“It started in 2008 with a smart marketing blitz by Sony, Nissan and PolyPhony Digital, publishers of the wildly successful Gran Turismo racing sim. The idea was to see if accomplished digital drivers could actually translate those skills to tarmac.

[Lucas] Ordóñez, who’d competed in karting as a kid, was among 25,000 online entrants who posted their scores. He was hot enough to represent all of Spain in a real race at England’s famed Silverstone circuit. He won.

His prize? The unprecedented opportunity to compete in Dubai’s 24-hour endurance race, driving a 400-horsepower Nissan 350Z. It was akin to a suburban tennis coach getting seeded at the Davis Cup. No other sport has given an amateur the chance to compete at the highest level, a fact that Lucas was all too aware of.” via Wired

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