Jann Mardenborough, GT Academy Europe’s 2011 winner, has achieved his first pole position in international competition, less than a year after he first sat in a racing car. Even more impressively, he’s managed this feat at the Nürburgring and on his first visit to the track!
Round 2 of the British GT Championship runs as a support race this year to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. In yesterday’s qualifying for the first race, Jann guided the RJN Motorsports Nissan Nismo GT-R GT3 around the GP/F track in 1’43.793, beating his nearest competitor by nearly six-tenths of a second. Jann was, understandably, pleased:
“I’m feeling pretty good at the moment. That’s my first ‘proper’ pole position as a professional racing driver. I had to work hard for it though. We tried a few things during free practice and going into qualifying we thought we would be okay but the car felt better than ever so I went for it!”
His success marks another milestone on both his career and the success of GT Academy, the latest version of which is currently underway, giving yet more evidence that the Academy programme really does find the next generation of motor racing stars. In the words of Nissan Europe’s General Manager, Darren Cox:
“The results speak for themselves. Pole position means you are the fastest amongst your peers. End of story. I think we’ve proved, yet again, that GT Academy isn’t just a marketing activity or a reality show. It’s the real thing and it finds real talent.”
The hour long Race 3 of the British GT Championship starts at 15.30GMT on Friday 18th May, with Race 4 following at 08.00GMT on Saturday 19th May ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. You can keep up with Jann’s progress on Radio Le Mans with live text updates on the British GT Twitter account.
Images courtesy of britishgt.com and Nissan
See more articles on Jann Mardenborough and Nurburgring 24 Hours 2012.
Incredible. Go & good luck Jann!
Considering there is a racing season going on, PD probably won’t have time to access the car right now anyway as they would be in use and it would be cumbersome to accommodate all their photographers and equipment in the paddock. Possibly after the season is over or when the team retires a car for the season. This car does look sweet, but I wonder what other GT3 cars there are that could also make it into the game? I can see GT6 having a lot more cars like these in it along with more DTM and Super GT cars too. Now is the next DLC going to drop us back into Twin Ring Motegi, I aches for this awesome course.
Congratulations Jann, keep up the good work.
Respect.
+1
Very nice Jann congratulations! And of course it is at least in some small part marketing how do you think they pay the bills man. The fact that they offer people the chance to live their dreams at all is good enough for me.
HAHA to all the haters, doubters, PC sim and forza fanboys,
BOW DOWN SON!!!!
Jann is straight beastblood, and this is proof
I think compared to Bryan, Jordan & Lucas, Jann’s story is the most fascinating only because hes the youngest, so u can be sure he had no prior racing experience before GT Academy.His knowledge of tracks and his ability to translate his gaming skills to the real deal is testament to the FACT,that gt5 is the greatest racing/driving simulator of any system period.
I really also hope we get that R35 RC pictured above in gt5 really soon.
I would agree, overall GT5 is the best driving game/sim, but it still can be improved. It’s not quite as realistic as possible and if it was, I think it would be even better for producing great drivers like Jann.
That’s quite subjective. I’m sure if any other racing sim had an academy like GT does it would create racers just as good or better than Jann. So it’s not fact it’s your opinion wishing to be fact.
This is reality not fantasy, we dont say IF or WISHING here on gt5. GT5 is the ONLY sim making it happen which makes it the best. GT5 is turning gamers into racers and let’s not forget that Kazunori is STILL the ONLY game producer who is a pure hands down RACE CAR DRIVER out there winning races in the worlds most demanding races. So SUBJECTIVELY speaking no other sim can produce an academy with drivers better than jann because no one has FACT. I also get that gt5 can be improved but so is every other race sim on every other system, so that stills put gt5 as the best simulator period with room for improvement.
would be funny if that car is in the final challenge of the current academy… ;-)
Haha. I always laugh when I see Jann in the photo. Saying “It was a piece of cake.” XD You rock Jann. :) +1
Will there be a #35 GT-R Jann Mardenborough Edition for purchase?
I also wonder if you guys will cover the 24hours of the Nurburgring? Team GTAcademy is participating and after Qualifying 2 they sit 47th overall. Yamauchi is one of the pilots, along with Ordonez.
