If you haven't noticed, Gran Turismo has just become an Olympic motorsport event, turning gamers into Olympians. However, there's still that coveted professional racecar driver title that gearheads are all dreaming about. Let's face it. If you were to embark on a career in motorsports today, progressing through the ranks takes years of training and practice. Most of all, it is hugely expensive, and even having loads of cash does not guarantee racing success.

But some 13 years ago, Polyphony Digital, the makers of the iconic racing game called Gran Turismo, partnered with Nissan and embarked on an experiment that virtual racing skills acquired through the game could be translated to real life, giving ordinary people from the world of virtual motorsports a chance to become professional racing drivers. It was called the GT Academy, and it had its last season in 2016, where, yours truly, came close to realizing that motorsports dream. It was a cunning idea, and it catered to the masses. Here are the reasons why we think it should be brought back.

10 Virtual To Reality

Technically, anyone who had a PlayStation console and a Gran Turismo game was eligible to join the GT Academy. There were four phases to the program, and it started off with a virtual shootout in the qualifying rounds.

The qualifying phase lasted for around six to eight weeks to determine the fastest Gran Turismo drivers. Only the 20 fastest gamers in the participating countries automatically qualified for the next phase of the GT Academy, which was the National Finals.

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9 Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

In the next phase of the GT Academy, the 20 fastest gamers went head-to-head in a series of challenges in the National Finals, where their media savvy, physical fitness, and driving skills in both virtual and real-life were put to the test.

Out of the 20 hopefuls, only six would make the cut to the next phase. Once the gamers advanced to the next phase, they're no longer qualified to join the succeeding seasons of GT Academy, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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8 Offers Another Perspective Of The World Of Motorsports

The GT Academy was an eye-opener for people who dream of one day becoming professional racing drivers. It takes more than just your driving skills to take you to the top step of the podium. In other words, you must have the complete package.

First of all, you have to be a marketable driver to gain exposure and win over the hearts of sponsors, which would help in funding your racing career. Second, you have to dedicate yourself to training your body and mind to focus 100% on racing, as the slightest edge could mean the difference between winning and losing.

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7 Held At Silverstone

Another good thing as to why the GT Academy should be brought back is because ordinary people would get the chance to race in the holy grounds of the motorsport mecca, the Silverstone Circuit in England.

The historic circuit is home to a historic experiment by Sony and Nissan that it is possible to reach the pinnacle of motorsports by putting in the work and dedication to your craft.

6 Gamers Get To Attend Race Camp

GT Academy gave ordinary people a chance to experience the stuff of dreams — spend ten days in a foreign country to eat, sleep, and breathe racing. They called it the Race Camp, where everything was at stake for a spot at becoming a professional racing driver for Nissan.

From the moment gamers arrived at Silverstone until the sun sets, it's all about racing. All the driver training, interviews, and other aspects of becoming a real-life racing driver happened in the Race Camp.

5 Professional Drivers Serve As Mentors

What makes the GT Academy a lot more special is gamers also get a chance to receive professional tips and tricks from the guys who have done the program successfully, and other racing idols such as Nick Heidfeld and Johnny Herbert, who have served as mentors in the competition.

The Race Camp includes 1 on 1 driver training in Bedford Autodrome, where gamers would finally get to drive race cars they were used to seeing in Gran Turismo, while at the same time learning racing techniques from experienced professional racing drivers.

4 Alternate Route To The Traditional Motorsports Ladder

A lot of people believe that to embark on a racing career, karting is the first step towards that ladder, with Formula One being the top step. However, thanks to the GT Academy, one could go from being a gamer to a professional GT driver in a matter of a few weeks.

Winners of the GT Academy immediately earned a racing contract with Nissan, and went on to race GT4-spec cars in UK motorsport events to hone their skills before going into the big league, which is the Dubai 24 Hours, which was essentially the grand prize of the competition.

3 Everything Is Free

Before the GT Academy was born, you had to spend millions of dollars just to get close to having a seat in a purpose-built race car. However, in this case, everything is absolutely free.

All the expenses, the plane tickets, the driver training, the hotels, and all the motorsport fees in 10 days of competition are all covered by the organizers, giving you a glimpse of what a sponsored racing driver enjoys.

2 It's A Proven Formula

E-Sports has become quite the thing now when it comes to being an alternative form of motorsports. But the fact that the GT Academy competition lasted through six seasons was proof that the experiment of turning virtual racers into professional racing drivers was a successful one.

It was a reminder that through hard work, sacrifice, and dedication, even people from humble backgrounds could achieve big things in motorsport.

1 GT Academy Graduates Were Successful In Motorsports

GT Academy winners, most notably Lucas Ordoñez and Jann Mardenborough, enjoyed motorsports success as graduates of the program. Ordoñez was the first GT Academy winner and has won numerous races on his way to a best finish of 4th overall in the 2014 Super GT championship in Japan.

Jann Mardenborough was the closest GT Academy graduate to reach Formula One, as he has competed in two races of the GP2 (now Formula 2) championship for Carlin Motorsport in 2015, and finished as runner-up in the 2016 All-Japan Formula 3 series.