JOTA SPORT (GBR)

Team Manager: Sam Hignett
Base: Frant (GBR)
www.jotagroup.com

Result 2015 ELMS:
      Silverstone 4 Hours Silverstone : 2nd Dolan /Tincknell/Albuquerque (GBR/GBR/PRT), no. 38 Gibson 015S-Nissan
Imola 4 Hours: 3rd Dolan / Tincknell/Albuquerque no. 38 Gibson 015S-Nissan.

     Jota Sport was founded in 2000 by Sam Hignett and John Stack and it began racing in endurance. In 2004, after running a Honda Integra in the Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring 24 Hours 24 Hours and taking part in the Renault Clio V6 Trophy and the FIA Sports Car Championship with a Pilbeam, the team entered for the Le Mans Series (6th with a Zytek 04S LM P1). Jota made its Le Mans debut in 2005 in which it entered a works Zytek 043 driven by Kurosawa, Hignett and Stack (unclassified).
In 2006 the English squad raced in the LMS and in 2007 and 2008 it collaborated with Charouz, which entered Lolas at Le Mans. In addition, Jota Sport took part in the British Porsche Carrera Cup and a few rounds of the American Le Mans Series. In 2009 and 2010 the English squad competed in the European VdeV Championship (victory at Jarama in 2010 with a Ligier JS49). In 2010 Jota also linked up with Aston Martin and won the GT4 category in the Spa 24 Hours with a Vantage.

     In 2011 it entered a Vantage in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the Le Mans Series in LM GTE Am. Team owners, Hancock and Dolan’s car was caught up in the start-line collision in the Le Castellet 6 Hours, the first round of the LMS, in which they were racing to prepare for Le Mans: they were unclassified finishers in the event. In the Sarthe they were backed up by Chris Buncombe, but engine failure eliminated the car in the early evening. Another disillusion awaited the team because Jota and Aston Martin had signed a long-term agreement to run an AMR ONE in 2012. The car was a fiasco and the project had to be canned. Jota then launched a new 3-year programme by entering an LM P2 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan in the Le Mans 24 hours and the ELMS. Hancock and Dolan finished 13th in the 2012 Le Castellet 6 Hours. Then in the WEC Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours they won the LM P2 category. At Le Mans with Japanese Haruki Kurosawa completing the driver line-up Jota made a brilliant start to the race. However, too many passages through gravel traps and a raft electrical problems spoiled the no.38 Zytek’s race, which ended in an accident.

 

 

     In 2013 Jota Sport was again among the favourites and confirmed its status with victory in the Silverstone 3 Hours, a race interrupted because of bad weather. Simon Dolan was joined by Oliver Turvey. At Imola the Zytek was involved in a collision and had to retire. Lucas Luhr backed up the British duo in the Le Mans 24 Hours in which the team finished 14th (8th in LM P2 10 laps behind the winners). In the last two races Jota scored two top-3 finishes, and a pole position thanks to Oliver Turvey.

      In 2014 Sam Hignett's team increased its firepower with the arrival of young drivers looked after by Audi like Harry Tincknell, Allan McNish’s protégé, and Filipe Albuquerque the Audi Sport works driver who competed in the ELMS with Tincknell and Simon Dolan. After Silverstone where the Zytek slammed into the guardrails when it had a substantial lead, Jota Sport decided to enter for the FIA WEC Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours in addition to their ELMS programme to be better prepared for Le Mans. For this race as at the Le Mans 24 Hours Marc Gené replaced Albuquerque who was down to drive the third Audi R18 e-tron quattro entered by Audi Sport Team Joest. The no.38 Zytek failed to repeat its 2012 feat and finished second behind the Morgan-Nissan of G-Drive Racing. Jota Sport still arrived at Le Mans with a victory under its belt thanks to Dolan / Tincknell / Albuquerque’s last-minute win at Imola, where the team had problems coping with the return to form of Thiriet By TDS Racing and Signatech Alpine. It took advantage of the surprise retirement of the Morand Racing Morgan-Judd due to technical problems almost in sight of the chequered flag when it looked to have victory sewn up.
At Le Mans Jota lost its no. 1, Marc Gené. He was the Audi replacement driver and was called in at the last minute to replace Loïc Duval in no. 1 after the Frenchman’s huge shunt in free practice. Sam Hignett’s squad asked Oliver Turvey, who had come to Le Mans on the off chance of a drive, to stand in for the Spaniard. Turvey’s reward was victory in the LM P2 category in the Zytek whose chassis dated from 2011 as the British car snatched victory from under the noses of the favourites after a brilliant race. In addition, it finished fifth overall to crown a perfect weekend. After Le Mans the team’s ELMS campaign failed to achieve the same heights as it was beaten by Alpine and finished the season in second place in LM P2.

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      In 2015, Jota Sport will defend its Le Mans title not with a Zytek Z11SN but with a Gibson 0155. Zytek Engineering has become Gibson Technology and the car is an evolution of last year’s winning chassis. It is racing in the ELMS again and began the year with Dolan-Turvey-Albuquerque finishing second in the opening round at Silverstone 0.3sec behind the victorious Gibson run by Greaves Motorsport in a thrilling finish. At Imola they finished third. At Le Mans Albuquerque will be part of the no. 9 Audi’s driver line-up and he will be replaced by Mitch Evans who will join Dolan and Turvey in the no. 38 Gibson 015S-Nissan. Jota Sport raced in the FIA WEC round at Spa to fine-tune its preparation for Le Mans and scored a brilliant victory in the LM P2 category, so it has stacked the odds in its favour to repeat its 2014 success in the Sarthe.

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