Racer X shuffles GT Academy finalists

The top 32 of nearly 400,000 Gran Turismo5 online racers met in San Diego July 13 and 14 to determine the 16 contestants that will compete for top honors in the GT Academy North America TV show and forge the start of an on-track racing career.

It was a weekend full of
proof that video gaming can actually turn into something real. A great gamer can now gain a professional gig as a racecar driver by Nissan GT Academy.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing the competition kind of from the other side," said 2011 GT Academy Winner Bryan Heitkotter.

The gamers whose skills best translate from a virtual racing screen to the real thing made it into the top 16 slots. They move on to the world-famous Silverstone track in the UK to compete for the top spot, to be trained as a Nissan racecar driver. It's captured in the reality Spike TV-series GT Academy. The second season starts late this year.

And, for the first time ever this year Nissan and Sony threw in a wildcard - Racer X. Anyone from across the country could come to the competition in San Diego and compete for one final spot.

Posted in: Bryan Heitkotter,Contest,Gran Turismo5,International,Motor Sports,Nissan,Nissan GT Academy,Racer X