|
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
![]() |
Search this Thread | ![]() 16,823 views |
![]() | #1 |
Newbie Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 17
Thanked: 129 Times
| Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) My earlier thread on the GT Academy is located at this link. Greetings guys, this post is a synopsis of my experience at the world famous Silverstone F1 circuit covering the second half of the GT Academy competition. For those of you who might not know, my name is Glen, I'm a 24 year old average guy from Bangalore who got selected to represent India at the GT Academy Racecamp in England. I want to thank all the team-bhpians for all the amazing support and positive messages of encouragement. It just goes to show how passionate we are about motoring! Like before, I’m going to break down my experience into different headings as, there is A LOT to cover and I’m going to do my best to condense everything. I won’t cover every detail of the competition as I think it is best I leave that part for TV and this way, I can write about what really matters. The cars. Onward to Silverstone! I took a leave of absence from my regular job to do my best to prepare for my time at Silverstone. I did a few karting sessions prior to leaving and also kept a reasonable fitness regime. In hindsight, I was fairly under prepared. The scale of the challenge that was ahead did not hit me. If anyone here is really serious about nailing the GT Academy, my advice and you will find me repeating this often, START NOW. No matter what, you cannot be prepared for the onslaught of mental and physical challenges that lie ahead. So really, start as soon as possible. Nissan, as usual, were absolutely amazing. Tickets arrived on time and not a single penny was spent from my end, knowing that Karun Chandok was going to be our mentor and I was going to meet people such as Rob Braff, Jann Mardenborough and others, I was fairly star struck and excited for my week there. I was travelling with Abhinay Bikkani also from Bangalore. We met with the others in Delhi and were onward to England. Arrival at Silverstone I have travelled a fair amount and any Indian who has travelled abroad is used to being hounded with questions from immigration officials. I was wearing my GT Academy polo shirt and I have to say, I didn’t get questioned twice, even in Delhi, the immigration guys knew what the Academy was all about and at Heathrow, we were greeted with borderline admiration as the official had a tone of jealousy when he stamped our passports, they knew what we were going to do and it all slowly started to sink in. Rob Braff greeted us at the airport and it was such a shock! We were expecting “pit girls” but Rob picking us up was so much better! Driving down the M25 towards the track, Rob showed us glances of various F1 factories, it was late in the evening and we got our first taste of the infamous British weather when we arrived at Silverstone. It was quite unassuming as we couldn’t really see much. We were checked-in to our little living spaces, met a few of the other contestants and called it an early night. ![]() The next morning, I awoke to the sound of howling engines! As soon as I exited my room, I was greeted to the sight of Radicals, Caterhams, Formula 3’s and even an Audi R8 V10 LMP2 racer! That is when it properly hit me. I spent a good 20 minutes just watching those machines fly-by with child-like admiration and excitement. We were called in for a briefing and then we proceeded to our race-suit and helmet fittings. ![]() This was called Day-zero, it was fairly relaxed and we met with the various instructors. Everyone was on guard as, at the Academy, you are being judged from Day 1 (or in this case, Day zero), everything you say or do is setting an image for yourself. If you walk around with an attitude of assuming that the grand prize (which is a contract worth a million dollars) is your birth right, trust me, you won’t go very far in this competition. I took a long walk that evening, looking at various corners on the track, thinking about how, over the decades, numerous driving legends have driven on this sacred tarmac. Walking through the grand-stands, I could almost hear the roars of motorsports fans cheering for the likes of Mansell, Hill and even Schumacher. This track is arguably the Mecca for every motoring enthusiast and my time there over the week would constantly cement this fact. Day 1 The previous day we had a few benchmark physical tests, they were so thorough and detailed, it really put into perspective where I really stood and well, the news wasn’t all that great. The instructor did mention that our typical Indian diets weren’t the most suitable for athletes as it is quite carb heavy however, he did say with confident smile, “it’s nothing that we cannot fix”. I knew it would culminate on our first challenge, the assault course. The assault course is a grueling 2 kilometer, military grade obstacle course. Laced with numerous obstacles that are designed to test you mentally and physically and as they were shooting for the TV show, it was really dramatic. There is no sugar coating the fact that we (especially me), got hammered on the assault course. The idea was that, the whole team had to finish together which means, you would only be as strong as your weakest link. To be honest, this assault course was the challenge I was looking forward to the most, I even woke up at 4:30 am to do some extra warm-ups, I knew it was my first chance to make an impression on the judges and our mentor, to send a message to