• HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Ben Green and Lorcan finish P14 in LMGT3 class.
• Successful outing seals next chapter of endurance racing for JMR.

Johor Motorsports Racing has etched a new chapter in Malaysian motorsport history by finishing the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans in P14 on debut at the legendary race.

JMR owner and racer His Highness Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Panglima of Johor (HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim), and pro drivers Ben Green and Lorcan Hanafin all played a crucial role in finishing the race that claimed almost one third of its LMGT3 starters.

Following a P24 qualifying result, JMR regular Pro driver and Le Mans debutant Ben Green was the standout driver for the team. Combined with a smart pit strategy, the 23-year-old Englishman pushed hard and had JMR circulating as high as P5 multiple times through the middle stages.

Consecutive pit-stops at around 17th-hour mark to address a gearbox issue saw the #2 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R lose four laps and drop down the order to P19, before the drivers focused on making up lost ground for the remainder of the race.

HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim (also on debut and only the sixth-ever Malaysian to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and Englishman Lorcan Hanafin also perfectly managed the balance of looking after the car and consistently clocking off clean laps to bring the Corvette home in P14.

The 94th Le Mans was held in near-perfect racing conditions, with fine weather pushing temperatures as high as 28 degrees and light winds for the entire 24 hours.

JMR partnered with TF Sport for this year’s Le Mans, ensuring there were four Chevrolet Corvettes on the starting grid. TF Sport’s team of Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg, Blake McDonald and Jonny Edgar threw down an exemplary race to take the LMGT3 victory.

Despite JMR’s impressive showing there’s little time to relax, with the team already preparing for their second appearance at the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa (Belgium) in two weeks’ time.

HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim: “This is the biggest race in the world – there were 350,000 people here, and it’s been an amazing experience to be part of. The team did an incredible job and I’m super proud of them. At our debut it’s an achievement to finish the entire 24 hours; we had some great pace in our car and we gave it our all, but we had to make some repairs to the car that took a bit of time to resolve. This is our first try and we know what to expect next time; we’ll be back stronger and the goal now is to win this race one day. It’s great to be part of the GM family with four Corvettes on the starting grid. We’re really happy to see our sister car – with Nicky Catsburg who’s driven for JMR several times – on the top step of the podium this year.”

Ben Green: “We finished the Le Mans 24 Hour on our first attempt for myself and Prince Jefri. It was super-tough and super-challenging, but an awesome experience and I’m very happy to get to the finish. Getting here and finishing Le Mans is a challenge in itself, but I think a fight for the podium could’ve been on the cards if we hadn’t had to make those repairs during the night. This past week has been a crazy experience, with so many fans and a real festival environment. Now we head to Spa in two weeks’ time and I can’t wait to hit the track again there.”

Lorcan Hanafin: “That’s the 2026 Le Mans done and dusted! We finished the race, which is a massive achievement for the team on its first attempt. We suffered a gearbox issue in the early hours of the morning and lost about four laps while running deep inside the top 10. It’s bittersweet, but it gives us something to work on for next year. Le Mans is one of the most physically demanding races in the world: long straights, heavy braking zones and you need to be on point every single lap for 24 hours straight. It’s such an achievement for Prince Jefri to finish this race on his first attempt, and I’m very fortunate to be part of it.”

RESULTS

LMGT3 Qualifying: P24
LMGT3 race result: P14 (330 laps)