PLAYING simulation games online and actually physically driving race cars at one of the most renowned tracks on the planet may seem like they are worlds apart, but that is not the case for Bathurst’s Dylan Gulson.

In fact it was time spent playing Gran Turismo 6 on PlayStation that has ultimately earned him a chance to drive at Silverstone in the United Kingdom next month.

The 22-year-old casual gamer took his first steps towards what he describes as “a dream come true” when he entered the Nissan Motorsport PlayStation GT Academy Australia competition.

“I have always been interested in sim [simulation] racing and gaming, so I have always been involved in that community and kept an eye on what was going on. I have always been a racing fan as well, having lived in Bathurst for the last 16, 17 years,” Gulson said.

“Even if it was gaming, as long as it had something to do with racing I was interested in it. I knew about this program in Europe and America, I think it has been running for six years previous ... I had been keeping an eye on it and waiting for it to come back to Australia.

“When I knew Nissan was coming back into V8 Supercars I knew I had to really pay attention to this. As soon as it was announced I was into it.”

It may sound like an odd transition from using a game console to actually racing, but the program has proven successful for Nissan.

One of its graduates – 2012 winner Wolfgang Reip – drove alongside the likes of V8 Supercars star Rick Kelly in this year’s Nissan Bathurst 12 Hour entry.

“I think when it started people were looking at Nissan in the motor sport world and thinking they had got to be kidding, but luckily the first graduate from the program, Lucas Ordonez, he has done everything now – Nurburgring, Le Mans, Spa. His success has allowed this to continue,” Gulson said.

The Bathurst journalism student qualified as one of 28 hopefuls for the Academy Australian Final in Melbourne over the weekend by ranking in the top 14 of online players.

But the challenge is about more than excelling at a simulation game. Gulson faced a series of challenges in Melbourne.

“They divided it into four equal categories, one was the gaming, there was fitness, a media test and a real life driving test,” he said.

“I have done real racing before, I have been involved in the Bathurst Light Car Club for a few years previous and that has helped a fair bit. Before that I was lucky enough to do four years in go karts around Orange and Lithgow.

“I think having a background in that has helped a lot, but for me fitness was my biggest challenge

“I wasn’t exactly a fit person, four months ago I was 16 kilos heavier than what I am now. I really ramped that up as I had watched the previous competitions and seen what they had put the guys through.”

Gulson’s work on his fitness paid off as he was one of six Australians selected to advance to the Silverstone stage. Next month he will battle against 24 fellow entrants from Thailand, India, Mexico and the Middle East at a week-long international race camp. 

The winner will get the chance to become a professional driver and at the very least, compete with Nissan at the 2015 Dubai 24 Hour race.

“This is a huge thrill. Motor racing is a big part of what I do, looking over Mount Panorama every day. I can see the mountain from my home,” he said. 

“All I’ve ever wanted to do was something that involved motor racing, so to have this opportunity could be the start of something big and it’s a dream come true.

“For the first two days since I came back to Bathurst I didn’t quite believe it was happening. In some ways it is a bit of a fools’ paradise though as I know I have got to ramp it up and do a lot more work before Silverstone.”

Gulson will fly out for the United Kingdom on August 6.