Mardenborough drives a Nissan GT-R

Jann Mardenborough drove a Nissan GT-R at Silverstone (Great Britain) on the National Circuit in somewhat unusual conditions. To mark the release of the Gran Turismo Sport video game, available from Wednesday October 18 on PlayStation 4, the Briton from GT Academy had to drive the Japanese machine from outside the cabin using a DualShock controller.

Despite this equipment, Jann Mardenborough was able to set a time of 1'17''47 at an average speed of 122km/h. The Briton even managed to get the Nissan GT-R to reach a maximum speed of 211km/h.

The Nissan was equipped with four robots managing the steering, transmission, brakes and acceleration. Six motors installed at the rear of the car managed the controls at a rate of one hundred orders per second. The original DualShock was connected to a microcomputer that interpreted signals to the robots installed in the GT-R.

“It was a unique experience, truly sensational, commented Jann Mardenborough who could pilot the car around the entire route of the Silverstone National Circuit from a helicopter. The Nissan GT-R/C brought together two worlds, the virtuality of gaming and the reality of motorsport, in a way I never thought possible. The car was much more responsive than I expected. Driving a full-scale car with a controller on Silverstone while following it in a helicopter will remain etched in my memory. »