Jordan King stars in Sebring with dominant win on WEC debut
Date: 18 / 03 / 2019
Jordan King produced an exceptional performance to help the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing x Jota car taste victory at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in what was the 25-year-old’s first ever race in sportscar competition. Heading Stateside for his FIA World Endurance Championship debut, the 25-year-old Brit and teammates David Heinemeier Hansson and Will Stevens put together a near-faultless run to the honours in the LMP2 classification.
With the showpiece event at the Sebring International Raceway marking Jordan’s first formal outing in sportscar competition, a new challenge beckoned for the British driver in the shape of a new car, a new team, a new track and a new championship. These were though challenges that King made light work of as he played his part in continuing the Jackie Chan DC Racing Team’s impressive season as they collected their fifth victory in six races across the 2018/19 Super Season.
Starting the 1000 Miles from second place on the grid, after their sister #38 car had set a new lap record in qualifying, the newly formed trio of King, Heinemeier-Hansson and Stevens embarked upon their first race together. The order was set for the race by the second lap as the #37 car took the lead and set about a dominant performance thereafter.
Establishing a big lead over the car’s only real rival, the #36 Signatech Alpine ORECA, Jordan and his teammates eventually claimed the LMP2 honours and meant that King had managed to take the win in his very first endurance race.
Reflecting on a memorable debut performance, Jordan paid credit to his team for their role in his preparation and was delighted to kick his FIA WEC duties off in the perfect fashion.
“It is a great feeling to take the win in my very first outing in sportscar competition. It was always going to be a steep learning curve and a big challenge but it is hugely satisfying to be able to reflect on pretty much the perfect debut. It was a really dominant performance from start to finish and considering this was the first time we had raced together, it was fantastic to see how the team came together to deliver a near-faultless performance.”
“From day one, the Jackie Chan DC x Jota team have been first class in their preparation and support helping me get up to speed with all the processes and procedures that differ from my single-seater competition. I’m really glad to have helped deliver the result that the whole team deserves. It bodes well for the rest of the Super Season and I’m really excited by what we can achieve in the two remaining races.”
Jordan gets back behind the wheel of the #37 car as the World Endurance Championship heads to Spa-Francorchamps in May for the penultimate round of the 2018/19 Super Season.