--- title: "Nissan and Gran Turismo on Hunt for Top Driving, Gaming Talent" description: "The top Nissan drivers will win a trip to the NISMO Festival at the Fuji International Speedway." date: "2018-06-19" modified: "2018-06-19" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/21622/nissan-and-gran-turismo-on-the-hunt-for-top-driving-and-gaming-talent" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Nissan News" - "Racing" - "Video Games" tags: - "eSports" - "FIA" - "Fuji Speedway" - "gaming" - "GranTurismo" - "NISMO Festival" - "Nissan" - "Playstation" --- # Nissan and Gran Turismo on Hunt for Top Driving, Gaming Talent ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Nissan is looking for the next generation of avid PlayStation gamers to rule the new [*Gran Turismo Sport*]() PlayStation game, which features the first-ever online esports racing championship sanctioned by the FIA. The new *Gran Turismo Sport* PlayStation platform resembles the groundbreaking Nissan PlayStation *GT Academy* program that launched 10 years ago, but the lower stakes mean that gamers won't go directly into a full-blown race car. Instead, they will win a trip to the NISMO Festival at the Fuji International Speedway in Japan and will also have the chance to visit the [Polyphony Digital]() headquarters in Tokyo. "We proved with the [Nissan *GT Academy*]() that some of the fastest drivers in the world might never have had the opportunity to compete on a race track if it weren't for gaming," said Nissan's Global Motorsport Director, Michael Carcamo. "These guys have gone from the couch to the cockpit and broken the traditional model of how to become a successful racing driver." https://youtube.com/embed/u-m-RMYXGgc The contest has two different sets of participating rules, with the fastest driver of the Nissan GT Sport Cup Global earning the trip to Japan in addition to receiving Nissan team apparel and coaching from a Nissan *GT Academy* mentor at the world final event. This cup will be contested in the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. The Nissan GT Sport Cup Europe will select the top 12 Nissan drivers and invite them to the final round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Barcelona in September. However, the top gamer from Europe will attend the Nissan Training Camp at [Silverstone Circuit](), where he or she will learn real-world driving skills from mentors. "The level of competition is incredibly fierce," Carcamo added. "And we're now seeing that online racing is not only an alternative to the real thing. To be recognized as an official [FIA Manufacturers Series Champion]() through *GT Sport* is an incredible opportunity, and we're looking forward to having some of the best gamers in the world represent Nissan." ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()