the other teams that we were here to fight. We were driven to the course and the instructors who were military veterans themselves were stern and showed us every obstacle. We then did a few dramatic intro shots for TV, did a quick warm up and assembled at the starting area. In my head, I was feeling fairly confident. I was looking forward to running through the thick mud, fire, ice water and even electricity. They set-up these mini-flashbangs all over the course and the first one was our signal to start. At the first BANG everyone charged in a frenzy towards the first obstacle, a 6 foot wall then, there was a trench with barbed wire where we had to crawl through followed by these balloons that would keep knocking you off, then, things started to get…interesting. We ran through a fire pit followed by a dive into a little pond, the water was really cold but the adrenaline was pumping at this point, as soon as I got out of the pond, I dashed to the next obstacle. This is where it started to go wrong for me, the obstacle was similar to the barbed wire trench but instead of sharp barbs, we were greeted to live wires of direct current. Honestly, I wouldn’t even wish this on my worst enemy, every single shock was horrendously painful. It was a test of mental strength. I’m not sure what exactly happened but I remember getting a severe jolt on the back of my neck. It felt like someone swung a sledgehammer at me, my jaws automatically smashed my teeth together in response to the pain, my right side started to go numb and I was running the rest of the course like the Hunchback of Notre-Dame however, I couldn’t think about it, not now, we had the balance beam next followed by a quick dash to a steep 40-45 feet hill followed by a flimsy excuse of vinyl they called a “slide” laced with soapy water. Going down, you were hit by rocks and roots. We had another dash followed by climbing this cargo net and an ice bath dip (ALS Icebucket challenge had nothing on this), at this point, in the cold air I was somewhat shivering, all I could think of was to reach the finish, one last obstacle, a greased wall where we had to pull your body weight up using a thick rope. No grip on your feet, the rope was giving me cold burns, my numb right side couldn’t muster the strength to pull me up and it was bad. My teammates got together and pushed me over the wall. Staggering over the wall, it was the last and final dash to the finish. We were last, but it was over, or so we thought. By this time, my chest was cramping, my whole right side was pulsing. I wanted them to tell me it was over so I could go seek some medical attention but, to my dismay, they assembled us again and told us to get ready for round two! “No Flipping way” I thought to myself, the explosion went off, and everyone dashed again. All I could think of was, “Do or die”, I ran to the first obstacle, the cramping pain put me in a ‘zombie-like’ trance and I tried to jump the wall, fell back, tried to take a few deep breaths as I could feel my body race into panic, ran to it again, fell again, by this time Prakash came back to help me, the pain was unbearable at this time, my chest was really cramping hard, I could not feel my right hand, I signaled to the instructor, he came pinched my hand asking me if I could feel it, I said “no”, he said, “you need to go to the ambulance”, I looked at the rest of the team, all I could remember was, “do not slow them down”, it was horrible, if I dropped out, it was automatic failure, I wasn’t thinking straight, I really thought I was going in for a cardiac arrest, I had to say it, “no play”, I will never forget that look on Prakash’s face. It said it all. While staggering to the ambulance, disappointed, I cannot describe how I felt, I was disgusted with myself, in some weird and ironical way, the event I was looking forward to the most, took me from the back side and showed me who the boss is. I will spare the remainder of the details for the TV show as I don’t want to kill all the drama and this way I can talk about what everyone here wants to read about. The cars! The whole team’s morale was quite low that day, at my first opportunity to speak with Karun, I apologized to him and the words he said would resonate with me throughout the week and it’s really a great philosophy to have when life throws you a curve ball. “It is what it is, move on”. First drive The moment you put on that racing suit, slip on your balaclava and strap your helmet up, it’s almost as if the world goes quiet. The disappointments of the day just went away as I approached the Nismo Tuned 370z. The aggressive stance and the massive rear wing make a bold statement. The body kit and the forged wheels make it look like it’s moving even though it’s standing still. I had a big grin on my face as the door opened, my first ever drive on a race track. Not just any race track, the Stowe circuit at Silverstone and in a very capable machine. This moment to me was akin to getting lucky with that Playboy pinup you have always adored and only to discover she is everything you have ever dreamed of and so, so much more. It was the realization of childhood and lifelong dream. It was a left hand drive 370z with the shifter on my right. I took a moment to soak in all the little details about the car. The nice chrome accents on the rev counter, the bold ESP switch on the left of the steering wheel and the body hugging seats. To be honest, I was so immersed that unfortunately, I drowned out what the instructor was telling me! (facepalm). All I heard was, “Okay Glen, start the car”, hitting the ignition