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Johor Motorsports JMR has announced the addition of a Pro Corvette entry into next month’s Suzuka 1000km, reprising its 2025 podium-finishing lineup of Scott McLaughlin, Alexander Sims and Nicky Catsburg.
The Malaysian team entered a Pro class Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, won the Pro-Am class at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, with its Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign set to continue in Japan on Sept. 11-13.
Now it has confirmed it will return with the same lineup that finished third overall in last year’s Suzuka 1000km, with NTT IndyCar Series star McLaughlin making his second outing with the team together with Corvette factory aces Catsburg and Sims.
JMR’s Pro effort comes alongside its previously-confirmed Pro-Am class entry for Princes Jefri and Abu Bakar Ibrahim and Ben Green, who is set for his Suzuka debut.
Prince Jefri, who also serves as team principal, commented: “I’m really happy to have Alexander Sims, Scott McLaughlin and Nicky Catsburg in the Pro car. I’ve given the drivers the freedom to be completely transparent about whatever needs working on.
“The most important thing is a good result, and with their experience and speed, I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can do.
“This is just the beginning of JMR’s future with the Pro car. We’re still a young team, but we’re heading in the right direction, and the success we’ve found with Corvette has been a great start.
“I just want to keep improving as a driver, improve the car, and improve the team, so we’re strong in the bigger races we want to take on in the future.”
Catsburg previously told Sportscar365 that he had “high hopes” of again contesting the Japanese enduro with the team.
Corvette Racing program manager Andrea Hidalgo added: “It’s very exciting to see JMR step up again to the Pro class at the Suzuka 1000km with Alexander, Nicky and Scott in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
“They are three world-class drivers, and everyone at Corvette Racing and our fans are looking forward to watching them go up against the best GT teams and drivers on the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s global stage.
“JMR’s success – four race wins in less than two years – with the Corvette has been impressive; we’re extremely proud of the success from Prince Jefri, Prince Abu Bakar and the whole JMR team, and can’t wait to see how both entries perform at Suzuka.”
JMR has become the first team to confirm a Pro class entry for the Suzuka 1000km, for which a provisional entry list has yet to be released.
