- Matthew Simmons started playing online game Gran Turismo when he was eight
- The Brisbane local also had a job as an Australia Post courier
- He won the 2015 GT Academy competition and won a spot on the Nissan team
- The 27-year-old now drives professionally for the iconic brand
- But he still trains online using the Gran Turismo virtual reality settings
Matthew Simmons was only eight years old when he picked up a PlayStation controller and began to play a virtual reality car racing game.
His love of driving later transitioned into a job at Australia Post as a friendly neighbourhood courier, but you don’t get the same thrill from handling parcels as you do handling the gear stick.
So Brisbane-born Simmons turned back to Gran Turismo and kept honing his talent before entering the 2015 GT Academy competition in England – a once-in-a-lifetime chance for PlayStation players of the renowned game to become real-life race car drivers.
Brisbane-born Simmons turned back to Gran Turismo and kept honing his talent before entering the 2015 GT Academy competition in England (pictured)
The 27-year-old was the first Australian to ever win the tournament (pictured)
The 27-year-old was the first Australian to ever win the tournament.
‘I’ve wanted to be a racing driver since I was a kid,’ Simmons shared ahead of the release of Gran Turismo Sport.
‘I practiced everyday and started competing online. When I found out about the Nissan GT Academy I changed my whole life to focus on my dream.’
Simmons is now a professional driver on the Nissan team and regularly updates his social media profiles with track side photographs and joyous wins (pictured)
‘Dreams are closer to reality than you think. That’s why I now train on Gran Turismo Sport. You can get as close to the racing as I do,’ he said in the latest PlayStation promotion (pictured)
‘I made it in and made the top six. My dream wasn’t just a dream anymore,’ he said.
Simmons is now a professional driver on the Nissan team and regularly updates his social media profiles with track side photographs and joyous wins.
‘Dreams are closer to reality than you think. That’s why I now train on Gran Turismo Sport. You can get as close to the racing as I do,’ he said in the latest PlayStation promotion.
Just last week the champion athlete closed the season in Barcelona, finishing a stellar year competing in the Blancpain GT Endurance (pictured)
He will now have time for the some much needed rest back home in Queensland, with a french bulldog named Hank to keep him company
Just last week the champion athlete closed the season in Barcelona, finishing a stellar year competing in the Blancpain GT Endurance.
He will now have time for the some much needed rest back home in Queensland, with a french bulldog named Hank to keep him company.
PlayStation will release the new Gran Turismo Sport on PlayStation 4 on October 18.