Nissan GT Academy 2015 Top 6 Finalists (Philippines)

11:07:00 PM

The race to win the top six slots to the UK is on. Since its launch on March 25, the Nissan GT Academy Philippine edition has seen over 15,000 virtual racers from Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan De Oro out-race each other in over 30,000 trials held over the course of over twenty Live Events during its three-month run.  And out of that field emerged the country’s first Top Twenty contestants who will have to battle it out in the National Finals this July 14 to 15 at the CCP parking lot and the SM Mall of Asia Atrium.

The Top Twenty finalists are Francisco Adriano, Joel Agojo, Paolo Vittorio Alcance, Daryl Brady, Rabboni John Buenaventura, Luis Raphael Cachero, Kim Jiger Chong, Juan Carlos Eejay de Borja, Ramoncito de Luna, Rodolfo Faustino, Rio Halili, Richard Dean Jose, Jan Millard Lacuna, Terence Aldrich Lallave, Rafael Miru Lesaguis, Luis Antonio Moreno, Cameron Jordan  Padillo, Jose Gerald Policarpio, Mark Angelo Villamor, and Michael Vincent Yap.



photo grabbed from Mr. Marlon Stockinger's Twitter Account
The top 20 finalists will undergo not just actual driving challenges using real cars, but will also go through a series of physical, mental and personality challenges.

The physical challenges will test the finalists’ fitness level, as they will be made to hurdle tests such as the sergeant jump, planking, push-ups and the bleep test.  A driving challenge, with Mr. George Ramirez as the instructor, follows, after which the initial results will be tallied.



photo grabbed from Nissan Philippines, Inc. Facebook Page
On the second day, all twenty finalists will undergo ten pod time attack challenges of three rounds each. Their pod performance will be rated for the best lap time, consistency and super pole times. Afterwards, the finalists will face a panel interview by select members of the media as part of the personality challenge. After all the results are tabulated, the top six finishers will be announced and presented to the public and members of media in attendance.

I was very lucky to have been selected as one of the bloggers (special thanks to ms. Mars of www.yourhappycamper.wordpress.com for the opportunity) to cover the announcement of the Top 6 candidates who will be flying to the Silverstone Race Circuit in UK in August, and compete in the GT Academy Asia Leg. All six will then battle it out against each other and other Asian representatives including Thailand, India, Japan and Indonesia, both on and off the real-world track, this time, using real-world race cars.



photo grabbed from http://www.beyondgallivanting.tumblr.com
Serving as their coach, mentor and guest judge is Filipino-Swiss Lotus F1 Junior Team race car driver Marlon Stockinger.



“While I am happy to share my knowledge and experience in racing, nothing beats the contestant’s determination and drive to succeed in this demanding sport,” Stockinger said.
The event started with Mr. Antonio Zara's welcome remarks. Then the Top 20 Finalists were called one by one for their certificates.



photo grabbed from adventuresofadivaprincess.blogspot.com
When it was time to announce the Top 6, everyone was very excited as the racers' family and friends cheer for them.


Top 6 winners: Mr. Raphael Miru Lesaguis , Mr. Luis Cachero , Mr. Terrence Aldrich Lallave, Mr. Jose Gerald Policarpio, Mr. Daryl Brady and Mr. Joel Agojo
Catch the thrilling conclusion of Nissan’s search for the first Filipino contender to the international racing circuit scene; come and cheer for your bet as they face-off for the ultimate chance to race to their dream career as professional race car drivers.

About Nissan Philippines, Inc.
Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is the sole national sales company of Nissan in the Philippines which started its operations in 2014. NPI is responsible for strengthening brand, marketing and sales strategy, and dealer operations in the Filipino market.

Nissan ranked the highest in customer satisfaction with after-sales service among new vehicle owners according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2014 Philippines Customer Service Index (CSI) Study.

For more information on our products and services, visit our website at www.nissan.ph

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34 comments

  1. Great event for car enthusiasts. Esp that gwapo guy in the picture with you, lol

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    1. Great for car enthusiasts and race car driver enthusiasts haha

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  2. You look very happy in your picture with Stockinger. He looks very friendly on TV, is he in real life?

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    1. Yes, he's very approachable when we asked if we could have a photo taken with him. :)

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  3. I'm not really updated on events with car brands but this looks like a totally fun event! The challenges look fun, would love to attend something like this! :D

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    1. Covering events are fun especially when there's a handsome guy roaming around the area. lol I had fun trying the simulator pods ^^

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  4. Marlon Stockinger, wow...my idol for this kind of sports. Nice to join but recommend this to my niece. A fun event for car enthusiasts!

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    1. True, we had fun trying out their simulator pods, though the game is quite hard for newbies like me.

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  5. sounds like a really exciting event! looks like they also have a planking challenge? haha!

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  6. This challenge looks quite fun to attend but I am not very sport enthusiast. Good information to read !

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    1. We just covered the event :) I wouldn't want to do planking at an event as well. haha

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  7. I like to know how to drive a car, actually it is my dream to have a car. Oh well, I don't know it and I envy you all guys.

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    1. We just tried their simulator pods and covered the event. We didn't actually drive real cars. But I would also love to try driving a car soon, well in my case, automatic car. haha

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  8. that looks like a fun event! I have always thought of Nissan as a slightly nerdy brand always trying to be cooler... but hey with events like this more often they can change my perception :)

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    1. Nissan is actually a great car when it comes to racing :)

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  9. this looks like an exciting event though I am scared to speedy rides. =p

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    1. I haven't really tried to be a passenger on a race car. I bet my adrenaline would be so high if that happens. haha

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  10. Wow, that's a lot of phases to determine who's the perfect one to represent Nissan.

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    1. You're right, I guess they really want to pick a guy who excels in all aspects. :)

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  11. I'm sure the highlight for you is meeting Marlon Stockinger. This is a nice challenge that watches wits and driving skills and promotes Nissan too.

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    1. It was my first time seeing him in person so, yes!, I consider that as one of the highlights that night :)

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  12. I like the Nissan brand. How nice of them to hold an exciting event like this. All those drivers went through a lot. Congrats to the top 6.

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    1. True, they really deserve to be on the top 6. Hopefully one of them gets to be the champion on their upcoming competition.

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  13. Wow, this looks like an exciting event. Too bad I have no driving license yet!

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    1. Covering this event was so much fun. What more with the finalists, i bet they're super thrilled to be representing our country on their upcoming competition. :)

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  14. nissan is surely an amazing car brand ,i drive nissan juke and it's nice ,love the event and i spy handsome boy right there LOLOL

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  15. Wow this challenge is so cool, not only test the participants driving skills but also physical, mental and personality.

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    1. The finalists were really put to a lot of tests to determine who are the best among the bunch.

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  16. Looks like a fun and interesting event for car enthusiasts.

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    1. True, we had fun covering the event especially when it was time to announce the winners :)

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  17. Looks fun and interesting for me! Nice post and blog you have :)

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