Dates and locations for the third Australian instalment of Nissan’s gamer-to-racer GT Academy have been announced.

Live events are set for Federation Square in Melbourne on August 14, the Red Rooster Super Sprint at Sydney Motorsport Park from August 26-28 and Warner Brothers Movie World from September 7-9.

A group of 20 will then compete in the national final which will also be held at Movie World on the Gold Coast.

The finalists will be tested in gaming using Nissan cars in the Gran Turismo Sport with competition also involving fitness tests, real-world driving challenges and simulated media conference situations.

The six best contestants will travel to Silverstone to compete against the world’s best at the 2016 GT Academy International Race Camp.

The overall 2016 GT Academy International winner will then undertake the intensive Nissan Driver Development Program (NDDP) to qualify them for an International Race Licence.

Former Brisbane postie Matt Simmons, the 2015 GT Academy international winner, is now ensconced as a NISMO factory driver.

“It’s been an amazing journey from delivering parcels for Australia Post and playing Gran Turismo in my lounge room to now travelling the globe and racing a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in some of the biggest sportscar races in the world,” Simmons said.

“I can’t wait to see what this year’s competition will hold and I hope we can find our next Australian GT Academy champion.”

Participants will be among the first in the world to race on the upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive, Gran Turismo Sport ahead of its November 16 launch.

GT Academy dates
*August 14 – Federation Square, Melbourne
*August 26-28 – Sydney Motorsport Park
*September 7-9 Warner Bros Movie World, Gold Coast