Gamer becomes racing driver after winning competition

Mardenborough says he'd love to have his own trophy room in a few years

A 19-year-old from Cardiff has started training to become an international racing driver after beating 90,000 gamers from around Europe.

Jann Mardenborough won this year's Gran Turismo Academy held at Silverstone in a Nissan 370Z.

The teenager has now begun a development programme ahead of competing in races around the UK to get an international racing licence.

He will then line up on the grid of the Dubai 24-hour race in January.

Mardenborough said: "I'm ecstatic, I'm buzzing. I don't think it's sunk in yet."

He described the experience of driving on a proper race track as giving him a sense of fulfilment.

'Amazing feeling'

"It's such a weird feeling," he added.

"You're coming down the strait doing about 130mph and you're breaking, you're down shifting. I've watched these videos on YouTube of Ayrton Senna.

"There's a pedal camera of his foot in the footwell and he's doing heel and toe, a racing driver's technique.

"I've watched that video so many times trying to do that in my own car and then actually doing it on the strait on a racing track while you're winning and you're doing it really well is just an amazing feeling."

Former F1 team boss Eddie Irvine was the head judge and helped pick Mardenborough.

He said: "Jann did a great job throughout and the final decision turned out to be fairly straightforward.

"He has been given an amazing opportunity but the hard work has only just begun for him.

"Even with this head start, making a career in racing is tough and he'll have to have talent, determination and luck in pretty much equal measure if he is to make it.

"I'll keep an eye on him and hope he doesn't let me down."

Mardenborough said a few years from now he'd like to be "an accomplished racing driver, one that's focussed, doesn't buckle under pressure, one with lots of trophies and my own trophy room".