32 replies to this topic

[jjcale]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/105652

Nissan GT Academy graduate Jann Mardenborough will move to Formula 3 this season, as predicted by AUTOSPORT, having been signed as part of Carlin's European series line-up.

AUTOSPORT revealed last month that Mardenborough was bound for F3 after a single year in car racing, having started out in the British GT Championship as part of Nissan's programme for computer gamers trying to break into real-life motorsport.

interview-with-eu-gt-academy-winner-jann-mardenborough/

Motorsport: Young Brit has scintillating' speed

What do you guys think? Marketing gimmick* or a future prospect?



*no disrespect intended to the lad.

Edited by jjcale, 21 February 2013 - 11:01.

[f1fan1998]

I know one of his team mates from last year quite well. In Monza last year for Blancpain, I was in the paddock talking to the team mate, and I mentioned Lucas Ordonez the original driver to kick a bit of a$$ from GT academy. I said that Lucas was now getting on really well with his LMP2 programme and comparing relatively well against the others. The team mate scoffed at me and said that Lucas has nothing on this kid Jann.

I couldn't believe it, as Lucas was very successful for the GT academy programme already. The team mate, went onto say that in his 25 years of car racing, he has never seen someone take to it all so naturally. Through the year, it must be remembered that Jann quite often beat (and beat well) Al Buncombe who is not too bad for what he does and certainly a lot more experienced.

If you look at Jann's results in NZ recently, he raced well and got some decent results against some seasoned single seater drivers of note like Alex Lynn etc.

I wish him the best of luck and would love to see him take one step at a time but still surprise in a few years with a win in GP2 or something like that.

Edited by f1fan1998, 21 February 2013 - 11:18.

[Peat]

He'll do fine. He has been racing in NZ against most of the european single seater names. And he is plenty quick enough.

I do wonder what will happen to him, Ordonez, Tresson et al when Nissan get bored of this though.

[f1fan1998]

I wonder the same question, but I think while Darren Cox is weilding the motorsport power at Nissan, I think they will be just fine. He is the biggest motorsport fanboy there is.

[billm99uk]

Very fast, very raw judging by his TRS performances. Don't expect too much from him at the start (and expect a few crashes!), but he should be up there later in the season if he lives up to his potential.

[Ross Stonefeld]

He looked okay in TRS, but I'm not sure ready-for-Euro-F3 ready? Id have though they'd progress him into Formula Renault or something. Which is part of the Nissan family anyways, and loads cheaper.

[billm99uk]

He looked okay in TRS, but I'm not sure ready-for-Euro-F3 ready? Id have though they'd progress him into Formula Renault or something. Which is part of the Nissan family anyways, and loads cheaper.

Well he's 21. I guess they feel they have to push him along a bit faster.

[Jambo]

Met him and interviewed him at Silverstone last year, really down to earth, sound fella. Think all the GT Academy guys think he is a step up on anyone that has come before, mentioning how naturally it all came to him.

Will follow his career with interest.

[Victor_RO]

I do wonder what will happen to him, Ordonez, Tresson et al when Nissan get bored of this though.

At least when it comes to Lucas and Jann, by the time Nissan give up on this program they'll probably both be fully-fledged "hired guns" racing in prototypes and GTs successfully wherever they get employed, sort of like a Sean Edwards or Jeroen Bleekemolen. So in a few years' time we may count them among the busiest racing drivers in the world.

As for the OP's question, Jann Mardenborough = definitely a future prospect to watch out for. Whether it's eventually in prototypes, GTs or single-seaters remains to be seen.

[Juan Kerr]

Met him and interviewed him at Silverstone last year, really down to earth, sound fella. Think all the GT Academy guys think he is a step up on anyone that has come before, mentioning how naturally it all came to him.

Will follow his career with interest.

He did struggle a lot in the original competition just couldn't match the speed of some of the other guys and his path was made very easy when it came to anything that had to be perceived or judged mainly due to him being 19 and a lot more valuable in terms of a product of this system in the future. He was basically an average player that suited the ideal prospect so much that they just couldn't resist paving the way for him, tipping him off. I don't blame them though, there's no point starting F3 at the age of 31 is there!! Nissan were not looking for racing drivers they were looking to promote their brand with good publicity and everyone wants to know what the Lewis Hamilton style kid is gonna achieve from a game. It's a great story.

It would be amazing if he got to Formula 1 wouldn't it?

