GT Academy and Nissan.

[Com Fox]

So I've been wandering.
If you ever win GT Academy will you have to race with Nissan.

I don't really like their cars and I don't want to race with a Nissan for the rest of my life.

 

[Famine]

Don't win then?

It's how I get through the day without being paid to drive and race cars.

 

[TRC Scooty]

So I've been wandering.

What did you find?

 

[nealcropper]

So I've been wandering.
If you ever win GT Academy will you have to race with Nissan.

I don't really like their cars and I don't want to race with a Nissan for the rest of my life.

Are you serious?

Don't win then?

It's how I get through the day without being paid to drive and race cars.

Or better still, don't enter. Although, same end.

What did you find?

Awesome post.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Nissan is GT Academy, GT Academy is Nissan. Don't like it, don't enter.

 

[Com Fox]

Ok, thanks.

Yeah I shouldn't enter, I wish PD would get more partners then Nissan so if you win you get to race with more cars and so we can stop getting Skylines and GT-Rs.

 

[CodeRedR51]

It's not as simple as you make it sound.

And I like Skylines and GT-R's. To each their own.

 

[Com Fox]

Just a thought.

Can you win GT academy then after a race with Nissan, you can ditch them for a Racing Team that wants you because I would do that for a team that is doing Daytona Prototypes or anything to be honest.

 

[MSTER232]

So I've been wandering.
If you ever win GT Academy will you have to race with Nissan.

I don't really like their cars and I don't want to race with a Nissan for the rest of my life.

Well, if you are entering a competition officially hosted by Nissan, organised by Nissan and the prize if you are good enough is being able to drive for Nissan in racing, there's no other way around it.

 

[carracerptp]

Just a thought.

Can you win GT academy then after a race with Nissan, you can ditch them for a Racing Team that wants you because I would do that for a team that is doing Daytona Prototypes.

GT academy to Daytona Prototypes after one race? Nope, not going to happen.

If you manage to win you get a contract with Nissan, which is great regardless if you like the cars or not, I think it is a year contract but I'm not sure.

As a heads up, teams aren't going to chomping at the bit to hire you.

 

[Com Fox]

Ok.

I really don't like Nissan and I like to race with cars that I like (Corvette DP, Honda HSV-010 GT, Audi R8 LMS ultra, Audi R18 ultra etc.)

I know it is a long shot but I can dream.

 

[MSTER232]

Well if you want to have a career in racing then maybe you can just deal with Nissan for a short while, and see if there is any racing teams that will take you on at the end of your Nissan contract?

 

[daan]

If you win the GT Academy, you can only race a Nissan, which is why Jann has been racing a Toyota recently.

 

[TRC Scooty]

Any body serious about racing professional doesn't give a crap what it is. Just that it has four wheels, runs and is capable of winning.

 

[Com Fox]

Drivers also know what car to use or not, If it is too good or too bad. Thats why lewis hamilton move to Mercedes because Mclaren was too good and he wants a challenge.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Drivers also know what car to use or not, If it is too good or too bad. Thats why lewis hamilton move to Mercedes because Mclaren was too good and he wants a challenge.

If it was too good he would have won the championship last year.

If you have to pick and choose which car you want to race in, you are not a true racing driver. A TRUE racing driver will race no matter the car. Not only that, most racing drivers actually have to PAY to race, not many drivers make a living at it. Racing isn't cheap.

 

[nealcropper]

Thats why lewis hamilton move to Mercedes because Mclaren was too good and he wants a challenge.

Wrong, Lewis moved because of the way he was being treated. Nothing to do with the car.

That said, I must have missed something, of course he moved because the car was too good. I mean why would he stay and use the best tools for the job? Yeah he'd have to be an idiot to do that.

 

[Com Fox]

If it was too good he would have won the championship last year.

If you have to pick and choose which car you want to race in, you are not a true racing driver. A TRUE racing driver will race no matter the car. Not only that, most racing drivers actually have to PAY to race, not many drivers make a living at it. Racing isn't cheap.

Hamilton said on his interview that mclaren is a great team but he doesn't want to cruise the F1.

Also how come Team Phoenix, Penske Racing and their drivers switch from Opel/Dodge to Audi/Ford, respectively.

 

[nealcropper]

Hamilton said on his interview that mclaren is a great team but he doesn't want to cruise the F1.

What he says, and what he is being told to say are two different things.

 

[Durp13579]

Any body serious about racing professional doesn't give a crap what it is. Just that it has four wheels, runs and is capable of winning.

False!

If you race motorcycles, you want 2 wheels.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Also how come Team Phoenix, Penske Racing and their drivers switch from Opel/Dodge to Audi/Ford, respectively.

They get permission from their employers to drive other cars.

I feel you are just dragging this on for no reason what so ever but just to increase your post count. We've already given you the answer you were looking for. If you don't want to drive for Nissan (which makes some of the best race cars in the world) then just don't do GT Academy, simple as that.

 

[Com Fox]

What he says, and what he is being told to say are two different things.

How do you know why he moved then.

Also if you win can drive any LMP but with a Nissan engine.
Don't really mind the engine.

 

[CodeRedR51]

How do you know why he moved then.

Also if you win can drive any LMP but with a Nissan engine.
Don't really mind the engine.

IF you win you drive what they tell you to drive.

 

[Com Fox]

I'm not trying to get posts.
I think I'll conclude with (IF I win) what MSTER232 said.

Well if you want to have a career in racing then maybe you can just deal with Nissan for a short while, and see if there is any racing teams that will take you on at the end of your Nissan contract?