button, she purred into life, grasping the steering wheel, my fingers were tingling with excitement. The chunky gear knob mated to the short throw box demanded precision not aggression. I took a few moments to get acclimated to the gear box and by then, the instructor’s voice tuned back in and it was clear now, he was giving me instruction about the lines and the gears to take on the track. Even though it was my first time, because of the game, it felt so oddly familiar. De Ja Vu is what it was. Approaching the sequence of turns on the south side, I could almost see the blue racing line of the game teasing me to push the 370z a little harder. However, for the first 3 laps, I was submissive to the instructor. After the practice run, he said, “Alright Glen, show me what you have got” and almost instantaneously, I slammed the throttle. From a purring car, the 370z lunged forward like a tigress leaping to catch its dinner. The revs took off and the lights indicated a shift to third. I tapped the clutch and shifted to third, down the straight into fourth. The key to driving fast is knowing when and how to brake. This was lesson one. Over shooting my brake marker, I slammed the pedal, missing the apex and going early on the throttle, you could sense that the car did not like it one bit and BAM, the back end stepped out! It was my first (excuse of a) powerslide, almost instinctively, I howled a loud, “WOO!”, I caught a quick glance at the instructor who had the look of a disapproving school teacher. Albeit, he was probably bored! The next two laps were all about adapting to the speed, getting acquainted with the track, finding braking markers in co-relation to the speed and before I knew it, I was called into the pits. The session was over. Suddenly, it was like an epiphany, I was properly bitten and I was smitten, it felt like I was in love. Not with just the car, I was in love with the track and the idea of driving fast. It all made sense, I shook the instructors hand, he looked fairly amused at this point by my over-exaggerated love for something that seemed so menial to him. What an experience, what a way to start the week and I knew that it was only going to get better and better. The Nissan GTR aka, Godzilla There are very few machines that truly come from legend, machines that evoke a sense of folklore and inspire the common man to achieve more. The GT-R known as the ‘Giant Killer’ is one such machine. The champion of the masses, it is known to strike down bigger and more expensive foes with relative ease. It is a machine that takes the laws of physics and car design and spits them out of its massive exhausts. It’s a machine that can out accelerate and out corner its rivals and yet, it still has room for shopping and golf clubs (if you are one of those types) and I, was about to drive one! ![]() The first thing I noticed about the car was the door handle. It doesn’t have one. In order to completely minimize drag, it’s got a unique ‘push-button’ system. The door opened and I was welcomed into its lair. Dark, plush and highly advanced, it was like stepping into a dungeon in the year 2235 that was envisioned in a 1980’s sci-fi movie. Old school yet, advanced. The dash board is layered with buttons, knobs and all sorts of controls which nestles the centerpiece which is a digital information screen that gives you real time telemetry. The materials that are used in the car are nothing seemingly extraordinary. In hindsight, I think that’s a good thing. You would not want to be blasting down the track at 260 kmph only to be distracted by a gold-plated magnesium wiper stalk. The plain-ness of this car reeks of focus, the stance and design does not emulate a woman’s posterior, nor, do the pipes sound like an orchestra (the standard clichéd analogies of car design). It’s pure, focus. I like that. Starting the car, there was no drama, I did not see angels and meteors, nor did I feel like I just ingested 200 proof moonshine, it just, started. “hmmm” I thought to myself, slotted the gearbox into manual, foot-on-brake, slowly built up the revs and rolled out of the pits. I know this is no comparison to the 370z however, it was a lot more refined. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said it was just a big comfy saloon car. Blipped the paddles, shifted to second, no drama and we were casually cruising along. When the instructor told me to go for it, without thinking twice because by now, I was feeling sedate, I slammed the throttle to the max. In an instant, the world around me slowed down, tunnel vision kicked in, the massive mass of the car suddenly showed, it felt like a big killer whale who was about to chase it’s dinner and before the chase began, it felt like the car came to the surface to take one last breath of air before the carnage was unleashed. SLAM! Warp speed activate. The sheer straight line acceleration is unbelievable! My brain kept going, “NO, NO, NO, NO” but my instincts kept going, “YES, YES, YES, YES”, before I knew it, I was at the end of the straight and the massive Brembo’s really come into their own here. The feedback on the pedal from the ABS lets you know how hard the calipers are working the pedal felt like the recoil of a machine gun going ‘ratatatatatatatat’, when you turn the steering wheel, it’s really a strange sensation, unlike normal performance cars, the GT-R has its own ideas of how to handle corners. Getting into the sequence of corners, it almost felt like the car decided what to do and how to do it. You can feel the thousands of calculations the on-board computer is doing to figure out