Jota Sport

Jota Sportis a Britishsports car racingteam. Founded as Team Jota by Sam Hignett and John Stack, Jota Sport is part of the Jota Group which is owned by Sam Hignett and David Clark. The team is based inTunbridge Wellsin England.Jota Sport has finished on the overall podium of2017 24 Hours of Le Manswith twoOrecain an alliance withJackie Chan DC Racing.
In 2018/2019 Jota competed, in partnership withArden International,RP Motorsport,Jackie Chan DC RacingandAston Martinin theFIA World Endurance Championshipwith two ORECA 07 LMP2 and in theGT World Challenge Europewith Mclaren 720S GT3 cars.
Started in 2000 by Sam Hignett, then a university student in materials engineering, and racing driver John Stack, Team Jota's first car was a Honda Integra built specifically for endurance racing. That year the team competed at24 Hours NürburgringandSpa 24 Hours.The following year, the team raced in the Renault Clio V6 Trophy as well as taking the Honda Integra to 24 Hours Nürburgring for a second year.In 2002, they bought an SR2 class Pilbeam to compete in theFIA Sportscar Championship, finishing second overall in the SR2 championship; their second year with the Pilbeam saw them finish third.
In 2004, Team Jota purchasedZytek’s very first car (Zytek 04S), starting a relationship with the engineering company that still exists today.  Gianni Collini joined Hignett and Stack to drive the Zytek in theLe Mans Endurance Serieswhere they finished 6th overall in the championship.
Team Jota competed in the Le Mans Endurance Series again in 2005 with the Zytek 04S, achieving another sixth overall result in the championship. This was the first year they also competed atLe Mans 24 Hourswhere they didn't finish due to an accident on track, but held fifth place up until hour 22. In addition to Hignett and Stack, Haruki Kurosawa,Gregor Fisken,Sam HancockandJason Tahinciogludrove for the team during the season.
During 2006, Team Jota ran the Zytek factory team in the newly namedLe Mans Series, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the final two rounds of theAmerican Le Mans Serieswhich includedPetit Le MansandMazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The final result for the Le Mans Series was fifth overall. The team finished 24th overall at Le Mans 24 Hours and fifth in their class.  Petit Le Mans saw a second place overall for the factory team with a seventh place overall at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with the car driven byStefan JohanssonandJohnny Mowlem.
In 2007, the team ran a Lola-Judd LMP1 forCharouz Racing Systemswhich was Charouz's first venture into endurance racing.  The team finished fifth in the series with driversJan CharouzandStefan Mücke, and fifth in class, eighth overall in the Le Mans 24 Hours with Alex Young joining the team. Team Jota again competed in the final two rounds of the American Le Mans Series for Zytek, finishing fourth overall and third in the LMP2 class at Petit Le Mans with drivers Danny Watts, Stefan Mücke and Jan Charouz.
This year saw the introduction of the Jota Sport brand in partnership with Simon Dolan and Sam Hancock, with the team competing in thePorsche Carrera Cup GB.  Hancock drove for the team along withPhil Quaifeand between them they achieved five pole positions and three race wins earning them a second-place finish in the championship.  Team Jota continued with sportscar racing and ran the Corsa Motorsports LMP1 Zytek in the American Le Mans Series as well as the ex-Charouz Lola-Judd at the Le Mans 24 Hours withCytoSport(Muscle Milk).  The car driven by Greg Pickett,Klaus GrafandJan Lammerswas a non finisher due to engine failure. Simon Dolan had his racing debut and first race win in April of this year at Snetterton in a Radical.
The brand Team Jota was retired in 2009 and Jota Sport ran the newly developed Ligier JS49 prototype in the EuropeanV de V SportsChampionship, Challenge Endurance Proto and the UK Speed Series. Hancock and Dolan drove the car this season achieving third overall in the UK Speed Series and 24th overall in the V de V Championship. The team also ran a Juno SSE in the V de V Championship which was driven byOllie Hancockand Chris Cappuccini who finished 16th in the championship.  Johansson and Mowlem drove the Corsa Motorsports LMP1 Zytek in the American Le Mans Series again this year, their best result was a third place at Lime Rock.
