It was not just Day 2 for our competitors but also the last day for 10 of them as we got closer to finding or Champion of GT Academy 2010. Each of our competitors knew that they had to give their all to catch the Judge’s eyes and stay away from a giant, red ‘X’ next to their name that would see them going home.

Each of the competitors had to show skill, talent, dedication and ability to listen to instruction as they took part in sprints, car control, head-to-head racing, drifting and even a pit stop challenge. If that wasn’t enough, they had their first taste of the Nissan GT-R supercar in horrendously wet conditions.

In the early morning sprinting we saw some spectacular speed and handling on a wet Stowe circuit. Giacomo Cunial from Italy catching everybody’s eye with a phenomenal run that put him only half a second behind the professional Silverstone racing driver. Fellow Italian Luca Lorenzini and Swiss driver Oliver Simon also catching the Judge’s eyes.

Over the day the Judge’s were keeping a keen eye out for who was improving the most, who was taking on all the lessons and putting it into their laps and their car control. Keen stand-out guys who showed real improvement in Day Two were Daniel Collins of Ireland, Jeroen Kesselring on the Netherlands and Oliver Simon again of Switzerland.

As track conditions worsened competitors got a real taste of what is required from them if they are to make it as a professional racing driver and in the late afternoon they got to meet their potential new boss. Bob Neville, The Team Principal of the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy Race Team.

But, sadly after a hugely impressive day for the contestants – we had to send 10 guys home. It took the Judge’s over an hour to make their final decision as they compared, argued and interrogated each and every driver for their speed, skill, attitude a potential to keep making the grade and make it as a professional racing driver.

In front of a crammed GT Academy Base Conference Hall. GT Academy 2010 is proud to announce that the following competitors have made it to Day 3.

FIlipe Barreto – Portugal
Luca Lorenzini – Italy
Giacomo Cunial – Italy
Marco Calvo – Spain
Jordan Tresson – France
Jeroen Kesselring – Netherlands
Oliver Simon – Switzerland
Daniel Collins – Ireland

Sadly it meant we had to say goodbye to Alex Ingram, John Moorby, Daniel Holland, Tony Autridge, Steffen Christein, Christian Giere, Benjamin Peron, Robert Wawrzyniak, Roberto Otero and Marko Moisio. All of these guys are Champions and the decision was extremely close and each and every single one of them should be proud of their performances.

GT Academy 2010 Judge, Johnny Herbert said:

“I would say that the standard is fairly similar to that of GT Academy 2008 at this stage. However, the eight that we have chosen are close, compatible and very competitive. There was probably a bit more of a difference between the last eight in the first Academy. You have the impression that these guys are really going to push each other, but in a positive way.
“Obviously we feel we have got the best eight, but it was a hard decision. There were a couple of guys that were close and we had to weigh up all the factors and make that tough decision based on who can realistically progress to be the full racing package. That means being fast and consistent on the track, but also being able to communicate well with your team and the media. In the end, it may have been some of those ‘softer’ elements that made the difference of one guy over the next.”

Qualifier Jeroen Kesselring said:

“I am really happy to get through to the Top 8. I am so happy. This is the chance of a lifetime.”

Ireland’s Finest, Daniel Collins said:

“It was extremely tense waiting to see if I got through. I have learnt so much from the Judge’s who have been fantastic to me. You see them on the TV and felt they would be hard to talk to but they have been tremendous with me and I hope to keep learning and improving.”

Australia’s Daniel Holland was disappointed not to make the final 8. He said after the decision:

“I’m pretty devastated. My speed was really good and getting the car to work well under the braking. I made a giant mistake by not turning up for the media interviews. I am disappointed in myself and in going out but I really hope to have this chance again in the future where you will see an even faster Daniel Holland.”

Tomorrow sees them take their racing to the next level as well as an assault course where they will be up against Judge Rob Barff. There is no time to stand still, the Judge’s want to see even more improvement from each competitor as we go from 8 to 4 and even closer to GT Academy 2010′s Number One Driver.

