Insight: JMW Motorsport

Painstakingly applying vinyls of new tyre supplier Michelin to the team truck, Tim Sugden is the essence of a hands-on team manager. Yorkshireman Sugden, himself a veteran of 8 starts at Le Mans, has been at the helm of JMW Motorsport since its foundation by Jim McWhirter in 2009 and with the team now in its sixth season of competition in the European Le Mans Series – which they won in the curtailed 2012 season – knows a thing or two about what it takes to win. But the changes aren’t limited merely to vinyls; 2014 marks something of a step into the unknown as JMW’s long-standing partnership with Dunlop comes to an end and Michelin take over on the tyre front. 

“It’s a bit of a double edged sword,” says Sugden. “We’ve had six years with Dunlop and we’ve been absolutely delighted with them; we had a brilliant working relationship with them which has brought us an awful lot of success over the years and it was a shame when that relationship ended.

JMW put the Ferrari 458 through the ropes at Ricard, with
Zampieri setting the third quickest time. (Credit: JMW Motorsport)

“But on the other hand, Michelin have been a fantastic competitor of ours for the last six years, so we know how good their products are.  I’ve driven on Michelins in the past and when we were looking for an alternative, Michelin are clearly the first person you want to speak to, because you always know they’re doing to be very good in all conditions.”

So what do the drivers make of it?

“The tyres work really well with the Ferrari and fortunately everyone’s in the same boat,” said former Blancpain racer Dan McKenzie, whose previous experience is with Pirellis. “I did a stint and a half with tyres that almost were finished after qualifying; they’d already done a heat cycle and had a few flat-spots, so they were taking a real battering, but I was really impressed with them.”

The JMW Ferrari showed good speed through winter testing and translated that pace to Silverstone, with former Italian F3 champion Daniel Zampieri qualifying on the front row of the grid and McKenzie leading in the early stages, although a jump-start penalty and an unfortunately timed safety car limited them to an eventual fifth at the flag. Such disappointments are part and parcel of racing, as Sugden is well aware. 

“We’re going to have some really tight races this year because every team has some very good drivers,” says Sugden. “We will always have a strong car I’m sure and we’re definitely in there with a shout, but every race is going to be hard. The races are becoming more and more about sprints; a lot is going to boil down to very small differences and individual performances, so it’s going to be tight. There will be days when you are competing for the win and others where you’ll be fifth.”

McKenzie ready to hop in for another stint. (Credit: JMW Motorsport)

Drivers then, can make all the difference and McKenzie is hopeful that a strong showing so early on will bode well for the rest of the season.

“It’s a massive learning curve for me, as this is only my fifth race in GT's full stop,” he said. “I’m always picking up little bits here and there and that should make me a driver that will progress in the championship, so hopefully I’ll be stronger as the year goes on. I’ve learned a huge amount today and even though we didn’t get the result, the fact that I’ve been in the car getting more and more laps, more familiarity with the car, the tyres, the whole package, is what will help you improve as a driver come the end of the day.”

After originally being on the reserve list, JMW were among the chief beneficiaries of the SRT’s withdrawal from Le Mans and will take one of the available slots in GTE-Am. For Sugden, this is what it all boils down to and he relishes the task of preparing for the marquee event of the year.

“We’ve been at Le Mans for the last five years so it would have been a great disappointment not to be there,” he said. “Le Mans is the jewel in the crown; it’s like Wimbledon, it would be a great shame not to do Wimbledon or the Open if you’re a golfer. It would have seemed like a big hole in the season if we weren’t there, but now thankfully we will be. 

"It’s a lot of work, but we love it; it’s an amazing thing to be a part of every year and we’re desperately keen to get on the podium as we’ve never got there before.”

As far as JMW are concerned, the future is an exciting one, and isn’t that always the best way?