how to make you look and feel good, think of it as a chauffeur driven experience on a really, really fast roller coaster ride. You’re not really scared or intimidated and you know with all the stomach clenching turns, you are in good, safe and capable hands. ![]() I really adore the GT-R, during the traffic challenge (we had to overtake a grid of 10 cars in 3 laps, you’ll see it on TV) it ate a F-430 like it was a little fish, it’s an unbelievably capable machine, I will be the first to admit that it is smarter and more talented than me, reflecting on the experience a little later, I was sort of questioning why I was even “driving” the car, with the rest of the cars we drove, you really, really had to work hard to get the car to behave. You walked away with a sense of pride like a lion tamer out of a cage but with the GT-R, it stroked my ego, but not my heart. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a brilliant car in every sense of the word, it’s great looking, supremely well engineered, practical, spacious and comfortable however, I felt more like Robin while IT was Batman and everyone wants to be Batman. Caterham 7 ![]() Caterham is one of those few companies that can proclaim that they stick to their roots. While most modern companies market their heritage, Caterham sticks to tradition with fierce passion. We got to drive the Caterham 7 for the donut challenge. Basically, a slalom followed by pulling off a full donut and then back again. The Caterham 7 is based on the Lotus 7, one of Colin Chapman’s greatest designs. Squeezing into the Caterham is like stepping back in time, it gave me a sense of what it was like for racers in the 60’s. The bare-bones crudeness of it, with the tiny steering wheel, long bonnet, heavy, I mean really heavy clutch was, amazing. While the GT-R and the 370z are modern performance machines, I found this car to be incredibly exciting because it’s like a really vicious terrier that wants to bite your jewels off! Tiny, but vicious. It was a bit of a struggle squeezing into the little body and if you’re over 6 feet tall, you’re going to have a tough time fitting in. Once I was in the car and it was started, I noticed that the bite point of the clutch was really strange and the car really, I mean really does not like low revs. At first, I applied the “road-car” driver’s mentality. Slowly trying to ease the car off the clutch with very little revs, it mocked me. The car refused to move. Sort of like a grumpy child who doesn’t want to leave the toy store (I am that way sometimes hence, I can relate) again, I tried to be a little more gentle, holding the tiny, heavy steering wheel, it just refused to move. The third time, almost akin to an annoyed mother, I decided to give it the beans, revved the car upto 4000 rpm, dumped the clutch and with a violent leap, it took off! If you ever drive a Caterham, you need to be aggressive, you need to get a little angry with it. Only then will it submit to you. Wheels spinning, I went through the slalom, approaching the cone where I had to do the donut, the words of my mentor Jof Cox, “regulate the throttle” kept ringing. Went wide, threw the car in to the left, I’m not going to say I did a perfect donut, but, it was pretty good for my first try. Smelling the rubber you just burned is so gratifying especially when you have been given a free hand to push it! With its stubby gear knob, low grip tires, the smell of fuel and feeling the searing heat of the exhausts which was alarmingly close to my posterior I really adored the crudeness of the car. It felt like the Caterham didn’t like me driving it. It was literally a wrestling match. In my opinion, I think I emerged victorious (or maybe that is just my ego talking) The Caterham was my second favorite car to drive, the best one in my opinion was… The Formula Ford ![]() The day after I got eliminated (I won’t bore you with the specifics, I will leave that bit for TV), I was devastated. My journey ended abruptly, however, the good folks at the Academy arranged for us to drive. Approaching these proper, little rockets, I immediately forgot about how depressed I was. The first thing I did was to touch the tires, it took me back to when I was little, I would play with scotch-tape, that stickiness with the little glue residue, that’s what these tires felt like. The minimal cockpit, the wings, the shape of the body, it all just meant the business. I was strapped into the car by Jann Mardenborough, imagine if you were about to play cricket and Dhoni helped you suit-up, this is how awe-struck I was. Jann, who is incredibly humble, gave me some advice about what to expect and like the Caterham, this baby needs to be driven hard. Flipping the fuel pump ‘on’ and prepping the ignition just proved that men are genetically predisposed to giggle in excitement every time we use a boot-toggle switch. There is just something about it that sends the shivers! Another interesting feature about this car was the H-gate, direct-link gearbox. Getting a feel of it, the image of James Hunt shifting gears with that big gash in his hand (as depicted by the movie ‘Rush’) ran through my head. Again, more giggles. I hit the ignition, built the revs to 4000 and took off. Getting onto the Stowe circuit, I realized that racing is proof that we hail from the Apes when you really break it down, we spend billions every year to drive around in circles. It’s a money pit with literally no return, barely anybody makes money in racing and very few drivers ever go on to be remembered. However, when you are strapped in, behind the wheel, your senses