[DanardiF1]

He did struggle a lot in the original competition just couldn't match the speed of some of the other guys and his path was made very easy when it came to anything that had to be perceived or judged mainly due to him being 19 and a lot more valuable in terms of a product of this system in the future. He was basically an average player that suited the ideal prospect so much that they just couldn't resist paving the way for him, tipping him off. I don't blame them though, there's no point starting F3 at the age of 31 is there!! Nissan were not looking for racing drivers they were looking to promote their brand with good publicity and everyone wants to know what the Lewis Hamilton style kid is gonna achieve from a game. It's a great story.

It would be amazing if he got to Formula 1 wouldn't it?

We'll see how he goes... the drives he put in in British GT last year were simply stunning for someone of his experience. I think realistically he should be looking at a top-line LMP drive in the future. F1 teams are finicky enough to get a drive with anyway (have to bring budget, experience blah blah blah), whereas I think the LMP manufacturers are more willing to make their driver a 'house driver', like Audi with McNish and crew, the BMW DTM/GT guys with Joey Hand, Bill Auberlen etc. and Porsche's GT roster.

If Nissan are ever looking at establishing an LMP1 effort, this would be the guy I'd have leading the driving lineup alongside Ordonez. Sony would love it, racing fans would love it and it'd be a great marketing tool for the WEC.

[ArnageWRC]

Well putting 2+2 together, Nissan have put him in a single seater to gain experience of wings and downforce - and Nissan/Nismo will make a major announcement on Tuesday.......

[chrisblades85]

Saw him in British G.T last year and was impressed. That Nissan sounded amazing, btw.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Well putting 2+2 together, Nissan have put him in a single seater to gain experience of wings and downforce - and Nissan/Nismo will make a major announcement on Tuesday.......

Do Carlin not have an engine deal already? Unless they're going to switch to the ThreeBond engine?

[ensign14]

Is he any relation to the former Wolves player Steve?

[olliek88]

Always kept tabs on the GT academy mob but Jann does seem pretty special, a little caveat i've noticed with both Lucas and Jann is that they both had short lived careers as karters, not much i know but doing something like that at a young age at least instills the basics into you at an age where its far easier for your brain to take everything in.

His performance in the TRS was pretty good, heck, he did a very similar job to Alex Lynn in his rookie season in that series, that's pretty darn impressive.

[ExFlagMan]

Always kept tabs on the GT academy mob but Jann does seem pretty special, a little caveat i've noticed with both Lucas and Jann is that they both had short lived careers as karters, not much i know but doing something like that at a young age at least instills the basics into you at an age where its far easier for your brain to take everything in.

His performance in the TRS was pretty good, heck, he did a very similar job to Alex Lynn in his rookie season in that series, that's pretty darn impressive.

Even more so when it was his debut in any single seater as far as I can recall.

[olliek88]

Is he any relation to the former Wolves player Steve?

This article suggests they are father and son!!

http://www.guardian....acing-car-games

Could just be an unlikely coincidence though.

[Victor_RO]

Even more so when it was his debut in any single seater as far as I can recall.

Correct, his racing career was basically a few months of club racing in a 370Z to get his international racing license, then the Dubai 24h in a similar car and a full season of British GT.

[TheUltimateWorrier]

This article suggests they are father and son!!

http://www.guardian....acing-car-games

Could just be an unlikely coincidence though.

Because they are father and son .

Video game fan Jann Mardenborough has time of his life in real race
. . .
He said the Nissan team suffered “teething problems” early in the race but they were fixed by the engineers, and the four drivers were all posting lap times within one second of one another throughout as they completed an incredible 532 laps. Jann – whose dad Steve Mardenborough was a professional footballer with Cardiff City, Newport County and Swansea City – said he was heading back to the Welsh capital on Thursday and intended to pursue his dream of becoming a racing driver.
. . .

He's the same Steve Mardenborough who played for Wolves.

[ensign14]

Famously scored at Anfield for them.

[billm99uk]

He's the same Steve Mardenborough who played for Wolves.

Not to mention his sterling 51 appearances for Aberystwyth Town

[olliek88]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/105928

Jann was P12 (out of 28) in testing today, that is seriously good, i know its only testing blah blah blah, but 6 tenths off of P1 with his lack of experience is pretty damn impressive, the GT Academy may well have struck gold with this kid!

