The 2013 NissanNissanJapan, 1932 > present159 models
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GT Academy has begun as of 9am GMT on July 2, and this year the competition is being held in the demo for Gran Turismo 6 on the PlayStation 3. The first portion of the contest will close on Sunday, July 28, at 11:59pm GMT, but the demo will still be playable afterwards. The demo can be downloaded now for free by PlayStation 3 owners.

Because of the interest in the newest edition of Gran Turismo, Nissan anticipates more players than ever taking part in GT Academy this year. Since 2008, over two million players have taken part in the contest.

The contest this year has players completing challenges in a Nissan LeafNissan LEAFJapan, 2009 > present29 versions
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, 370ZNissan 370Z 2Japan, 2013 > present34 versions
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and GT-RNissan GT-R Gen.2Japan, 2009 > present25 versions
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. The demo guides players through the contest, and any player who submits a qualifying time in entered into the contest.

The fastest players from each country are invited to the National Finals where they are again challenged in the game and are scored in their ability to drive real cars. The fastest drivers from each country go to Race Camp at Silverstone where the fastest driver gets one year of instruction and a seat in Nissan’s car in the 24 Hours of Dubai.

GT Academy Europe is open to players from France, Italy, UK, Spain, Portugal, Benelux, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. There will also be a winner selected from the United States, Russia and Germany in standalone competitions.

In just a few years of competition, the contest has proved to be a success with two former winners already racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Lucas Ordoñez and Jann Mardenborough, former GT Academy winners, finished fourth place in class in the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.