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With the current success of the brand new film, “Gran Turismo,” many would possibly surprise simply what it’s wish to dwell the lifetime of a racecar driver.
Nick McMillen has lived this life, going from automotive salesman and “Gran Turismo” participant to a three-month intensive driver improvement program with Nissan the place he started his professional racecar driver profession.
McMillen is at present an advisor to Racing Prodigy, a groundbreaking sports activities, leisure and media property, that lately unveiled the world’s first e2Real sports activities league that’s designed to make motorsports extra accessible utilizing esports as a pathway to real-world racing.
Racecar Driver Nick McMillen Shares His Racing Life Expertise
All of it started again in 2013 when McMillen beat out greater than 400,000 contestants to win GT Academy USA. Since that point, McMillen’s life has been a dwell motion “Gran Turismo” scene. Whereas profitable GT Academy USA was pivotal in his profession, McMillen has been into automotive racing since a younger age.
“I initially grew up racing motocross from the age of 5 at a considerably critical degree. Whereas totally different disciplines, my dad was a racer and my grandfather as nicely, so I used to be all the time surrounded by motorsports and enamored by something with wheels and an engine,” he informed The Blast completely.
“Changing into an expert motocross racer was my final dream for a lot of my youthful life. As soon as I turned 16 and began spending extra time round vehicles and driving, I made a decision I needed to one way or the other get into the world of vehicles and begin membership racing to get my ft moist. As I came upon rapidly, even on the lowest ranges, it will possibly simply value upwards of $1,000 per day, so that concept by no means got here to fruition and fizzled out, so I turned my focus towards my training and future profession. It wasn’t till I gained GT Academy in 2013, that I used to be capable of start my skilled profession in motorsports.”
Profitable GT Academy Put His Racecar Journey Into Excessive Gear
Profitable GT Academy was a dream come true for McMillen. He mentioned it was “surreal” to go from a median life as a university child to touring and racing vehicles all around the globe.
“After I gained GT Academy, I moved to England for a pair months and was put by and intensive driver improvement program to get me in control with plans to compete in one of many largest GT3 class championships on the earth,” he informed The Blast.
“Each week, I used to be out and in of the fitness center to get my bodily health up. I spent hours of time on the racing simulator to get acquainted with tracks I’d be racing on and would additionally emulate a typical race weekend with a pair apply periods, qualifying, and a full race stint. Then, on the finish of every week I used to be in the true automotive and on observe getting my laps in to earn my worldwide racing license.”
In a matter of about eight to 9 weeks, McMillen went from by no means having raced a automotive to having competed in 14 races. He even acquired to check a $500,000 GT3 automotive on the finish of the expertise, which he would go on to race full time the next 12 months.
Many individuals really feel that enjoying video video games, particularly automotive racing video games, may also help in relation to precise driving expertise, and McMillen agrees.
“I believe video video games on the whole, however particularly driving video games, can educate you effective motor expertise together with hand eye coordination that pertains to driving in actual life,” he mentioned. “On a controller for instance, you progress in regards to the world by joysticks and buttons, typically modulating how briskly or sluggish you go like that of working the brakes, throttle, steering wheel, and so on. You have to pay attention to your surroundings and sometimes have to predict what’s forward or be ready to react rapidly ought to that you must assault, defend, or keep away from one thing. On the finish of the day, while you’re driving, you might be working a machine through numerous controllers so to talk in an unpredictable and ever-changing surroundings.”
“Gran Turismo” Tells The Story Of One, However There Are Extra Than 20 Different Drivers Worldwide
With “Gran Turismo” in theaters at present, McMillen needed to share some data he feels followers ought to know.
“The Gran Turismo film tells the story of 1 particular person, however there are greater than 20 different drivers worldwide who additionally went by comparable packages, transitioning from the simulator to actual racing. These drivers finally competed professionally in actual vehicles and had been extraordinarily aggressive in opposition to drivers with a long time of expertise,” he defined.
“This highlights how a lot a racing simulator or sport can actually educate somebody in regards to the needed expertise and strategies of drive a automotive rapidly round a observe. Consequently, once they enter an precise racecar, many can carry out nicely after only a little bit of apply and steering.”
He continued to clarify that this system with Racing Prodigy is constructed with a sustainable enterprise mannequin that doesn’t require racers to hunt six or seven determine sponsorships after their prize 12 months or when their contract ends.
“This key level of differentiation emphasizes our dedication to remodeling motorsports moderately than merely replicating present fashions which have come and gone through the years,” he mentioned. “Sim racing gave me the unbelievable alternative to get in an actual race automotive, so I’m excited to provide again to the neighborhood that has achieved a lot for me, now serving to and advising Racing Prodigy in creating extra actual racing alternatives and tales like mine.”
Racing Prodigy will take the highest performers from its 12 esports racing tournaments from June by October and put them in actual Radical SR1 race vehicles with skilled instruction on the Atlanta Motorsports Park starting on October 30 throughout Prodigy Week.
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