GT Academy 2011 Time Trial is now live! For those who haven’t entered yet make sure you have the latest GT5 update and register on gran-turismo.com. For the most up-to-date information go to the GT Academy Facebook page www.facebook.com/gtacademy or follow us on Twitter!

GT Academy winners and professional racing drivers Lucas Ordoñez (Spain) and Jordan Tresson (France) offer some tips and wisdom on how to conquer the GT Academy Time Trial in Gran Turismo® 5 on PlayStation®3.

Having made the dreams of another virtual racer come true in 2010, the prestigious GT Academy returns for its third instalment in 2011. The worlds of virtual and real racing unite, offering one lucky winner the chance to realise their dream of becoming a certified racing driver. To claim the ultimate prize, competitors will once again face off against fellow gamers in a fiercely-contested time trial within Polyphony Digital’s ultra-realistic Gran Turismo® 5 game on PlayStation®3 across six territory groups in Europe. The top 20 competitors on each time trial leader-board will progress to a territorial final in the hopes of winning a place at the international Race Camp and becoming the next Lucas Ordoñez or Jordan Tresson. With Lucas Ordoñez announcing his participation for Nissan in the Le Mans 24 hours this year, here are some tips from our previous champions on how to follow in their footsteps starting with the time trial phase of GT Academy.

Getting comfortable

In order to be successful in a competitive time trial, it’s important to prepare yourself mentally to drive for about 2 hours at a time before taking a break. Even if you know you won’t be fast or you’re not in the zone on a particular day, drive some laps in order to stay in touch with the car and track. It’s better to put in 15 – 30 minutes than leaving it for 2 days. Lucas suggests driving shoeless and Jordan recommends going barefoot for extra sensitivity when using a wheel and pedals. Both drivers prefer the bumper camera as it provides the clearest, most unobstructed view of the track ahead.

It may be a good idea to use the driving line aid for the first few laps to learn a new circuit, but start finding the limits from the 3rd or 4th lap and experiment with using your own lines.

Finding a rhythm

Jordan explains that it’s entirely necessary, and in his experience possible, to drive for hours at a time to be competitive, so it’s essential to establish a rhythm.  Try to complete your laps, even if you know you are slower than your previous best, as you may find that after multiple restarts you only know the start of the circuit well. As tempting as it may be to hit “Restart” after a mistake in the first two corners, you don’t want to find yourself on a hot lap only to discover you haven’t done the last sector of the track for 20 minutes!

Technique

Driving style and technique are very important factors in squeezing out those last few tenths over your time trial rivals. Knowing which gear to use in a particular corner can have a big effect on lap time, so how do you decide what’s best? Lucas refers to his experience of real race cars and offers that if you have any doubts about taking a corner in 3rd or 4th gear for example, do it in 4th. Pay attention to your revs in the middle of the corner at minimum speed. You need to spend time trying different gears, but typically the higher gear will be better in order to reduce wheel spin on exit. Jordan adds that it’s sometimes worth shifting up a bit earlier, mainly out of tight hairpins and slow chicanes.

On the subject of racing lines, Lucas recommends using the whole track, from the outside edge to the apex. Experiment with braking early and smoothly all the way to the apex, then picking up the throttle early and steering in such a way that allows you to get back to full throttle as soon as possible.

Pushing the limit

Both drivers agree that you can never truly reach the limit of what’s possible. You will always be able to see places you could have improved, even if it’s a matter of 0.001 seconds! Initially you may be 3 to 4 seconds off the pace, then after a couple of weeks you may be fighting over tenths and hundredths of a second. If you’re having difficulty bettering your fastest lap within an hour or so of driving, you’re probably close to your limit.

And what about those occasions when you are 2 corners away from the finish and you know you’re on a great lap? The nerves start to kick in, the pressure mounts, your heart rate increases and it’s easy to throw it all away. Lucas expresses the importance of staying calm, having complete confidence in your ability and remembering that there will always be another opportunity. Extensive practice will ensure that you build that confidence up beforehand, so it’s there when you need it.

Ghost chasers

Throughout the time trial stage of GT Academy, the replays of the top drivers will be available for viewing by all competitors and can act as a good reference. By watching these laps, you can learn better lines through technical corners and spot more suitable braking points. In addition to watching the replays, you can download them in the form of a ghost car to chase around the track.

When using their own ghosts, Jordan and Lucas identify both advantages and disadvantages to this approach. Switching your ghost on briefly out of some corners can give you an idea of how well you are doing on a particular lap, and you can apply that successful technique throughout the rest of your time trial campaign. However, if you manage to stay ahead of the ghost for most of the lap, you can heap pressure and nerves upon yourself when it starts to get close! Lucas suggests dropping the ghost when your lap times become more competitive.

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