The dreams of having an all-Malaysian line-up competing at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours has come to fruition earlier than expected.
Jazeman Jaafar, Weiron Tan, Afiq Ikhwan Yazid and Nabil Jeffri will be making their debut in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP 2) category in the world’s biggest endurance race in France on June 16 and 17.
Their debut was made possible following a two-year partnership sealed by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) with the Jackie Chan DC Racing X Jota team.
The deal will see the quartet representing the renowned China-based team owned by the legendary actor, Jackie Chan in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the 2018/19 season, which features two Le Mans 24 Hours races in its eight-leg calendar.
The eight stops are: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium (May 5), Le Mans 24 Hours (June 16-17), 6 Hours of Silverstone in England (Aug 19), 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan (Oct 14), 6 Hours of Shanghai in China (Nov 18), 1,500miles of Sebring in the United States (March 16, 2019) before returning to Spa Francorchamps (May 4, 2019) and culminating at Le Mans (June 15-16, 2019).
SIC had taken the first step by roping the quartet and entered them in the second half of last season’s Asian Le Mans Series, with an eye to prepare them for the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2019.
And they made the most of the opportunities given with Jazeman, Weiron and Afiq emerging triumphant in the third leg in Buriram, Thailand.
Nabil, meanwhile, helped team Eurasia Motorsports to finish third in the fourth and season-ending race in Sepang.
They have certainly earned their places on merit and will now be looking to follow in the footsteps of former Malaysian Formula One driver Alex Yoong who featured in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006 and 2007.
Alex was the 2006 Rookie of the Year before finishing a creditable fifth in the LMP 1 the following year.
SIC chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali believes the four drivers have what it takes to make it big in their first season on the WEC.
“We put them in the WEC expecting them to perform exceptionally well and try to aim for a win,” said Razlan, after unveiling the SIC Motorsports Talent Development team yesterday.
“The investment is huge. We have got them a formidable team in Jackie Chan DC, who finished 1-2 in the LMP 2 race in last year’s Le Mans. Our men will have no excuse.
“We certainly have faith in Jazeman, Weiron, Afiq and Nabil. They did very well Asian series and I hope to see them doing the same in the WEC.”
The SIC Motorsports Talent Development initiative covers development in talents in both two wheels and four wheels racing with the ultimate aim of reaching the pinnacle of world championship racing.
Besides the four WEC-bound drivers, Mitchell Cheah is the four-wheel racing talent roped in by SIC and will be racing in the Touring Car Racing Asia Series.
As for the two-wheel segment, SIC boast Malaysia’s first ever MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin under their wing, alongside Zulfahmi Khairuddin in the Moto2 and Adam Norrodin and Japan’s Ayumu Sasaki in the Moto3.