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The PSB.Europe weekly reading list (week commencing the 26th of February)

• Killzone 2 One-Year Anniversary! – Killzone.com
• PlayStation 3 Slim sweeps the 2009 Engadget Awards
• Uncharted 2 Scribe Wins Writers Guild Award | GameLife | Wired.com
• 70MB of additional RAM unlocked for PS3 developers | Joystiq
• Destructoid – Naughty Dog moving on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky
• MAG Monday week 3 – “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it” | PS3 Attitude
• Blue Toad Murder Files ep. 3 – The PS3 Attitude Preview | PS3 Attitude
• White Knight Chronicles 2 TGS09 trailer and details | PS3 Attitude
• Just Cause 2 demo dated, detailed News | Eurogamer
• New 3D Dot Game Heroes Screens « TheSixthAxis
• Join the ModNation and receive L.E. PSP Themes | PSP News | PlayStation University
• PSUni Interview: Submit your questions to Naughty Dog | PlayStation 3 | PlayStation University
• PlayStation LifeStyle » Heavy Rain Washes Away Amsterdam Landmark
• Peace Walker was originally MGS5 News | PSP | Eurogamer
• Jonathan Smith Talks Wizards and Hogwarts – PSP News at GameSpot
• PlayStation LifeStyle » PSLS Presents – Phil Larsen, Halfbrick
• Heavy Rain – The PS3 Attitude Review | PS3 Attitude
• Echoshift – Wonderwallweb.com
• IGN Video: Heavy Rain PlayStation 3 Review – Video Review
• PlayStation LifeStyle » PSLS Presents – Kevin Ng
• PlayStation LifeStyle » PSLS Presents – Kevin Jenkins, Jenkins Software, RakNet
• PlayStation LifeStyle » PSLS Presents – Adrian Workman, CEO of VidZone Digital Media
• Uncharted 2 wins 10 AIAS Awards News | PS3 | Eurogamer
• Managers not welcome at Sony’s hit studio | Games Industry | MCV
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope International Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• Destructoid – Preview: I want 3D Dot Game Heroes even more now
• ‘EU Qore’ – FirstPlay – launches in the UK this March | PS3 Attitude
• Win a PSP Go with Little Big Planet | The Lost Gamer

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PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

Heavy Rain is now out and, at least here in London, the weather has been joining in on the fun with frequent downpours. Still — all the more reason to stay indoors and start creating your personal Heavy Rain story. Speaking with journalists who have finished the game, I haven’t found anyone whose stories ended the same yet, so I’ll be intrigued to hear how you all get on. (Though please try not to spoil the story for anyone who has yet to play it.)

We’re also ramping up to release God of War III in the next few weeks, so there’s plenty more excitement to come. Here’s a list of the week’s Blog content for easy access.

• Heavy Rain Week Begins… — Heavy Rain is now out! Do you have your copy?
• This week on the SingStore (25 February 2010) — The newest songs added to the SingStar SingStore.
• UK Video Store Update — This week’s new Video Download Service releases.
• VidZone Update: This Week – Iron Men, Mardi Gras And Hotties On The Homepage — The latest update to VidZone.
• Heavy Rain TV Ad Unveiled — Take a look at the Heavy Rain TV advert.
• Kahoots Theme Giveaway — Your chance to get hold of a limited edition Kahoots PSP theme.
• Coming To PSN This Week: Echoshift — Echoshift, the mind bending PSP title from the creators of echochrome, released this week.
• PlayStation Home: White Knight Chronicles Photo Challenge! — This week’s update to Home.
• Halfbrick Introduces Age Of Zombies — What could be better than killing zombies throughout history?
• ‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (25th February 2010) — Another bunch of content being released on the PlayStation Store.
• Comics Store Update — A whole load of new comics are available to grab from the Digital Comics service.
• God Of War III – DEMO Now Downloadable From PlayStation Store! — God of War III is mere weeks away and you can try the demo right now.
• Heavy Rain Special Edition – Additional Downloadable Content — An important note to those who picked up the Special Edition of Heavy Rain.
• Stereophonics Competition — Stereophonics and SingStar team up for this competition.
• Patch Alert: MAG v1.03 — MAG has been patched. Full details are here.
• Castle Crashers for PSN: Progress Report — The Behemoth stopped by to give us an update on Castle Crashers.
• Blast Off Soundtrack Giveaway — Like the Blast Off soundtrack? We’re giving it away free!
• minis Month: Get Riding With Red Bull X-Fighters In 2010 — Red Bull X-Fighters is available now for a low price on the PSN Store.
• GT Academy 2010 LIVE at Silverstone — The GT Academy live event has kicked off and will be running this weekend in Silverstone.
• Echoes Soundtrack Giveaway — One free soundtrack isn’t enough for you? Fine, here’s another!
• FIWC Champion 2009 at FIFA World Player Gala — The Fifa Interactive World Cup champion reports from the World Player Gala.

