Kiwi Earl Bamber is one of a seven-strong squad of world-class drivers to contest next month’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12-Hour endurance race with Johor Motorsports Racing Team (JMR). It will also be Corvette’s first-ever outing at the legendary event, signalling an exciting new era for the brand’s GT3 campaign.
Alongside His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Panglima of Johor (HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim) and HH Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Putera of Johor (HH Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim) will be a new Pro team starring Corvette Racing factory pilots Alexander Sims, Nicky Catsburg and Earl Bamber.
JMR’s regular Pro drivers Ben Green and Jordan Love will join HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim and HH Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim as the four drivers fight for glory in the Pro-Am class with the #99 car.
Bathurst has previously been a happy hunting ground for HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim, with the team owner and principal securing three Pro-Am podium results there between 2022 and 2024.
For the 2026 race, both of JMR’s teams will drive the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R that they’ve used to win races and take podiums in the 2025 GT World Challenge Asia championship and Suzuka 1000 endurance race.
The Bathurst 12-Hour will be just the second time that JMR has fielded a Pro-only team; in its debut at September’s Suzuka 1000 the Pro team surged to a memorable overall podium result.
Bathurst will also herald a first-ever JMR appearance for decorated New Zealand endurance racer Earl Bamber. The 35-year-old Corvette Racing factory driver is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 and 2017 and secured victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2023.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to Bathurst and getting back in the Corvette with Nicky and Alex,” commented Bamber. “I had really great times with them at IMSA in 2024, and I’m excited to work with them again. I know a lot of the JMR guys as well, and they’re putting out fast cars with the Corvettes. Hopes are high. I can’t wait to get back to one of the greatest races in the world.”
Dutchman Nicky Catsburg was on the same winning team as Bamber at Nürburgring, and bookmarked his first appearance with JMR with a podium at Suzuka alongside Scott McLaughlin and Alexander Sims.
Sims was a 2025 regular Pro driver for JMR as the team contested the GT World Challenge Asia championship, but Bathurst will pose an all-new challenge for the Englishman. Despite his vast racing experience around the world as a Corvette Racing driver, this will be Sims’ first time setting foot on the hallowed Bathurst tarmac.
The same is also true for Ben Green: the British Pro driver has been a JMR mainstay since the team moved to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R last year, but the upcoming Bathurst 12-Hour will be his first experience racing around Mt Panorama.
The two English drivers will be able to call upon the experience of Australian Pro driver Jordan Love for any local knowledge. Love played a crucial role in his team’s P4 result at the 2023 Bathurst 12-Hour.
The Bathurst 12-Hour is the first major event on Australia’s motorsport calendar for 2026, and marks the opening stop of the Intercontinental GT Challenge that spans four continents over five rounds.
From 13-15 February, a total of 36 GT3 cars across 12 brands will take the grid for this legendary race, which will be livestreamed via the GT World YouTube channel.
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