A 22-year-old economics and management student from France has followed in the footsteps of Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordonez by winning Nissan's GT Academy gamer-to-racer competition.

Romain Sarazin won the European NISMO GT Academy with victory in a six-lap race at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi on Monday against six rivals aboard a fleet of Nissan 370Zs. Sarazin, who was mentored by Nissan LMP1 driver Olivier Pla, came out on top at the end of a eight-day race camp in Abu Dhabi attended by 56 GT Academy finalists from 11 countries. Fourteen went through to the final day and then the best from each of seven European regions was chosen to take part in the shootout event.

Sarazin said: "I knew I had to get a good start because it's difficult to overtake; I saw the others fighting behind me, and it made it easier for me to get away. This is a huge achievement and will completely change my life."

Red Bull Racing technical boss Adrian Newey, who was an Academy judge this year, said that it was "a great shame that there can only be one winner."

Sarazin, who succeeds Gaetan Paletou as the winner of the European scheme, will now embark on Academy's driver development program and is on course for a season of international motorsport with Nissan in 2016. Paletou contested the Blancpain Endurance Series aboard a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 and is racing in the European Le Mans Series in a Ginetta-Nissan LMP3 in 2015, as well as taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

There are two other Academy schemes this year, one in Asia and an international competition covering the rest of the world.

EUROPEAN NISSAN GT ACADEMY WINNERS

2008 Lucas Ordonez

2010 Jordan Tresson

2011 Jann Mardenborough

2012 Wolfgang Reip

2013 Miguel Faisca

2014 Gaetan Paletou