“What I did on the ny football fan who STAY FOCUSSED believes that battering game worked in “If you want to do something A his mates at FIFA real life!” like this, just don’t give up. qualifies him to play Premier When I was in the online League football should time-trials, there were loads of probably be deemed certifiable. times when I thought, ‘I’ll just But if you’re a motor racing give up, there’s no chance. I’d fan who is into gaming, it rather just go and watch Top seems that same dream is Gear on Dave,’ – but instead, not quite so mental… I decided I had nothing to lose, Until two years ago, 22-year- so I stuck at it. old from “It has to be your passion; Cardiff was just a lad who was there are guys who quit their pretty handy on . jobs to try and get into the GT Then, while playing online, Academy. You also need to get he got a message saying he yourself really fit, because should try out for the that’s a major part of being a PlayStation GT Academy; a racing driver. You have to go scheme that offered the chance LEARN FAST for up to three hours at a time for talented GT players to “I’d never driven on a without having water on become pro racing drivers. racetrack before the GT board… and that is tough.” Cut to about nine months Academy; in fact, I’d never later and after beating 90,000 even driven a sportscar. other Gran Turismo But at the national finals obsessives, going to at Silverstone, I drove a Silverstone for the national Nissan 370Z around the finals and getting his chance circuit, and there was this to drive an actual racing car, long stretch with a right- Jann was crowned the winner. hand corner. Suddenly Now racing in European I had a 370Z going Formula 3 and fresh from a sideways with opposite third-place finish in his class at lock, and I was like, ‘I’m the legendary 24 Hours Of Le instinctively doing what Mans, he tells ZOO what it will I did on the game and it’s take to follow in his footsteps. working in real life!’ FROM Pay attention, gaming fans… “There’s certainly a FORGET SELF- relationship between the game and real life: PRESERVATION like how throttle and “There’s no natural racing BE A GOOD GAMER driver. It’s the most “I was an average gamer braking affects the car, unnatural thing in the before I heard about the the steering and how world to jump into a GT Academy, and played aggressive you can be.” racing car and drive racing and shooting quickly in it – your body games for about two is not prepared for that. hours a day. I only started “The physics engines using a steering wheel in today’s games are so and pedals four years ago advanced in the way the AND... FAIL YOUR – until then, I was just cars lean and pitch – the using the controller. After DRIVING TEST basic thrust or brake “Yes, I passed my I made that switch, TO input – that they’re really driving test second I noticed my hand/eye realistic. But even if you’re time. All the best co-ordination improve. driving perfectly in the drivers pass second time! I had “Some people made game, sometimes it my licence when I was 17 and the national finals just “Get a good steering doesn’t translate in real back then, I was fascinated by using the normal wheel and pedals” life because of the natural racing drivers’ techniques. controller, but if you want self-preservation “I used to watch videos of to give it your all, get a mechanism in your brain. Ayrton Senna racing and the good steering wheel and “That’s why going into techniques he used. On my pedals. The Logitech G27 a corner at 100mph in the 17th birthday, I remember set is pretty good. When game is a bit different to trying to recreate them in my Being good on the PlayStation could never lead to becoming a professional racing you get into a road car, it going into a corner at mum’s car. She was pretty makes you drive better!” driver for real, could it? Ask Jann Mardenborough – it did for him... 100mph in real life!” scared – she said I’d have to

INTERVIEW: Jon Moody. PICS: Nissan, PICS: Moody. Jon INTERVIEW: Nissan/PlayStationGran Turismo, pay for any damage I did!”

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