A near-flawless performance from Pro drivers Nicky Catsburg, Scott McLaughlin and Alexander Sims has seen the Johor Motorsports Racing Team charge to a hard-fought third overall at the iconic Suzuka 1000 endurance race.
Three-time Australian Supercars champion and IndyCar Series racer McLaughlin started the gruelling six-and-a-half-hour race from ninth spot on the grid. A clean, mature performance from the New Zealander saw him move the #2 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R up to P6 before handing the car to Sims.
“Working with Nicky, Alex and the entire JMR team this weekend has been fantastic,” said McLaughlin. “We had great pit-stops and I’m really proud of this result.
“It was hot out there and I got caught behind some slow cars at the start of the race, but the car had plenty of pace. I’m proud of Nicky for holding on for third in an amazing drive.
“To be here, getting a podium with JMR is unreal. Ideally you want to win the race, but this is the first time the team has had a Pro car and to be part of that and achieve an overall podium is unbelievable.
“It was really cool to come here with Corvette and be part of the programme with two superstar race drivers in Nicky and Alex. To come here as a Chevrolet-affiliated driver with two other amazing Corvette racers and team up with this team on the rise is really cool. It’s a world class team and I’d love to be part of it in the future.”
After a smooth, composed stint that maintained their road position, the Englishman swapped out for Dutchman Nicky Catsburg to bring the Corvette home.
Catsburg proved his pedigree as a world-class racer during his long stint in the driver’s seat, making smart passes and working his way up to P3 before coming under immense pressure from behind in the dying stages of the race.
Despite the hounding, Catsburg held his nerve to cross the line just 0.26s ahead of the fourth-placed car, ensuring JMR secured a hard-fought podium result.
2025 marked the return of the Suzuka 1000 as part of the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge after a five-year hiatus. A total of 33 GT3 and GTA-GT300-spec cars took the grid for the race, with 27 completing the full distance.
The JMR team now switches its focus to the final two rounds of the GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, to be held on a new street circuit at Beijing on 17-19 October.
Comments