The video-game franchise in which Mardenborough began his journey, Sony's Gran Turismo, was originally designed by Japan's Kazunori Yamauchi in 1997. Seven months later, in January this year, Mardenborough, who'd never set foot in a racing car, was at the wheel of a serious piece of kit in the Dubai 24 Hour race – and at the beginning of what appears to be a very exciting career. "At that point we had no idea what it was," admits Steve. That he had kept it to himself for so long was entirely in character for a boy who did not like to make a fuss. Out of 90,000 other virtual racers, he made it into the top eight in Europe and won the chance to test himself against other gamers in a real car at Brands Hatch. In the middle of 2011, Mardenborough had entered an online competition on Gran Turismo 5 that offered one final shot at the real thing. "One day," says Steve, "he came downstairs and said: 'Dad, I've qualified.' I said: 'Qualified for what?'" It was the perfect release for the racing-obsessed teen: a singular pursuit offering a test of individual skill in which he could lose himself. He returned quietly to his bedroom, where he took to the next best thing – virtual racing on the video game Gran Turismo.
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