Jann Mardenborough Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jann Mardenborough

• Jann Mardenborough is a British racing driver who played racing video games during his teenage years and became a real-life racer by winning the GT Academy competition. His journey of becoming a professional racer was so notable that a film titled ‘Gran Turismo’ based on his life was released in 2023.

• His grandparents immigrated to England from Saint Kitts and Nevis in the early 1960s. He relocated to Cardiff as his father played football and signed up with a Wales Club.
  

  Jann Mardenborough’s father, Steve Mardenborough (right) during his playing days

• He developed a passion for cars and racing from an early age. He began playing the Gran Turismo video game when he was just 8 years old. At 17, due to financial constraints, he constructed his own racing simulator rig instead of purchasing a pre-made one.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during his childhood

• He dropped out of his college course after just three weeks due to his dislike for the math subject following which he returned to Cardiff and began living with his parents again.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during his teenage years

• In 2011, Jann Mardenborough took part in the GT Academy competition featured in Gran Turismo 5. He managed to secure a spot among the Top 20 participants in the time trial event, surpassing 90,000 other contestants.

• He later competed in a 20-minute race at the Silverstone National Circuit, where he emerged victorious with an 8-second lead. This race was conducted using a Nissan 370Z sports car. Interestingly, he admitted in an interview that he had never driven a sports car or been on a racetrack prior to this event.
  

  Jann Mardenborough after winning the GT Academy competition

• After his impressive victory in the GT Academy competition, Jann Mardenborough was rewarded with a professional racing contract from Nissan after which he received comprehensive training and guidance to develop his racing skills. He later participated in various national racing events and acquired an international racing license.

• He joined a Nissan 370Z GT4 team for the 2012 Dubai 24-Hour race. In 2013, Mardenborough competed in the Spa 24 Hours race, driving a Nissan GT-R GT3 car. His performance was remarkable, as he got third place in the Pro-Am class and seventh place overall.
  

  Jann Mardenborough (second from right) during his early racing days

• In 2012, Jann Mardenborough participated in the British GT Championship as a driver for RJN Motorsport. He drove a Nissan GT-R GT3 and formed a partnership with Alex Buncombe for the championship. They managed to secure a sixth-place finish in the GT3 championship standings.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the British GT Championship

• Mardenborough made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Race in 2013. He raced for Greaves Motorsport and drove a Zytek Z11SN-Nissan car; he finished third place in class and ninth place overall. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans with OAK Racing, he drove a Ligier-Nissan LMP2 car; he finished ninth overall and fifth in class. In 2015, he competed in the LMP1 class for Nissan Motorsports and drove the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo car.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the 24 Hours of Le Mans Race

• In 2013, he became a Formula 3 racer. He took part in the 2013 Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand. Despite being a newcomer, he won the title of the best rookie in the championship. He joined Carlin Motorsport for the 2013 FIA European Formula Three Championship and the 2013 British Formula 3 Championship.

• In 2014, Mardenborough raced in the GP3 Series with Arden International achieving his first GP3 race victory in Germany, starting from the pole position and also setting the fastest lap in the reverse grid sprint race.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the GP3 Series race

• Moving to Carlin for the 2015 GP3 Series, he continued to build on his racing experience. Despite missing some races, he managed to get five top-five finishes, including two podiums, with a commendable ninth-place finish overall in the championship standings.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the 2015 GP3 series

• On 28 March 2015, Jann Mardenborough was behind the wheel of a Nissan GT3 Nismo sportscar during the VLN endurance race at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit. The car left the track and entered a spectator area, leading to a fatal accident. One spectator lost their life, and multiple others were injured.
  

  Photos showing the 2015 Nürburgring accident in real and in the Gran Turismo film

• The incident occurred at the ‘Flugplatz’ section of the circuit. Nissan, the manufacturer of the car, issued a statement confirming the incident and expressing their condolences to the affected individuals. The exact cause of the accident was not revealed. ^[2]BBC

• He participated in the 2016 Japanese Formula 3 Championship with B-Max Racing and achieved remarkable success in this championship, securing four race victories and multiple podium finishes. He was the season runner-up in the championship standings, closely trailing behind Kenta Yamashita.
  

  Jann Mardenborough (in yellow) in the 2016 Japanese Formula 3 Championship race

• Mardenborough teamed up with Kazuki Hoshino as part of the NDDP Racing team in 2016 in the GT300 class of the Super GT series in Japan; they raced a Nissan GT-R GT3 car. Their first win was in the Fuji 500km race and a podium finish later in the race held at Buriram, Thailand. They were only two points away from the championship lead; however, they lost and finished 4th overall.
  

  Jann Mardenborough (left) with Kazuki Hoshino

• Mardenborough started competing in the GT500 class of Super GT in 2017, racing with the Calsonic-sponsored Impul team. He and teammate Hironobu Yasuda finished 15th in the championship standings. He continued with the Impul team in 2018 alongside Daiki Sasaki, and they had three top-six finishes in the initial races, with the first podium finish (3rd place) at Sugo.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during a Super GT500 class race

• He entered the Super Formula Championship in 2017 and showcased his racing skills by consistently achieving top-eight finishes in various races. He had a 14th-place finish in the championship standings.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the Super Formula Championship

• He joined Kondo Racing in 2019 in the GT500 class of Super GT, partnering with teammate Mitsunori Takaboshi. Despite facing challenges with less competitive Yokohama tires compared to rivals, they achieved multiple points finishes and a fourth-place result in the championship. Following the 2020 season, he was not retained by Nissan for the 2021 season. He took a break from racing for around two years.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during the Super GT500 class race

• He became a simulator and car development driver for Nissan e.dams and its customer team, McLaren, in Formula E during the break from racing in 2021 and 2022.
  

  Jann Mardenborough during his break from racing

• After two years away from racing, Mardenborough marked his comeback by participating in the Fuji 24 Hours race of the Super Taikyu Series in May 2023. He joined Helm Motorsports’ team and piloted a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.

• He had a Goldfish named Sharky as his first pet. He has two dogs named Bentley and Heidi Hot Legs.
  

  Jann Mardenborough’s mother, Lesley-Anne Mardenborough, with his pet dogs

• A film called ‘Gran Turismo,’ based on the life of Jann Mardenborough, was released in 2023. It was directed by Neill Blomkamp. In the film, Jann’s character was played by Archie Madekwe. Notably, Jann also took part in the film as a stunt driver.
  

  Jann Mardenborough(left) with Archie Madekwe, who played Jann in the Gran Turismo film

• In 2015, he was ranked the 50th most marketable athlete globally by Sports Pro Media.

• It’s interesting to note that Jann Mardenborough didn’t pass his driving test for his license the first time because he was unsure at a roundabout but he managed to pass the test on his second try.

• He enjoys playing football (soccer) in his spare time.
  

  Jann Mardenborough before a football match