Lucas Ordonez to race Signatech Nissan LMP2 car at Le Mans
We've all had the dreams, hustling our way around our favorite tracks on our preferred racing sims: if only we could get the opportunity, we could show the world how fast we are in real life. One lucky gamer, Lucas Ordonez, got exactly that chance as winner of the Nissan/Playstation GT Academy competition. Now he's going to get a shot at the LMP2 class at Le Mans. The real Le Mans.
Ordonez's performances have surprised even the organizers of the GT Academy competition. Darren Cox, marketing manager for Nissan Sports Cars Europe, said in an official release, "When we started the GT Academy in 2008, we knew we were going to discover new talent, but we did not imagine that the Academy would take the turn of a training program Driver to serve as a springboard to the biggest race in the world. With Lucas, we have indeed proved that a player on PlayStation could translate his skills on a real car on a real operating system."
The lucky virtual racer-turned-real-lifer will get to pilot an LMP2 car for the Signatech Nissan team during this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The strength of his real-world performance since winning the GT Academy in 2009 have continued to push him up the ladder, moving up from his first foray in European GT racing.
Look for more on Ordonez's progress as Le Mans draws closer. The race is scheduled for June 11-12 this year at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.
