Posted on 3 May by Charlotte Panther – Head of PR, SCEE

GT Academy Winner Jordan’s Frustrating First Race

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All eyes were on the 2010 GT Academy winner, Jordan Tresson, this weekend at Silverstone as he competed in his first race as an international racing driver. Teamed with experienced British Driver Alex Buncombe in a Nissan 370Z, Jordan tasted the harsh realities of motor sport as the pair endured the agony of two non-finishes and no points for the weekend.

GT Academy

Saturday’s race saw Jordan line up twelfth on the grid. He was able to make up two places when he avoided tangling with a couple of spinning cars during the race. At the midway point he handed the car to Alex Buncombe, who recorded a string of fast laps but, with minutes of the race remaining, lost the rear left wheel of the Nissan and was forced to retire from tenth place.

A cold and rainy Silverstone greeted the team on Sunday morning, which was a concern for Jordan who, despite training in the UK, had never raced in the wet! However, by 1.45pm the track was dry. Buncombe started from fifth on the grid but, on the opening lap, he was forced wide and ran off the track. Buncombe splashed through a huge pool of standing water on the apron, but was able to rejoin in last place. After two more laps, however, an electrical failure caused by the water splash left the drivers and team despondent and out of the race, before Jordan even had a chance to drive!

GT Academy

Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the first GT Academy in 2008, was also racing at Silverstone in the Nissan 350Z. Having qualified fourth for race one on Saturday, Ordoñez drove a stunning and aggressive race to make it up to second place behind the distant leader. However, disaster struck when gearbox problems stopped the Spaniard towards the end of the 45-minute race.

Lining up third on the grid for race two on Sunday, Lucas made a strong start to push through to second in the pursuit of pole-sitter and double-race-winner Paul Meijer from Holland driving an Aston Martin. However, an off on the very first lap through left him down in seventh place, a position he held to the chequered flag.

Despite a somewhat frustrating start, Jordan and Lucas are still enthusiastic about their next race with the PlayStation Nissan Team on 5th June in Spa. You can follow their progress at www.facebook.com/GTAcademy.

For more pics from this weekend at Silverstone check out www.flickr.com/photos/GTAcademy2010

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Filed: Events, PlayStation Community, PS3 Games

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