Why is the rest of the world faster than the USA?

[otago]

You'll never see another American F1 driver, just like you will never see a Chinese F1 driver. Too much traffic in the streets, no chance to hone driving skills.

Too much traffic in US? You probably meant in New York?

Compare to Europe there is no traffic in US whatsoever

 

[dothackRAVE]

Not enough corners. Europe's landscape is pretty much mountainous regions stacked next to each other. America's landscape is mostly flat.

And our highways are also straight. There's really zero chance to hone your driving skills on the streets of America. All you can do is get a big block V8 and put your foot down.

And our license test is a complete joke.

 

[FlyWire]

I know you're kidding but Americans are generally not interested in driving fast or even skillfully for that matter. Americans are generally interested in getting from place to place with the least amount of physical or mental effort, Americans tend to like comfort over performance.

I lump most Americans into a category I created called non-drivers. Non-drivers are people who consider driving to be a low level mental activity, they drive off of reaction instead of planning, they just shut their brain off, mash the gas and steer to wherever they need to be.

So GT5's AI is USAian?

By the way the USA isn't America, there is South America and Canada

 

[jato4x4]

Watch Supersize Me and you'll know why

Bunch of hoser's in that movie eehhh.

 

[drspeed]

That said, this reminds me a lot of a question that arose in the StarCraft community: Why are Korean people so good at StarCraft? Simply put, because a lot of them put a lot of effort and time into it. And I for one am fairly certain that the same is true for Gran Turismo and this 'America vs. the Worl' thing.

In the case of Korean StarCraft players, it might very well be because of the way people look at StarCraft over there. If you're good at it, it'll get you money and chicks. Quite an incentive to practice, if you're asking me.

Thats a terrible misconception. These so called "professional e-athlete" guys are laughed at all over the place from my experience in Seoul. Starcraft is certainly a popular game, but the whole presentation as an "electronic sports venue" is most certainly not mainstream.




Coming back to the post, I don't understand this USA vs World mindset. To question whether non-americans have some sort of advantage is laughable. I thought this was a game to play in the off-season until spring comes and we bring out our real cars.

 

[Dovesniper711]

I thought this was a game to play in the off-season until spring comes and we bring out our real cars.

👍

 

[CSLACR]

I think you also might ponder that even in real life american racers in many ways lag behind their s american and european cousins.

I got no clue why that is but watching racing over the years when eu or sa drivers come to american sports they usually do well, even if they did not do so well in their home countries, but if americans go over to eu to race etc they tend to not do well at all.

I mean i would really like a logical reasonable study of the topic and find out why exactly those tenants hold true in the vast majority of cases. There has to be some root reason why, maybe junior motorsports over here is not nearly as big as other places in the world? maybe the general competition over he is much lower and drivers do not develop to the degree that drivers in other parts of the world need to be competitive?

There is some mechanic at work here and would be interesting to delve into.

Hogwash.
You're comparing all of two continents to one underpopulated mass.
There's more people in germany, uk, france, and Italy alone than the US.
Add to that the lack of interest of the general American public in Motorsport, the comparable lack of raceways per mile in the US, and we're looking at 1 US driver for every 30 EU drivers.

Logical study concluded.

 

[RedSuinit]

Get me to a track that's in GT5 in real life and I will match my laptimes (of course this is considering the same cars with the same specs). I am better in a real car than I am in Gran Turismo. I can feel the car more. I can know when I am actually at the limit, and can hold it there once I get it there. If I could experience G-Forces, I could destroy my current lap times in Gran Turismo.

 

[MidianGTX]

I like how you're all getting into this deep and involving subject, but one of the simplest reasons is what CSLACR said on the first page. There are more players in the EU and Japan than America.

 

[TheDabbinDave]

We're slower because of the Fed regulations demanded by the Eco Nazis! It sucks, we never got the killer Focus RS Fors makes for EU, even though it's an AMERICAN company!

 

[Tweepent]

One word: NASCAR


We make too many left turns to brake for the right ones properly.

 

[jato4x4]

^ Also most Americans are on GT Academy right now, seeing how it is for NA this time

 

[Peter]

Because the rest of the world knows how to brake and turn right before playing GT5.


It's not automatic, it's just a coincidence. That somehow is always the case. I guess Eurpoeans like racing more than Americans ,who will usually focus on RPG's and FPS games.

 

[CSLACR]

Because the rest of the world knows how to brake and turn right before playing GT5.


It's not automatic, it's just a coincidence. That somehow is always the case. I guess Eurpoeans like racing more than Americans ,who will usually focus on RPG's and FPS games.

You're touching dangerous ground, insinuating Americans may be better at anything than anyone, careful.

