- 224 comments
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- 435
- Filip_Ovik
- 896
- Carlow, Ireland
- GTP_Dessy
Had to pop in and give my opinion on this (For those who don't know I was the UK & Ireland winner in 2012 and raced against Wolfgang and co.)
The truth is that anyone who makes it to Silverstone can win if they have some natural pace and a lot of mental determination (if you don't have those things well then you aren't meant to be a racing driver). However, you probably have a much better chance if you have a good bit of private testing under your belt as well. In my opinion the system is always looking to get the best driver no matter what their experience is. As far as the organisers/instructors/judges are concerned, if the contestants don't have an actual career in racing already, it's fair game to take the best talent they can find out of the 32 candidates there that week.
As Adam previously mentioned, learning to heel toe (in a left hand drive) if you have never done it before is far from easy, and you don't have much time to learn it either. In fact, you aren't even thought the principles of it at race camp at all. They basically tell you, if you can do it then do it, if not its too risky. I was somewhere in between and found myself learning during the qualifying and race itself. I was getting better each lap but making mistakes all the time as well. The GP track is quite tricky too and from driving since in GT6 / assetto corsa, I really feel as if its just a bogey track for me. Whats the lesson from all this? Learn heel toe as best you can before going to race camp! If you don't, several other guys will already be great at it and you'll have lost before even get there.
Wolfgang's experience was one of the most controversial topics of any of the previous winners I believe, but at the end of the day, if I could have I probably would have done just as much as he did. He was pushing to be a driver for years, and was also a well walked sim racer so this was his chance and he took it. His mentors Tim Cornel and Bas Leinders really REALLY wanted him to win and one of them was by his side advising and motivating him a lot once he was picked. The same has to be said for Hugo. Dani Clos was very close to him by the end and I really felt this affected me psychologically as I had no one (or felt as if I didn't). Rob was really hard on me, but he's like that with most people I guess. Johnny wasn't around when the cameras were off so I felt quite isolated. You could say that some of the judges might have more of an interest to get their guy to win than others (if you want to link that to fixing, lol).
Looking back on it now, almost 2 years ago, it's still one of the craziest experiences of my life and some of it is a complete blur. I'm glad there were so many pics and videos taken as I wouldn't remember it all otherwise. My head wasn't even there by the end of it.
Here's a look at the final race from 2012 if any of you missed it or are new to GT Academy. Considering it was a live event that had to run on schedule I think it's crazy that they actually let us out to do this. We had one take and luckily no one fluffed their lines seriously.
race starts at 13:23
I believe only 2 finals ever used the full GP circuit, so I feel very privileged to have gotten to drive it, at an actual race meeting. I still feel that the left hand drive car cost me a real shot, but I still doubt I was good enough at the time to win. Who knows. Hugo was as quick as Wolfgang and he couldn't pass me in the race. I was only a few tenths off of starting 3rd over a 160 second lap against two guys who were well used to cars. So many could'ves but it wasn't meant to be, and in the end the whole experience opened so many doors so you just accept it and move on.
I'd like to hear some stories from anyone else who made it a long way into the competition. It's always cool to see what others really went through as the TV part of it can often be artificial drama.
BONUS CLIP: Sebastian and Rolf on the final corner of the final lap. Mega driving from both guys.
The truth is that anyone who makes it to Silverstone can win if they have some natural pace and a lot of mental determination (if you don't have those things well then you aren't meant to be a racing driver). However, you probably have a much better chance if you have a good bit of private testing under your belt as well. In my opinion the system is always looking to get the best driver no matter what their experience is. As far as the organisers/instructors/judges are concerned, if the contestants don't have an actual career in racing already, it's fair game to take the best talent they can find out of the 32 candidates there that week.
As Adam previously mentioned, learning to heel toe (in a left hand drive) if you have never done it before is far from easy, and you don't have much time to learn it either. In fact, you aren't even thought the principles of it at race camp at all. They basically tell you, if you can do it then do it, if not its too risky. I was somewhere in between and found myself learning during the qualifying and race itself. I was getting better each lap but making mistakes all the time as well. The GP track is quite tricky too and from driving since in GT6 / assetto corsa, I really feel as if its just a bogey track for me. Whats the lesson from all this? Learn heel toe as best you can before going to race camp! If you don't, several other guys will already be great at it and you'll have lost before even get there.
