Jann Mardenborough has come into the limelight this year after the Gran Tourismo movie was released a few weeks back. In the movie, Jann was involved in a huge crash that saw the Nissan GTR car flying off the track. The accident took the life of a spectator.
There were a number of aspects that led to the car flying off the track. Let’s take a look at what led to Jann Mardenborough‘s car taking off from the track.
How did Jann Mardenborough’s car take off in Nurburgring?
The Nurburgring track is considered to be one of the most dangerous tracks for high-speed racing. It is also one of the longest circuits in the world. Jann raced in the Nurburgring in 2015 as a part of the VLN series. In that race, he had one of the worst accidents in motorsports history.
As Jann’s Nissan GT-R GT3 car approached the Flugplatz section of the track, the car just took off and went flying out of the track. They flew across the fence and landed near spectators. Unfortunately, one of the spectators lost their life due to the injuries sustained from the accident. Jann was also severely injured but was able to recover.
GT3 cars have much lesser downforce when compared to Formula 1 cars. While F1 cars are built to stick to the ground, there is not much downforce in GT cars. So while approaching the Flugplatz section on the Nurburgring, there was a lot of air pushing the car up. The Flugplatz section also consists of a rather steep slow that sent the car flying.
The Nissan GT-R GT3 car was also comparatively much bigger than the other cars. It also had a closed underbody which did not allow air to pass smoothly under the car. Due to this, there was a lot of air getting stuck under the car. This pushed the car up when Jann took it around Flugplatz. The car also had low fuel at the time of the accident which made the car much lighter.
These aspects caused Mardenborough’s car to take off on the Nurburgring.
Did Jann Mardenborough retire from racing after the accident?
Following the accident, Jann was in recovery for weeks. If the movie is accurate, he suffered a lot mentally after the crash. He apparently did not want to race again. However, he did get back in the car. Unlike other drivers, Jann had come into the world of motorsports through gaming. He mastered the Gran Tourismo game and was able to get a seat in the GT academy.
The real Jann Mardenborough, the crack #GranTurismo player who was recruited for racing by Team Nissan. Check out @granturismomovie on @netflix. #granturismo #racing #gt #granturismomovie #netflix pic.twitter.com/PT29iWnI2x
— TheLanJam 🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@thelanjampod) December 22, 2023
After his return, Jann got the opportunity to drive for Nissan during the Le Mans race. The British driver went on to claim a podium after his Le Mans debut. There is no doubt that the gamer has more than proved himself in Motorsports.
Mardenborough served as a simulator driver in the Formula E Championship for Nissan. This role is crucial for the development of the cars and setups as well. In 2023, he took part in a single race in the Super Taikyu Championship.