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Evolution GT - TVG Chats To Gabriele Tarquini Feature
Derek dela Fuente
21/02/2006
With over 20 years of professional driving experience behind him, Gabriele Tarquini tells TVG why he's the man to ensure Milestone's Evolution GT will be worth it...
Having recently enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Milestone on their forthcoming PS2/PC racer, Evolution GT, TVG was presented with the chance to speak to their professional correspondent Gabriele Tarquini. With 23 years in motorsports covering everything from go-karts to formula-one, Tarquini is certainly well versed in the demands of professional racing and has been vital in assisting Milestone to create a game based around the driver rather then just the cars.
Please tell us about yourself, how you got into driving and what you're currently up to?
I started driving in go-karts when I was 7 years old with my father, manager of the local Kart circuit (Giulianova). From that moment I caught "speed fever" and still today I have the same level of excitement every time I get into a racing car! I passed in F3 at 22 and at 25 I debuted in F1 with Osella team. I completed 5 seasons in F1 with Coloni, Ags, Fondmetal, and my last grand prix with Tyrrell. My best result was the 6th place in Mexican GP, 1989. At the same time I've always raced in Supertouring races in every European country, winning the BTCC Championship in 1994 and the ETCC 2003, with Alfa Romeo. In my Supertouring I have won races in Italy, England, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Dubai, and actually I'm a member of the Official Seat Sport Team, which will race in the WTCC 2006 with the Leon.
"Being a champion is not about what you drive but how you drive it!"
WTCC is probably not as well known as other racing associations; can you tell those of us not particularly up to speed a little about it and perhaps highlight some famous drivers involved in the sport?
The WTCC is the most popular supertouring car championship in Europe, and it's officially recognized by F.I.A. as a World Championship, together with F1 and WRC. Our races are very dynamic because with stock cars there are many collisions and accidents. Races are divided in two sections of 25 minutes each, with the second starting grid made up by the reversal of the first eight in the first section.
Championship is composed of 10 events and usually drivers are always busy with tests and races: that's why they race only in the WTCC. Who is most famous? I would like to say me! Haha. I have won the most races in a single championship.
Tell us about your involvement with the game, have you been active since the early design stages and what it's been like to work with Milestone?
I was contacted by the Black Bean, and Milestone guys last year. They started telling me that Milestone wanted to develop a videogame where the focus should be on the driver, and not only car tuning or modding. One thing they said really caught my interest that was: "we want to recreate a driver career, reproducing all the things a real race driver has to accomplish during it. We think that a good driver has to demonstrate it with many different cars". Well, they really hit the jackpot! Being a champion is not about what you drive but how you drive it!
"I was surprised to see how the opponents fight, make mistakes, and most of all evolve during the races!"
How often do you meet up with the team and do you also play the game on a regular basis and give feedback to the team?
I have had lots of time to follow the games progress I discovered that the graphics and physics models are great, but the real surprise for me was the Artificial Intelligence. I was surprised to see how the opponents fight, make mistakes, and most of all evolve during the races! I kept finding myself saying things like, "God, I'm in another fight with that same guy! He really doesn't like me!"
Racing games have always been very popular and competition is tough to get to the top. What other racing games have you played and what is you favourite apart from Evolution GT?
Well I grew up with the GP1 game, but my favourite is TOCA2, because it was very active as BTCC races are.
We're told of some racers that play racing games to tune up their reactions and become familiar with the layout of tracks. How true is this? Does playing the game really help a driver and is it more about learning the layout of a course than actually driving skill?
Reality is quite different from the virtual world, but some drivers, me included, use videogames to learn the tracks you don't know.
How close to the real thing do you believe a computer game can really get and what is your favourite feature within the game?
It's impossible to reproduce everything the driver feels in a videogame, g-force, acceleration, the physical effort to control the car, those things are unique, and you can experience it just in the real world, but the high quality reproduction of the circuits as the reproduction of the different set ups and car behaviour are very similar to reality.
How important do you feel the role of modifications and tuning options is; will Evolution GT be for the fuel-head fanatics or casual racers alike?
In reality the knowledge of car setup is acquired after years of experience in tracks and in thousands of kilometres travelled in your car. In the virtual world all this has to be faster. The learning curve is similar to many of these games and expert gamers can transfer their knowledge form some other videogames.
What is your favourite track and country within the WTCC experience?
The best track is Spa, in Belgium, no doubt. But the European country I like best is Spain because it's very similar to Italy.
What car do you drive when racing and are there any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
Seat Leon both in reality and in a virtual setting! Unleash your passion with no limits in Evolution GT, and remember that some of the cars are very expensive and very dangerous!
TVG would like to thank Gabriele Tarquini for providing a perspective from the other side. Remember to check out our interview with Milestone to discover more about Evolution GT.
