The GT Academy finalists took their first step on the road to the grand prize, when Italy’s Luca Lorenzini and Frenchman Jordan Tresson took to the track at the Snetterton circuit in a pair of identical Nissan 370Z cars. The pair recorded 10th and 11th place finishes respectively in the 750 All Comers event but, more importantly, secured valuable signatures that will assist them in their bid to qualify for an ‘International C’ race licence.
Lorenzini and Tresson were winners of the recent GT Academy 2010 event at Silverstone, which took place from 26 February – 2 March. The racing driver’s boot camp saw the pair beat off hot competition from around the world to impress a panel of judges that included Eddie Jordan, Johnny Herbert and Nürburgring specialist Sabine Schmitz.
Luca Lorenzini from near Mantova in Italy and Jordan Tresson from Villers La Montagne in northern France returned to the UK last Monday (8 March). The Snetterton race was the beginning of a comprehensive training programme that sees them living near the RJN Motorsport team in Oxfordshire for nearly two months. They will participate in a series of national races in the hope of qualifying for an international licence in time for the start of the European GT4 Cup. Only one driver will be selected to race the full season in a race-prepared, 400bhp Nissan 370Z GT car.
The 750 MC season opener at Snetterton was a tough test for the pair. They were racing on road tyres in standard 370Z cars, but were up against some quick, open-top, slick-shod sports cars such as Radicals and Ginettas. However, both drivers impressed their new team boss, Bob Neville.
“I am happy with a good solid start”, said the experienced boss of the PlayStation Nissan team. “This was about getting used to being on a track with lots of other cars around. The fact that most of the cars were a much faster class than ours and were on slick tyres was probably quite useful in terms of making Luca and Jordan very aware of what was going on around them and adjusting lines to let people past safely. This is all part of what a racing driver has to learn.
Their pace was virtually identical. Jordan was slightly quicker in qualifying but Luca’s fastest lap in the race was a fraction quicker and he finished ahead. What I am very pleased about is that Luca and Jordan are behaving like team-mates and helping each other. With only one drive in the European GT4 Cup at stake there was a danger that they would be competing against each other, but I am pleased that they are both taking the right attitude”.
Having raced on Saturday, Jordan and Luca acted as race marshals on Sunday, which is an important learning activity that also earned them an extra ‘signature’ to build up towards the all-important licence. Coupled with a signature for the Advanced ARDS achieved at Silverstone during the week and one for the race, both are progressing well with a total of three signatures each.
But it was the racing that was obviously more exciting for the new drivers.
“I really enjoyed the race,” enthused 21-year-old automotive engineering student Jordan Tresson. “We didn’t go as fast as I would have liked, but our goal was to stay on track and not take risks. We finished in good places and got two signatures. I’ve been enjoying the training this week, we’ve been in the gym every day. Our next big race is at Pembrey and I’m looking forward to it as we get more time on the track.”
Echoing his sentiments, Luca felt they got off to a positive start: “It was a nice weekend,” said the 26-year old mechanic. “The car felt great, it was prepared well, there were no mistakes out on the track. I had so much fun at this event I can’t wait to race again.”
Luca and Jordan will be back on-track on 27 and 28 March at Pembrey circuit, where they will compete in a round of the Welsh Sports and Saloons Championship.
(text and images courtesy of GT Academy 2010 – more images available on GTAcademy’s Flickr)
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I’ve had enough looking at this!!! Lets get some real news on the game!
Totally ready for new news…
This is awesome. Looking forward to more news regarding their status.
Its great to see the guys on the track competing!
But tbh i think GTAcademy has been one of the biggest reasons for the delay of GT5, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see.
Again and again the general GT enthusiast is being left in the dirt due to their other interests now GT has become huge. The truth is i dont care anymore, i will buy GT5 on release day in 2020, i will feel like an idi..infact i will be a mug for loving it and buying it straight up but the fact that..ive wasted alot of my life waiting for it, doesnt justify the cause or the means, theyve messed about with the fans for too long now.
I think the guys at PD need something super special to pull this off if they want 0 dissapointment but i dont think they can do it.
Maybe im nitpick…no actually weve waited long enough, we expect thing. Its taken so long and i expect things like the steering wheel in cockpit view to act exactly how it does in real life on the g25 dfgt etc..But noooo i think pd were to busy focused on the paint job of that ugly new mercedes..
Sorry for the rant hehe
Goooo Lucas
“Too bad there is no actual game out except a “demo” that this whole thing actually came from.”
Speedy, we don’t even have *that* anymore; the demo is expired and dead. We’ve got zip, zero, nada.
I’m amazed they didn’t allow the demo to live on until full game release, or a different/better demo – how about letting US drive the R246 instead of just show attendees?
Too bad there is no actual game out except a “demo” that this whole thing actually came from.
Cheers Famine, that should keep me entertained for a while! Interesting to see how it all works.
It is great to see these fellow competitors in the GT Academy doing well in real cars.
For the others there is still GT5 Prologue or other driving simulators/games, to have great fun.
That’s great…….. but can I play it?
Cool but i want in too
P37Mac – The relevant rules can be found in the MSA 2010 Yearbook at http://www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/msa_forms/bluebooks/10/128-149.pdf
Summary: They qualify for a National B licence (everyone does). If they complete 6 races at National B level, with six signatures (or five plus an ARDS qualification), they qualify for a National A licence. If they then complete two more races at National A level, with 2 signatures (for people already qualified at National A, they need 4 races/signatures assuming their National B signatures were achieved a looooong time ago), they qualify for an International C licence.
So how many of these ‘signatures’ do you need for the licence? I take it that each one represents a completed criterea that a racer has to prove themselves in, but apart from that i have no idea how it all works…
We are probably going to see more and more finalist with real world experience. Since would be real racers will try to get exposure and experience in GT Academy.
if only it said “GT Faithfuls In Their First GT5 Race” ;( we can only dream
I was in in the top 300-400 of the GT time trials, i wish i had spent more time trying to go faster…….i doubt i would have gone as fast as the winners though! Im from the UK and id love to join in on the action VIP pass please? jamerson01@live.co.uk send the tickets my way lol
I lost interest in GT Academy as soon as the quickest guys in the initial time trial were eliminated by the ones with “previous professional go kart experience”. I was looking forward to see D Holland get right up there after dominating the time trial for so long!
my 2 cents
Great job to the two winners. I’m actually hoping this is how the GT “Experience” of GT5 starts out. It would be nice to start off in a fast car time trialing to beat a certain fixed “gold” trophy time and then start a virtual GT Academy. With the International C licensing tests being fitted in along with the Sunday Cup, Clubman Cup and other low level races being involved in a loaner car until you complete maybe the GT4 European Circuit Championship and the Dubai 24hrs being the last races in of course the same Sony/Polyphony Digital 370Z that they run before you obtain your International C license. I would like it if they actually spaced out all the endurance races in this one instead of bunching them all together for the end of the game. Then of course move on to the main game where you purchase your own car and start the International B licensing tests.
it seems to work both ways, peeps who know a lot about cars are good at gran turismo and vice versa
Sure would love to see those British tracks in GT5.
Sure hope this helps get GT5 out the door sooner! /sarc
Enough piffle; just release the game.
Wow…getting the International C License was much easier on GT…
Great going guys! Keep it up, let the best one win ;)
Congratulations to both of them. Well done in representing all of the ‘virtural’ racers everywhere.
*spontaneously combusts with envy*
thats great..I just wished they held the event(GT Academy) in the US..but hey at least we still get GT5
Can’t wait to see them own the competition in competitive cars.
nice =D