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In December 2009 over 1.4m people attempted to make it to the final event of the ultimate racing prize. After hundreds of virtual laps our competitors beat all-comers to make the final 18 putting it all on the line for real.

Our competitors entered the world-famous Silverstone track full of nerves and excitement – they had no idea what was about to happen to them, but they all knew that they had to be determined, motivated and extremely fast.

On the first morning they received their first briefing from the Judges. Our Judges Eddie Jordan, Johnny Herbert, Sabine Schmitz and Head of Driving, Rob Barff will be putting all of them through their paces. They want to see only the greatest talent make it through each day for the overall prize of GT Academy 2010 Champion and become a professional racing driver.

After the briefing, they were put through a truly punishing fitness test put together by UK Marines and on-track Doctor’s. From endurance running, press-up’s, chin-up’s to sit-up’s. This wasn’t just proving to the Judge’s that you were fit enough to take part but the first competitive event.

The Fitness Test threw up a lot of sweat and even tears as each competitors took their bodies to the limit. Germany’s Steffen Christein surprising everyone as King of the Fitness Test.

Sabine Schmitz commented: “For someone so small and slight, he was incredible. He made me tired just watching him do all of those press-ups.”

After a deserved drink of water the contestants knew that this was just the beginning. They were going to have their first taste of a race-car on the Silverstone track.

One timed lap in a specially built circuit to test their car control and ability to handle real speed – in the wet weather.

In a track full of spray we had 5 racers set the pace; Luca Lorenzini from Italy, Dan Holland from Australia, Benjamin Peron from Belgium, Giacomo Cunial from Italy and Jordan Tresson from France.

Head of Driving, Rob Barff said: “This is the beginnings of a fantastic opportunity for them. They have to grab it with both hands. A lot of the guys are trying too hard, making too many mistakes by going too fast into the slow corners and too steady into the fast corners.”

Johnny Herbert said: “In this weather it is critical they have a real feel for the car under acceleration and braking. In order to really make the grade they have to turn this feeling for the car into real, real speed.”

If the contestants liked their first taste of real competitive racing, their next task would require them to love it. Endurance Karting in 70mph beasts in an endurance race for 2 hours on a dark, cold and damp kart track at Silverstone.

Working in teams of two, competitors took turns in their kart to not just win the race but impress the Judge’s with their controlled aggression, knowledge of racing lines and determination to succeed.

The competition was fierce as the lead changed several times and as tiredness crept in, so did the mistakes.

The Judge’s were watching every corner, every pass and every mistake from the pit wall. The competitors knew that they could not turn off for a second.

After two hard hours the team of Filipe Baretto and Jordan Tresson in Team France/Portugal were victorious followed by Marco Calvo and Roberto Otero in Team Spain and Jeroen Kesselring and Benjamin Peron in Team Benelux.

Jordan and Filipe impressed the Judge’s with their hard fought victory but Spain’s Marco Calvo took the fastest lap crown by quite some distance

Tired, exhausted and burnt out of adrenaline the contestants went back to the hotel knowing that the Judge’s had already made their first impressions.

After a short introduction to the press, the contestants went to bed knowing that tomorrow wasn’t just the next day, but potentially the last day at GT Academy 2010 as the Judge’s start to make their eliminations based on their racing in what is set to be a truly remarkable day’s action.

