Last April 11, 2016, I was privileged to be invited at the Bonifacio High Street Cinema for the exclusive press screening of the 2015 Nissan GT Academy Reality Show produced by ABS CBN. That same day, Nissan Philippines Inc. announced their participation on the Nissan GT Academy 2016 which will happen later this year. For all those who haven't heard about this competition, Nissan GT Academy is a Virtual-to-Reality racing competition that gives aspiring race car drivers a chance to fulfill their dreams of participating in a professional international race.

“The Nissan GT Academy is Nissan’s way of democratizing motorsports, to make it more accessible to the general public.” said SJ Huh, NPI General Manager for Marketing “By doing this, we help fast-track the dreams of more potential Filipino racers to reach the international racing arena.”

The competition was first launched in the Philippines way back March 2015 and was able to invite over 13,000 participants in over 20 live events in the different cities all over the country for just 4 months. They were then screened down until only 20 hopefuls remain and had to face physical, driving, media and virtual challenges to finally pick the top 6 contenders: Luis Cachero, Rafel Lesaguis, Terence Lallave, Joward Policaprio, Joel Agojo, and Daryl Brady.

These 6 finalists will then be brought to the Race Camp at the Silverstone Racing Circuit, UK to undergo a 9 day competition against the other countries like Japan, Thailand, India and Indonesia where only one contender will be picked as the Nissan GT Academy Asia Champion. I am very proud to say that last year's competition was dominated by no other than Mr. Joward Policarpio from the Philippine team and was named as the first Nissan GT Academy Asia Champion. 

“2015 was an excellent year for the first Nissan GT Academy in the Philippines, with Joward Policarpio becoming the first Nissan GT Academy Asia champion. Not only is he the first Nissan GT Academy Asia champion, but he is the first Filipino to win the title.” said Huh “We hope to continue this strong performance, as we look forward to launching the second Nissan GT Academy in the Philippines later this year.”

To know more about this adrenaline-pumping reality show and to get updates on the next season, you may visit Nissan's Website and Facebook Page.

I would also like to share that Nissan Philippines Inc. introduced to the media on that same day, the appointment of current Chief Financial Officer of Nissan Motor Company Australia Pty Ltd (NMA), Ramesh Narasimhan, as President and Managing Director of Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI)

Previous NPI President, Mr. Antonio Zara will be appointed as President/Director of PT Nissan Motor Indonesia, effective April 1, 2016.

About Nissan Philippines Inc.

Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is the sole national sales company of Nissan in the Philippines. Since it began operations in 2014, NPI has become one of the fastest growing automotive companies in the Philippines, closing Fiscal Year 2015 with a 62% growth versus the previous Fiscal Year. NPI has also spearheaded the aggressive expansion of its dealership network, signing 11 new dealers in addition to the existing 28 Nissan dealerships which can be found in key cities nationwide. NPI is committed to delivering Innovation that Excites to the Philippine market, through the introduction of new and exciting vehicles, innovative customer programs, and excellent customer service.