The FIA World Endurance Championship has gained further momentum following Thursday’s announcement that JRM Racing will enter the global sports car championship with a brand-new HPD ARX-03a.
The British-based organization, which won the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship, will make the switch to the ACO and FIA’s new endurance series after two successful seasons campaigning Nissan GT-Rs, which culminated with the teams’ and drivers’ titles for Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm.
“After achieving success at the highest level of GT racing, we are now looking for a fresh challenge and we see competition in endurance events as the next step for the team,” said JRM Group Executive Director James Rumsey. “We have chosen the Honda as it’s a well-developed package and currently the most competitive of the petrol-engined LMP1 cars.”
JRM’s new program, with a yet-to-be-announced driver lineup, will kick off at the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, following an extensive pre-season testing program.
Being able to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the key event in the eight-round championship, was one of the selling points in confirming its WEC effort, according to Rumsey.
“Having Le Mans included in the calendar is a significant factor for us,” he said. “It has always represented the pinnacle of motorsport achievement and therefore, it’s been a goal of ours to compete since the company started racing two years ago. We therefore hope that our entry will be accepted this year.”
JRM becomes the second privateer LMP1 team to officially commit to the WEC, joining Strakka Racing, which will also campaign the HPD ARX-03a in the premier prototype ranks.
As many as 35 entries are expected for the WEC, which will be announced on Feb. 2 at the championship’s official launch in Paris.

The possibility exists for three of the Honda-engined P1 cars to be at Le Mans, if American Le Mans Series stalwarts Muscle Milk Pickett Racing take up their automatic invitation to the twice-around-the-clock classic.
Despite its expansion to the WEC with Honda Performance Development, JRM has retained its association with NISMO as its official partner for development and sales of the Nissan GT-R GT3, which made its debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series late last year.
Rumsey also hasn’t ruled out a return to the FIA GT1 World Championship for a third consecutive season if funding could be found. So far, only Hexis Racing and Team WRT have officially confirmed entries for the series, leaving some questions over its future.
JRM is expected to name its LMP1 lineup, likely a three-driver roster, in the next few weeks. David Brabham, the former Highcroft HPD ace who drove for JRM’s satellite team Sumo Power GT in the GT1 World Championship in 2011, is believed to be one of the front runners.
