The last time the WEC paddock went racing, A completely new name came at the top step – Hertz Team JOTA. With victory at the 6 Hours of SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, JOTA became the first privateer team to taste the champagne of victory in the WEC. Now that they have broken one record, they aim for the next big win- the coveted TOP STEP at 24 HOURS OF LE MANS.
But how exactly did a small team who started in a modest Honda Integra, reach the most prestigous stage in endurance racing? This article is the story of the Arrival of the JOTA.
The Team
Started by Sam Hignett and John Stack in 2000, the first racing series they participated in was the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and the Spa 24hrs in a Honda Integra. Starting from 2000, they participated in various series like FIA Sportscar Championship, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Endurance series.
They had their 24 hours of Le Mans debut with a Zytec 04S in the year 2005.
Piloted by Sam Hignett, Haruki Kurosawa and John Stack, they were running in fifth position until hour 22. After which they retired from the race due to an accident on track.
First Wins
The following years saw Team JOTA try its hands at Porsche Carrera CUP(2008) alongside the ALMS as well as the 24 Hours of the Le Mans. Come 2010, JOTA became the official partner of Aston Martin Racing. They participated in the Spa 24 Hours(1st place) and Britcar Silverstone 24 Hours(2nd place) with an GT4 Aston Martin.
At the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, JOTA entered with an Aston Martin GT2 in GTE Pro class but they wouldn’t finish the race due to engine issues. Their first taste of victory at Le Mans came at the 2014 race. With Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and Oliver Turvey at the wheel of a Zytec LMP2 machine, the British team was placed 5th overall and 1st in class.
Their next win would only come at the 2017 edition, this time partnered with Jackie Chan DC racing in LMP2 category in the Oreca 07 Gibson.
Porsche customer program
JOTA Sport continued to contest in the LMP2 category until 2023, when they announced their association with Porsche for a customer LMDh programme.
With the customer Porsche 963 delivered to JOTA only by the third round of Spa, they were on the back foot at the start of the season. But come the season end, at the last race in Bahrain, they were battling with giants like Ferrari for on-track positions.
2024 season
Porsche and JOTA started the first race of the season strong. It was an all Porsche podium in Qatar with JOTA finishing in 2nd place.
It was at the third race of the season when the number 12 Hertz Team JOTA car crossed the line first, ahead of a fast-charging factory Porsche (no.6). This made JOTA the first privateer team to win the overall race in WEC.
With the Porsche 963 looking strong as ever and Team JOTA riding high on enthusiasm from their win, they would very much like to do themselves one better and win the coveted race at Circuit De La Sarthe.
The Drivers
JOTA is fielding two cars- no. 38 and no. 12 for Le Mans.
#38 – Oliver Rasmussen, Philip Hansen, Jenson Button
#12 – William Stevens, Norman Nato, Callum Illot
With a competent crew and world-class drivers already present at their disposal, Team JOTA is looking strong for the weekend.
But the 24 Hours of Le Mans is much more than a test of the team’s skills. It tests the Car’s hardware, software and even the mental strength of the drivers to keep performing at their level best for a complete 24 hours. It’s a test the top people at Team JOTA would be looking to ace come Sunday evening.
Weekend Schedule
All the sessions will be streamed on Eurosport channel in India.
Click here for the complete entry list of the 24 Hours of Le Mans