 

[Gaiajohan]

Meh, I don't really like American cars or Euro cars, American cars are too heavy and Euro cars are too unreliable and expensive to repair. I prefer a light, nimble, powerful AND reliable Japanese car. If it weren't for Japanese automakers pushing both American and European car manufacturers we wouldn't be where we are today with car technology. I feel confident saying that.

Japanese cars are getting worse. Until the 90's Toyota, Daihatsu, Suzuki and Honda were extremely reliable. Now only Honda is on the top of the list. Toyota (= Daihatsu), puts too much electronics in their cars making them unreliable.
And Japanese cars aren't light and nimble anymore, they weigh just about the same as a European car. Light and nimble cars don't exist anymore because of all the safety reglations. No a MX5 is not light and nimble, it's above 1000kg!

European cars are tamely unreliable because of too manyb electronic devices, too much nonsense. Just like the current Japanese cars.. Oh, I won't start about American 'cars'.

Oh, and Toyota doesn't have any sports car anymore. It has crap like the Yaris, Prius and Auris, but no successor for the Supra, MR2 and Celica. And yep all current Toyota's drive like a piece of crap.

 

[Gaiajohan]

And because in Europe in every country there are roads like these:
http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&sour...oid=5PfblHPpdD_H-KyrDPVlQw&cbp=12,262.15,,0,5

or
http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&sour...id=D64MBBTAl8NinDnBPpFIIQ&cbp=12,8.13,,0,4.82

To try out your rally skills.

 

[otago]

And because in Europe in every country there are roads like these:

Don't worry about US, there are plenty roads like this everywhere

 

[THEALB10N]

Their speeds are metric? lol

The USA isn't the only country in the world that uses imperial units.

Loved the "you're heavier?" comment! Cracked me up!

 

[Fame_Mcswagg]

You can try and dig deep and say, well Americans really don't care about motorsports.

Or you can go with the obvious, the time of day when the patch was released and the fact that the game really hasn't sold that much compared to Europe and you will find your answer.

 

[Teh_only_n00b]

In addition, there is a common phrase in America "Only rednecks and Europeans care about racing". Very stereotypical but true in some ways.

Racing is generally looked down upon by sports media in the United States. "If I want to see fast cars I'll look at the highway" is what you get alot from sports fans and sports media here.

I highly doubt that is the attitude held by European sports media and sports fans.

The Indyracing league, American LeMans, even NASCAR gets little media attention and are generally shunned. Formula 1 appears to be huge in Europe and across the world by not just fans but media too but not in the United States

Europeans and the rest of the world seem to respect and care more about racing from what I've seen therefore there's more of them that try to be better at Gran Turismo so they dominate it. Not to mention THE WORLD outnumbers the United States 25:1 ?

I find this to be somewhat true because i live in the south (I am not the least bit southern) and I notice that alot of people, who when they hear Fourmula 1 I have to explain to them by comparing the less complex Indy Car racing, only like nascar. I have watched a NASCAR stock car race and I find it so unbarable. Then I caught a fourmula 1 race (which is hard for me to find considering they dont usually show them live, and im not getting up at 5:00 AM to turm on the SPEED channel to watch any type of race) and I absolutly feel in love. I know NONE of the drivers names BTW this reply was extremly off topic of the thread. I appologize.

 

[mwoodski]

I love all forms of racing, NASCAR included. Suck it.

 

[-=DV=-]

I dont know, without being disrespectful, making generalisations or insulting people its hard to say. Speaking as an outsider, America seems to have always had a way of "taking their bat and ball and going home" so to speak. America as a nation in the past has not seemed to be able to play well with others. Rather than taking part in other interational sports and competing against other nations, America has seemed to develop their own sports that they can excell at. While the rest of the world has been playing rugby union and rugby league against each other for like 100 years, Americans have instead developed gridiron (sorry if i spelled that incorrectly). Rather than playing cricket and competing with the rest of the world, they developed baseball. I remember watching a docco once on powerboat racing, An australian developed a new hull and creamed the competition in an american league, the league then banned that hull design, the australian then went back to a standard hull, then the next season without notifying any of the international competitors, the league made it legal to use the australian design. so everybody except the internationals were on the new more competative hull. Also going back quite a few years ago, the AMA had a rule stating that if you were a champion of a particular class in your own country, you couldnt compete in that class in the USA. America seems to have lost this "we will only compete when we have given ourselves the advantage" attitude in more recent years. But I would say that in the past, making your own sports, then restricting competition to your favor, has really hampered the advancement of the skill of alot of american athletes. Its great to see the USA starting to take part in more international sports and get more involved in sports other than those quintessential "american" sports. Anyway, long story short. Focusing on indy rather than stepping up and taking part in F1 and that sort of thing, combined with the reason the rest of the world has this "americans only know how to turn left" mentality (i know that is a generalisation against americans. But it is also based on the notion that americas most glamerous and celebrated form of motorsport is essentially a 500 mile drag race with left bends) Is what may have hurt you guys. That is, if there is actually any truth to the original observation.

