History Of Motorsports in Johor
Johor and its people have a proud history of motorsport. It began with the late Sultan Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ibrahim who had a Mercedes racer before they became Mercedes Benz and each generation has continued to grow the legacy.
Now the young Princes are reigniting the family’s love of racing by taking on the SRO GT World Challenge. They’re bringing Johor along for the ride as they learn to drive, race and win, whilst also creating opportunities for the racing community of Johor to thrive again.
A Love of Racing
So, how did it all begin?
Enraptured with motor racing after driving his Mercedes Benz, Sultan Ismail helped organise the first Johor Grand Prix in 1940 when he was still Tunku Mahkota of Johor. This helped establish motor racing in the region. In 1986, the late Sultan Iskandar opened the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang, which was soon upgraded to the strict FIM World GP homologation requirements in 1990. It went on to host the Superbike World Championship in 1992 and 1993, as well as the World Motorcycle Grand Prix Championship in 1998.
Johor Circuit has also hosted the Asian Festival of Speed and other racing series throughout Asia during the 2000s. It’s the heart of motorsport in Johor and is now being restored by the Johor Royal Family to accommodate a driving academy and motorsports museum for the grassroots community.
The current Sultan of Johor, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim also has a passion for motorcycle racing and established an annual motorcycle tour event, the Kembara Mahkota Johor in 2001.
The Next Generation
With this rich history behind them, Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim strive to continue the legacy of motorsport in Johor by competing in the SRO GT World Challenge series. Driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 powered by Triple Eight Racing, they race in both the Asia and Australia championship series.