Sims: “Win Was On” For JMR Corvette in Bathurst Debut

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO

Alexander Sims has said he felt the “win was on” for JMR Johor Racing on the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour debut before mechanical failure put the team’s No. 2 car out of contention with less than two hours to go.

While the two JMR Corvettes only qualified 25th and 26th for the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener, the Malaysian team emerged as a serious contender for the win come race day, boosted by a favorable Balance of Performance adjustment.

Sims led the race at the three-hour mark, and the Briton’s co-drivers Nicky Catsburg and Earl Bamber both enjoyed spells at the head of the field, albeit the car also lost ground with a drive-through penalty and what appeared to be a fuel pick-up problem.

Hopes of the Z06 GT3.R winning on debut came to an end when Bamber spun and hit the barriers at the Dipper inside the penultimate hour of the race, with the Kiwi driver telling the official event broadcast he felt a failure at the rear of the car was to blame.

Looking back on his own first Bathurst 12 Hour experience, Sims said he was surprised by the pace shown by Corvette in race trim and felt a victory could have been in the offing had the car not suffered its race-ending issue.

“The JMR team operated on a really high level and our Corvette was fast,” said Sims. “We had a very strong race apart from the obvious issues that raised their head.

“We executed a really good race and we had the speed. I honestly didn’t expect the race pace to be what it was. It seemed when we did many laps that the tires switched on.

“We didn’t really see that performance in practice and maybe doing lots of shorter runs was part of the reason for that. It was the same in qualifying… not having a long enough run. Earl’s fastest lap was his last one.

“It was a what-could-have-been weekend. The win was on, so that was a huge positive. But at the same time we come here to win and you have to execute the race and finish it perfectly. A lot of good things done by the team.”

Catsburg, who like Sims was part of the crew that took a podium finish for JMR in last year’s Suzuka 1000km leg of the IGTC, echoed the British driver’s thoughts, pointing out the high stress placed on the car by the Mount Panorama circuit.

The Dutchman set the fastest lap of the race, more than four-tenths up on the next-best time recorded by the 75 Express Mercedes-AMG.

“We can be pretty proud,” said Catsburg. “We did a good job throughout all the practice sessions to get the car into the window for the race. We clearly had a fast car. I feel like we should have been fighting for the win today.

“We were up and down and were close to coming away with a good result here. Unfortunately we had a mechanical issue that took us out. That’s a real shame but that’s part of it. The sport is like this.

“We are not very nice on the cars here. We’re hammering them over curbs and against other cars. It’s not easy but this happens. But I would have loved to have been on the podium here. It’s a special event.

“It was good to work with the JMR guys again. I’ve now worked with them twice — Suzuka and now Bathurst. I feel like we were always fast.

“Everyone with the team is so nice, and working with ‘Simsy’ and Earl is always a pleasure. It was a lot of fun but no result.”

JMR’s No. 99 Pro-Am entry, driven by Ben Green, Jordan Love and Princes Jefri and Abu Bakar Ibrahim, finished 14th overall and second in class.

Source: Sports Car 365