News
13 August 2025
Three-time Supercars champion and current IndyCar driver, Scott McLaughlin, has been announced as part of Johor Motorsports Racing’s all-star team to contest the 2025 Suzuka 1000 endurance race next month.
As part of JMR’s new Pro team for the event, McLaughlin will share driving duties of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with Corvette Factory Racing pilots Alex Sims (England) and Nicky Catsburg (Netherlands).
The 32-year-old New Zealander won the Australian Supercars Championship three times from 2018 to 2020 before heading to the US to contest the IndyCar Series with the renowned Team Penske. Driving the #3 Dallara-Chevrolet, McLaughlin has finished third overall the past two seasons.
Fellow Pro driver Alex Sims teamed up with HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim for JMR’s first win on debut with the Corvette GT3 car at Sepang to start 2025 on the best-possible note. While Suzuka will mark Nicky Catsburg’s first appearance with JMR, he’s no stranger to the circuit, having contested the race there in 2019.
While the team is used to success and pushing the limit, expanding the team and lining up for the 49th edition of the Suzuka 1000 is a significant step up for the Malaysia-based JMR outfit.
Although the two-car Pro-Am team currently holds the series’ lead in the GT World Challenge Asia championship and successfully completed its first-ever Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa last month, Suzuka marks the first time that JMR has fielded a Pro-only team.
Also lining up at Suzuka, Malaysian princes and brothers – His Highness Prince Jefri Ibrahim and His Highness Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim – will partner with Finnish GT driver Konsta Lappalainen in the Pro-Am class.
HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim leads the GT World Challenge Asia championship with three round wins to his name, while HH Prince Abu Bakar finished on the podium at the most recent round at Fuji, Japan.
Worldwide, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R has won eight races this year in five different series, including endurance races such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Qatar 1812km.
After a five-year hiatus, 2025 marks the return of the Suzuka 1000 as part of the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge. From 12-14 September a total of 30 GTA-GT300-spec cars will take the grid for this legendary race, with the 1000km race livestreamed via the GT World YouTube channel.
HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim: “We’ve had a tight calendar this year, but the Suzuka 1000 has always been a race I wanted to do. Having a JMR Pro car has always been the plan; we chose Alex and Nicky as they both race Corvettes and have lots of experience with the cars and the team. We wanted an awesome lineup, so to have Scott McLaughlin, who is also part of the GM family, and now part of JMR, will be a really great addition. Personally, I’m feeling confident and really looking forward to racing at Suzuka alongside my brother in the same car. We have three wins already this year, and the more laps I get in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R the more comfortable I become. I’m really happy with how this season has gone so far for the team and our partnership GM and Chevrolet. We’re both on the same page – we want success, and most importantly, we’re thinking of our long-term plans together with Chevrolet and Corvette Racing.”
Scott McLaughlin: “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the JMR team heading to Suzuka for the 1000km. I’ve always wanted to race Suzuka and it’s a bucket-list track for me. It’ll be an exciting race there in the Pro class with my GM friends Nicky Catsburg and Alex Sims, who are two amazing Corvette racers. I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot about the team and more about the Corvette, which I haven’t raced since Daytona. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel, have a lot of fun, and hopefully come back with some silverware.”
Nicky Catsburg: “Suzuka in the Corvette is something that I’m massively looking forward to, and being part of JMR’s Pro line-up is very cool. I’m excited that I get to race with my good friend and Pratt Miller team-mate Alexander, and with Scott. He’s a very, very talented driver who already has some experience in the Corvette at Daytona, and I’m looking forward to working with him and the whole Johor Motorsports Racing team. Hopefully this means I could work more with JMR in the future – I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the team from Alex, so I cannot wait for it.”
Alex Sims: “I’m really excited to race at Suzuka with JMR in the Pro class. It’s a circuit that I’ve watched a lot of racing at over the years, but have never driven myself. It’s been awesome to be a small part of JMR’s quick progression this year with their new Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in Asia and Spa 24-Hour. The team has done a superb job, and now, to share one of their cars with Scott and Nicky is a real privilege. I want to make the most of the opportunity and believe we have a package that can fight at the front.”
Jessica Dane, Corvette Racing Program Manager: “It’s tremendously exciting to see JMR step up to the Pro class at the Suzuka 1000 with Alexander, Nicky and Scott with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. They are three world-class drivers and everyone at Corvette Racing is looking forward to watching them go up against the best GT teams and drivers on the Intercontinental GT Challenge global stage. JMR’s success with three race wins so far in their first year with the Corvette has been impressive. We’re extremely proud of our partnership with Prince Jefri, Prince Abu Bakar and the whole JMR team, and can’t wait to see how both entries perform at Suzuka.”
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