2012 sees JRM Racing embark on a brand new challenge, as it enters the prestigious FIA World Endurance Championship. Drawing on the success of 2011, when JRM won the FIA GT1 World Championship for Drivers’, the team heads into an exciting new era with renewed aspiration and a determination to achieve even greater things.

Armed with one of the most competitive LMP1 cars available, the Honda Performance Development ARX-03a, JRM Racing goes in at the top-level of sportscar racing and will be up against the works teams challenging for overall honours. And, as well as acquiring a car that has the potential to win, JRM Racing has also recruited three equally capable drivers in David Brabham, Karun Chandhok and Peter Dumbreck. 

FIA World Endurance Championship

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) makes its spectacular debut in the world of motorsport in 2012.  Organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the FIA, it is set to become one of the most prestigious series’ of its kind – right from the start.

The WEC is a truly global affair, with eight endurance races held in eight different countries: USA, Belgium, Great Britain, Brazil, Bahrain, Japan and China – plus the famous 24-hours of Le Mans in France.  And, with an impressive calendar comes an impressive list of teams, with 2012 seeing 30 cars entered across the four classes: LMP1, LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am – with all of them competing together on the same circuit.

Six titles will be awarded this season, with two of them official FIA titles: Manufacturers' World Endurance Champion and Drivers' World Endurance Champion. The points system will be similar to that used by other FIA world championships, by awarding scores to the top ten finishers on a sliding scale from first to tenth. Cars finishing the race, but classified eleventh or beyond will be awarded a half point, with double-points available for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

History

After two-years of work for the JRM Group, 2011 saw JRM Racing take two of its drivers – the German pairing of Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr - to victory in the FIA GT1 World Championship. In one of the team’s pair of Nissan GT1 GT-Rs, they claimed the Drivers’ world title in the final round of the GT1 World Championship in Argentina.

JR Motorsports (JRM) began competing in 2009 initially with rallying and then, in 2010, it embarked on a full season in the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship with two Nissan GT-Rs under the company’s Sumo Power GT banner. Following a year of gaining invaluable experience, which included two victories and eight podium finishes, the group expanded its operation to run four cars in 2011, with two of them branded as JRM Racing.

Driving the teams’ two specially NISMO built 600bhp Nissan GT-Rs were four highly experienced and well respected drivers – the British pairing of Peter Dumbreck and Richard Westbrook in car No.22, with Germans Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr in the identical car No.23.

Competing against 10 other teams representing manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ford, a series of impressive performances meant JRM quickly became a formidable force in sportscar racing, scoring five wins, 14 podium finishes and a string of fastest laps and pole positions. After claiming the Drivers’ title and finishing second in the Manufacturers’ standings, JRM Racing not only proved to be successful, but also earned a reputation of being one of the most exciting teams on the track.

However, due to rule changes made by the FIA, JRM Racing is unable to use its GT1 GT-Rs to defend their championship this season and, always looking for a new challenge, the team has decided to embark on a full season in the new FIA Endurance World Championship. Whilst the legacy of its 2011 success will continue for some time to come, the next chapter for JRM Racing starts here.

The Drivers

David Brabham

Having driven for JRM Racing’s sister team Sumo Power GT last year, the UK-based Australian’s association with the JR Motorsports Group continues for a second season and he brings with him a sportscar and endurance-racing heritage that spans 20 years. As well as Formula 1, his experience includes seasons in Japanese GTC, ALMS and the European Le Mans Series, plus outright victory in the Le Mans 24-hours in 2009. Significantly, he was involved with the early development of the HPD prototype and is therefore delighted to be reunited with this type of car.

Karun Chandhok

Following his well-publicised F1 appearances with Team Lotus in 2011, Madras-born Karun has firmly established himself as a world-class competitor and the team is delighted to have him on board for his first ever season of sportscar racing. Now based in the UK, his results make him India’s most successful racing driver and consequently, he possesses a CV that records three championship victories coupled with race-winning seasons in British Formula 3, A1 GP and GP2.

Peter Dumbreck

Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Peter possesses an illustrious history of sportscar and endurance racing. Having been a former works driver at top level, he famously contested the Le Mans 24-hours in 1999 with Mercedes. He then went on to compete in the FIA GT Championship, DTM, Japanese Super GT and the Le Mans Series. He joins JRM’s WEC team after a two-year spell with the JR Motorsports Group, having driven one of its GT1 cars in 2010 and 2011.