The Race for Mental Health returns this weekend.
This weekend will see reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen, former IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, current GT3 pro driver Daniel Morad and a host of top SIM racers take part in the Race for Mental Health; a 23-hour event hosted by influencer Jimmy Broadbent to raise money for charity.
The race takes place on November 9-10, with the biggest names in sim racing, and real-world racing, competing to win an endurance race like no other. The 23-hour competition will see the teams race around Zolder, with more than a few unusual things happening throughout the event, such as random safety cars, bought penalties and karaoke with voice chats.
It’s all organized by sim racing influencer Jimmy Broadbent, who created the race as a way to raise money for charities supporting those struggling with mental health and to honor his late father. Not only are those competing required to make a donation to Mind, a UK charity that helps those struggling with mental health, but spectators watching the race are also encouraged to donate. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so via the race’s JustGiving page.
“I wanted to give something back to the community that had been so kind to me,” says Broadbent. “The reason I got on YouTube was as a way to distract myself from my mental health issues. And because I was quite open and honest about those things, people seemed to gravitate towards me that way, and I found myself around people who had their own problems. So it was only right that, given that a lot of my community seemed to be suffering in the same way that I was, that we do something about it and try to raise some money for a good cause.”
The race has been running for several years at this point, raising almost £300,000 and becoming a much-loved event in the sim racing community. So much so that not only the biggest names in sim racing are eager to get involved, real world drivers also want a place in the race, including the best in the world.
“I don’t go after people, if they want to come and participate, they want to come and participate,” Broadbent said. “For Max [Verstappen]he actually appeared last year as an undercover on another team. I didn’t know he was racing until he was on the track with us. And not only did he compete, but he donated a large portion of his money to the cause, which is amazing. My main goal was to raise as much money as possible for this charity. So to have the current F1 world champion, to have an IndyCar legend and to have a current GT driver is very cool.”
It’s a similar story for people like Tony Kanaan, who has also raced before and donated significant amounts of his own money, Daniel Morad and a massive range of influencers from within and sometimes outside the sim racing community. When there’s an entertainment event that’s doing something good in the world, people want to get involved, and with the chaos that Broadbent has built into the event, along with countless ways to watch with almost every team having their own broadcast. , there’s plenty of fun for fans.
If you’re looking for something to keep you entertained over the weekend, especially with the absence of an F1 race, you could do a lot worse than tune in to the Race for Mental Health. Almost all the majors involved will stream on their own channels, including Broadbent, so you can find a stream to suit what you’re looking for. I cleared my weekend to watch with him and got enough food to last all 23 hours!
While the race is, of course, designed to raise money for Mind, its creator also hopes it can directly help those struggling with their mental health. After losing his father as a teenager to mental health, Broadbent hopes the race can be the thing that helps one more person seek help and start taking the steps toward recovery.
“I hope this race acts as a catalyst for people to pick up the phone, email someone or just reach out to someone if they’re struggling,” Broadbent said, “It’s cliché, but I’m a firm believer in a shared problem is a problem halved, and just talking to someone is an amazing first step.And this race and the charity we benefit from, Mind, has it do with it, that’s their mentality. So I think it’s important to get that message out.”