Jimmy Broadbent

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This article is about the racing driver. For the actor, see Jim Broadbent.
Jimmy Broadbent
Broadbent driving Praga R1 'Goldie' at Brands Hatch
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Full nameJames Alan Broadbent
Born (1991-06-13) 13 June 1991 (age 32)
Hastings, United Kingdom[1]
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie career
Debut season2023
Current teamTeam BILSTEIN by BLACK FALCON
Racing licence FIA Bronze
Previous series
2021
2022
Championship titles
2022Praga Cup
YouTube information
Personal information
Born
James Alan Broadbent
OriginHastings, United Kingdom
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Occupations
Channel
LocationUnited Kingdom
Years active2012–present
Genres
Subscribers911,000[2][3]
Total views299.7 million[3]
100,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: August 30, 2023

James Alan Broadbent (born 13 June 1991) is an English social media personality, commentator, and racing driver. He has over 900,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, with content related to gaming, sim racing, and real life racing. Broadbent most recently competed in the 2022 Praga Cup, in which he won the teams and drivers championships in with his entry Team87 and teammate Gordie Mutch.[4] He also commentates for the Gran Turismo World Series esports tournament.[5]

Broadbent's popularity has been partially attributed to his modest background, having lived in a shed in his mother's garden for a long period of time, and his honesty with personal struggles, both traits in stark contrast with the trend of internet celebrities portraying an artificial idyllic life.[6]

YouTube career[edit]

Broadbent began uploading content for YouTube in 2012, his first video being published in May of that year.[7] His early videos consisted of raw video game footage with no commentary from sim racing games such as rFactor. This would later develop into sim racing content with commentary throughout the years.[8] He reached 10,000 subscribers in 2017;[1] by 2018, he had around 86,000 subscribers.

In 14 April 2018, Broadbent was temporarily banned by YouTube while viewing Michael Dunlop's then-lap record from 2016 on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course on his stream. His stream was also terminated for use of copyrighted content, as entertainment distributor Duke Video held the rights to all Isle of Man TT content. Broadbent's ban was lifted the following day after Duke Video had lifted the claim on his livestream.[9]

On 4 June 2018, Broadbent reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.[10]

In November 2020, Jimmy raised over £71,000 for Mind in memory of his father, Alan Broadbent.[11] By the end of 2020, he had over 600,000 subscribers.[12]

Commentary role[edit]

Broadbent was invited by Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo video game series, to work as a commentator on their FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships.[5]

Racing career[edit]

In sim racing[edit]

In 2019, Broadbent took part in the annual iRacing 24 Hours of Le Mans in the iRacing video game, with teammates Adam David Hodgkinson and Nate Lupson with the 2016 Audi R18 LMP1 prototype sports car, and won their race overall.[13]On May 16th 2020, Broadbent Won the annual iRacing Indy 500.

Broadbent now has 2/3 of the sim racing Triple Crown of Motorsport

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Broadbent participated in Formula One's F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix exhibition series in the F1 2019 video game, taking part in the Bahrain round in a Racing Point RP19.[14] He fought McLaren driver Lando Norris for 4th place at the final lap of the race, with Broadbent ultimately taking the position at the final corner after a collision with Norris.[15] He later participated in the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual esports event in the rFactor 2 video game, piloting an Aston Martin Vantage GTE for Mahle Racing alongside former IndyCar Series driver Robert Wickens, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters driver Ferdinand Habsburg and sim racer Kevin Rotting.[16] They classified in 46th place overall and 17th place in their class.

Broadbent returned to the event in 2022, racing a Porsche 911 RSR GTE for Team Project 1 x BPM, alongside René Buttler, Bram Beelen and Tim Neuendorf.[17] In the end, the team finished in 33rd place overall and 14th place in their class. The following event in 2023 saw him race a BMW M8 GTE for Mahle Racing, driving alongside FIA World Endurance Championship and W Series driver Beitske Visser and sim racers Muhammed Patel and Michele D’Alessandro.[18] The team qualified in 7th place setting a time of 3:46.894 and then in the race, finished in 9th place and 32nd place overall scoring 4 points.

In real-life motorsport[edit]

Broadbent competing in the Club Time Attack Championship in the Pocket Rocket Class.

