Gran Turismo is undoubtedly one of the first names that come to mind when a conversation about racing video games comes up. The franchise created by Kazunori Yamauchi at the Polyphony Digital studio has earned a place in the memories of young people and adults throughout its seven main installments, full of the most outstanding vehicles, the most spectacular circuits and the most difficult challenges. A creation that is now making the leap to the big screen.
This same Friday the film that adapts this universe of gasoline, rubber, spoilers and adrenaline at full speed opens in theaters. Directed by Neill Blomkamp and starring Archie Madekwe, it moves away from a purely in-game narrative, as could be the case with Need for Speed. Instead, the script by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin focuses on the possibility of going from a PlayStation controller to a real wheel, thanks to the Nissan GT Academy.
The film tells the story of Jann Mardenborough, a young British man who is very fond of online Gran Turismo racing, but with a father who doesn't understand how he can be so obsessed with a video game. His destiny changes when he discovers the GT Academy, a virtual competition that also serves as training and physical preparation, since the winner will have the opportunity to jump onto the asphalt and compete in races as real as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
One detail that gets lost within the narrative and also in the weeks leading up to the premiere is that Mardenborough is one of many to win the Nissan GT Academy. In fact, it was the third to win the tests after four years of activity. And the big surprise that many will find out by digging is that the first person to make the leap from video games to real racing cars is Spanish: Lucas Ordóñez, champion of the inaugural edition in 2008.
After consecrating himself above other great talents, the Madrid driver made his professional debut in 2009, competing for Nissan in the European GT4 category championship. Since then, he has accumulated different achievements and victories that have made him one of the most outstanding Spaniards in the world of motorsports. His greatest achievement came in 2013, when he managed to proclaim himself champion of the GT3 Pro-Am Cup in the Blancpain Endurance Series.
However, the highlight of his career occurred at the same circuit that will take center stage in the Gran Turismo movie: the Circuit de la Sarthe, home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In one of the toughest and most exhausting competitions in the world, Ordóñez managed to finish second in the LMP2 category, along with Soheil Ayari and Franck Mailleux. The man from Madrid would end up winning the championship that year, being the second Spaniard to do so after Fermín Vélez.
