How to do well at GT academy on PS3

The prestigious GT academy has returned for its third installment in 2011, and one lucky winner will be given the opportunity to drive for the Nissan racing team. The mad rush for the fastest times opened up on the Sony PS3 earlier this month, and drivers have until April 17th 2011 to submit their fastest times.

One question that so many people ask is, how can I do well at GT academy? There’s no single trick or solution, but there is a selection of things that you can do to try and improve your times.

Make Yourself Comfortable

Make sure that you’re comfortable to drive. This means a good driving position, and a chair that you can sit comfortably in for long periods of time – it’s best to continuously lap solid for at least an hour if you’re looking to reach your true potential.

Have the right set up

How many people in the top 100 places have done it with the regular PS3 controller? Very few. It’s a simple fact that you’ll never do your best time without a decent racing wheel. I suggest that you get yourself either a Logitech G27 or aLogitech Driving Force GT if you’re truly aiming to finish high.

It’s suggested by Lucas Ordóñez, winner of GT academy 2009, that driving barefoot helps a lot when squeezing out those times. Both previous winners, Lucas Ordóñez and Jordan Tresson have also suggested that the Bumper camera is best, as it offers an unrestricted view of the road ahead.

Get a Rhythm

You can’t just expect to turn on your PS3 then drive for ten minutes and get a fast time. The best way to get a good time is to continuously lap, shaving off those tenths of seconds each lap. As you continue to lap, you’ll find a rhythm, you’ll get more practice at each corner and you’ll discover the best driving line.

It’s extremely tempting to simply restart if you crash, but the trick is not to. If you mess up, continue to drive and call it a practice lap, learn from your mistakes.

Have  a good Technique

Make sure that you know the track inside out. Spend time experimenting what gear to be in and what line to be taking. Often the line someone else takes might not be the line for you, make sure that you know personally how you race.

Push it to the Limit

At the end of the day, you’ll never reach your true limit if you don’t push as hard as you can. If you spend time learning the track, you’ll know exactly what speed you can take each corner at. Make sure that you’re taking each corner at it’s maximum speed, if you’ve done it before, it’s possible.

Stay Calm

You’re two corners from the finish, and lapping on a personal best. The last thing you want is to lose your cool and make a mistake this late on. It’s important that you keep your concentration at all times, don’t think about the finish, only think about the next corner or two.

Have fun

Most of all, make sure that you enjoy your time trialling, it’s no good getting into a rage because you went wide on the first corner, it’s just not worth the hassle. Remember, each lap is only two and a half minutes, if you make a mistake, just wait until the next lap.