“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 Jann Mardenborough from “It has to be your passion; Cardiff was just a lad who was there are guys who quit their pretty handy on Gran Turismo. 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 Nissan 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!” 48 WWW.FACEBOOK.coM/ZOOMAGAZINE WWW.FACEBOOK.coM/ZOOMAGAZINE 49.