From track-day to Playstation – your lap replayed and refined

Technology is amazing isn’t it?  We can sit behind the wheel of a virtual race car on a Playstation and drive fast around some of the most spectacular racetracks in the world.  But how frustrating must it be to own a powerful car, take it on track days but not be able to combine the benefits of your Playstation with the power of a real-world track-day?

NISMO has you covered.  Nissan have released a new technology called NissanConnect in their NISMO vehicles.  These are high-end 370’s and GT-R’s which are built to push that little bit harder than just your daily commute.  Built to take on a track day if you so desire.

Now while they’re not available in Australia, I want you to fast forward to a time when this kind of technology is built into more cars, or even available as a third-party “black box” – this is very cool.

You take your $200,000+ car to Eastern Creek Raceway (Sorry: Sydney Motorsport Park – but who are they kidding).  You set some cracking good laps.

As you drive around the high-end telemetry in the car measures and displays acceleration, steering angles, g-forces, gear shifts and all kinds of data.

You get home – and until now, that’s it, you jump on your Playstation, choose the same track (if it were available!), the same car, and start virtually reliving the day.  Problem being, the Playstation has no idea how well you drive, it doesn’t know how you went today.

Enter NissanConnect.  You upload the data from your NISMO car, and the Playtation in Gran Tourismo 6 is able to let you replay your laps, time and time again, from any angle – watch where you went fast, watch the corners to take tighter, watch the steering and how you could control things better.

Then, fire up the virtual car and race your “ghost” lap.  You could race on your Playstation using Gran Tourismo 6 – against yourself in your own NISMO GT-R.  How bloody awesome is that!

If only NISMO cars were in Australia.  If only more tracks like Wakefield Park, Sydney Motorsport Park and others were on Gran Tourismo 6.

Oh, and If only I had $200,000 to spend on a GT-R – and the will to flog it round a race track on track days:)