2021: Racing debut[edit]

In 2021, it was announced that Broadbent would take part in the 2021 Britcar Endurance Championship with Team J2 Praga, driving the Praga R1 alongside Jem Hepworth in the Praga class.[19] At the season opening round in Silverstone Circuit, Broadbent and Hepworth would finish 6th and 8th in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively. In the following round in Snetterton Circuit, the duo would retire in Race 1, but would come back to finish 10th in Race 2. The third round at Oulton Park saw the team struggle, as the two drivers would gather 23rd place and 12th place finishes in both races. At the second Silverstone round in Round 4, they would score a 6th place finish. Due to a support race fatality, the next round in Brands Hatch was cancelled. For the final race of the season, it was announced that Gordie Mutch would be replacing Hepworth as Broadbent's teammate to compete in Donington Park. Donington would prove to be the team's most successful race of the year, as Broadbent and Mutch would sweep the round and win both races, allowing the team to finish 5th overall in the championship standings.[20]

2022: Praga Cup title[edit]

In March 2022, Broadbent founded his racing team, Team87.[2][21] Team87 signed a multi-year partnership deal with German sim racing peripheral manufacturer Fanatec in August of that year.[22] The next month, Bell Sports became the team's official helmet manufacturer.[23]

Broadbent and Mutch would race again as teammates in 2022 for Team87, this time participating in the inaugural 2022 Praga Cup season.[24] The team experienced a solid start in the first three rounds of the season, scoring two podiums and a 9th place finish. At the fourth round, Broadbent and Mutch would take the chequered flag in the lead, however, they were disqualified post-race during scrutineering after a turbocharger issue was discovered on the team's Praga R1.[25] They would win the next Snetterton race, however, as well as four additional wins in the next six races afterwards in Silverstone and Donington, allowing the team to clinch the drivers' and teams' championships at the end of the season.[4] The championship victory gave Broadbent his first motorsport title as both a driver and team owner.

2023: Nürburgring Endurance Series[edit]

In December 2022, it was announced that Broadbent would be taking part in testing of the 2023 BMW M4 GT4 in the Circuito de Almería in Spain with BMW Motorsport.[26]

As of April 2024, Broadbent competes with a FIA Bronze racing licence.[27] On 03 June, Broadbent released a video on YouTube announcing that he would be participating in the Nürburgring Endurance Series for 2023 alongside sim racing YouTubers Misha Charoudin and Steve Alvarez Brown (Super GT). The trio will be part of a Bilstein-organized VT2 class entry, driving a heavily modified BMW 330i by Black Falcon.[28]

2024: New machinery and 24 Hours of Nürburgring[edit]

For the 2024 NLS season Broadbent is competing in a BMW M4 GT4 of Team Bilstein. Charoudin and Brown are also part of the team again and they are joined by the 2016 24 Hours of Nürburgring overall winner, Manuel Metzger. It was also announced that the team will compete in the 2024 24 Hours of Nürburgring for the first time. They will complete in the SP8T class in the NLS and N24H.[29]

Personal life[edit]

Broadbent's father, Alan, died by suicide when Jimmy was only 13 years old after struggling from alcoholism and depression.[30]

In an interview with DriveTribe in 2020, Broadbent told that around 2014, he "lost everything" due to depression and other mental health issues, especially regarding sociability. He lost his job, his house and his fiancée broke up with him. He stated that he had struggled and still struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts.

With nowhere to live, he moved to a shed in his mother's house's garden. He stayed there and also produced content from there. The shed eventually became an inside joke of Broadbent and his YouTube community.[31] In 2021, Broadbent bought his own house and currently lives there.[32] Broadbent also owns 5 cars, a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32),[33] Nissan 350Z, Nissan GT-R (R35),[34] first-generation Subaru Impreza WRX RA,[35] and a modified Mazda MX-5 (NA).[36]

Racing record[edit]

Racing career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2021 Britcar Endurance Championship - Praga Team J2 Praga 9 2 0 0 2 171 5th
2022 Praga Cup Fanatec Praga Team87 11 5 2 3 7 285 1st
2023 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-R+4WD Black Falcon Team Bilstein 4 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
2024 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP8T Team Bilstein by Black Falcon 2 1 0 0 1 7 1st*

* Season still in progress.

