2025.10.31

From Gran Turismo to Real Racing: Challenging Together to Reach the Starting Line that Once Seemed Impossible

Have you ever imagined yourself racing around a circuit? Your heart pounding as you launch off the starting line, battling rivals through tight corners, sharing the joy of victory or the sting of defeat with your pit crew.

If you have, you’re one of only a few. And even for those, motorsports feels like a distant dream, something you admire but never get a chance to take part in.

A car can be enjoyed in so many ways. Mazda believes there’s a unique joy and excitement that can only be experienced on the race circuit, and it’s one that everyone should have a chance to share in.

This is the philosophy that created MAZDA SPIRIT RACING, which supports Mazda’s competitive racing team while also creating opportunities for more people to participate in the sport through grassroots events and more.

MAZDA SPIRIT RACING’s “Challenge Together ” slogan embodies Mazda’s commitment to stand alongside anyone ready to take on a challenge, and support them whichever direction they choose to go in.

In this article, we’re introducing one of the initiatives from MAZDA SPIRIT RACING, the “From Virtual to Real” Challenge Program. The program welcomes players of Gran Turismo*1 as racing drivers, creating opportunities for them to compete in auto racing competitions.

2025 marks the third year of the program. Six people were selected from approximately 9,000 applicants to compete in real races for one full year.

What drives each of these six individuals? And what does Mazda hope to achieve with this program?

We documented their journey from the very beginning.

The Six Who Thought Racing Was Out of Reach
The Joy of Driving Waits Just Beyond the Wall
Knowing Mazda, Knowing Cars: What It Takes to Reach the Starting Line
Real Racing, Real Challenges, Real joy

The Six Who Thought Racing Was Out of Reach

The world of motorsports feels hard to break into. You need to start karting as a kid and rack up results to even have a chance of getting past the first hurdle. At least that’s what the six program participants believed.

University student Takuma Ichihara didn’t even have his driver’s license when he was selected for the program, and it proved the ideal catalyst to get his manual transmission license. For Ichihara, this wasn’t just his first race, it was his first time driving an actual car.

Ichihara:

I’ve always loved cars, ever since I was a kid. So of course there were times when I thought about becoming a racing driver.

Takuma Ichihara.

Ichihara was influenced by his father’s love of cars. His mother laughingly recalls, “We took him to Tokyo Disneyland once, and he barely rode anything except the go-karts!” (third photo).

Akito Segawa is also a university student. He had been saving his allowance to buy a gaming racing wheel and seat when COVID-19 hit. During lockdown, he put in some serious hours with e-motorsports and discovered he had real talent.

Segawa:

I’ve always loved controlling things with my driving. Not just cars, but anything I could move exactly as I intended.

But I soon learned there were financial barriers. A racing driver is not a realistic career choice for an average family. So my parents made sure I kept my education on track as a backup plan.

In the end, the financial reality meant I couldn’t commit fully and, over time, I gave up thinking seriously about having a place in the auto racing world.

Akito Segawa.

Segawa looks back on his childhood love of driving with his family. “Akito is very laid back, but when it comes to auto racing, he’s a different person. We’ve never seen him that focused and determined about anything else,” say his parents.

Segawa:

I’d go with my father to see SUPER GT and other races. Even though I knew I couldn’t become a racing driver, I never lost my passion for driving.

What’s great about Gran Turismo is how close it is to the real driving experience, you get to drive cars that are out of reach for the average person. I put a lot of hours into that game. Then I discovered the “From Virtual to Real” program. I remember thinking, “If I get good enough at Gran Turismo, maybe I could actually drive for real.” I was still in high school and couldn’t drive yet, so I practiced as much as possible and got my license right after graduation.

Before this program, I hadn’t even tried karting, so I never thought I’d be entering races or becoming a racing driver. It felt like a world that I didn’t belong too.

But this program changed everything. For the first time, I thought maybe I could actually do this. It lit a fire in me.

“A world that I don’t belong to.” For many, motorsports does feel like a different world, one surrounded by an impenetrable wall that’s impossible to climb over. This program was designed to help people over that wall, and share the appeal of motorsports with more people, and give car enthusiasts real opportunities to race.

The Joy of Driving Waits Just Beyond the Wall

Mazda hosted an e-sports competition for Gran Turismo.

Mazda then invited the players with the best results to a track day event in Tsukuba Circuit where they could drive real race cars.

Dozens of players took part in the track day event at Tsukuba Circuit, enjoying their first time driving real cars on an auto racing track.

From this group of top performing players, only six would be selected to race for a full year. Yet everyone who participated discovered something important: the joy of the circuit was an experience much more within reach than they’d imagined.

Teruaki Kato, the program’s chief instructor, explains the philosophy behind the program.

Teruaki Kato is head of TCR, which provides auto racing support. With competitive auto racing experience with a Mazda MX-5 at venues like the Nürburgring, he is also influential in leading e-motorsports culture.

Kato:

People think motorsports is difficult to enter, but it’s really just about learning what you need to know. Once you’ve done that, it’s a world that anyone can be a part of. The six program participants already know the joy of driving through e-sports. That gives them a real advantage. My job is to give them the fundamental tools to enjoy it safely: rules, techniques, and track awareness.

Participation can take many forms; there’s no right way. What matters is giving your all to the challenge and the competition. That’s what makes motorsports genuinely enjoyable. And I hope they’ll experience that through this program.

Motorsports is a world perceived as difficult to enter, surrounded by impossibly high walls. This program is about finding a way over together, fully committing to the challenge and enjoying the process.