go on overload, the kick that racing gives you, it’s really an addiction. That’s why we do it. The cocaine industry is a multi-billion dollar empire that exists to satisfy an addiction, it’s destructive, dangerous and expensive. Racing is exactly the same. When you’re strapped in, the feeling in your toes to your fingers, to using your posterior to feel the backend of the car, to the tunnel vision and deafening sound, put you in the zone. It’s really a sense of euphoria that is just, so, damn addictive, all you want is more, more and more. This race car commands respect, it’s not so much so the straight line speed but the speed you can carry in the corners. That is what floored me during the session, it has so much grip that it can go into a corner faster than you think it can, you really have to trust the car in a situation like this hoping a lug-nut or a wing doesn’t fly off! I got some slipstream action behind this Australian chap and we had a little race going on. Karun’s advice and racing theory amalgamated in my head. Out braking the Aussie into the S-curves, I could see Karun’s hands moving in accordance to the lines, glancing into the vibrating rear view mirrors trying to protect my position while being bashed around by the G-Forces in the cockpit, for that moment, I felt invincible. It’s one of those memories I know I will be narrating to my future kids! After the session was over, even though I had a big grin on my face, I was a little sad knowing that this was my last drive (atleast for now) at Silverstone. I clicked a mental picture of all the little details. The car parked against the backdrop of the massive green field in the center of Stowe, the International pits in the far back, the gorgeous British sky and the GT Academy racecamp. I let out a deep ‘Sigh’, turned in my helmet and that officially symbolized my journey from Gamer to Racer, had come to an end. Racing is not a glamourous world. It isn’t really about playboys and pin-ups lounging in 200 foot yachts in Monaco sipping on Chardonnay. It isn’t about magazine covers and swooning teenage girls. That stuff happens now and then but, in my time there, I got to meet and get to know people like Karun Chandok, Jann Mardenborough and Miguel Faisca. But then I also got to meet and get to know Jof Cox, Mark, Bentley (who we called Bentles), Darren Cox, Johnathan, Jean, Sushant, Rachel - the crazy lady who did a 120 mph on a B-road in an MPV! so many names that people might probably never know and you know what, they don’t care. It all just comes down to racing, the pure, undiluted passion for taking the humble automobile and really, really driving it as fast as you can. I went to the Academy with a hope, a hope to possibly become a racing driver, a hope to a new life with new adventures and opportunities. I dreamed of charter flights to Japan, endurance racing in Spain but beyond that, my hope was that it would be my key, to make an impact in this world. Even though I didn’t win, I have come back a stronger, better and overall a more grateful person. In some weird way, the Academy has taught me more about life than of racing and in that respect, I won. Coming back home to my regular life has not been easy, getting back to my 12 hour-a-day corporate job is tough. Although my company has been amazingly supportive and understanding, to be really honest, I have been a bit depressed. Reflecting back on my time there on an impromptu trip to Goa to clear my head, I realized how lucky I have been. Just 8 months ago I was planning to apply to B-school, settling down and lead a regular life however, a second hand Playstation, Nissan and the GT Academy have given me the clarity and courage to really, truly, pursue my passion. So this is really an appeal. I’m a hard-working, smart, 24 year old with a multitude of experience in different fields. I’m expressive, passionate and determined. To cut out the fluff, what I’m really asking for is… a break. Automobiles are something I’ve always been fascinated by since I was a child but I’ve never really had any access to it, racing taught me that if you’ve been given an opportunity, you’ve got to take that chance. It leaves you vulnerable and exposed but, you can either pass or fall back, and If you don’t take that chance, you’re already behind. I’m not afraid to say that I’ve failed but I believe true failure happens the day you give up. ![]() Jof Cox (our mentor) ![]() Left to right: Abhiany Bikkani, Abhinav Bhatt, Prakash Nair, Karl Patel, Me (pointing fingers) In the end, I really wish everyone could take part in the GT Academy. It is a life changing experience. You could be the next GT Academy winner but, learn from my mistakes. Enjoy the process, make use of your time there, train hard and most importantly, BUY THAT PLAYSTATION! GT Academy is coming back to India next year, I hope I can be involved in it at some level but this is really an amazing platform to make your dreams come true, so please do connect with the following people to let them know how much you want this back! 1. Sushant Balsekar – he’s really THE man who bought the Academy to India, major respect to him. 2. Darren Cox – the man who conceptualized the idea of the GT Academy. 3. Abhinay Bikkani – Bangalore boy who is the Indian winner and he finished on the podium. Unbelievable achievement and he’s got all the hallmarks of a great driver. 4. Karun Chandok - Karun, if you're reading this, I cannot thank you enough for everything including, dinner at Khushboo's. A thorough gentleman who, in my opinion is an entrepreneur who happens to be a racing driver. Our conversations at Silverstone ranged from dogs to cycles and everything in between. Amazing guy! My apologies for the painfully long article but thank you once again for all your support! Live to Drive! Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2014 at 12:31. Reason: Adding link to your earlier thread :) |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following 40 BHPians Thank psycho_dtg for this useful post: | Aficionados, akshay380, aneezan, animeshb, CoolBlueBiker, deoelect, Divya Sharan, F2005, Gannu_1, GTO, gtonsing, g_saunak, jaguar.runs, jayakumarkp, Jeash.vk, JoseVijay, K a s h, keshavarora, Latheesh, mac187, MaheshY1, naveenroy, nijelj, planet_rocker, procrj, RacerByHeart, Rehaan, rejeen, rjstyles69, S2!!!, sidparekh, SnS_12, SRISRI_90, suhaas307, s_pphilip, TheInterceptor, thoma, TwinHead, Twinn, Wanderers |
|
![]() | #2 |
BHPian ![]() | Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Woah.. Looks like you had an amazing experience. Congrats! I hope to have such an experience someday. ![]() |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks kaushik51094 for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #3 |
Newbie Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NJ, USA & Hyderabad
Posts: 11
Thanked: 19 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Wow Glen, glad you got an experience of a life time. And thank you for sharing with us. It is inspiring. |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks seanr for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #4 |
BHPian ![]() | Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Congrats on the experience of a lifetime, Glen. I am feeling jealous that you got to drive the Giant slayer GTR in it's natural habitat; a proper race track ![]() |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks CoolBlueBiker for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #5 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Plano, Texas
Posts: 689
Thanked: 776 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Glenn, congratulations. Don't lose heart that you didn't make it to the podium. You have gained an experience of a lifetime which will be with you always. Mental note: Time to dust that PS3.. |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks mac187 for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #6 |
BHPian ![]() | Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Mighty congratulations Glen! The journey is more beautiful than the destination and I'm sure you had a lifetime worth of an experience. I think its time I bought a play station. |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks Divya Sharan for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #7 |
BHPian ![]() | Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Hi Glen, WoW ! This is what a life should be. A life is boring without obstacles, challenges & yes failure. With each failure, we gain enough strength & determination to take on newer challenges. I am sure you will do better till Best comes to you. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Can you give some more detail on GT Academy in India ? |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks Wanderers for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #8 | ||||||
Newbie Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 17
Thanked: 129 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Quote:
![]() Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Cheers! | ||||||
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks psycho_dtg for this useful post: | maddy42 |
![]() | #9 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Glen: Thanks for the great experience and your writing skills are amazing. You made it to the academy and thats what counts. Do not loose heart as a million folks would have loved to be where you were at. Enjoy the journey, learn from it, will mould you further. Do share some videos when you can. Maddy |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks maddy42 for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #10 | |
Newbie Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 17
Thanked: 129 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Quote:
Watch this video, it will give you a glimpse of what we did! ![]() | |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
![]() | #11 |
BHPian ![]() | What a fantastic journey Glen. Congratulations on making it to there and getting to drive what we all mostly see in our dreams, especially that GTR. Also, loved your way of writing and good luck for your career in automotive journalism. |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks AZ911 for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
|
![]() | #12 |
Newbie ![]() Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Noida
Posts: 17
Thanked: 11 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Glen, what a wonderfully written piece I tell ya. Beautiful experience I see it as, to be honest, I was visualizing myself right where you were, it felt like some film was playing right ahead of me! What an experience! Out of words. Mighty congratulations on everything partner. Many thanks for sharing the amazing go through! |
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The following BHPian Thanks Sandm4n for this useful post: | psycho_dtg |
![]() | #13 | ||
Newbie Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 17
Thanked: 129 Times
| Re: Nissan GT Academy - Silverstone Experience (370Z, GT-R, Caterham 7) Quote:
Quote:
![]() | ||
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |