From postie to pro-racer

After seven years an Australian has broken through to win the 2015 Nissan GT Academy, a competition that turns gamers into pro-racers.

Beating over 700,000 entries globally, Matt Simmons last week did the unthinkable and snagged the chance of a lifetime – a professional race contract with Nissan Motorsport, aka NISMO – by winning the GT Academy in the UK.

The former postie visited motoring.com.au/carsales.com.au headquarters this morning. It’s a whistle-stop tour – Simmons has resigned from his regular job at Australia Post and heads back to Europe later this month to take his place in the gruelling GT Academy Driver Development Program.

"The support has been greatly appreciated, and overwhelming," Matt said in one of his first interviews back on local soil.

"You win and achieve your own dream, but it feels like I've made a lot of people in Australia proud too," said 26-year-old Simmons, who hails from Brisbane (Queensland).

"I've always wanted to be a racing driver since I was a kid, but never had the finances to target karting and go through the traditional ranks. So when GT Academy arrived in 2008 I saw it as a foot in the door."

And will he miss his courier job?

"I've already resigned from Australia post," he laughs. "They had a replacement for me by the time I'd won!

"I chatted to my boss, he was very excited for me. Hopefully I get a chance to catch up with friends in the next week or so and celebrate a bit before I head back to Silverstone [UK]."

After a fortnight of media commitments and goodbyes, the next three months of Simmons' life will be a blur of racing and training, but the affable Queenslander is clearly relishing the opportunity.

NISMO's development program will cram into three months what most race drivers take years to accomplish. Matt will compete in races around the UK in pretty much anything and everything, from open-wheelers to sports cars.

"We come out of that being a NISMO global athlete and I will represent Nissan and Australia," he said.

Early in 2016, the Aussie's international career will be kick-started in earnest when he competes in a Nissan GT-R GT3 race car in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race, a race that previous GT Academy graduates scored a podium finish in their class, and fifth outright.

Two of them, Gaëtan Paletou (France) and Ricardo Sánchez (Mexico), have since gone on to race full-time in Blancpain GT3 series in Europe. Other former GT Academy graduates have had success in the world's most famous sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Closer to home, GT Academy winners Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss snatched victory this year at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour race.

Simmons is a GT3 fan and says his favourite racetrack is Bathurst.

"I would love to be able to do a year in Europe in the GT3 Blancpain series, and have that opportunity to race all the major tracks like Spa, Nurburgring and maybe Le Mans. I'd love get that experience there first before coming back home and driving in Australia," said the 26-year-old.

"But I need to learn the trade and work hard and get my skills up to that level where hopefully I could get a drive in Australia one day," he said.

The Australian's win at the GT Academy is already drawing more attention to the "gamer to racer" competition and will no doubt inspire a new generation of gamers and racers to do the same.

Chris Jordan, Nissan Australia's corporate communications supervisor, said Simmons' win is a game-changer for the competition.

"There's nothing like having a home-grown winner. To tell the story now is two words – Matt Simmons.

"It takes GT Academy to the next level," stated Jordan.

The outcome is an obvious fillip for Aussies looking to get into motorsport via this unconventional route. So what's the best advice Simmons has for people looking to compete seriously in the global contest?

"Prepare and prepare early," he said, his expression transforming from jovial to serious as he pondered his journey.

"Definitely respect the competition, respect the competitors, and know that it's a high level you need to perform at.

"Everything is looked at from day one. From how you present yourself, to your fitness… Set yourself goals, small goals so you can achieve them, and stay positive and work forward to the GT Academy dream.

"Prepare as best you can and you'll have the best chance," said the normally easy-going gamer-turned-racer.

Motoring.com.au will be following Simmons' progress and wish him all the best in Dubai next year, but we had one last question…

Has he been back on the Playstation for a few Gran Turismo 6 virtual races since winning?

"I haven't touched the game since nationals," he laughed… "I enjoy being in a real race seat too much now!"