Complete Britcar results[edit]

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC CP Points
2021 Team J2 Praga Praga R1 (Mk5) Praga SIL1
1
6 		SIL1
2
8 		SNE
1
Ret 		SNE
2
10 		OUL
1
23 		OUL
2
12 		SIL2
1
6 		BRH
1
C 		BRH
2
C 		DON
1
1 		DON
2
1 		5th 5th 171

Complete Praga Cup results[edit]

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
2022 Fanatec Praga Team87 Praga R1 (Mk5) SIL1
1
4 		SIL1
2
9 		OUL
1
2 		SNE
1
DSQ 		SNE
2
1 		SIL2
1
6 		SIL2
1
1 		DON1
1
1 		DON1
2
4 		DON2
1
1 		DON2
2
1 		1st 285

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Culmer, Kris (29 May 2021). "How Jimmy Broadbent is swapping sim racing for real motorsport". autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Harrison-Lord, Thomas (5 June 2022). "The sim racing star shining the spotlight on national motorsport". Autosport. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b "About Jimmy Broadbent". YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "How two sim racers won a national motorsport championship". www.motorsport.com. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  5. ^ a b Channell, Mike (29 November 2019). "How Gran Turismo gets esports right". topgear.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  6. ^ Krustofski, Nana (24 September 2020). "Jimmy Broadbent: How YouTube Transformed His Life". Overtake. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ^ 001 - Rfactor AE86 Club 2.00 @ Tsukuba, retrieved 2023-04-07
  8. ^ "The sim racing star shining the spotlight on national motorsport". www.autosport.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  9. ^ "YouTube's algorithm is causing havoc for gaming livestreamers". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  10. ^ Mukans, Sandis (3 June 2020). "Jimmy Broadbent's PC Specs & Sim Racing Equipment". streamerwiz.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  11. ^ Riekes, Alina (10 December 2020). "Jimmy Broadbent hosted his second Race for Mental Health". overtake.gg. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  12. ^ Riekes, Alina (30 December 2020). "Jimmy Broadbent is OverTake's Hero of the Month for December". overtake.gg. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  13. ^ Our Biggest Sim Racing Achievement | 24 Hours Of Le Mans Highlights, retrieved 2022-02-23
  14. ^ "RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Guanyu Zhou takes victory in a thrilling Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix". formula1.com. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ^ Leporati, Gregory (23 April 2020). "Virtual races are drawing millions of viewers. Sim racers and streamers are seizing the moment". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  16. ^ Broadbent, Jimmy (29 May 2021). "How Jimmy Broadbent is swapping sim racing for real motorsport". Autocar. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  17. ^ Melillo, Justin (14 January 2022). "Jimmy Broadbent joins 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual". Traxion. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  18. ^ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (13 January 2023). "Jimmy Broadbent: "I'm honoured to be back" for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual". Traxion.gg. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Sim racing star Jimmy Broadbent joins Praga for real-world 2021 Britcar campaign". pragaofficial.com. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  20. ^ "DONINGTON PARK DELIGHT FOR SEVERAL BARC CHAMPIONSHIPS".
  21. ^ "Announcing Team87 by Jimmy Broadbent". Team87.gg. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  22. ^ "Fanatec x Jimmy Broadbent". Team87.gg. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  23. ^ "Bell Racing Partners Team87". Team87.gg. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  24. ^ "Global sim-racing superstar Jimmy Broadbent returns with Praga for 2022 | PRAGA". Praga Global. 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  25. ^ s.r.o, Praga Export (2022-05-20). "Rollercoaster weekend at Praga Cup as new faces join the championship | PRAGA". Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  26. ^ "Twitter post by Jimmy Broadbent". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  27. ^ "FIA - Driver categorisation". driverscategorisation.fia.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  28. ^ Jimmy Broadbent (2023-06-03). "MASSIVE NEWS!!! - I'm Going To Be Racing At The Nurburgring!!!". YouTube.
  29. ^ "Raceteam". BILSTEIN Performance. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  30. ^ @JimmyBroadbent (September 17, 2019). "So...here we go.On the 12th/13 of October i'll be holding a 24 hour endurance charity race to benefit…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Meet the YouTuber who lives in a shed but owns an R32 Skyline GT-R, retrieved 2022-02-22
  32. ^ Jimmy Broadbent has moved out of his shed! – House tour, retrieved 2022-02-22
  33. ^ I Bought One Of My Dream Cars, retrieved 2023-02-02
  34. ^ I've Wanted To Own This Car For 12 Years, retrieved 2023-02-02
  35. ^ I Bought A Rare Version Of A JDM Legend, retrieved 2023-02-02
  36. ^ Time Attack MX5, retrieved 2023-02-02
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