The team ran the Ligier JS49 for a second year in the European V de V Championship and the UK Speed Series, taking three first places over the season across both championships.  This year saw the team become an Official Partner Team to Aston Martin Racing competing with a GT4 Aston Martin in the Spa 24 Hours and Britcar Silverstone 24 Hours where they took a first in classand second in class respectively. Mazda UK also commissioned Jota to run their MX-5 sports cars to celebrate the car's 21st anniversary.  The cars were driven by six journalists at endurance races at Snetterton and Silverstone.
With Aston Martin, the team competed in the Le Mans Series with a V8 Vantage GT2 car in the GTE Pro class.  Dolan and Hancock were joined byChris Buncombefor the 6 hours of Silverstone and again when the team took part in the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours.  The team's highest placing during the Le Mans Series Championship was fifth in class atSpa-Francorchampsand Estoril, with a DNF at Le Mans 24 Hours. Jota Sport was commissioned by Mazda to create a GT4 version of the MX-5 to compete in theBritcarDunlop Production GTN Championship.The result for the season was seventh overall with Mark Ticehurst and Owen Mildenhall driving.
Jota returned to the European Le Mans Series with the LMP2 Zytek Z11SN Nissan and also competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Spa-Francorchamps round of theFIA World Endurance Championship. The team achieved a class win at Spa but failed to finish the Le Mans 24 hours after retiring nearly 20 hours in. Jota ran the Mazda MX-5 GT4 in the British GT Championship in 2012, again with Ticehurst and Mildenhall driving with the best result of the season a third in class at Brands Hatch.
The team continued in the European Le Mans Series with the LMP2 Zytek Z11SN Nissan with a class win at Silverstone and finishing third overall in the championship.In the Le Mans 24 Hours they finished seventh in class with the Zytek, which was thirteenth overall.
Jota Sport's third consecutive year running the LMP2 Zytek Z11SN Nissan saw a class win and fifth overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours,and a first, second and third in the European Le Mans Series which secured them second place in class in the championship.They were also commissioned by Mazda Motor Corporation to design, build and run a V4 category MX-5 for the Nurburgring 24 hours.  Driven by Teruaki Kato,Stefan Johansson, Mildenhall and Wolfgang Kaufmann the car did not finish due to accident damage.
For the 2015 season, the Zytek car had a change of name and model; the new car was a Nissan Nismo powered Gibson 015SLMP2 class, which again competed in the European Le Mans Series.Jota Sport ended the year with a third place in the European Le Mans Series, achieving a first, second and two third places during the Championship, as well as a first in class, ninth overall at the FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps.The Le Mans 24 Hours saw the team finish second in class and tenth overall.
At the beginning of the 2016 season, JOTA Sport announced a landmark sponsorship deal with Russian energy company,Gazprom.As part of the sponsorship, Gazprom obtained the naming rights for JOTA Sport, so they competed asG-Drive Racingduring the 2016 FIA WEC and European Le Mans Series.
In the 2016 European Le Mans Series, JOTA Sport raced a Gibson 015S, whilst in the 2016 FIA WEC, the team competed in an Oreca 05.The ELMS car was raced bySimon Dolan,Giedo van der GardeandHarry Tincknell. For Rounds 2 and 3 of the FIA WEC season, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and 24 Hours of Le Mans respectively,Jake Dennisreplaced Tincknell.Roman Rusinov,Nathanael BerthonandRene Rastwere announced as the driver line up for the 2016 FIA WEC season.In June 2016, JOTA Sport announced that the team had parted company with Berthon.Will Stevensreplaced Berthon for Round 3 of the 2016 FIA WEC Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In June 2016, JOTA Sport announced thatAlex Brundle, son of former Formula One driverMartin Brundle, had replaced Berthon as part of the WEC driver line-up, alongside Rusinov and Rast.
In 2017, Jota Sport joined forces withJackie Chan DC Racingto run twoOreca 07LMP2 cars in the 2017FIA World Endurance Championship.Car 37 was driven by Jackie Chan DC Racing founder,David Cheng, ELMS LMP3 2016 champion,Alex Brundleand FrenchmanTristan Gommendy. Car 38 was driven byHo-Pin Tung,Oliver Jarvisand Thomas Laurent.
