#66 FERRARI 488 GTE (LM GTE Am)

JMW MOTORSPORT (GBR)

General Manager: Jim Mc Whirter

Team manager: Steeve Hagger

Head Mechanic: Davey Nicholas

Location: Colchester (GBR)

www.jmwmotorsport.com

2011 LMS classification: 2nd in LM GTE Pro (46 points)

2012 ELMS classification: 1st in LM GTE Pro Teams Championship (51 points)

2013 ELMS classification: 5th in LM GTE Teams Championship (18 points)

2014 ELMS classification: 3rd in LM GTE Teams Championship (70 points)

2015 ELMS classification: 7th in LM GTE Teams Championship (49 points)

2016 ELMS classification: 2nd in LM GTE Teams Championship (93 points)
 

2017 ELMS results:

4 Hours of Silverstone: 28th Fannin/Smith/Butcher (GBR/GBR/GBR) #66

4 Hours of Imola:  21st Fannin/Smith/Cocker (GBR/GBR/GBR) Ferrari 458 Italia n°66, (1st LM GTE)

Former co-manager of Virgo Motorsport with Chris Warne, Jim Mc Whirter branched out on his own in 2009 and formed a new team bearing his initials. Several Virgo members followed, among them Technical Manager Steve Bunkhall, so although new, JMW started out with experience. The maiden race in Barcelona produced a GT2 podium place (2nd) and 16th overall for Rob Bell and Gianmaria Bruni. There was another silver medal at Spa and team struck gold at Portimao and Silverstone, which earned them second place in the LMS championship.

In 2010, JMW swapped its Ferrari for an Aston Martin Vantage. The car had a striking Dunlop livery for Le Mans, thanks to an online contest. However, although the team had direct support from the manufacturer, the car did not last long: Bryce Miller spun off in the early evening. The tail-end of the LMS season was disappointing although the third place in GT2 at Silverstone brightened the picture a little.

So, it was back to Ferrari for 2011, with a brand new 458 Italia and a great start to the season. Rob Bell et James Walker won LM GTE Pro at the 6 Hours of Le Castellet (14th overall). The second race of the season ended in retirement due to a radiator problem just as the team was poised for victory. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Ferrari sported another Dunlop livery, specially designed as the result of a contest. Bell, Tim Sugden and Xavier Maasen managed 24th place overall and 9th in LM GTE Pro. Like many other LMS teams, JMW found itself overpowered by AF Corse but took a well-deserved second place in the championship, having clinched victory in the first and last rounds.

The team continued in the same vein the following year, with an ELMS campaign and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although this time Johnny Cocker and James Walker were official drivers. Roger Wills joined them for Le Mans. It was a great year for the team, culminating in an ELMS title in LM GTE Pro (two wins at Le Castellet and Donington) despite the disappointment of retiring at Le Mans in the early hours of the morning with a broken gearbox.

However, 2013 brought a less rewarding haul: two second places, at Red Bull Ring and Le Castellet. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the JMW car in the hands of Andrea Bertolini, Abdulaziz al Faisal and Khaled al Qubaisi scraped 34th overall and 10th in LM GTE Pro.

The 2014 season brought many changes, including a switch from Dunlop to Michelin tyres. McKenzie, Richardson and Zampieri took the wheel of the #66 yellow Ferrari for the first two races of the ELMS season, bagging 3rd and 5th place in LM GTE. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Al Faisal shared the car with American drivers Seth Neiman and Spencer Pumpelly of the team Flying Lizard, which was not competing that year. They finished 27th overall and 7th in LM GTE Am. Bell rejoined the crew at Red Bull Ring and Walker stood in for Daniel Zampieri, who returned for the final round at Estoril where the car was classed third – the fourth podium place of the year. JMW finished the season third in the ELMS Teams Championship.

For 2015, the strategy remained stable: a Ferrari 458 Italia in ELMS. Three Britons – George Richardson, Robert Smith and Sam Tordoff – formed the crew. However, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans the team leaders preferred to rely on the experience of Al Faisal, teamed with Michael Avenatti and Kuba Giermaziak. The team raced sensibly, finishing 36th overall and 7th in LM GTE Am. In ELMS, despite the presence of talented drivers Cocker and James Calado, the Colchester team struggled – the only good results being second place at Silverstone and third at Le Castellet.

In 2016, JMW Motorsport missed Le Mans for the first time in the team’s history, having been selected on the reserve list only. The team therefore focused on the ELMS and the driver line-up (Ferrari works driver Bertolini, Rory Butcher and Robert Smith) remained unchanged throughout the season.  They drove the #66 Ferrari 458 Italia to victory three times, at Red Bull Ring, Le Castellet and Spa and crossed the line first at Silverstone too, but the car was disqualified for a non-compliant front splitter. All the same, second place in the ELMS championship was sufficient to earn a ticket to the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours.

This season, JMW is the only team fielding a Ferrari 458 Italia in ELMS. The drivers are Butcher, Smith and Jody Fannin. At Silverstone, the #66 was classed 28th overall and 5th in LM GTE. Butcher was replaced by Cocker at Monza. The new line-up gelled immediately and won their class in the last race for JMW’s Ferrari 458 Italia, the team having opted for a 488 GTE chassis for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

So, in La Sarthe, the team will have a new car and two new drivers. Smith will be joined by Dries Vanthoor and Will Stevens, who has raced 20 Formula One Grands Prix for Manor Marussia and finished second in LM P2 last year with G-Drive Racing (Oreca 05 Nissan).

Photo : PASCAL SAIVET / VISION SPORT AGENCY