5 Things the Gran Turismo movie got right about racing and why you should watch it

If you’ve ever been a motor racing fan, especially of the circuit variety, then spending two hours and fifteen minutes watching the Gran Turismo movie would be a no-brainer. 

It is the story of Jann Mardenborough, a former Nissan factory driver who started his racing career not from go-karts, as most professional drivers have until the late ‘90s, but from playing the Gran Turismo video game. Oh, sorry, driving simulator. 

I met the guy at the Nissan 360 event at Fuji Speedway back in 2015. He was well into his professional racing career then. 

My generation, who started circuit racing in 1997 at the Subic International Raceway, was, in all likelihood, the first batch of race drivers who used Gran Turismo to hone our craft.

I remember spending countless hours at home, complete with my non-force-feedback steering wheel and pedal setup (they haven’t been invented yet), trying to earn licenses and win club races in the game to get enough credits to purchase racing parts, wheels, and tuning upgrades. 

But beyond the arcade side of it, Gran Turismo trained me to focus my mind on nailing the best lap time I could get for each circuit. Yes, I wanted to win every race, but more than that, I wanted to be as consistent with my times every single lap. I'd be happy to get within 0.5 of a second each lap. 

This level of consistency was how the more senior and seasoned circuit drivers of the time performed on the real track. And if Gran Turismo could get me locked into that level of performance without spending an arm and a leg on fuel, track time, tires, mechanics, paddock fees, and more, then the time spent on the simulator would have been worth it. 

Some of my peers I spent hours playing Gran Turismo with were the late Enzo Pastor and his brother, Don. They often set faster lap times than me, and I spent all night trying to beat them. Gaby dela Merced, my former teammate, also got hooked on Gran Turismo, and she's still at it.

Over the years, Gran Turismo has become more connected as well. Online races are held with participants from other countries. The graphics and physics of the game have also achieved a level of hyperrealism. Car selection has become more focused, too, rather than having a variety too wide that sacrifices realism.

With the movie basing its storyline on the rise of his real-world racing career, Jann Mardenborough used what Gran Turismo had to offer to learn the craft. And in 2011, Nissan opened the door for him to explore real-world racing through the GT Academy program.

Short of spoiling the movie, let me share some details that I thought the movie got right about racing.

Racing simulators are the next best thing

Say what you want about racing video games, but Gran Turismo has elevated the typical arcade vibe into an experience. If you play the game long enough, you will find some, if not most, of your game movements and reactions similar to how you would react in the real world. You can learn the concepts of understeer and oversteer, counter-steering, braking limits, and accelerating from the game. 

There’s a stigma to gamers becoming real-world racers

As the movie portrayed, old hands in racing still see gamers as not fit enough for the physicality of real-world racing. G forces aren’t experienced in the comfort of the average gaming console. However, with today’s young racers using Gran Turismo and other simulator software to develop their racing craft, sims have become an effective tool in keeping drivers’ minds sharp and their reactions to car movements in step.

Even F1 World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen race on sims in their spare time. And simulators have become essential to car development and track familiarization in Formula One racing.

The best way to get over a race incident is to get behind the wheel again

Drivers who figure into crashes, or worse, incidents causing injury or death, experience a moment of introspection. They develop doubts about their abilities and are affected by the circumstances of the accident, even if they were not the direct cause of it. 

Veteran drivers would always say that the best thing to do after an incident is to get behind the wheel and up to speed again. Seat time is how drivers can regain self-confidence and erase the negativity and perceived culpability in the incident. 

Racing is a dangerous sport

While simulators excuse you from crashing and allow you to restart and play another game, there is no reset button in the real world. A race crash will not only put a hole in your or your team’s pocket but might also result in injury and death. Simulators may train you to shun a crash, but once the bills pile up and reality hits, you’ll realize that it’s no longer fun and games.

Trust me, I crashed a Mazda MX-5 at Clark already.

It’s okay to dream

The Nissan GT Academy was a notable program during its time. It opened doors for talented sim racers to have a chance at skipping the essential steps on the racing ladder to reach professional (meaning paid-to-race) status.

And while old hands may still prefer the karting-to-cars route, one cannot deny the advantage of playing simulators throughout one’s racing career.

So, if there’s an opportunity to realize one’s racing dreams through the simulator, you should grab it. Driving simulation games like Gran Turismo can only make you a better racer at the end of the day.

Even if you don't land a career as a professional race car driver after playing your heart out in the game, don't fret. You might become a motorsports photographer or even an Editor-in-Chief of an automotive website someday because of it.