Just one question before we end this topic.
Do they supply GT500 Nissan? Those are the MANY few Nissans I like.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Simple answer: No.

 

[Famine]

Okay... I'm going to lay it out as simply as I can and to the best of my knowledge.

GT Academy has two purposes.

• To find someone who can be moulded into a good racing driver - someone with the right combination of health/fitness, attitude and innate ability that can go into one end of the driver training program and come out the other as a racing driver
• To find someone who can be a brand ambassador for Sony and Nissan - the two companies that sponsor the series

The prize of GT Academy is only the Dubai 24hr, but Sony and Nissan aren't going to pay a fortune for the event, driver training, cars and race entry fees to get a guy up to International race licence level for one race - unless they've made a massive mistake in the selection process.

So after the Dubai 24hr, the winner will find themselves contracted to Sony and Nissan. I don't know the value or terms of this contract, but I'd guess that it's a living wage (of the order of £50-75k a year) plus sponsorship and race fee contract in exchange for race and media duties - the drivers will find themselves required to appear at Nissan product launches and press jamborees or Sony events, while they carry sufficient money with them to pay for a race seat. For a relatively quick and dirty example, Lucas Ordonez was present at the very recent Barcelona launch of the Nissan Nismo Juke and Nissan Nismo 370Z, couriering press bods (including my editor ) and in exchange Sony/Nissan pay for a season long seat at privateer LMP2 team Greaves Motorsport for the World Endurance Championship (which isn't cheap). I'm sure Greaves get a reasonable deal on their Nissan engines into the deal.

The relationship with RJN Motorsport is symbiotic. Nissan supply RJN with cars and RJN supply GT Academy with all of the event vehicles (8+ 370Zs, 8+ GT-Rs), which are also used for other Nissan-y events like Mission Motorsport in the Britcar 24hr. Nissan then supply RJN with a driver (or three) and some cars for a season. I imagine there'll be some flow of cash one way or the other but I don't know how much or which way.

So long as the driver keeps their reputation intact - no stupid driving and keeping close pace with their full professional teammates - Sony and Nissan will keep renewing their contracts and paying for race seats until the GT Academy program ends or Nissan Global Motorsports change their aims. Since I think they want to take a factory run at either FIA GT or LMP1 soon, they'll be needing a whole bunch of already contracted drivers.

However, drivers like Jann - and him particularly - will attract the attention of other manufacturers and other teams and contracts can be bought. Nissan will not want to lose Jann precisely for this reason, but if there's enough money on the table from somewhere else his contract can be bought. It may be worth a note that Carlos Ghosn's Nissan, through Infiniti, sponsor Red Bull F1, while Carlos Ghosn's Renault supply Red Bull F1's engines, so there'll need to be a lot of money to buy out a guy who they're possibly grooming for at least an STR seat in the next four years.


The short version of this answer is "If you win, you'll be sponsored for your expensive races seats by Nissan for as long as you keep out of trouble and keep performing - unless someone else buys your contract.".

However, there's a shorter answer still...

Can you win GT academy then after a race with Nissan, you can ditch them for a Racing Team that wants you because I would do that for a team that is doing Daytona Prototypes or anything to be honest.

I've met a bunch of extraordinarily nice folk (literally - they had no obligation to be nice to me and no necessity to do so. They're just nice people) at Nissan, Sony, GT Academy, HPS Jardine (the company responsible for PR for GTA) and RJN Motorsport and every single one of them have heard of GTPlanet. I am fully aware that some of them read, at the least, every news article we post about GT Academy and it's not unreasonable to assume that they read this non-subscriber forum about their event.


I'd personally say that the attitude you just displayed towards the brand you'll be promoting as a GT Academy winner has disqualified you from winning GT Academy. So there's no problem.

 

[Com Fox]

Hey Famine can you please lock this forum now (I'm not a premium so I cannot do it). We already got the information about it and don't need anymore.

 

[Tidgney]

Famine you forgot the Nissan - Renault alliance with car production! Although I know it's the same guy ;p!

In all honesty if you really want to race it doesn't matter what your in!

If you question it you don't want it hard enough,
If you don't want it hard enough you'll never make it to the finals,
If you never make it to the finals there's no point asking the question to begin with!

 

[Louie_Schumii]

*snip*

👍

@RESHIRAM5 - FYI here is the price list for paying for a Nissan LMP2 drive in the pointy end of the grid.

Greaves Motorsport Announce its Arrive and Drive Prices for European Le Mans Series, and Sebring.

Arrive and Drive package for it LMP2 Nismo Powered Zyteks. Greaves will run the car(s) to their well establish high standards and The Arrive and Drive package are for Sebring, and ELMS includes:

The five ELMS rounds;

April 13 - Silverstone (GBR) -
May 18 - Imola (ITA)
July 20 - Red Bull Ring (AUT)
September 14 - Hungaroring (HUN)
September 28 - Paul Ricard (FRA)

The price is from €285,000 per seat. For Sebring the price is $145,000 per seat. Two test days, a full support crew from the LM24 hour the winning Team, individual spares package for the car, based on 3 drivers per car.

I do not have a cool €1,500,000 lying around to spend on motorsport. Nissan/PlayStation do so if and when they tell me to jump I will immediately ask them how high.

If only they brought the competition back to this part of the world... www.facebook.com/GTAcademyforNewZealand

 

[Com Fox]

I really like Zytek LMP .

I've also heard of the money but didn't know it would be that high.

This thread was originally a question not a complaint (however I did make it sound like one sorry ).