McLaughlin will partner Great Britain’s Alexander Sims and Dutchman Nicky Catsburg in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Pro division.
The other car will be shared by His Highness Prince Jefri Ibrahim and His Highness Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim with Finnish GT driver Konsta Lappalainen in Pro-Am.
It’s the first major GT3 race for McLaughlin since this year’s Daytona 24 where he also drove a Corvette with Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the JMR team heading to Suzuka for the 1000km,” said McLaughlin.
“I’ve always wanted to race Suzuka and it’s a bucket-list track for me.
“It’ll be an exciting race there in the Pro class with my GM friends Nicky Catsburg and Alex Sims, who are two amazing Corvette racers.
“I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot about the team and more about the Corvette, which I haven’t raced since Daytona.
“I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel, have a lot of fun, and hopefully come back with some silverware.”
It’s the first time Johor Motorsports Racing has fielded an all-pro line-up in a GT3 endurance race.
Prince Jefri Ibrahim welcomed McLaughlin to the fold.
“We’ve had a tight calendar this year, but the Suzuka 1000 has always been a race I wanted to do,: said Jefri Ibrahim.
“Having a JMR Pro car has always been the plan. We chose Alex and Nicky as they both race Corvettes and have lots of experience with the cars and the team.
“We wanted an awesome lineup, so to have Scott McLaughlin, who is also part of the GM family, and now part of JMR, will be a really great addition.
“Personally, I’m feeling confident and really looking forward to racing at Suzuka alongside my brother in the same car.
“We have three wins already this year [in GT World Challenge Asia], and the more laps I get in the Chevrolet CorvetteZ06 GT3.R the more comfortable I become.
“I’m really happy with how this season has gone so far for the team and our partnership GM and Chevrolet.
“We’re both on the same page – we want success, and most importantly, we’re thinking of our long-term plans together with Chevrolet and Corvette Racing.”
This year marks the return of the endurance race after it fell off the Super GT calendar after 2020 and became the Suzuka 10 Hour.
The Suzuka 1000 is part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which is made up of endurance events at Bathurst, the Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Indianapolis.
A total of 30 cars are expected to contest the Suzuka 1000, which features FIA GT3- and JAF GT300-homologated cars.
The event on September 12-14 will be livestreams on the GT World YouTube channel.
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