Neel Jani Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 7.75 in |
Weight | 70 kg |
Date of Birth | December 8, 1983 |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Spouse | Lauren Jani |
Neel Jani is a Swiss racing driver and TV personality. He is best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans racing event in 2016 driving for Porsche.
Born Name
Neel Jani
Nick Name
Neel
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Rorschach, Switzerland
Residence
Bellmund, Bern, Switzerland
Nationality
Occupation
Racing Driver, TV Personality
Family
- Father – Mukesh Jani (Amateur Racer)
- Siblings – Reena Jani (Sister)
Manager
Neel Jani is represented by –
- WWP-Group (Talent Agent, Manager) in Wien, Telfs, and Dornbirn in Austria
- Neel Jani PR (Publicist) in Jens, Bern, Switzerland
Car Number
- 1 – Rebellion Racing
- 12 – Rebellion Racing
- 18 – Porsche
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 7.75 in or 172 cm
Weight
70 kg or 154.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Neel Jani has dated –
- Lauren Jani – He is married to Lauren Jani, originally from Indianapolis, and they have a son born in 2018.
Race / Ethnicity
Mixed (White and Asian)
He is of Gujarati Indian descent on his paternal side and of Swiss descent on his maternal side.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Hazel
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Mole near his left eye
Brand Endorsements
Neel Jani has endorsed brands such as Stilo, WinForce Nutrition, and Scott Sports.
Religion
Christianity
Neel Jani Favorite Things
- Hobbies – Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing, Cycling, Barbecuing
- Swiss Food – Raclette
- Indian Food – Chicken Curry, Dal (Lentil Curry)
Source – Porsche, YouTube, Instagram
Neel Jani Facts
- He received his 1st go-kart at the age of 5 and entered his 1st race at the age of 8.
- His dad owned a red Porsche when Neel was very young. Neel thinks it might have been a foreshadowing of his career racing for Porsche.
- He started his racing career in karting in 1998. He stayed there until 2001 when he transferred to Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup.
- In 2006, Neel became the only person to drive in both Formula One and GP2 on the same day.
- One of his earliest major wins was the 2007-2008 season of A1 Grand Prix driving for A1 Team Switzerland. He finished runner-up in 2008-2009, after which the racing series folded.
- He had the chance to pose for a picture in James Dean‘s Porsche 550 Spyder car in April 2015.
- Neel won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 in a dramatic fashion. His rival, Japanese Toyota driver Kazuki Nakajima was in the lead, but his car broke down with only a single lap to go. He received a custom Rolex Daytona watch as the winner but had to get it resized to fit his wrist.
- Neel established a new track record at Spa-Francorchamps on April 9, 2018. He recorded a lap time of 1:41.770 minutes driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO car, over 12 seconds faster than the previous record.
- Neel was the 1st official factory driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team when they made their debut in the 2019-2020 season. He was teamed up with a Belgian-German racing driver, André Lotterer, on July 21, 2019.
- He practices his driving in a windowless room in Weissach, ‎Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a ‘black spider’. It is a 3-meter-high structure that has all the elements of a Porsche 99X Electric and simulates real-life driving in a Formula E car. The only thing he isn’t able to feel are the G-forces of accelerating and braking.
- Neel starts every day with a cup of coffee and also likes drinking tea.
- If he weren’t a racing driver, Neel would have been an accountant. He, like everyone in his family, loves numbers and mathematics.
- His ‘passion’ is being outdoors.
- The best advice he’s received is “treat people the way you’d like to be treated”.
- In 2019, he preferred Porsche Taycan over Porsche Panamera.
- A movie he’d like to star in is The Hangover (2009).
- Neel prefers Instagram over Facebook.
- He believes in the concept of karma.
Featured Image by David Merrett / Flickr / CC BY-2.0
He’s 72 kg