From Playstation to the Pros Don’T Knock Video Games
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DRIVING FROM PLAYSTATION TO THE PROS DON’T KNOCK VIDEO GAMES. THEY COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO SUCCESS IN SOME REALLY FAST COMPANY, LUMKA NOFEMELE FINDS When you’re dicing wheel to wheel with ferce rivals on legendary race circuits, you need massive reserves of skill, refexes and commitment. You also need to stay focused in the face of increasingly vocal threats to, say, donate your ice-cold supper to the dog. Tere’s no denying the fun you can have as a virtual racer in Gran Turismo, if you don’t mind the trade-of against domestic harmony. But racing in virtual reality was never really about fun for the supremely focused David Perel. Becoming a professional driver has been this 31-year-old Capetonian’s goal since he was barely old enough to grasp the controls on his PlayStation handset. Today, Perel drives for Kessel Ferrari in one of most competitive leagues in the world, the Blancpain GT Endurance Series. His story is one of drive, ambition and countless hours of gaming. And he credits his virtual success on his PlayStation with jumpstarting his real-life career. “I learnt more on a PlayStation than I did in fve years of real driving,” says Perel. Te 31-year-old has just returned from another successful run with the Kessel Ferrari team in Europe and is living proof that video games can be good for you. Real-life racing was always going to be Perel’s thing. He started out in karting and, by age 15, was competing for the western province karting championship. By the age of 23 he had won fve provin- cial and National Championship titles. “Go-karting is a great way to start of your racing career,” says Perel. But there are only so many tracks available. In the virtual world, though, things are very diferent. “Tere was only one go-kart track for me to practise driving, but a video game has 120 race tracks. I literally used the David Perel credits years of playing video games Te GT Academy provides an alternative PlayStation to learn how to drive.” for his success. Opposite: In his Cape Town route into mainstream motorsport. Te Endless hours with Gran Turismo – beachfront fat, Perel explains the value of VR completion provides Gran Turismo gamers to writer Nofemele. solo and racing against others online – the chance to go from their PlayStation to helped Perel hone his already considerable a real-life professional racing career with skills. Perel’s racing community shared Nissan. their video lap times and experiences so and share their scores. Perel placed third in the competition often that they inspired him to start his Now knowing what he was up against, and thought he was of to Europe to com- own website, called GT Playground, for Perel decided to enter Gran Turismo’s racing pete with other high placing racers from gamers around the world to connect competition, the GT Academy. around the world. Unfortunately, South 68 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ MARCH 2017 Driving.indd 13 2/2/17 3:23 PM “Believe it or not it was the last team on the list that gave me the response I was “THERE WAS ONLY looking for.” ONE GO-KART TRACK Perel was ofered the opportunity to drive FOR ME TO PRACTISE the 2015 season with Lamborghini Bonaldi DRIVING, BUT A Motorsport in the Italian GT Championship. VIDEO GAME HAS He was given just a week to prepare. 120 RACE TRACKS. “Tat’s a week to organise travel and I LITERALLY USED accommodation. One professional race can THE PLAYSTATION cost a driver up to R200 000. I was only TO LEARN HOW TO able to do it because I had been saving up DRIVE.” for four years and I got a few sponsors to help me out.” Finances may have been an issue, but racing never was and he credits gaming for this. “Simulations are widely used in racing Africa was not one of the nations that expensive sporting pursuit than most. now. Trough video games, I learnt my were invited to contend for the title, so Because he couldn’t race anymore he temperament, my peak, what happens Perel’s dreams were dashed, a feeling he decided to focus on growing his business. when I don’t eat, when I’m tired and my had to get used to. He co-founded a web company with his levels of endurance. I’m still using these “Motorsport is obviously not big in SA. brother, where he worked 20-hour days, techniques today.” It takes time, money and energy to get to seven days a week, for four years while living Te key: don’t treat a video game like... the level you need to be at to compete on his couch in the ofce, until he had saved a video game. “Every track in the game is with European drivers who have had the up enough money for one more shot at GT. the same in the real world. It felt like I had resources and support most of their lives.” “I was sleeping and breathing my busi- already been there. Te mapping of tracks In 2009, at the age of 24, Perel pro- ness. I would watch racing on TV and is exactly the same. Even the colour of the gressed from go-karts to racing single- wonder why I was not there.” grass is replicated.” seaters on the bigger stage. However, When he saved enough money, he drew Risking it all and going to compete in midway through the season he was forced up a list of 50 teams he could potentially the Italian GT series resulted in an incred- to stop racing due to a lack of funding. Tat’s race for and called all of them. Te response ibly successful season for Perel. He earned common in the world of racing, a more was blunt: no, no, and no. And then: 2nd place in the championship and included MARCH 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 69 Driving.indd 14 2/2/17 3:24 PM DRIVING more wins, pole positions and fastest laps Top: Perel in full racing gear posing with a If you are a PC gamer, you might want to than any other driver in the f eld. roadgoing Ferrari. He is currently getting ready try R Factor or iRacing – both of which are His performance in his f rst European for the next gruelling GT season. used quite often by professionals.” season led to an of er from Kessel Racing Above right: Perel takes to the podium after As a nation South Africa has shown it Kessel Ferrari wins in Barcelona at the Ferrari to try out at the Vallelunga race- can take on the world on the track in terms International GT Open last year. track in Italy. After the two-day test, of skills, Perel believes. T e f ipside is that David f nished on the same pace as their we’ve been less successful at translating factory drivers. ability to cope with adversity and you need skills into long-term careers. “T e f nest go- Last year, with the help of his manager, to keep up your f tness. karters in the world come from SA, yet we Alan Macdonald, Perel signed a three-year “I always knew I could drive, and drive have so few professional drivers.” It all deal with Kessel Ferrari to represent them well, at that. Years of go-karting and gam- comes down to investing in our talent, in in the Blancpain Endurance Series. It has ing taught me that. It’s the ability to pre- his view . But there’s no point in sitting always been a dream of David’s to compete serve that that really makes a great driver.” around waiting to be recognised: the likes in the series, but little did he know that it So what games does Perel recommend of Perel and our biggest current motorsport would happen in only his second year of for aspiring drivers? success story, MotoGP star Brad Binder, GT Racing. “For PlayStation users, Gran Turismo has have had to learn to hustle on the track as And he’s under no illusions about what’s the better physics, while engineers say well as of it. And don’t leave it too late. needed to reach the top. that Project Cars is the best simulation,” “You have to be dedicated to racing and try “Being a good driver is only 10 per cent. says Perel. to get sponsors. And the younger you are You need dedication, mental strength, the “Forza on Xbox has great engine sounds. when you start, the better.” 70 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ MARCH 2017 Driving.indd 15 2/2/17 3:25 PM.