After the event, six finalists were chosen. Six people from completely different backgrounds and life stages, from university students to people working in the car or retail industries, all about to dedicate a year to auto racing and experience everything that challenge would bring.

Knowing Mazda, Knowing Cars: What It Takes to Reach the Starting Line

The chosen six arrived at Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima.

Their visit began with a tour of the Mazda Museum where they learned the company’s history, followed by a detailed lecture on car mechanics. Kengo Goto of MAZDA SPIRIT RACING explains why these two seemingly unrelated session are essential in developing a racing driver mindset in the chosen six.

Kengo Goto (left), Motorsports Experience Group, Brand Experience Business Development Department, Brand Experience Promotion Division.

Goto:

Being a racing driver means more than just driving. When you drive in front of a crowd, you’re representing the sponsors and the manufacturers. Everything from your driving to your behavior and character are being watched.

We don’t see the Challenge Program participants as our guests. They’re Mazda racing drivers. When they step out into the public eye, people see them as representative of Mazda. They’re part of our team now.

Mazda is a brand with a history of over 100 years. Knowing how we got here, what our predecessors built, and what it means to represent Mazda, is essential for these six who now stand at the leading edge of that legacy. That’s why we made the museum visit part of the program, to give them context and understanding.

Kato:

Most people know intuitively how a car will behave, but they don’t understand why it behaves that way.

Once you understand car structure, mechanics, and the physics behind vehicle dynamics, you can think strategically about your driving. That knowledge also helps you recognize and avoid dangerous situations before they happen.

Auto racing isn’t a solo sport. Behind every driver are mechanics, engineers, and sponsors making it all possible. Understanding that reality is how you truly experience the joy of being a racing driver.

Knowing what it means to race in front of a crowd, and how technology brings a car to life, these things matter just as much as what happens on the circuit.

Step by step, the six participants were stating to understand what being a racing driver actually means.

Real Racing, Real Challenges, Real joy

After five months of training and driving practice, their first race arrived: the Ibaraki round of the Mazda Fan Endurance at Tsukuba Circuit. This was to be their first experience competing wheel-to-wheel with other racing drivers.

The six arrived visibly nervous. Kato assessed their progress and challenges heading into the race.

Kato:

They’re all fully focused and quick to learn. But they still have this “guest “ mentality. This makes them slightly passive, waiting for instruction and information instead of taking the initiative and sharing what they know.

Endurance racing demands constant team coordination. It’s not just about speed, it affects safety and lives. If they could take more initiative, speak up more, and drive the team forward themselves, they’d be even stronger.

Despite the challenges ahead, the team were ready to face their first race. Then, just as the race began, disaster struck.

Overwhelmed by nerves, the driver made an error right after the start. While other cars roared away, their Mazda sat motionless on the track. But this kind of mishap isn’t uncommon in auto racing, says Kato.

Kato:

When you’re under that kind of pressure, actions that you normally take without thinking suddenly vanish from your mind. That’s the extreme mental state racing drivers face. Which makes this a valuable lesson to learn from.

After the unexpected restart, the team’s car lined up dead last. The debut race had begun in chaos.

But this experience sparked a change in mindset.

Segawa:

This race showed me what it means for a team to move as one. That’s a completely different kind of joy than anything I’ve felt before. At the same time, I realized how important it is for everyone to take initiative and actively share information. We already got along well, but now the atmosphere has shifted. We’re not just friends having fun, we’re a team that holds each other accountable and pushes each other to improve.

After the race, the team were spotted carefully polishing the Mazda lettering on the MX-5. It’s clear that the six understand how auto racing is not just about driving, it’s about racing together with Mazda, with teammates, with everyone involved. From the rocky start to clearing the finish line, today was a chance to taste the true and complete joy of motorsports.

Michitaka Nojo had looked tense throughout the entire race. As a child, he’d dreamed of becoming a racing driver through karting, but financial constraints forced him to give up that dream.

After finishing the race, he pulled off his helmet and, barely containing his excitement, shared his impressions with the camera and team.

Michitaka Nojo’s determined, serious expression is replaced with an easy smile after he finished the race.

Nojo:

It was incredible! All yesterday and today, I was so nervous, wondering if I could actually do this. But the instant we set off from the starting line, this rush of exhilaration I’d never felt before flooded my entire body. I had no idea auto racing could feel this good!

While they may have felt nervous before the race, when they removed their helmets, every one of them wore the same expression: pure excitement mixed with satisfaction, savoring what they’d just experienced. Step by step, they were becoming real racing drivers.

Their race may have ended, but this is only the first round. As the battle continues, how will each grow? And can these six individuals, each starting from different positions, become a unified team?

Their journey has only just begun, and we can’t wait to see where it leads.

From the Editorial Team

I went into this story thinking that everyone in auto racing wants to be a professional racing driver. But the more I reported, the more I realized that assumption was in itself one of the barriers that prevents people from enjoying motorsports.

Is baseball only a sport for people aiming for the major leagues? Is soccer only for those who want to become professional players? Of course not. People enjoy sports at every level, and at every level with the same fierce commitment. That’s what makes sports interesting.

Motorsports is no different. MAZDA SPIRIT RACING challenges our assumptions about who racing is for. Aiming for the top is a worthy challenge. But making motorsports accessible to everyone is a challenge underway right now.

*1 “Gran Turismo” logo and name are trademarks and registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Gran Turismo 7 for PS5®/PS4® is published by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.