Aussie wins Nissan GT Academy

If you've ever had someone tell you that video games are a waste of time, refer them to 26-year-old Matthew Simmons for Brisbane.

The 26-year-old contractor from Queensland has taken out the 2015 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy, scoring a million-dollar international race driving contract with Nissan.

The win ends Australia's drought in the unique talent scouting competition that turns gamers into professional racers, with SImmons becoming the first Australian to win the event since its inception in 2008.

It might not quite make up for the Ashes loss, but it's huge achievement for Simmons, who will emerge from obscurity to become an international race driver with a bright future in motorsport ahead of him.

The GT Academy is currently in its seventh year and has proven to be one of the world's most successful talent scouting programs, turning gifted gamers into top flight racers.

Simmons was jubilant with the win, because despite scoring pole position for the final race, in race-prepped Nissan 370Zs, he didn't always have it his way at the Silverstone GP circuit in the UK. He had a strong start maintaining his lead off the line, but was edged out on the first corner.

Simmons eventually clawed his way back to the front of the pack in the eight-lap race and cemented his lead by posting consecutive fastest laps towards the end of the race. He certainly had the best pace.

Inexplicably his car ran into mechanical issues and slowed just before the chequered flag, allowing his rivals to pass him.

After almost an hour of deliberation,. Head judge Rob Barff announced Simmons the winner of the overall contest, to uproarious celebrations from the Aussie team, who made up for just missing out on the win in 2014 to Mexico.

Simmons was understandably ecstatic: "I genuinely can’t believe it; I’m on top of the world. Unfortunately a mechanical problem took the race out of my hands but that’s motorsport and you can’t hide that, and I think in the early stages of the race I really showed the potential of what I can do.

"The wait on the podium was killing me but when Rob said my name I had to do a double take. I can’t believe he said it and I’m now a racing driver! The GT Academy program is amazing, you can really tell the driver development program trains you to become an athlete and they teach you all the aspects, so by the time you reach that pinnacle and you’re at Dubai 24 Hours, you’re ready to take on the world."

Aussie mentor Rick Kelly was happy with the decision, the V8 Supercar driver's experience helping his racers perform strongly in the event.

"When he came in to the pit lane he was extremely devastated, you could see he thought his dreams had slipped away but I’m just thankful that everyone saw Matt was the best guy for the job.

"The biggest thing is 10 minutes ago this guy was a courier and a gamer as a hobby, now he’s a professional race car driver. He can go back to Australia, hand his notice in and his new life begins. It’s an amazing opportunity," said Kelly.

Simmons' next stop is the gruelling GT Academy Driver Development Program. After graduating he will begin his racing career with a Nissan Motorsport (NISMO) race team, and from there the sky is the limit.

Former GT Academy winners have raced and won in some of the world's most prestigious sports car events, such as Le Mans 24 Hours and the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Earlier in the year a Nissan GT-R piloted by previous GT Academy winners, Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss, tasted victory at Mount Panorama by winning the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour race.

Fending off gamers from much bigger countries with larger gamer populations to draw talent from, including the USA, Mexico, Turkey and North Africa, Simmons is stoked with victory after several days of competition in the UK involving physical, mental and driving challenges.

Although his five Aussie teammates were eliminated throughout the course of the competition, they all deserve a mention for getting into the international final and flying the flag for Australia.

Well done Corey Creed, Tyler Blackburn, Simon Feigl, Elliott Schutte and Nick Dalton, and of course congratulations to Simmons, whose career we'll be following with great interest.