A Bovey Tracey man has made it to the UK finals of the GT Academy 2011.

David Williams, 22, will compete in the contest at the Brands Hatch circuit on Monday and Tuesday.

GT Academy is an initiative created by Sony Computer Entertainment and Nissan, which have joined forces to unearth a real racing driver from the virtual world of the Gran Turismo®5 race simulation game.

The gamer has beaten more than 22,000 others to reach the national finals.

He will now battle it out against the other 21 finalists from across the UK, as they take part in a series of GT5 gaming challenges.

Marking a first for GT Academy, the leading pack of finalists will also face real life driving tests in Nissan 370Zs.

'It's amazing I've got through, I was hopeful I would and I am really happy to make it this far,' said Mr Williams, a student at Loughborough University­

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studying automative engineering.

'To get to the final I borrowed a PS3 [games console] from a friend and played it for two hours every day and more on the final day of the competition to make it through.

'I play on IRacing.com a lot on the computer and really enjoy simulated racing.'

Two UK finalists will progress to the next phase of the competition – the GT Academy International Final at Silverstone, where they will join European finalists for a five-day drivers 'race camp'.

They will have a chance to develop new racing skills in an array of Nissan cars such as the 370Z and GT-R, while also being judged on fitness and mental attitude.

The stakes are high, with the overall winner being thrown straight into an intensive race training programme. The winner will go on to complete the necessary race licences to qualify for the ultimate prize – a fully-supported Nissan drive at the prestigious Dubai 24 Hour International.

GT Academy 2011 is the third instalment of this competition.

In 2008, Lucas Ordoñez, a 23-year-old Spanish student, graduated from his PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) console to race in Dubai. Three years later and he will line up to race in the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours behind the wheel of a Nissan LMP2 Prototype.

'I would love to race for a living, but there is only a slim chance I'll even make it through to the next part. I live in hope though, it's an exciting prospect,' said David.