GT Academy

Sometimes I stand on the balcony off the side of my small apartment and forget that I now live in Montreal.

I look at the tall buildings, the Olympic Stadium, and the cars whizzing by on the nearby highway, and suddenly I am reminded of the reality I now live.

When I live my life, I am surrounded by four walls, a computer, and cell phone. Rarely do I step outside as I tap away on my keyboard forming words on the dotted screen in front of me, but today, the sun is shinning brightly and I dare step outside for a little inspiration.  

A little while ago, I came across an article (that's now lost somewhere on the vast internet) writing about how young gamers can follow there dreams to become a professional race car driver. Two great company's took video games to a whole new level and introduced a highly competitive online competition to find the best of the best of digital racers. Those companies were the developers of Gran Turismo and Nissan. After completing the first round of qualifiers a few competitors compete within Gran Turismo and top qualifiers then invited to National Finals. After passing this, they proceed to Race Camp which is held in the UK at Silverstone. Then finally, the final winner proceeds to enter an intensive Driver Development Program created by Nissan, and thus is the path to being a professional race car driver.

The GT Academy was founded in 2008 and is a collaborative event between Gran Turismo and Nissan.

If I had known this sooner then maybe I could have been a race car driver by now!!! ha ha! 

So, as I sit out on the balcony and stare at the cars and trucks moving forward to there destinations I wonder, "Do any of them wish to be race car drivers?" Apparently there is a race track here in Montreal, which is pretty cool, and someday I hope to catch a race! Maybe they'll have the opportunity to sit in the cars like they did when I lived up north! Oh that would be cool!

Anyways, if your a gamer and wish to be a professional race car driver, don't give up on your dream. All you need to do is participate in one the qualifiers but make sure you practice your digital driving skills in Gran Turismo first! And bonne chance!