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Gran Turismo Gamer Becomes Pro Race Driver

Posted by samzenpus on from the practice-makes-profession dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Back in 2008, Lucas Ordonez lived what seemed like an ordinary existence. The 22-year-old Spanish student was an avid motorsports fan, but he lacked the suitable investment necessary to become a professional race driver and had virtually given up on racing. Besides, he was already knee-deep in trying to complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA). But it was Ordonez' passion for virtual racing, particularly his love of Gran Turismo, that made him stand out from his peers — both off the track and eventually on it. In just a few months, Ordonez' life was transformed from console dreamer to racing the real thing at a real race track in Europe. And Ordonez managed to do the unthinkable: go from the couch car to the race car, and win."

15 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. Oh God by pwnies · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just what we need - more people thinking that since they can play games they can do it in real life. Hide all the Guitar Hero/Rock Band addicts.

    1. Re:Oh God by EkriirkE · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't worry Sir, I'm from the internet!

      --
      from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
      to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
    2. Re:Oh God by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just what we need - more people thinking that since they can play games they can do it in real life. Hide all the Guitar Hero/Rock Band addicts.

      And keep all the "Phoenix Wright" players off of slashdot.

      "I am not a lawyer, but I've played one on the DS!"

    3. Re:Oh God by megamerican · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just what we need - more people thinking that since they can play games they can do it in real life. Hide all the Guitar Hero/Rock Band addicts.

      Bill Belichick got his job with the Patriots after showing off his skills at bribing the ref in Mutant League Football.

      Now if only it was legal to kill the quarterback and farting was a 5 yard penalty, then I might watch a game again.

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    4. Re:Oh God by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      OBJECTION!

  2. First... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Place!

    Congrats to the kid. The best I ever did was become a plumber.

    1. Re:First... by Daimanta · · Score: 5, Funny

      "The best I ever did was become a plumber."

      Suck to be told that the princess is another castle everyday I presume?

      --
      Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  3. It's different by realmolo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Driving a car in a videogame and driving a car in real life are very different, but the actual *racing* part is pretty similar. Controlling the car is important, but it's not what wins races. Racing is all about knowing the lines and racing techniques, and a video game can definitely teach you that.

    1. Re:It's different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think about 98% of gamers just had their hopes dashed when they read "fitness" as a requirement.

    2. Re:It's different by frosty_tsm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      More importantly, racing is about car control. A mass-marketed sim like Grand Turismo does not approach the levels of realism required to be an adequate sim for learning this.

      I think you underestimate the realism of the GT series. While the abstract some of the car characteristics, they do depict the handling of the cars pretty well.

      While not a proof, one of the parts shops hosted a GT tournament for the local autox people. The racers were able to apply what they learned while pushing their cars to the limit back to the video game. I had thought I was good, and then I saw what the others could do.

    3. Re:It's different by sleeping143 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Gran Turismo is actually quite a good simulator. It might not be quite as accurate as the simulators Ferrari and McLaren use to keep their F1 drivers in form, but it really doesn't have to be. With the use of a force-feedback steering wheel, you can get very close to experiencing the real performance of a huge selection of cars in GT. The biggest difference, to me, between GT and actual racing is the level of exertion required. I get physically tired on track before I get mentally exhausted, but in GT4 I don't have to strain against cornering, braking, and acceleration force.

  4. my son did this... by spywhere · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...with an M1A1 Abrahms tank. He was a hard-core FPS gamer, and he joined the Army at 18. They tested him to see what his skills were, which included a turn in the Army's tank simulator.
    As he tells it, he was in there a long time -- much longer than the recruits ahead of him had been. When he came out, the room was full of people, including officers, who were all staring at him.
    He asked, "What's everybody looking at?
    Someone replied, "A tanker, son... you just beat the highest score on that thing."

    For his expertise, he was rewarded with an all-expense-paid trip to Baghdad in 2003...

    1. Re:my son did this... by hansamurai · · Score: 4, Funny

      As he tells it, he was in there a long time -- much longer than the recruits ahead of him had been. When he came out, the room was full of people, including officers, who were all staring at him.
      He asked, "What's everybody looking at?
      Someone replied, "The Buggers, son... you just wiped out the Buggers."

      --
      Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
    2. Re:my son did this... by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's very similar to the story of how I was chosen to become a futuristic super-soldier fighting off an alien invasion.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  5. Re:this means nothing by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Informative

    In more than one case, the US forces playing the "enemy" side, if they defeated the "friendly" side, had their capabilities reduced and the game re-run until the friendly side won.

    Absolutely false. Read up on the "Red Flag" exercises. The "enemy" is an elite unit whose *only* duty is to perform as the enemy in these exercises. They almost always win, since this is all they do. This is expected, and desired, as it's expected that the training unit will learn much more from having the crap beat out of it.