Can a video game franchise that sold over 90 million units last year turn a gamer into a race car driver?
Jann Mardenborough, whose real-life story has been brought to the big screen in Gran Turismo, said he's living proof of it.
I know it can be done, because 12 years ago we did it. I never did go karting, he said in a video interview, referring to racing open-cockpit, four-wheeled vehicles called go-karts or shifter karts. And I still ride a lot, but reaching the highest levels outside of Formula One.
Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough, David Harbour as chief engineer who trains him, and Orlando Bloom as the marketing executive pitching the idea to turn gamers into motorsport racers will be released on Friday.
Mardenborough said: The key to making the improbable leap from gaming to professional racing is uniformity.
You do 10,000 miles of anything, you become an expert, he said. The karting industry is where racing drivers, with their traditional route, their 10,000 miles, are carried out. My 10,000 miles were spent on racing games and Gran Turismo.
He learned to race by hours of video game racing, which helped him learn the racetracks. It also got him into the mindset of a racer.
Mardenborough's break came through the GT Academy, a TV series that aired worldwide from 2008 to 2016 onwards. The virtual-to-reality Academy offered skilled players of Gran Turismo a video game racing simulator on PlayStation consoles the chance to compete with the Nissan racing team. The movie chronicles a story of a teenage racer in Wales, who wins the top spot at the GT Academy, hosted by Nissan and PlayStation, and eventually places on the podium for the world's most prestigious racing championships, the 24 hours of Le Mans.
In the movies, moviegoers will see the physical difficulties of getting into a race car, as well as the intense pressure and dangers of competing on a professional racetrack.
Black racers have historically struggled to find success in the world of motorsports. In 2019, Lewis Hamilton, one of the top contenders, had seven Formula One World Championships and created The Hamilton Commission, a charity to help make motorsports more accessible for Black competitors.
Mardenborough said he recognizes its importance but never felt discriminated against because of his race.
As an athlete or a professional, he doesn't consider the skin colors or backgrounds of the people who work with him. Mardenborough, however, had to overcome discrimination because his background in Gaming opened the door to racing, and he didn't invest thousands into the sport, which is the more typical route.
Mardenborough said he paid about 500 pounds for a PlayStation console, a copy of Gran Turismo and the necessary gaming accessories. He said racing professionally on a track can be costly but its a cost he was able to mostly bypass.
When you're on the grid with somebody and they've paid thousands upon thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions to fund a racing career in hopes of making it to the highest level possible in the sport, he said. I've just skipped karting, all the junior formulas, and I've come in at a level playing field, and I'm competing and winning.
Mardenborough said he wants the movie to help more gamers succeed in motorsports.
He added that it will inspire big companies or private money to launch other similar projects like GT Academy because you need money to fund a racing career, to even get your foot in the door.