Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
At an exclusive screening of the Nissan GT Academy reality show at the Bonifacio High Street Cinema, Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) announced its participation in the upcoming GT Academy 2016 which will be launched later this year.
Nissan GT Academy gives avid gamers of Gran Turismo and aspiring race car drivers a chance to make the transition from virtual to reality and participate 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.”
Launched last year and in four months, the Nissan GT Academy saw over 13,000 aspiring racers try their hand in the specially made game pods in over 20 live events in key cities around the Philippines. Whittled down to 20, the top 6 underwent a 9-day competition against finalists from Japan, Thailand, India, and Indonesia to determine one winner for the Nissan GT Academy Asia leg. Joward Policarpio bested the rest of the finalists in a qualifying race and was named the first Nissan GT Academy Asia Champion.
“2015 was an excellent year for the first Nissan GT Academy in the Philippines, with Joward 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.”
At the same event, Nissan announced the appointment of Chief Financial Officer, Nissan Motor Company Australia Pty Ltd. (NMA), Ramesh Narasimhan, as the new President and Managing Director of Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI).
He’s an automotive finance veteran who brings years of extensive automotive experience to NPI. In his latest position as CFO of NMA, Narasimhan has made a significant contribution to Nissan Australia and New Zealand.
With this management change, outgoing President and Managing Director of Nissan Philippines, Inc., Antonio Zara will assume his new position as President Director of PT Nissan Motor Indonesia (NMI).
Photos by Neil Pagulayan and nissanusa.com