Play Station, Nissan unveil GT Academy

Play Station and Nissan have together created the ultimate competitive driving test, GT Academy.

The eight-month, pan-European competition sees virtual and real-life racing merge to make the wildest dreams of two aspiring race drivers come true.

The prize is a four-month training programme to earn their racing licences, followed by a real-life race driving a Nissan 350Z as part of the Nissan team at the 24H endurance race in Dubai next January.

To earn a place in GT Academy, candidates will face a series of elimination-based competitions on and off the racetrack - starting at national level with an online GT5 Prologue tournament hosted on Play Station Network (PSN).

GT Academy builds on the long-standing partnership between Play Station and Nissan that began with Nissan working with Gran Turismo developers Polyphony Digital.

Nissan provided vehicles, racing drivers and feedback to help perfect the game's ultra-realistic driving simulation.

Roles were reversed in 2007 when Nissan called on Polyphony Digital to design the interface for the onboard computer for the GT-R, Nissan's new supercar.

The 'multifunction meter' provides drivers with updates on the car's performance and systems - a collaboration recognised as a motoring industry first.

In the latest game, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on Play Station 3, Nissan's GT-R joins a garage filled with 71 dream cars, including seven other top Nissan sports cars.

GT Academy goes live at the end of the month. Entrants must register, via their PS3s, on the PSN to compete in the special online tournament.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on PS3 has sold over one million units since its launch, with the Gran Turismo franchise now having sold over 50 million units worldwide.