Jann Mardenborough Is Proof That Playstation Pays

I’ve won my share of Super Bowls in Madden and even have a couple NBA Live titles under my belt. But sadly, I never capitalized on turning my virtual skills into real world success like Jann Mardenborough.

During Nissan’s press conference at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, the company introduced Mardenborough, an incredibly accomplished member of the Nissan Racing team who got his start at the controls a of PS3 controller.

In 2011, Mardenborough won the Nissan GT Academy competition by beating 90,000 entrants in Gran Turismo, thus earning him an opportunity to drive for Nissan at the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race at age 19. Prior to winning the GT Academy, Mardenborough had no racing or motorsports experience, except at the sticks of his controller.

Fast forward four years and the 23-year-old driver is an accomplished member of the Nissan Racing team. This year, he will become the first GT Academy winner to race in the Le Mans P1 for Nissan.

The Playstation to professional story is pretty incredible, but more importantly, it confirmed the following beliefs from my childhood.

Playstation pays. Homework sucks. And I’m the fastest kid in the 6th grade.

We caught a portion of an interview with Mardenborough at the Chicago Auto Show, which you can watch below.