Often the butt of jokes, Grand Turismo 5 has been delayed so many times it’s now getting to the point of annoyance.

But one thing remains: It is still the most prolific racing game for consoles.

While PC users get the royal treatment when it comes to simulation games (Plane/Chopper Simulators, Tank Simulators, City Management Simulators, Combat Simulators, even Space Simulators), console users often get shafted, most of its games are more arcadey and unrealistic in nature. But with the release of Grand Turismo 5 in November 24, 2010 (hopefully), racing fans will jump for joy.

For those pro-gamers hardcore enough to best the virtual world, it may not be enough satisfaction. That’s why Grand Turismo Academy exists, to take those pro-gamer gearheads and let them try out their game skills in real life, by letting them compete in a tournament that will make one a pro-racing contender.

This program has existed for quite a while now, especially in Europe, where France’s Jordan Tresson won the European GT Academy 2010, earning a spot in the Nissan Team by playing Grand Turismo: Prologue for the Playstation 3, and now competes in professional endurance races in the European circuit. However, the program was never available in America.

Until now.

The game won’t make you a pro racer; this is only a stepping stone to qualify for the training. Once a pro-gamer wins the qualifiers, they’re accepted by the professional team run by Nissan, which sponsors the GT Academy, and then trained in the arts of real life racing. Once training is over, the team competes in official, professional races, and the whole event will also be documented in a reality show on SPEED channel.

That means: real cars, real racing, real life.

And if you’re wondering if this GT Academy pays off at all; yes, yes it does. Jordan Tresson, the french gamer mentioned earlier, won 4th in the European 2010 GT4 European Cup. He was tied with another winner of a previous GT Academy competition, Spain’s Lucas Ordonez. Not bad for drivers that played Grand Turismo on their Playstations.

If you think you’re good enough, live in the United States, and love racing (you gotta know how to operate a motor vehicle at least), take a look at the GT Academy 2011 main page [here]. Registration starts on December 6th, so you gearheads have plenty of time to practice your gear-shifting and banked turns. If you live in Europe, don’t fret, as they will probably have a program for next year as well. You can find info on that [here].

As for me, I’ll probably be racing like a maniac…

…to my local McDonald’s or Jack In The Box to get some hamburgers and fries! (Applause) Thank you! Goodnight!