Former World Superbike champion Doug Polen stuffs and runs--luckily it's only virtual. image: thanks, vince

Former World Superbike dominator Doug Polen was off-line and drifting wide, his Ducati 999R now on the paint. In a split-second, the rear tire hit grass, snapped violently, and high-sided the rider into the air. On this crisp February day at Infineon Raceway, the eyes of many interested onlookers watch the two-time WSBK champ shake it off. His duel with the visiting Japanese racer, "Nana-san", would continue.

What also continued were the impressive graphics, including the exact perspective of the Infineon Raceway course being expertly rendered on the big plasma screen. No, this wasn't a Doug Polen comeback--Polyphony, the makers of the notable and somewhat iconic GranTurismo series of racing-simulation games have conspired to produce "Tourist Trophy, the Real Riding Simulator" for the PlayStation, and Sony chose Infineon Raceway in Sonoma for the official press introduction.

As far as moto-press events go, this one had a different flavor, with most of the media hailing from outside the traditional motor sports outlets. The game's designer was introduced to us as Nana-san, who in addition to being involved in game design, is a roadracer in Japan and has injected obvious passion into this project. Former World Superbike and AMA Superbike champion Doug Polen was on-hand as well, providing a credible connection to the general media, exemplifying what real road racing is about and how those aspects translate into a simulator such as Tourist Trophy.

Polen and Nana-san competed first on PlayStation's version of Infineon, and then they ran a 5-lap demonstration race on the real road course. You guess the winner.

One cable station was anxious to know if I thought this game might affect or change the sportbike world, as GranTurismo 4 has evidently caused some ripples in the car world. The idea of any noticeable 'impact' from a game was foreign to me, but valid. Financially, the recent release of the game Halo exceeded top Hollywood blockbuster movies in revenue, so anything is possible. .

The Tourist Trophy game looks promising. Although not in the final-build version, I did have the opportunity to get in some playing time. The two-wheeled physics integrated into the game make for fairly realistic racing. Clamp on the binders with too much enthusiasm and you will lever the rear wheel up. Trail-braking requires finesse, doing your braking prior to entering the corner being the safer route.

There are means to modify the riding style, dubbed Rider Form, which in turn connects to rider performance in the race. To emulate either your personal form, or that of your mentor, the game allows adjustments for degree of tuck, lean angle, elbow position, etc. A myriad of choices allows you to choose your riding gear and even select from 100 different motorcycles ranging from mid-eighties favorites on through current offerings, with a few odd ducks (and not just Ducs) thrown in for good measure. All major manufacturers are on-board yielding fully licensed, realistic motorcycles. Course selection is made from one of the 35 offerings that include Laguna Seca and Valencia among many others.

Soup's John Ivy comes out of self-imposed retirement to lap Sears on several Ducatis, and virtually, via PlayStation. image: thanks, vince

Take the almost surreal computer-generated track layout of Infineon ("Sears Point" for you purists--editor), for example. It is updated to reflect current signage and track improvements, as well as an accurate track layout as used by AMA Superbike series, complete with the Turn 6 carousel and the bustop chicane in the esses. The TT game reflects the current-generation graphics and many other organizational aspects found in Polyphony's genre-defining GranTurismo 4. Players needing instant gratification can use the Arcade Mode, allowing choice of any bike on any track. The continuing involvement of the Challenge Tourist Trophy Mode has various skill tests and licensing tiers as the player progresses. If you prevail in your races, you win the bikes you have defeated. Rossi would certainly benefit from such a situation.

Speaking of Valentino, a quote from Estoril 2005 about the then-upcoming Laguna Seca GP:

Valentino Rossi: "Yes, yes I know Laguna only from TV. But now I make playing with the PlayStation and more or less, I know the layout, but never been in Laguna before."

Rossi learned the Laguna track on a car simulator, and then had his boxers handed to him by a couple of Americans. If Tourist Trophy had come out a year sooner, and Rossi had PS2'd the track on two wheels instead of four, the outcome may have been entirely different.

The good folks at Ducati USA were on hand with a stable of 2006 Ducatis running the gamut, from 749s to 999s, 999Ss and 999Rs and had also managed to provide sunny February skies, an open track and a encouraging attitude. As good as the TT game is, to not spend the afternoon riding the Ducatis was, indeed, impossible.

Being a rider, not a "gamer," one attraction of this type of computer entertainment lies in the ability to run a vicarious track day. If I can select a track that I know well from personal experience, and if the graphics and track layout are up to snuff, bingo. After getting up to speed, the laps I'm doing on-screen start to blur with all the stored mental footage of hundreds of real laps and, as far as you can go racing in your living room... nirvana. Tourist Trophy succeeds in this area, and many others. We look forward to some extended time on this game, soon to be released.