Fergus, Lazare Return to MIA McLaren GT4 Effort

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Motorsports In Action will return to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with an unchanged full-season driver lineup for its McLaren 570S GT4, with Jesse Lazare and Corey Fergus confirmed for a second consecutive season.

The Quebec-based outfit embarks on its third season of GS competition, following a challenging 2018 season marred with Balance of Performance discrepancies and a legal battle within the British manufacturer.

Team owner Eric Kerub said the UK court judgment won by McLaren Automotive over its former partner CRS GT Ltd. was one of the primary factors in MIA’s decision to continue its program into 2019.

“By early November, it looked like we would be taking a year off due to the ongoing legal battle with McLaren and CRS, but when it was announced that McLaren won their lawsuit at the end of November and my subsequent meeting at the factory, I became very optimistic that we would now have the support that was missing last year,” Kerub said.

“So, it was a scramble to convince these very talented drivers to put last year behind us and trust in the future.

“With Jesse it was easier as we had a much better year in 2017, but Corey’s only experience with our program was more challenging.

“With only December and the holidays to work with, we managed to strike a deal and I’m so thrilled to have one of the best driving pairs in the field once again. This year however, we have to deliver for them!”

Lazare and Fergus combined for a season-best second-place finish at Virginia International Raceway last year, with Lazare also claiming pole at the penultimate round of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We have a winning recipe between Corey and I, the McLaren and the team’s expertise,” he said.

“Although it wasn’t certain MIA was campaigning this year, I didn’t explore other opportunities as this is the series, team and car I want to be racing with. All things being equal, we will certainly race in the front of the field.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John