Our favourite blond-haired, Skyline-driving former shed-dwelling sim racer (Jimmy Broadbent, if that wasn’t obvious enough already…) is back with another epic 24 23-hour race to raise funds for mental health charity Mind.
First held in 2019 in memory of the late Alan Broadbent, the fifth running of the Race For Mental Health is this weekend. The 60-car grid will set off at just past 3 pm GMT/4 pm CET on Saturday 9th December.
“Initially we planned a 24-hour race, but I made a mistake setting up the server meaning it had to be restarted after an hour,” explains Broadbent to RaceDepartment.
“It seemed appropriate that the race was imperfect, so we’ve kept it as a 23-hour race ever since.”
The four-class event utilises the humble Mazda MX-5, rising through Ford Mustangs, GT4 and at the pinnacle, GT1 machines. It ends the following day at 2.05 pm GMT/3.05 pm CET hopefully having raised both awareness and funds for mental well-being.
“I started this race as a tribute to my father who unfortunately succumbed to his own demons when I was 13,” Broadbent tells us.
“There are so many people in racing and sim racing that suffer quietly, either due to stigma or just having no one to talk to.
“It’s my hope that this race has helped some people make that first step to recovery by reaching out to someone. Charities like Mind help that happen.”
You’ll be able to follow the action on his YouTube channel and donations are open right now via JustGiving.
Are you participating in this year’s Race For Mental Health? Let us know over on X @Overtake_gg or down in the comments below!
First held in 2019 in memory of the late Alan Broadbent, the fifth running of the Race For Mental Health is this weekend. The 60-car grid will set off at just past 3 pm GMT/4 pm CET on Saturday 9th December.
“Initially we planned a 24-hour race, but I made a mistake setting up the server meaning it had to be restarted after an hour,” explains Broadbent to RaceDepartment.
“It seemed appropriate that the race was imperfect, so we’ve kept it as a 23-hour race ever since.”
The four-class event utilises the humble Mazda MX-5, rising through Ford Mustangs, GT4 and at the pinnacle, GT1 machines. It ends the following day at 2.05 pm GMT/3.05 pm CET hopefully having raised both awareness and funds for mental well-being.
A Helping Hand
Last year, the event raised nearly £60,000 and grid spots for the latest running were snapped up within minutes. Across the four most recent runnings, the total raised has surpassed £200,000.
“I started this race as a tribute to my father who unfortunately succumbed to his own demons when I was 13,” Broadbent tells us.
“There are so many people in racing and sim racing that suffer quietly, either due to stigma or just having no one to talk to.
“It’s my hope that this race has helped some people make that first step to recovery by reaching out to someone. Charities like Mind help that happen.”
You’ll be able to follow the action on his YouTube channel and donations are open right now via JustGiving.
Are you participating in this year’s Race For Mental Health? Let us know over on X @Overtake_gg or down in the comments below!
