The unbelievable virtual racing talent that the GT Academy has been finding in South Africa is showing no signs of slowing down after a weekend Live Activation at Sandton City in Johannesburg produced a new overall leader in the running for progression to Race Camp in England in 2013. Held over the weekend of 23-25 November, the Sandton event saw massive numbers of racing driver hopefuls turn up to prove their skills on the PlayStation®3 consoles.
Staunch GranTurismo® enthusiast David Peetham went on to beat the overall fastest time (set the previous week in Fourways) by almost half a second, posting a stupendous lap time of 1:31.393 on the Friday afternoon.
“With the times tumbling since the GT Academy started, I knew many racers were practising at full steam to try and get through. Seeing the real cars and the queues filling up in Sandton City made it all tangible, and I immediately knew it was serious and that I had to get right in the mix. Being the current Telkom Do Gaming Champion, the pressure was on to set the fastest time,” said Peetham.
Forming part of a larger gaming community, Peetham now joins his virtual team mates Steven Pelser and Robin van Merch who have also set previous fastest times at their respective GT Academy events. “I was bubbling when the friendly event organisers gave me the good news on Sunday afternoon and I’m happy to be joining my fellow team mates in the next round. Of course, we don’t know what to expect but I am elated to be a part of the experience. Thanks must go to Nissan and Sony for giving South African petrol heads this life-changing opportunity,” commented Peetham.
With only two Live Activations to go before the semi finalists are to be determined, the competition is really speeding up, with the bar being continually raised. Thanks to the Live Activation events, even those enthusiasts and hopefuls who do not have access to a PlayStation®3 console are able to enter and prove their worth. The GT Academy continues to unearth untapped racing talent, offering the chance to become a real-world professional Nissan racing driver as the grand prize.
FORTHCOMING GT ACADEMY LIVE EVENTS DATES:
| City | Date | Venue | Time |
| Pretoria | 1st December 2012 | Mall @ Reeds | 11:00 – 15:00 |
| Johannesburg | 2nd December 2012 | Maponya Mall | 11:00 – 15:00 |
Details of how to enter GT Academy 2012 can be found on various platforms, including: facebook.com/GTAcademy
