JMW Motorsport Return to Le Mans

The successful year culminated with the team collecting 2017 European Le Mans Series LMGTE Driver and Team trophies at end of season awards in Portugal.  

JMW Motorsport, run by a small, dedicated team headed by Jim McWhirter, will return to La Sarthe to defend their hard won crown on June 16/17 with a new driver line up.

The opening race of the season in Le Castellet saw Liam Griffin, Miguel Molina and Alex MacDowall take victory after a hard fought battle with the Porsches and a fourth place finish in Monza means the British team are currently leading the ELMS title race by six points. While Le Mans is not part of the ELMS championship, it is still the race that every competitor wants to win.

With Miguel Molina on duty in the no71 works Ferrari in the LMGTE Pro class, Liam Griffin will have two new teammates for the big race, American duo Jeff Segal and Cooper McNeill, who are both familiar with the view from the podium at Le Mans. 

McNeill was racing in the LMGTE Am category for Scuderia Corsa in 2017 and spent some of his race looking at the back of the distinctive yellow JMW F488. 

The American team finished third last season and Cooper McNeill is looking forward to joining the team for the 2018 race. “I’m thrilled to be going back to Le Mans with the team that won the race last year. The JMW crew know how to win the race, they’re proven, and I think it’s going to be a good partnership. What helped them win last year was the fact they had an absolutely perfect race.”

Jeff Segal was part of the Scuderia Corsa team that won the LMGTE Am category in 2016, so the 33-year-old has experienced the adrenalin rush of winning at Le Mans. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to Le Mans. I have some really good memories from there. I got a podium in the first try and a win in the second (try).  I’m excited to be with last year’s race-winning team JMW and back in a Ferrari. I’m excited to see what it brings this year.”

ELMS regular Liam Griffin is upbeat about being joined by the two highly experienced Americans for Le Mans.  “Jeff and Cooper have a lot of Le Mans experience. They have a lot of laps around the Circuit de la Sarthe and have both been on the podium. In addition, they race the Ferrari 488 in the states and they just finished second at Sebring in March.  We were able to take the win at Paul Ricard, so a combined effort of JMW and WeatherTech makes for a strong package for June. I am looking forward to the effort.”