Wolfgang's experience was one of the most controversial topics of any of the previous winners I believe, but at the end of the day, if I could have I probably would have done just as much as he did. He was pushing to be a driver for years, and was also a well walked sim racer so this was his chance and he took it. His mentors Tim Cornel and Bas Leinders really REALLY wanted him to win and one of them was by his side advising and motivating him a lot once he was picked. The same has to be said for Hugo. Dani Clos was very close to him by the end and I really felt this affected me psychologically as I had no one (or felt as if I didn't). Rob was really hard on me, but he's like that with most people I guess. Johnny wasn't around when the cameras were off so I felt quite isolated. You could say that some of the judges might have more of an interest to get their guy to win than others (if you want to link that to fixing, lol).
Looking back on it now, almost 2 years ago, it's still one of the craziest experiences of my life and some of it is a complete blur. I'm glad there were so many pics and videos taken as I wouldn't remember it all otherwise. My head wasn't even there by the end of it.
Here's a look at the final race from 2012 if any of you missed it or are new to GT Academy. Considering it was a live event that had to run on schedule I think it's crazy that they actually let us out to do this. We had one take and luckily no one fluffed their lines seriously.
race starts at 13:23
I believe only 2 finals ever used the full GP circuit, so I feel very privileged to have gotten to drive it, at an actual race meeting. I still feel that the left hand drive car cost me a real shot, but I still doubt I was good enough at the time to win. Who knows. Hugo was as quick as Wolfgang and he couldn't pass me in the race. I was only a few tenths off of starting 3rd over a 160 second lap against two guys who were well used to cars. So many could'ves but it wasn't meant to be, and in the end the whole experience opened so many doors so you just accept it and move on.
I'd like to hear some stories from anyone else who made it a long way into the competition. It's always cool to see what others really went through as the TV part of it can often be artificial drama.
BONUS CLIP: Sebastian and Rolf on the final corner of the final lap. Mega driving from both guys.
- 156
- Canada
- drspeedy94
guys there is something that i dont understand and i want to share with you 
GT academy is supposed to ban all drivers with racing experience right ?.... so why do we have a guy (the winner of this year) who has a lot of experience .... he used to race in formula 2.0 and other racing cars ...... personnally i have nothing against the winner but COME ON THE GUY IS DRIVING REAL RACING CARS if gt academy allow drivers who have such experience then there is no chance for people like me that have a little experience like karting or track days . something is wrong here 
!! if they want drivers with experience well there is no need for such competition they can just go and look for pro drivers there is plenty of them
GT academy is supposed to ban all drivers with racing experience right ?.... so why do we have a guy (the winner of this year) who has a lot of experience .... he used to race in formula 2.0 and other racing cars ...... personnally i have nothing against the winner but COME ON THE GUY IS DRIVING REAL RACING CARS if gt academy allow drivers who have such experience then there is no chance for people like me that have a little experience like karting or track days . something is wrong here !! if they want drivers with experience well there is no need for such competition they can just go and look for pro drivers there is plenty of them
- 88,853
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
Wrong.guys there is something that i dont understand and i want to share with you
The rules are pretty easy to access and quite clear:
There's the rules above. Tell me where Gaetan falls foul of them, or how they prevent someone like Jann Mardenborough with no driving experience of any kind (except owning a BMW 318 for less than a year) from winning..... so why do we have a guy (the winner of this year) who has a lot of experience .... he used to race in formula 2.0 and other racing cars ...... personnally i have nothing against the winner but COME ON THE GUY IS DRIVING REAL RACING CARS if gt academy allow drivers who have such experience then there is no chance for people like me that have a little experience like karting or track days . something is wrong here
- 9,401
- Western Sydney
- mustafur
- 400
- Auckland
- Turbo_Kiwi021
- Turbo91Kiwi
this is a stupid thread if the Academy was fixed it would of been cancelled or something would of been done pretty pathetic if you ask me
- 13,973
- Adelaide
- Neomone
Why would it be cancelled? Even if it was fixed, it's doing it's job of creating buzz and advertising for Nissan.
- 435
- Filip_Ovik
No racing simulator can create 5g's, and definately not for a long braking period. Therefore you had to push the brake pedal by your own leg power
I know the Ferrari F1 team has a simulator that can achieve up to 3.5g, everything below 3.5g is like real, but it cannot handle more than that.
- 72
- BICDRIVER49
I only read part of the first page. But I can tell you it's not rigged. I am short and was very out of shape when I won. I showed potential and wasn't afraid to push myself. They could see my passion and skill through all of the fat. That's why I was in the final race and won. I still am not the thinnest person around, but that's how my build is. I trained very hard to get to where I am. If I didn't, I wouldn't be in a car this year. There are a lot of factors that they look at. None of them are singularly more important than another. Its a package. It doesn't matter your size or shape. If you have what it takes to win, they will see that and you will be given a fair shot at it. End of story.
