The story behind ‘Gran Turismo’: the ‘gamer’ from a humble family who became a pilot

2023-08-11 15:30:53

On paper, the ‘Gran Turismo’ video game series does not invite to be adapted to the cinematographic format, because it is essentially a racing car driving simulator and, therefore, it offers neither a plot development nor real characters with which a viewer can get involved. And that undoubtedly helps to explain why, although undoubtedly inspired by the flagship product for the PlayStation consoles -and financed by the same company, Sony-, the eponymous feature film that is now hitting theaters is not based on him but on the amazing story of Jann Mardenborough, a ‘gamer’ from a humble family who managed to become a professional pilot exclusively thanks to his skills at the controls of the ‘Gran Turismo’.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp -known thanks to science fiction titles such as ‘District 9’ (2009) and ‘Elysium’ (2013)- and performed by names such as Orlando Bloom and the former member of the Spice Girls Geri Halliwell -whose husband , Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, The film has also included the participation of Mardenborough himself as not only a consultant but also a specialist driver in the racing scenes.

Currently, the ‘Gran Turismo’ video game saga is made up of seven installments that, until 2022, had generated more than 5 billion euros in sales worldwide. Over the years, each of them has offered a more advanced and realistic simulation than the last, offering users the possibility of virtually racing on extremely faithful reproductions of emblematic circuits aboard models recreated in detail, and demanding almost as much precision from them as if they were racing behind the wheel of a real racing car.

Hooked on the game since he was a child, Mardenborough mastered it to such an extent that he earned a place in ‘GT Academy’, a reality show that pitted the best ‘Gran Turismo’ players against each other and offered the winner a chance to compete in the Dubai 24 Hours for Team Nissan; in 2011, at just 19 years old and after winning over 90,000 other candidates, The young man managed to become a racing driver despite having no previous driving experience other than a failed attempt to get his driver’s license and some ‘karting’ sessions. Two years later, he placed third in the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Terrible accident

From shortly after, heMadenborough’s professional career has been marked by the terrible accident he suffered at the German Nürburgring circuit in 2015. As he entered a curve he lost control of the car, which went almost upright before colliding with a protective fence, and after shooting over it into the public; as a consequence, one spectator lost his life, and several were injured. “I will always carry that weight on my shoulders,” Mardenborough has acknowledged.

Given the magnitude of that event, it is logical that now ‘Gran Turismo’ has devoted part of its footage to recreating it. In fact, the criticisms that those responsible have received because of this focus more on the dramatic use they make of these events and the distortions they incur for it -and the contempt they show towards the victims in the process- with in order to impose a happy ending.

The film, in particular, alters the biographical chronology of Mardenborough to make the viewer believe that the tragedy not only happened before the victory at Le Mans but also gave the driver the strength and desire to excel necessary to achieve it. Far from silencing the controversy, Mardenborough has assured that his accident “is a demonstration of the blows that life can give, and that it is possible to overcome them to achieve something great.”