[Victor_RO]

He's also been officially confirmed at Le Mans alongside Lucas Ordonez and potentially Tom Kimber-Smith in one of the Greaves LMP2 Zyteks. Also, a full season for Jann in downforce cars in a very competitive championship, and Nissan planning a Garage 56 entry in 2014 with an electric LMP... am I reading too much into this?

[billm99uk]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/105928

Jann was P12 (out of 28) in testing today, that is seriously good, i know its only testing blah blah blah, but 6 tenths off of P1 with his lack of experience is pretty damn impressive, the GT Academy may well have struck gold with this kid!

Impressive. And plenty of those behind him have a load of F3 experience. But what's he doing with a VW engine when Nissan is in P1?

[Brandz07]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/105928

Jann was P12 (out of 28) in testing today, that is seriously good, i know its only testing blah blah blah, but 6 tenths off of P1 with his lack of experience is pretty damn impressive, the GT Academy may well have struck gold with this kid!

To finish above the likes of Lynn, Auer, Serralles & Rosenqvist is impressive indeed.

[Les]

An impressive performance indeed. I like how the slowest team are called 'Ferraris'.

[noikeee]

Impressive for a guy with little open-wheel experience, but keep in mind he is the slowest of the Carlins who otherwise are at the top of the order. Meaning they are a strong team and possibly went a bit more out for quick times than the others. You can't look at it and conclude "oooohhh he's faster than Lynn and Rosenqvist".

[Brandz07]

Impressive for a guy with little open-wheel experience, but keep in mind he is the slowest of the Carlins who otherwise are at the top of the order. Meaning they are a strong team and possibly went a bit more out for quick times than the others. You can't look at it and conclude "oooohhh he's faster than Lynn and Rosenqvist".

Of course not, it's still nice to see at this early stage though.

[Ross Stonefeld]

He closed up a bit in the afternoon session but the test report was about combined times.

1 - Tom Blomqvist (Dallara-Mercedes) - Eurointernational - 1'41"191
2 - Sven Muller (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Ma Con - 1'41"237
3 - Nicholas Latifi (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Carlin - 1'41"350
4 - Will Buller (Dallara-Nissan) - T Sport - 1'41"388
5 - Jann Marderborough (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Carlin - 1'41"406
6 - Alex Lynn (Dallara-Mercedes) - Prema - 1'41"494
7 - Dennis Van de Laar (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Van Amersfoort - 1'41"642
8 - Pascal Wehrlein (Dallara-Mercedes) - Mucke - 1'41"672
9 - Harry Tincknell (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Carlin - 1'41"678
10 - Lucas Auer (Dallara-Mercedes) - Prema - 1'41"771
11 - Roy Nissany (Dallara-Mercedes) - Mucke - 1'41"854
12 - Felix Serralles (Dallara-Mercedes) - Fortec - 1'41"882
13 - Raffaele Marciello (Dallara-Mercedes) - Prema - 1'41"931
14 - Jordan King (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Carlin - 1'41"993
15 - Mitchell Gilbert (Dallara-Mercedes) - Mucke - 1'42"048
16 - Andre Rudersdorf (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Ma Con - 1'42"063
17 - Eddie Cheever (Dallara-Mercedes) - Prema - 1'42"238
18 - Felix Rosenqvist (Dallara-Mercedes) - Mucke - 1'42"294
19 - Tatiana Calderon (Dallara-Mercedes) - Double R - 1'42"322
20 - Joshua Hill (Dallara-Mercedes) - Fortec - 1'42"443
21 - Mans Grenhagen (Dallara-Volkswagen) - Van Amersfoort - 1'42"481
22 - Richard Goddard (Dallara-Nissan) - T Sport - 1'42"482
23 - Sean Gelael (Dallara-Mercedes) - Double R - 1'42"606
24 - Michael Lewis (Dallara-Mercedes) - Ferraris - 1'42"997
25 - Dmitry Suranovich (Dallara-Mercedes) - Fortec - 1'43"265
26 - Michela Cerruti (Dallara-Mercedes) - Ferraris - 1'44"420
27 - Luis Derani (Dallara-Mercedes) - Fortec - no time
28 - Antonio Giovinazzi (Dallara-Mercedes) - Double R - no time

[olliek88]

Cheers Ross. Again, its only testing but .

[billm99uk]

Oooohhh he's faster than Lynn and Rosenqvist!

[Peat]

Fair. Play.