Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) reacts to GT Academy graduate and NISMO racing driver Jann Mardenborough’s horrific crash at the Nurburgring in Germany which called to question the ability of GT Academy graduates and the future of GT Academy itself.

If you weren’t familiar with the situation, Mardenborough’s NISMO GT-R flipped off Posten 80 (Strekenabschnitt Flugplatz) at the VLN race last March 28. The car went straight through the fencing, and into the spectator area killing one person in the process. Mardenborough himself walked away with no serious injuries, but had to be taken to the hospital for compulsory medical checks.

Mardenborough is one of the biggest stars to come from GT Academy, having graduated from the Virtual to Reality program in 2011. He’s also slated to drive for the Nissan NISMO factory team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the revolutionary GT-R LM NISMO.

The subsequent crash, however, called GT Academy into question. Some former racers, who rose through the ranks the traditional way, criticized the program stating that “gamers can never be racers”.

This the video of the incident:


While tragic, the events that happened are all part of motor racing. Quelling rumors about the future of GT Academy, especially with its just recently launched Philippine leg, Nissan Philippines has sent in this statement:

“NPI [Nissan Philippines, Inc.] is saddened to hear about the accident that happened last Saturday, March 28, where the No. 23 Nissan driven by Jann Mardenborough flipped through the crash barrier at the VLN race in Nürburgring, Germany, injuring some and causing one fatality. This was an unfortunate accident, and Nissan has offered full cooperation with the race organizers to conduct an immediate and through investigation into this incident.

In the meantime, all scheduled activities for the GT Academy competition in the Philippines will continue.”

On that note, the GT Academy Philippines has announced the first leg legs of timed competition:

• Friday, April 10 to Saturday, April 11 – Glorietta 5 Activity Center (10 am to 10 pm)
• Sunday, April 12 – Glorietta 5 Activity Center (10 am to 9 pm)
• Friday, April 17 to Saturday, Apri 18 – Glorietta Activity Center (10 am to 10 pm)
• Sunday, April 19 – Glorietta Activity Center (10 am to 9 pm)