The final rounds of the GT Academy Live Activations, which took place at Mall @ Reds in Centurion and Maponya Mall in Soweto over the weekend of 1-2 December, have produced an all-new leader and shaken up the final standings. The top nine finalists, who have competed in Live Activations and participating Nissan dealerships all around the country, will be joining a further sixteen finalists who competed online with their own PlayStation®3 consoles, going into the national finals in January.
The resulting top eight finalists will then progress on to Race Camp at Silverstone in England next year, where they will be met by eight finalists from the Middle East. An intense training regime awaits with the goal of being selected as the single finalist to move on to the Driver Development Programme (DDP) which encompasses three months of intense driver training. An international racing license will then be attained, allowing the lucky winner to compete as a professional Nissan racing driver in the Silverstone 24 Hours endurance race in 2014.
Jonathan Mogotsi, who set the fastest time at Mall @ Reds, said he was overjoyed by his results and is holding thumbs for the national finals. "The GT Academy is a brilliant initiative and the opportunity of a lifetime for all of us. I was absolutely stoked when I heard the GT Academy would be coming to South Africa. I was greeted by tough competition at Mall @ Reds on Saturday and thankfully my time of 1:31.417 was enough to win the day. I can't wait to meet the other regional finalists at the national finals!"
Competing on Sunday at Maponya Mall, new overall leader Leon Misselhorn set unbelievable pace with his time of 1:31.321. Said Misselhorn shortly after setting his fastest lap: "I knew it would be a tough challenge going up against my fellow GT racers at the live event and I was pushed to the limit; it turned out to be a tough test of character and determination. I am really pleased with my performance and I also look forward to meeting my fellow GT Academy qualifiers at Kyalami in January – really, it is not a game anymore!"
Both Mogotsi and Misselhorn went on to thank Nissan South Africa and PlayStation® for allowing local GT racers the chance of a lifetime.
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