Hi I'm Des. I'm a 22 year old student from Ireland and over the next few months I plan to play and train as best I can with the aim of reaching the national and grand finals of GT Academy 2011.
Last year I qualified 2nd for the national finals, but on the day I completely messed up and was out in the first round. I learned a great deal from this experience such as how important mental preparation is and how to deal with disappointment in a positive way. In another respect, I saw it as a blessing in disguise as I was nowhere near fit enough to have actually done well in the boot camp at Silverstone. This time around, however, I am more focused, actually on a path to being properly fit and of course willing to give it everything I have to go all the way.
It was quite easy to get to the national finals last year as Ireland had it's own top 20. As far as I am aware, this year we are bunched in with the UK. This is going to make things extremely challenging. My time from the last Academy was only good enough to slot me in 37th if we were part of the UK board, so I am going to have to work very hard and be on top of things from day one.
I see this competition as 3 completely different things. To qualify you have to be in the top 20. To do that you pretty much have to be playing and improving every day. This requires determination, patience and some level of skill for the game. You have the comfort of not being put on the spot and you also have an unlimited amount of attempts to get your time.
The next step is the national final. Getting there proves that you are a very competent GT5 player who more than likely gave a lot of hours to setting a time. But now everyone is in the same boat again. Nerves are a big factor, so preparing mentally for this stage is crucial and probably more important than being the fastest. Also, a lot of people don't believe in luck, but things just have to go right for you on the day too. Who you are seeded against, where you sit, the car you are driving, how well you know the track - all these small things will in some way effect how you do.
Finally, I can't speak personally about the final stage as I have not experienced it, but from watching the last two GT Academy's, it appears that physical conditioning and mental attitude are the main factors. Obviously the team want someone who is fast, but I feel that if you have the other two attributes, then the speed and car control should be there as well.
That's all for now. I'm not sure how often I will update this as there is still over two weeks until the time trials begin. For now it's time to get back into a routine of playing GT5 and also keep up the fitness regime at the gym.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and an experience I would remember forever. I am determined to give it my all and make it to Silverstone.