- 156
- Canada
- drspeedy94
i've been training for this competition for the past 2 years and this year will be the third . I worked in ****** jobs , sacrified my studies ,friends , life ,and everything just to afford money for track days and driving time . i'm suffering a lot and I dont care ! as long as the competition is fair i can do more . i'm determined to win it whatever it takes . i'm ready to die for it . i don't think that there is someone more determined than me . if this competition is fair then I will be the winner and the best driver they will have . but when i saw that there are drivers that have big racing experience I could'nt sleep for 3 days looking for another way to realise my dream !! thank you for giving the example of jann its really a good motivation
- 100
- Wales
Hello! Firstly: not fixed.
Secondly: You can practice heel and toe downshifting in the game if you have a shifter and three pedals. You can sit in your road car and pretend to do it, and you can do it for real every time you approach a roundabout in your road car. You need to develop that muscle memory so it becomes second nature (and you'll feel like a driving god when you do it well!).
Small thing, but it's critical to be able to do it in the wet, and will help you in the dry.
Secondly: You can practice heel and toe downshifting in the game if you have a shifter and three pedals. You can sit in your road car and pretend to do it, and you can do it for real every time you approach a roundabout in your road car. You need to develop that muscle memory so it becomes second nature (and you'll feel like a driving god when you do it well!).
Small thing, but it's critical to be able to do it in the wet, and will help you in the dry.
- 810
- Wilsonville, OR USA
- scca_ziptie
DEFINITELY not fixed. Period.
- 314
- United States
Seconded.
Hi all, Im around here as a reader not as an active "poster", but this time I just feel to express my opinion on this.
I was on the Portuguese finals on 2012 (with Hugo, he was a serious candidate on that year, actually he has started a racing cereer here in PT). My participation was just for fun (I was 40 @ that time) and I knew with that age i could not be choosen, at the same time it was an opurtunity to meet same virtual racing fellows personally....
I remember quite well that the portuguese "mentor" of the regional final (then he went as the Portuguese mentor to Silverstone) on the 1st chat with the finalists remembered that only 2 countries had no winners, portugal & belgium and there was a good chance that portugal as finaly a winner........ On 2012 a belgium guy got it (Hugo had a missfortune on the start of the final race), and in 2013 a portuguese (Miguel) finnaly got the 1st place, now you can start to think........
My final opinion is that GTA is not fixed but the resulsts are highly influenced by Marketing!
I was on the Portuguese finals on 2012 (with Hugo, he was a serious candidate on that year, actually he has started a racing cereer here in PT). My participation was just for fun (I was 40 @ that time) and I knew with that age i could not be choosen, at the same time it was an opurtunity to meet same virtual racing fellows personally....
I remember quite well that the portuguese "mentor" of the regional final (then he went as the Portuguese mentor to Silverstone) on the 1st chat with the finalists remembered that only 2 countries had no winners, portugal & belgium and there was a good chance that portugal as finaly a winner........ On 2012 a belgium guy got it (Hugo had a missfortune on the start of the final race), and in 2013 a portuguese (Miguel) finnaly got the 1st place, now you can start to think........
My final opinion is that GTA is not fixed but the resulsts are highly influenced by Marketing!
- 88,853
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
Countries that participated in GT Academy Europe 2012/2013 and had no winners:
Austria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Italy*
Hungary
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Slovakia
Sweden
Switzerland
How's that conspiracy looking right around now? Incidentally, the chap who was Iberia mentor for 2012 alongside Lucas Ordonez was Dani Clos (also 2014's Iberia mentor, and 2014's Mexico mentor too).
In other news, Finland's top selling private vehicle is the Nissan Qashqai. You'd think they'd want a Finnish winner if marketing was an influence. You'd also think they'd have someone in the room during final judging who wasn't a mentor, judge or Bob Neville too - but they don't (I glanced in the room in 2013).
*Technically Luca Lorenzini "won" in 2010 when the format was slightly different. Luca and Jordan were both winners of Race Camp, but only Jordan got the seat for Dubai - making him the winner. Luca came back as Italy mentor in 2013.
