Story & photos by Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes
SINCE its inception in 2008, Nissan’s GT Academy has risen to undeniable prominence. Now on its seventh consecutive year, this globally played virtual-to-pro racing competition arrives in Asia, challenging gamers from all walks of life.
In fact, in this country, over 15,000 Filipinos set out to prove that they have what it takes to fulfill their dreams of becoming the next Dodjie Laurel.
Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) fervently knows that they are playing a crucial role in making that dream a reality.
“With the launch of GT Academy in the Philippines, we at Nissan offer an exciting opportunity for Filipinos to emerge as a breakthrough talent in the racing world,” said Antonio Zara, president and managing director of NPI.
“We hope that, through this, we can help the Filipino unravel their true potential. As you know, racing is an expensive sport and our aim here really is to find raw talent, develop it and eventually help local motor sports,” he added.
The GT Academy is a driver discovery and development program partnership between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Polyphony Digital Inc. and Nissan Europe. This program takes talented gamers and turns them into real race-car drivers.
Up to the challenge
Launched on March 25 at Glorietta in Makati City, the GT Academy has been on a roll. Virtual racers from all over the country competed against the clock in various shopping malls and activity centers. Over 30,000 trials have been held over the course of 20 live events during its three-month run in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. This was done to determine the top 20 gamers, who then proceeded to the next round of competitions.
Top 20
After a series of grueling time trials, from 15,000, the number was now down to only 20. The gamers who made it to the top were Francisco Adriano, Joel Agojo, Paolo Vittorio Alcance, Daryl Brady, Rabboni John Buenaventura, Luis Raphael Cachero, Kim Jiger Chong, Juan Carlos Eejay de Borja, Ramoncito de Luna, Rodolfo Faustino, Rio Halili, Richard Dean Jose, Jan Millard Lacuna, Terrence Aldrich Lallave, Raphael Miru Lesaguis, Luis Antonio Moreno, Cameron Jordan Padillo, Jose Gerald Policarpio, Mark Angelo Villamor and Michael Vincent Yap.
These top 20 finalists underwent a two-day series of challenges in the driving, physical, mental and personality spectrums.
The physical challenges tested the finalists’ fitness level, where they were made to hurdle exercises, such as sergeant jumps, planking, push-ups and running in the bleep test. This was followed by a driving trial under the supervision of veteran racer George Ramirez.
Day Two, meantime, tested their personalities, as they were grilled by a meticulous panel of judges to determine their confidence and charisma.
Asked to explain the procedures on qualifying the aspirants in round 2, NPI General Manager for Marketing SJ Huh said: “Aside from their gaming skills, we’re here to test their mental toughness, physical fitness, actual driving aptitude and confidence.”
The finalists were not alone in their burden as Lotus F1 Junior Team and 2015 Renault World Series race driver Marlon Stockinger served as their mentor and guest judge. He will also be with them come August. “My aim is to teach them to become the champions of the GT Academy this year,” Stockinger asserted.
Top six
Finally, the top 6 drivers emerged after three months of intense qualifying.
Proudly representing our country for the very first time on the track of Silverstone in the United Kingdom this August are Luis Raphael Cachero, Joel Agojo, Terrence Aldrich Lallave, Daryl Brady, Jose Gerald Policarpio and Raphael Miru Lesaguis. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve been praying really hard for this and I’m so thankful I was able to reach this far,” said Lallave, who topped other gamers in the country with a time of 1:02:287 in the virtual competitions.
A former worker from the business-process outsourcing sector, Lallave further revealed that this would serve as his stepping-stone for his future. Currently, he is rigorously training his mind, body and heart for the excruciating trials slated in the coming months.
The finalists will have to prepare for the Race Camp Week in August, when they will go up against Asia’s best. The emerging GT Academy Champion will then join other GT Academy winners in a rigorous training under the wing of professional coaches and racers. After passing the Driver Development Program, graduates will receive their International “C” License, which will allow them to compete in prestigious racing events anywhere in the world.
Before this writer ends this article, we again go back to the question posted earlier. Do we really have what it takes? The answer is “yes,” definitely.
And we’re about to show it to the rest of all the other gamers out there.
So, world, better watch out. Here come our six!
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes