Malaysian team Johor Motorsports Racing has announced plans to run a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in Asian competition.
JMR makes the move to Corvette machinery after its six-year relationship with Triple Eight Race Engineering and Mercedes-AMG came to an end last winter.

Brothers Prince Jefri Ibrahim, who is also President of JMR, and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim will both be part of the new-look squad’s driver lineup, having raced in categories such as GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, GTWC Australia and the Asian Le Mans Series in recent years.
While no specific 2025 program was mentioned in the announcement, an assault on GTWC Asia appears to be on the cards with the team’s new Corvettes.

“I still remember the moment when I first walked into the GM HQ in Detroit for a visit,” said Prince Jefri.
“Their facility is incredible, and I was really impressed with what I saw. Everyone from the GM family was so welcoming.

“I can’t wait to get started with the season, and work closely with our new manufacturer.
“We are happy to be the first team running the Z06 in the region, especially with two cars this season.
Hopefully it will be the start of a long and successful collaboration.”

GM motorsport competition engineering director Mark Stielow added:
“We are excited to watch and support Prince Jefri, Prince Abu Bakar, and all of JMR throughout the season.
“We are also pleased to see the continued interest in our Corvette GT3 around the world and look forward to building this relationship with JMR, as it provides additional exposure and opportunities not just for Corvette Racing but also the Corvette brand in new markets.”

Prince Jefri finished as runner-up in the 2022 GTWC Asia standings together with Nick Foster upon the series’ post-COVID relaunch, while younger brother Prince Abu Bakar achieved the same feat the following year, finishing fifth last season.

In the Asian Le Mans Series, Prince Jefri was runner-up in the GT class in 2023-24 with Luca Stolz, but JMR did not participate in the recently-concluded 2024-25 season.

Johor Motorsports Racing announced earlier last month that they would be switching from Mercedes-AMG to the Corvette Z06 GT3.R for their two-car effort in GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS, and now we have the names of the two drivers that will be joining the team.

The Malaysian squad announced that Corvette factory driver Alexander Sims will partner with team president Prince Jefri Ibrahim abord the number 99 Corvette Z06 while Australian Jordan Love returns to the team to share the number 66 Corvette Z06 GT3.R with Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim. Love previously raced with JMR in multiple series including the GT World Challenge Asia, the Intercontinental GT Challenge, and the Asian Le Mans Series.

Love and Sims have also raced together, most recently for JMR at last year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa where they also shared the driving duties in the Pro-Am entry with Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Martin Konrad.

Johor Motorsports Racing has also confirmed that it will be entering the two Corvettes in the GT World Challenge Asia series.
Last month, when they officially confirmed the switch to the Corvette GT3s, they hadn’t yet officially confirmed any of the series in their racing plans.
The GT World Challenge Asia series gets underway this weekend at the SePang

British drivers busy this weekend as 3rd race this weekend is in Asia for the GT World Challenge
There are two GT3.R Corvettes running

Practice was Friday

GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS debutant Alexander Sims set the pace in practice ahead of this weekend’s season opener at Sepang.
It was also a dream start for JMR’s Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which – like its British driver – has never contested the series before.

The combination set the day’s fastest time, 2m04.097s just 12 minutes into Free Practice after Markus Winkelhock briefly occupied the top of the timesheets in Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom’s R8. It ultimately finished 0.281s adrift.

Harmony’s #55 Ferrari set the session and day’s third-fastest time in Lorenzo Patrese’s hands, while Bastian Buus’ Pre-Qualifying benchmark of 2m04.715s helped Origine’s #4 Porsche slot into fourth overall.

Friday’s second session might have been slower than the first, but its leading contenders were separated by fractions. Reigning champion Leo Ye Hongli lapped 0.06s slower than Buus and just two hundredths faster than Climax Racing’s Mercedes-AMG driven by Ralf Aron. The gaps extended thereafter, although a second still covered the top-10 at the end of Pre-Qualifying.

Patrese’s time saw the Italian end up quickest of the Silver-Am entries, while Harmony team-mate David Chen set the day’s Silver benchmark.
Am honors went to Anthony Liu (Phantom Porsche) who topped the Bronze session.

Saturday begins with qualifying at 10:25 before 2025’s season opener goes green at 14:15 local time (GMT +7). Both are live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.

Qualify

https://youtu.be/i-WgLxrE-lU

Reigning champions Bob Yuan and Leo Ye Hongli made the perfect start to their GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS title defense by claiming victory in the season opener Race 1 at Sepang.

Origine’s Porsche started third but took the checkered flag eight seconds ahead of Phantom’s 911 GT3 R shared by Dorian Boccolacci and 2023 title winner Anthony Liu after both of Audi’s front row starting Silver crews suffered misfortune of some sort. Tony Ruan and Maxime Oosten (Team KRC, BMW) completed the overall podium and claimed Silver-Am victory.

Pole winners Franky Cheng and James Yu slipped to fifth overall behind JMR’s Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Alexander Sims but did at least bag maximum Silver points, while AMAC’s solo driver Ben Porter finished an impressive ninth en route to Am class top spot.

Victory extended Origine’s streak at Sepang this was its third win in as many years while its drivers picked up where they left off last season in Shanghai where victory saw them become GT World Challenge Asia champions.

Two Silver Audi crews locked out the front row. But Shaun Thong’s spin at Turn 2, which then triggered contact between several more cars, also ultimately prevented FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom’s entry from mounting a serious victory bid.

A poor getaway dropped Uno’s R8 from second to fifth before contact sent Thong around at the apex. He was collected side-on by Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim’s Corvette, which continued to the pits with damage, while Origine’s #86 Porsche and EBM’s 911 lost time in the incident.

But it also had repercussions for the #2 Climax Mercedes-AMG which picked up damage in a side-on collision with Absolute’s #321 Porsche. It and Uno’s Audi, which attempted to limp back before parking up, triggered the Safety Car period that prevented Cheng, who had made a great start, from gapping the field – an essential requirement if FAW/Phantom’s entry was to overcome its additional eight seconds of pitstop time.

Instead, the window opened with Cheng only three seconds ahead of Yuan. Origine’s Porsche, which started third but was up to second by halfway down the start-finish straight, duly took full advantage of its shorter pitstop time.

Yuan’s co-driver Ye emerged ahead of Boccolacci, who also benefitted from Harmony’s Silver Ferrari – initially driven by Andy Deng and later David Chen – serving extra time. Three seconds separated the two Porsches before Origine’s example edged clear over the second half to record a comfortable victory.

Yu, meanwhile, ran third until Oosten and then Sims passed his Audi, which claimed Silver honours by five seconds from Deng/Cheng. The latter’s battle with Akash Nandy (Absolute Corse) proved a highlight of the second stint.

Another decent scrap behind involved five cars at one point. But it was Nico Menzel in GTO’s Porsche that managed to break clear of the squabbling pack en route to eighth overall in the car he shares with Brian Lee. The final position came at Porter’s expense, but the Australian’s Am class win was already assured.

Sepang’s second 60-minute race begins at 11:30 local time (GMT +7) tomorrow.
Watch it live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.

Corvette #99 finished fourth, where #66 Corvette ended way back in 28th place

Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, watches son reign supreme at Sepang
> FAW/Phantom, KRC and Garage 75 collect class wins
> Result: Sepang Race 2​

Prince Jefri Ibrahim and JMR celebrated a fairytale victory on home soil in the second of this weekend’s GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS races at Sepang.

The Corvette also driven by Alexander Sims took the checkered flag in the Johor royal’s hands 3.2s ahead of Craft-Bamboo’s Cao Qi and Jayden Ojeda, while Franky Cheng and James Yu (FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom) made up 12 places in the final 14 minutes to complete the overall podium and claim Silver spoils for the second time in as many races.

Their cause was aided by a Safety Car period just after the pitstops that bunched the pack and set in motion a sequence of events that led to JMR’s first triumph in only its second outing with the Z06 GT3.R. The team and drivers also now lead their respective championships after finishing fourth yesterday.

Team KRC’s BMW shared by Tony Ruan and Maxime Oosten finished fourth overall but first in Silver-Am; their second class win inside 24 hours. Am victory went the way of Garage 75’s reigning champion David Tjiptobiantoro and Christian Colombo.

Lu Wei’s late drive-through penalty for turning around Climax’s long-time leading Mercedes-AMG sparked celebrations at JMR whose Corvette was on course to finish third until the closing minutes of Race 2.

It began with Ralf Aron converting pole into P1 from Oosten, who got the better of front row starter Dorian Boccolacci on the opening lap, and Sims. But while the Mercedes-AMG initially extended its lead, KRC’s chasing BMW was right behind by the time the pros pitted towards the end of the window.

Boccolacci was first to stop after fending off Sims but had 15 seconds extra to serve – 10 for finishing second yesterday and five more for being out of position at the start – which dropped Phantom’s Porsche down the order. Oosten’s extras also restricted his co-driver Ruan, who emerged in fourth behind Aron’s co-driver Zhou, Ibrahim and Lu Wei whose Origine 911 ran fifth over the first 35 minutes thanks to Bastian Buus.

But the end of the window also coincided with a pivotal moment in the race. Jordan Love was powerless to avoid Absolute Corse’s spinning Ferrari, which remained stranded on the track after being partially hit by the unsighted Corvette. The resulting long Full Course Yellow period and subsequent Safety Car intervention bunched the pack and created ideal conditions for a grandstand finish.

Zhou initially established a small advantage over Ibrahim who was distracted by Lu’s looming Porsche before losing second place. The 911 then set off in pursuit of Climax’s Mercedes-AMG in the hope of adding to Origine’s Race 1 victory. But contact at Turn 2 with seven minutes remaining sent Zhou spinning out of the lead and earned Lu a drive-through penalty, which he served immediately.

JMR and Ibrahim therefore inherited first place with only one lap remaining, but they were nevertheless there when it mattered most.

The incident also played into Craft-Bamboo’s hands. Ojeda pitted from eighth after enjoying a decent scrap with Nico Menzel during the opening stint. But with Saturday’s top three all running ahead and subject to success penalties, his co-driver Cao rejoined in fifth. That became fourth soon after the restart when he found a way past Ruan’s BMW before the top two’s altercation elevated the Mercedes-AMG to second overall.

He crossed the line just 0.5s ahead of FAW/Phantom’s Audi which benefitted most from the Safety Car intervention. Yu was leading his class in 11th overall when the pit window opened but saw his co-driver resume in 15th thanks to the FCY’s timing. However, Cheng was still the best placed Silver driver and fully exploited his advantage over the Ams once racing resumed.

KRC’s new M4 Evo added fourth overall to Saturday’s podium, while Race 1 winners Bob Yuan and Leo Ye Hongli (Origine) came through to finish fifth despite serving the maximum 15-second success penalty.

Anthony Liu and Boccolacci completed the top six ahead of Phantom stablemates Bao Jinlong and Markus Winkelhock, and Uno Racing’s Rio and Shaun Thong who bounced back from yesterday’s DNF to finish second in Silver.

Absolute Corse’s Lamborghini and Origine’s penalised Porsche completed the overall points paying positions.
Further back, Garage 75’s Ferrari enjoyed a comfortable Am class victory over EBM’s Setiawan Santoso and Martin Berry.

GT World Challenge Asia now heads to Indonesia for the first-ever international car racing event at Mandalika (May 9-11).

Watch the complete race

Johor Motorsports Racing scored a first victory for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GT World Challenge Asia, powered by AWS competition in the second leg of last weekend’s opening round of the new season at Sepang.

Factory Corvette star Alexander Sims and Prince Jefri Ibrahim took their No. 99 JMR to victory in the second race of the weekend at the Malaysian track on Sunday, taking an early championship lead, while defending champions Yuan Bo and Leo Ye Hongli were victorious on Saturday in their No. 87 Origine Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Sims and Jefri Ibrahim had looked on course to finish third in Sunday’s race until seven minutes to go, when Lu Wei, driving the No. 4 Origine Porsche, made contact at Turn 2 with the leading No. 2 Climax Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Zhou Bihuang.

Lu was handed a drive-through penalty for causing Zhou to spin, allowing Jefri Ibrahim into a lead he would maintain to the checkered flag delivering Corvette its first victory on Asian soil on JMR’s first weekend with the new car.

Ralf Aron had maintained the lead from pole in the opening stint aboard the No. 2 Climax car ahead of the Team KRC BMW M4 GT3 Evo of Maxime Oosten, the Phantom Global Porsche of Dorian Boccolacci and Sims before the pit stops and a safety car, caused by an incident involving the other JMR Corvette of Jordan Love, shuffled the order.

While Bihuang maintained the lead after taking over from Aron, Lu found himself second after teammate Bastian Buus ran fifth early on, ahead of Jefri Ibrahim, Ruan Cunfan in the KRC BMW and Cao Qi’s No. 31 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG.

Cao passed Ruan to claim second for himself and Mercedes-AMG Junior driver Jayden Ojeda, once the leading two cars were removed from contention, while the Silver Cup-entered No. 45 FAW Audi Sport Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Franky Cheng demoted Ruan a further place to claim the final spot on the overall podium.

Rounding out the top six were the top two finishers from Saturday’s opener, the Origine Porsche of Yuan and Ye, and the Phantom Global Porsche that Anthony Liu took over from Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific selected driver Boccolacci.

Yuan and Ye enjoyed a relatively straightforward run to the win in Race 1, from third on the grid, as an early incident for the Uno Racing Audi of Shaun Thong that had started second promoted Yuan to second behind the pole-winning Audi of Cheng.
Thong’s spin triggered a multi-car incident that required a safety car period, which prevented Cheng from building the lead he would need to overcome the car’s eight-second pit stop penalty applied to Silver Cup entries.

It meant that Ye took over the lead at the stops, with Boccolacci second after taking over the Phantom Global car from Liu, with Ye edging away over the remainder of the distance to win by a comfortable 7.9 second margin.
Cheng’s teammate James Yu emerged third after the stops, but was passed by both Oosten’s KRC BMW and Sims in the JMR Corvette, dropping to fifth.

Sims and Jefri Ibrahim hold an early lead of two points in the championship over Yuan and Ye, with Oosten and Ruan ten points off the top spot in third.
The GTWC Asia season continues with the second round of the season at Mandalika Circuit in Indonesia on May 10-11.