Last edited:
These were the groups 2011
Residents from 10 European countries, combined into six territory groups, are eligible to take part in GT Academy 2011. They include: 1. Germany and Austria; 2. France and Switzerland; 3. UK and Ireland; 4. Spain and Portugal; 5. Italy; and 6. the Netherlands. All of these countries won
These were In 2012
Residents from 10 European countries, combined into six territory groups, are eligible to take part in GT Academy 2011. They include: 1. Germany and Austria; 2. France and Switzerland; 3. UK and Ireland; 4. Spain and Portugal; 5. Italy; and 6. the Netherlands. All of these countries won
These were In 2012
- Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
- France
- Italy
- Spain and Portugal
- Switzerland
- Austria and Poland
- UK and Ireland
- 88,853
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
Except Germany (they got their own GT Academy in 2012 - and Lars Schlommer's original 2008 win is something rarely spoken of), Austria, Switzerland, Ireland (no longer eligible), Italy and the Netherlands. So basically only France, the UK, Portugal and Spain.
And there you have two groups (Italy as one, Switzerland, Austria & Poland as another - I was actually there) and six countries with no winners.
I'll be seeing Dani Clos tomorrow (at GT Academy International), so I'll ask him. I had dinner with him last week (okay, I happened to be put next to him on the table at GT Academy Europe - apparently he used to date Hristo Stoichkov's daughter) and he was fun to chat to.
But it's pretty easy to spot that there are many countries that compete in GT Academy that have never had a winner. Only five (six, if you include Lars) have won:
Spain
France
UK
Belgium
Portugal
Germany (Peter, Florian and unnamed 2014 winner), Russia (Mark, Stanislav) and the USA (Bryan, Steve, Nick) have had their own finals with their own winners, along with Ashley Oldfield of South Africa and Salman al Khater of Qatar who won events in 2013.
- 88,853
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
I know - I was there too as you can see. And all messages on GTPlanet must be posted in English, as you agreed to do:
GTPlanet Terms of Service
- 1,542
- Chicago, IL
- iamsupernasty
The judges fully admit that the eliminations are not based simply on tangible data. Doesn't that by default mean that they are taking personal preference into account? They make some decisions based on gut feelings. Depends on your definition of fixed I suppose.
One thing they told us, that sticks out for me, is that they never picked a winner that they didn't like as a person.
There is a reason they changed the rule in 2013 so that the winner of the final race wasn't automatically the winner as it had been in the past. It gave them the opportunity to pick any of the final 4. It's also the reason (imo), that we never see the actual scoring sheets that are allegedly used to rank us.
For the record though, in 2013, I do think they picked the right guy to win. Everyone had similar pace, but Nicks being only 20 (he was 19 the year before) gives him far more room to grow than the rest of us, and he clearly has the passion to make Nissan proud.
One thing they told us, that sticks out for me, is that they never picked a winner that they didn't like as a person.
There is a reason they changed the rule in 2013 so that the winner of the final race wasn't automatically the winner as it had been in the past. It gave them the opportunity to pick any of the final 4. It's also the reason (imo), that we never see the actual scoring sheets that are allegedly used to rank us.
For the record though, in 2013, I do think they picked the right guy to win. Everyone had similar pace, but Nicks being only 20 (he was 19 the year before) gives him far more room to grow than the rest of us, and he clearly has the passion to make Nissan proud.
- 5,619
- Hampshire
- Spurgy777
Considering they take marketing into consideration as a last resort when deciding the winner, after taking into account pretty much everything that could make you a good racing driver from the previous week (a lot of telemetry from the cars you drive, your mental attitude, how you learn from your instructors and what questions you ask them, and then the final race result), no it's not fixed
As for driving experience, yes it definitely helps, but it's not like you can regulate it beyond restricting racing experience, because you could do a thousand test days and experience days and they would never really know.
As for driving experience, yes it definitely helps, but it's not like you can regulate it beyond restricting racing experience, because you could do a thousand test days and experience days and they would never really know.
- 1,957
- United States
- RaceManiacGT1
Which IMO really sucks for him. Its not as if he is slow in a car considering how little opportunity he was given. And in between his "Pro" racing he is still kicking butt in SCCA Solo....IIRC he won the national in whatever class he was in each year since he won GT Academy...
- 340
- Swansea
- Rhodriewilliams
Considering they take marketing into consideration as a last resort when deciding the winner, after taking into account pretty much everything that could make you a good racing driver from the previous week (a lot of telemetry from the cars you drive, your mental attitude, how you learn from your instructors and what questions you ask them, and then the final race result), no it's not fixed
As for driving experience, yes it definitely helps, but it's not like you can regulate it beyond restricting racing experience, because you could do a thousand test days and experience days and they would never really know.
Yes that's what I think there is no way of knowing who has done what other than people posting on you tube.
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