Is Gran Turismo star Jann Mardenborough heading for Le Mans return with Ford?

For Jann Mardenborough, it dates again to a self-promise in 2021.

The 2011 GT Academy winner was at a crossroads in life, having simply departed the Nissan Tremendous GT programme, which left him with no full-time drive for the 12 months.

It marked not solely the tip of a five-year stint contesting Japan’s high sportscar championship, however doubtlessly the tip of an expert profession that spanned a decade. His choices had been slim, the world was nonetheless battling COVID-19, however Mardenborough was decided to drive his means “again to the highest of motorsport”.

The journey was clearly powerful. Mardenborough revealed instances of self-doubt, and the most effective he might muster was a simulator function for the Nissan System E workforce throughout 2021 and 2022.

However now, after three one-off races since 2023, which Mardenborough believes saved his “foot within the door”, the 33-year-old has lastly landed a full-time racing seat as soon as once more. He’ll contest the 2025 GT World Problem Europe season aboard a factory-backed Ford Mustang GT3 alongside co-drivers Thomas Drouet and Arjun Maini.

“It is taken longer than I anticipated,” Mardenborough tells Motorsport.com, “it could have been good to have executed it a bit faster, however I’m proud that I managed to seek out the precise individuals to encompass myself with to place a package deal collectively the place I can present my efficiency.

“I’ve nonetheless received ambitions and targets I might like to attain, and I’ve received extra to do. There was time to actually mirror inside these 4 years to take a seat down and ask myself: ‘Do I wish to proceed to do that? Do I wish to proceed to push by means of the arduous instances of ache and rejection?’ – and sure…it’s at all times been sure.”

Mardenborough has already had a stable profession so far, claiming wins in British GT, the GP3 Collection, Tremendous GT and Japanese System 3. Let’s additionally not overlook his class podium on debut on the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2013.

Mardenborough shone on his Le Mans debut, along with his Greaves Motorsport-entered Zytek taking third within the LMP2 class

Photograph by: Eric Gilbert

However what Mardenborough is arguably most recognized for is the Gran Turismo movie launched in 2023 that’s primarily based on his profession. As a result of the Cardiff native has a narrative like no different.

All he ever needed was to develop into an expert racer, but his household was unable to fund karting and the opposite conventional routes into motorsport. This left on-line racing as the one avenue for a younger Mardenborough to be in contact along with his ardour.

And it initially appeared that stated ardour would maintain him again in a means. He headed off to check motorsport engineering at college, however quickly dropped out with no thought of what to do for a future profession, pondering driving was out of the query.

He spoke of a parallel universe the place he’s “designing furnishings for DFS”. That would simply have been a actuality had it not been for the GT Academy, a sim racing competitors he utilized for throughout his hole 12 months.

The purpose of the competitors was easy: to find a future racer by way of on-line occasions, through which Mardenborough overcame over 90,000 different sim racing fans to develop into champion.

His prize? An expert contract with Nissan to kickstart an extended and profitable profession offering alternatives {that a} teenage Mardenborough by no means thought was doable.

So it’s fairly the story, one which has impressed loads of others. As Mardenborough enters a “utterly new chapter”, he’s conscious that it’s not simply him this time, however many others who’re hoping to emulate the Welshman.

“The state of affairs is sort of totally different to 2011,” he says, “as a result of I’ve many individuals that look as much as me.

Mardenborough desires to stay as much as his newfound function mannequin standing

Photograph by: Paragraph5-4Pros

“It at all times surprises me, the messages that I get – particularly from the youthful viewers – those who have gotten into motorsport as a result of they’ve watched the movie. So that’s one thing which I am very blessed with.

“When issues are tough, I can pull out and go ‘OK, it is not simply you now, it is different those who have a look at you, so suck it up and get on with it’.”

The stress to ship is subsequently on Mardenborough, beginning with this weekend’s six-hour season-opener at Circuit Paul Ricard. He’s “assured that I can get on the tempo right away”, however maybe extra importantly, Mardenborough is at an organisation that seems like a real house.

“I’ve moved into a brand new setting with a producer desirous to make its identify loud in sportscars and GT racing,” he states.

“So there’s room for me to develop. I really feel I’ve worth that I can provide, not solely as velocity, however as expertise as nicely, right into a workforce and package deal that does not wish to do a one-year factor, they wish to compete with huge boys. They offer me plenty of confidence that they wish to win.”

Mardenborough will share this manufacturing unit Ford Mustang GT3 with Thomas Drouet and Arjun Maini

Photograph by: Haupt Racing Group

The alternatives {that a} profitable marketing campaign in GT World Problem might deliver are countless. However there is just one purpose on Mardenborough’s thoughts, and that’s to formally develop into “a Ford manufacturing unit driver”.

Ford has lately been making headlines within the sportscar world. Its historical past throughout the house is nicely documented, 4 consecutive wins at Le Mans within the late Nineteen Sixties for instance, nevertheless it hopes the story is just not but over.

That’s as a result of the American marque has already introduced that it’ll return to Circuit de la Sarthe to struggle for total honours in 2027, as a part of an LMDh programme within the World Endurance Championship – one thing that’s “completely” on Mardenborough’s thoughts.

“Let’s not beat across the bush, that is the place I wish to be,” he concludes. “It is why I received into the programme within the first place. In fact, individuals discuss of the push to probably be doing Hypercar, so that could be a ladder.

“I imagine I’ve the credentials, expertise and velocity to be a manufacturing unit driver. That is the place I really feel I can discover plenty of worth, and this can be a good place for me to be proper now.

“I can solely take it day-to-day. It is on the market, I do not understand how it’ll be achieved, what route I am going to take, however so long as I am doing my finest – on monitor, off monitor – then what will likely be, will likely be.”

Will the upcoming GTWCE marketing campaign act as a springboard in direction of Le Mans for the Briton?

Photograph by: Haupt Racing Group