For the first time this weekend, the JMR Chevrolet Corvette is attacking Mount Panorama for overall honours in the GT3 class of the Bathurst 12 Hour. And how it fares will undoubtedly be one of the big talking points post-race.
Johor Motorsports Racing (JMR) has brought with it two examples of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the fabled mountain for the brand’s debut at the event, and one of those is a new and unrated example one of five that the team have now taken delivery of.
In the Pro class, Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg, and Alex Sims are in the hunt for overall honours aboard the #2, while the brothers Prince Jefri and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim are racing the #99 in the Pro-Am category with Jordan Love and Ben Green.
The Mount Panorama circuit is consistently rated as one of the toughest challenges for GT3 machinery, thanks to its elevation changes and narrow top section, which combine to make it one of the most spectacular circuits in the world. Like the Nürburgring, it’s a special track that more often than not favours the drivers with the most experience.
The schedule is tight for newcomers, too – with an over-2-minute lap and a mix of 40- and 60-minute practice sessions, racking up enough laps to get comfortable can be a tough task if the running is incident-packed. According to Alex Sims, though, the team has handled that aspect well.
“Having had four sessions with three drivers, we’ve been able to share it pretty evenly,” Sims explains. “I’ve probably had one or two more runs than the other guys [Bamber and Catsburg], which has been really helpful. I feel quite ready for the race.
“I wouldn’t feel so confident to qualify [the car]! So it’s good that I’ve got Nicky and Earl.”
Of the trio, Catsburg is the most experienced here in GT3 machinery, with three prior starts driving for both BMW and Mercedes-AMG. Bamber (whose EBM team is competing against JMR in the Pro class with Porsche) has two, with the most recent in 2020, both at the wheel of Porsches.
That experience has been helpful to get Sims up to speed.
“Earl’s been fantastic to have,” Sims said. “Particularly for me in the simulator, to give me a heads up and to immediately have an idea of where and how to find some lap time. And Nicky as well – obviously, both of them have decent experience here.
“I’ve been able to be led by them in terms of the car, and bumps and things like that, which could put you off if you’re new.”
And their knowledge of the Z06 has helped plenty, too.
“[Set up] has not been a massive issue for us. The car feels pretty nice from the word go,” adds Sims. “We’ve been working a little understeer out of the car, but it feels nice.
“And Earl and Nicky say this is feeling really nice compared to what they’ve had in the past. It seems the car is in a good window.”
While the Pro-class Vette from JMR was limited to running only four of the six practice sessions, the Pro-Am car has had the opportunity to run in the two Bronze driver-only sessions, which have helped the team find an optimal set-up for the car.
“There’s been lots of dialogue helping [each car] as much as we can,” said Sims. “Obviously, the two cars are on different programmes with the two classes of car. But it’s been very helpful to have the two cars here, instead of just one.”
The race is up next for JMR and Corvette, and setting expectations is tricky. What’s become clear, though, is that in order to sniff a podium or fight for a win, it will need to execute the race to perfection.
Qualifying was tough; the two Corvettes will line up 25th and 26th on the grid, so JMR will be hoping for a clean, metronomic run through the field on Sunday.
“We have to rest now and make a plan for the race,” Ben Green, driver of the Pro/Am-entered #99, concludes. “Optimise things the best we can, make no mistakes, get no penalties and see where we come at the end.”
Images courtesy of IGTC