 

[fitftw]

I want to drive to Tail of the Dragon at some point, but I want the road to myself, I want to fly on it. Do some light drifting even. Only vids I've seen of it are people 'cruising' along at like 30mph. No thanks.

 

[RedSuinit]

Don't worry about US, there are plenty roads like this everywhere

WOOT! I love that road, it's located less that 2 hours from where I live. Driven it twice in my MR2 and can live to tell the tale.

 

[Fame_Mcswagg]

I dont know, without being disrespectful, making generalisations or insulting people its hard to say. Speaking as an outsider, America seems to have always had a way of "taking their bat and ball and going home" so to speak. America as a nation in the past has not seemed to be able to play well with others. Rather than taking part in other interational sports and competing against other nations, America has seemed to develop their own sports that they can excell at. While the rest of the world has been playing rugby union and rugby league against each other for like 100 years, Americans have instead developed gridiron (sorry if i spelled that incorrectly). Rather than playing cricket and competing with the rest of the world, they developed baseball. I remember watching a docco once on powerboat racing, An australian developed a new hull and creamed the competition in an american league, the league then banned that hull design, the australian then went back to a standard hull, then the next season without notifying any of the international competitors, the league made it legal to use the australian design. so everybody except the internationals were on the new more competative hull. Also going back quite a few years ago, the AMA had a rule stating that if you were a champion of a particular class in your own country, you couldnt compete in that class in the USA. America seems to have lost this "we will only compete when we have given ourselves the advantage" attitude in more recent years. But I would say that in the past, making your own sports, then restricting competition to your favor, has really hampered the advancement of the skill of alot of american athletes. Its great to see the USA starting to take part in more international sports and get more involved in sports other than those quintessential "american" sports. Anyway, long story short. Focusing on indy rather than stepping up and taking part in F1 and that sort of thing, combined with the reason the rest of the world has this "americans only know how to turn left" mentality (i know that is a generalisation against americans. But it is also based on the notion that americas most glamerous and celebrated form of motorsport is essentially a 500 mile drag race with left bends) Is what may have hurt you guys. That is, if there is actually any truth to the original observation.

Ill start with this, Baseball has been around for over a hundred years. You are generalizing and you didn't do a very good job at that. The idea that we invent sports we are better at is absolutely absurd to the point I don't know where to begin with that statement. You mentioned rugby and sailing and cricket. You didn't mention a ton of other sports that weren't invented in America, where Americans compete in and excel at, for example boxing, and basketball. Their is no glamorous form of motorsports in the US, we have very little interest in the sport, just like cricket, and sailing. Not to say they are any less interesting or whatever it just doesn't click with us. The same reason American football doesn't really click with the rest of the world.

 

[Gaiajohan]

Cricket only 'clicks' in former British colonys like India, Australia, South Africa, just like rugby, altho France also has a nice team.

Rugby and Cricket barely exist in the Netherlands, just like American Football.

 

[CSLACR]

I love all forms of racing, NASCAR included. Suck it.

👍

 

[Adamater210]

Don't worry, US wins in real life. So far the best drivers on public roads I've seen.

Ontario has the best in NA. At least that's what the handbook says.

 

[ANFD]

I take exception with those who make blanket statements like "Americans aren't interested in motorsports other than Nascar". In adddition to the GT40's success at LeMans, I'm also grateful to have seen Dan Gurney race. In case some of you don't know who he is, he's the only guy ever to design, build, and drive his own Formula 1 car to victory. The highest attended Formula 1 race in modern times was the 2000 inaugural F1 race at the Indy Road Course. Myself and 230,000 other people were there. We have vast history in Sebring and the Daytona 24 hour. Bruce McLaren got his start building and driving Can-Am cars (Chevrolet engines) here in this country. We love motorsport, other than Nascar .... we just aren't elitist snobs about it.

Very little of what has been said here has any bearing on what you find on leaderboards for a video game.

I apologise in advance for my tone .... I just think you under estimate the gravity of your statement.

 

[Noz]

I like how you're all getting into this deep and involving subject, but one of the simplest reasons is what CSLACR said on the first page. There are more players in the EU and Japan than America.

i guess its only this, because no racing driver would get his racing skills on a public road, i mean come on, thats hilarious, why should a eu guy drive better than a us guy becaus he has mor curvy roads, that has nothing to do with it!

alle great racing drivers began at an age below 10 and i dont think they raced against an other 10 year old boy on a public road, they used to drive on something that is called raceways, and it doesent matter if it is the nürburgring, suzuka, laguna seca or an other raceway, its pretty much the same but different structure!

so the theory with strait roads (us) = bad drivers and complex roads (eu/jp) = good drivers isnt a point!