2018 saw a second year partnering withJackie Chan DC Racingfor a larger than normal race calendar of theFIA World Endurance Championship.  Again running twoOreca 07LMP2 cars withGibson Technology4.2 V8 engines.  Car 37 was driven byDavid Heinemeier Hansson,Will StevensandJordan King.  Car 38 was driven byHo-Pin Tung,Stephane RichelmiandGabriel Aubry.  The WEC calendar covered 13 months to move the championship to a winter schedule with car 38 finishing second in the championship and car 37 taking third.  Car 37 took 8th place overall at Le Mans 24 Hours 2018 but failed to finish in the 2019 event due to a gear box problem.Car 38 claimed 10th place in Le Mans in 2018 and 7th in 2019.
Jota again raced the twoOreca 07LMP2 cars withGibson Technology4.2 V8 engines in a second winter scheduleFIA World Endurance Championshipcovering 15 months but Covid disruption meant no racing between February and August 2020.Car 38 driven byAnthony Davidson,António Félix da CostaandRoberto Gonzalezfinished second in class, 6th overall, at the2020 24 Hours of Le Manswhilst car 37, partnered withJackie Chan DC Racing, driven byHo-Pin Tung,Will StevensandGabriel Aubryfailed to finish. For the second year running, car 38 finished second in the WEC and car 37 finished third.
The2021 FIA World Endurance Championshipreturned to a summer schedule and Jota ran the twoOreca 07LMP2 cars withGibson Technology4.2 V8 engines but with a change of number for the 37 car to number 28 and a new trio of drivers –Tom Blomqvist,Sean GelaelandStoffel Vandoorne.Car 38 was driven byAntónio Félix da Costa,Roberto GonzalezandWill Stevens.  Car 28 finished second in class and 8th overall at2021 24 Hours of Le Manswhile car 38 was 8th in class and 13th overall.  At the end of the season, car 28 took second place in the2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, followed by car 38 in third place.
This year also saw Jota partner with Era Motorsport in the2021 Asian Le Mans Series, running anOreca 07LMP2 car, where they finished 2021 LMP2 Am class champions.
A dominating season for car 38, driven byAntónio Félix da Costa,Roberto GonzalezandWill Stevens; first in class, 5th overall, at2022 24 Hours of Le Mansand five podiums out of six during the2022 FIA World Endurance Championshipsaw Jota win the championship for the first time, 21 points ahead of the competition.Car 28, driven byOliver Rasmussen,Ed JonesandJonathan Aberdein, finished third in class, 7th overall, at Le Mans and finished the WEC in 6th place.
Jota Sport will become Porsche's customer racing team to campaign thePorsche 963LMDh racing car in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship as a new name Hertz Team JOTA.Porsche later announced that the first customer 963s would not be delivered until April 2023 due to delays caused by supply chain disruptions, forcing the team to miss the opening races of the WEC, something that the teams understood when engaging in talks with Porsche to take delivery.In November 2022, the team announced that Chinese DriverYifei Yewill join team. Ye will become part of theHertzTeam JotaHypercarprogramme alongsideAntónio Félix da CostaandWill Stevens.With the advent of their Hypercar program and continued presence in LMP2, Jota paused their factory GT3 program for 2023.
For the 2024 season, Jota expanded to two Porsche 963 Hypercars, with numbers 12 and 38; drivers includeCallum Ilott,Norman Nato,Will Stevens,  andJenson Button,Phil Hanson,Oliver Rasmussen, respectively.The number 12 crew took a surprise win at Spa,after a Red flag and a reinstatement of racing time pushed them to the lead on pit strategy.
For the 2025 Season, Hertz Team Jota announced they will be switching to running theCadillac V-Series.R, meaning they will run as a factory entry for the first time.
On the 14th of November 2024, the team confirmed that their new driver lineup for next year would beSebastian Bourdais,Alex LynnandEarl Bamber, alongside existing driversWill Stevens,Norman Nato, andJenson Button.