We’re going to have full coverage of the event. Check the latest post on the blog here.
The GP/F layout is the Formula 1 track (in GT5). If he dd a 1:43xxx in a GTR that’d be good enough to qualify on the pace of LMP1 cars. In the British GT series, they bypass the Mercedes arena. F1 used to run that track layout up until 2001.
Well done Jann, really pleased for you.
P3 at the end, 20 seconds behind, the team sent Alex Buncombe to early on the track after the pitstop, so they got a stop and go penalty and lost the race by this.
thanks for the updates man! very cool.
Jann gave the car to Alex Buncombe, there are 23 minutes to race and team RJN is 16 seconds ahead.
Jann is doing really well, after 10 minutes he is still on P1 and about 5.5 seconds ahead.
Go Jann!
Epic performance RJN and Jann!
Congratz Jann for getting the pole position and fastest. Things are going very well this year. Keep up the good work guys. :)
Cool, good for Jann
So Kaz……..why can’t we have this livery in the game? Or better yet a replica of this car with its actual performance characteristics programmed in. Not like the slew of carbon copy touring cars last released. Why can’t we change the color and decals on the toruing/race cars already in the game to make them look like we want them to?
Still have hope of expanded car paint options, fixing suspension settings and having the cars perform like their real life counterparts.
And for God’s sake some Porsches to drive. GT6 and PS4 can’t get here fast enough.
Jesus Christ, this is an article for a guy who had achieved his first ever pole position in real motorsport, and you’re here complaining? What the hell? If you’re here to complain, take it to the other GT5 related articles. People like you are the reason we can’t get nice things.
And that aside – Congratulations to Jann and the team.
@ghskilla – As much as I agree with you, “People like you are the reason we can’t get nice things” …These kinds of statements really bother me. In the end, the lack of content will not be PDs fault, but the fault of complainers on GTPlanet, which I’m pretty sure they don’t check.
I must say I agree with MyFavoriteGame. It’s freakin annoying… >:,
congratulations on that. Great achievement
It IS still just a marketing exercise. Sure they’ve found the drivers but they haven’t gone off into the motorsport world have they, they’re still driving Nissan cars plastered in GT Academy stickers.
You’re kidding right? Not in the motorsport world? Just because they are driving for Nissan factory teams doesn’t mean they are not in the “motorsport world”. I must admit, of everyone on this site I find you have one of the worst attitudes towards everything I have ever seen.
I have to agree with Turbo .. that is a shocking attitude. Sure, I’m as cynical as the next dude, and I completely agree that it is a marketing exercise, but that in no way whatsoever detracts from Jann’s achievement here. To say otherwise is truly unfair to him and even his competitors.
that attitude is referred to as envy or jealousy, pick 1.
…add a dash of stupid too.
This is fantastic and is a real kick in the teeth to all the doubters and haters of the academy, those who say it’s just a marketing excercise. What Jann and the team have achieved here is nothing short of amazing and i wish them all the best and hope they get the result we’re all hoping for. Does anybody know if it’s being shown live and if so what channel’s it on?
That’s just amazing. Driving race cars for only a year and this is his first time at the ‘Ring in real life.
Congratulations Jann!
That’s an amazing acheivment
Well done Jann
“he’s managed this feat at the Nürburgring and on his first visit to the track!”
this is very cool!
game seems to give him the edge on the whole getting to know the track bit.
best of luck to the team.
Totally awesome! :D
Congrats Jann, and the best of luck for the race 3!
And the rest of the competition too!
After that showing I don’t think anyone can slag him off and say he’s not as good as the previous GT Academy Drivers. Congrats on your Pole Jann. You’ve definately earned that spot for sure.
Fantastic. Must have been delirious for him.
Good luck Jann!
Wish we could see the pole lap, anyway Congratulations Jann.
CONGRATULATIONS JANN !!!
Living the dream ;)
Congratulations Jann. Awesome…:-))…
That is awesome!!!!!
Congrats, Jann!
Good luck on your race!
Wow! Good luck
Yes!