Sim Racing to the Real World?
Recently, the movie “Gran Turismo” was released to theaters documenting the story of racer Jann Mardenborough. Jann was one of the best players on the Gran Turismo gaming series, eventually competing in what was called the GT academy.
By Tristan Ell
Jann competed against some of the best Gran Turismo players in the world and got the opportunity to race for Nissan's Sports car team after winning the GT academy in 2012.
You may ask yourself, why should a guy who played a video game be able to drive real life race cars? How would a game be able to apply anything to the real world of racing? First, it is important to explain what simulated racing is.
Simulated racing, also known as sim racing, is simply a virtual style of motor racing designed to replicate real life motor racing. There are many different platforms of sim racing to choose from such as Gran Turismo or Iracing.
A sim such as Iracing, puts in countless time and effort to make the most realistic experience possible. This is shown by their process of laser scanning of tracks and cars with the idea of creating the most accurate physics engine possible.
Many professional drivers use sim racing to practice, such as the Red Bulls Racing Formula 1 team with champion driver Max Verstappan. Many drivers such as Mardenborough and upcoming Nascar driver Rajah Caruth, used sim racing to pave their way in motorsport.
It is hard to get into professional racing without having some sort of financial backing. Cars are naturally very expensive and asking the average person to not only pay for a motorized vehicle but to also maintain it is difficult.
Sim racing can be much cheaper and an easier starting point for young racers. A game like Gran Turismo can be easily accessed if you have a playstation. A Logitech Wheel and pedals can be purchased at a much cheaper price than the thousands you may spend on a go-kart.
There are many people that should have the opportunity to drive in real life but never have the financial backing. Even though a sim racer may not be able to feel the car in his computer chair, there are a lot of qualities that apply.
You can still apply throttle, brake and steering inputs while developing timing and knowledge about racing vehicles. That’s why many professional drivers use it and why drivers like former Nascar driver Dale Jr endorse it.
Iracing, Gran Turismo and other sims continue to evolve. Maybe you will see another story of a sim racer turned professional.