Follow the action live at www.twitter.com/GTAcademy and at www.facebook.com/GTAcademy plus right here on PlayStation.Blog each day in the ultimate racing prize from PlayStation and Nissan. The Game is Just The Start but the event is just about to get bigger, better, faster and even more intense.

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Back in December 2009 Lionel Messi was named FIFA World Player of the Year 2009 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Along with the likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Bruce Grannec, FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion 2009, attended the gala and we wanted to share his experience with all of you.

If you think you can beat Bruce and be the next FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion, grab a copy of EA SPORTS FIFA 10 and register for the On-line competition or attend any of the qualifier events. Visit fifa.com/interactiveworldcup to find out more.

At about 8:00 am, my guest and I took off on our flight from Paris to Zurich for what was going to be one of the best, if not the best, days of our lives.

About 2 hours later, we arrived in Zurich, where we were met by some people from FIFA and a television crew that would film every one of my movements throughout the day.

Once introduced, we took a taxi to the FIFA headquarters. The first thing I noticed when I entered was the display case containing all the FIFA trophies, with, in the foreground, the world cup. I took some photos and then got to meet Sepp Blatter. He was taking a little time out from his day to talk to me and ask me a few questions. I was very impressed.

It was now time to leave the headquarters and go to the hotel to get ready. It was almost time. Once we were dressed, we headed off to where the ceremony would take place, near the hotel. We got there and went through the lobby, with our FIFA guides, and through the press room, where all the journalists and cameramen were gathered, waiting for the 5 finalists: Messi, C-ron, Kaka, Iniesta and Xavi. We passed through room after room (quite a labyrinth), finally arriving in the waiting room, where there was a buffet table and a PS3 system to play FIFA. I waited for the players and played a few games against some women who weren’t bad at all. Then, the players arrived…

It’s so weird to suddenly have the world’s best players show up. Messi, C-ron, Iniesta and Xavi were actually in the room with me. Usually, they’re on-screen and I’ve got a joystick in my hand!

Once I’d gotten over the surprise, I went to see each one of them, got my picture taken with them and had them sign jerseys. They were just so great. Unfortunately, Kaka, who’s one of my favourite players, hadn’t arrived yet.

It was now time to go to the press room for the prize-giving ceremony. I found out along the way that Evra, himself, would be giving it to me. But first, I had to answer a few questions. After that, Evra went onstage and gave me the award, letting me know me that I was only the champion of the world because I’d never gone up against him. After he gave me the prize, I finally got to talk to him and it was really fun to use my French! Then, the 5 finalists, including Kaka, got to the press room. When the conference was over, I finally met him, had him sign my Milan jersey and took a few photos.

That night, at dinner, while waiting for the ceremony to begin, we got to see some of football’s great older stars, like Platini, Weah, Matthaus and many others…

After a very impressive ceremony, during which Messi was given an award, I went back to the hotel, full of emotions and dreams.

It’s so weird to suddenly have the world’s best players show up. Messi, C-ron, Iniesta and Xavi were actually in the room with me. Usually, they’re on-screen and I’ve got a joystick in my hand!

Once I’d gotten over the surprise, I went to see each one of them, got my picture taken with them and had them sign jerseys. They were just so great. Unfortunately, Kaka, who’s one of my favourite players, hadn’t arrived yet.

It was now time to go to the press room for the prize-giving ceremony. I found out along the way that Evra, himself, would be giving it to me. But first, I had to answer a few questions. After that, Evra went onstage and gave me the award, letting me know me that I was only the champion of the world because I’d never gone up against him. After he gave me the prize, I finally got to talk to him and it was really fun to use my French! Then, the 5 finalists, including Kaka, got to the press room. When the conference was over, I finally met him, had him sign my Milan jersey and took a few photos.

That night, at dinner, while waiting for the ceremony to begin, we got to see some of football’s great older stars, like Platini, Weah, Matthaus and many others…

After a very impressive ceremony, during which Messi was given an award, I went back to the hotel, full of emotions and dreams.

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