Elmira, Ontario - JMF Motorsports will kick off 2024 with a bang as they prepare to field two Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams – one in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge as well as one in the SRO Pirelli GT4 America series.

Returning to the team for 2024, and making the move from SRO to IMSA, will be the ultra-talented driver pairing of Michai Stephens and Jesse Webb, driving the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the GS Class. Moving up into the SRO series will be young Canadians Demi Chalkias and Jake Cowden.

“We are proud to embark on this new chapter of our team,” says President and CEO, John Farrow. “It will be a huge challenge, however, it is just the beginning of our continued growth”.

Michai Stephens and Jesse Webb come off a successful 2023 season which saw 5 wins, 8 podiums and 12 top-5 finishes in the SRO Pirelli GT4 America Silver Class. They both have shown they have the talent and the chemistry for continued success in the 2024 season.

Demi Chalkias and Jake Cowden make the move for the first time to the SRO Pirelli GT4 America series. They both come off of individual successes in 2023, with Demi finishing 2nd in the Sports Car Championship Canada and Jake winning the Radical Cup Canada title. They will pair up in the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 to challenge for the 2024 season in the Silver Class.

Michai and Jesse are on deck first for the IMSA Roar Before the 24 practice sessions January 19-21, 2024. That is immediately followed by their debut race of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series at Daytona International Speedway on January 25-26, 2024.

Demi and Jake start their SRO Pirelli GT4 America season at Sonoma Raceway on April 5-7, 2024.

About JMF Motorsports
In 2020, performance driver and motorsport enthusiast John Farrow made the decision to implement a lifelong dream and start a race team. With his passion for Mercedes-AMG, and his desire to help Canadian motorsport athletes, he launched JMF Motorsports. His vision was to start a racing team that would help showcase young Canadian driver talent and assist them in advancing their racing careers.

Partnering with motorsport market leader Conquest Racing, JMF Motorsports entered the 2021 SRO GT4 America series and quickly became podium contenders, winning the last 4 races of the season. In 2022, JMF Motorsports / Conquest Racing had 2 victories and climbed to the podium 12 times. 2023 also saw a strong season with 8 podium finishes and 5 race wins. The JMF Motorsports / Conquest Racing team finished the season 2nd place in the SRO Pirelli GT4 America Silver Class.

While still maintaining ties with Indianapolis-based Conquest Racing, JMF Motorsports ventures out on its own for 2024, and has opened up its race shop headquarters in Elmira, Ontario, Canada, which will serve as the base for all future racing operations.

“We appreciate all the successes we have enjoyed because of our partnership with Eric (Bachelart) and Conquest Racing,” says John. “It is now time to execute our vision of creating a standalone Canadian motorsport team to support our Canadian athletes.”

About the Drivers
Michai Stephens, Chicago IL - Michai is a raw talent that got his start in racing via the Team USA Scholarship. Moving from open-wheel cars into GT cars, Michai has been a principal driver for JMF Motorsports in the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the SRO Pirelli GT4 America series since 2021, and finished 2nd in the championship in 2022 and 2023. He has garnered 11 victories and 27 podium finishes in the three years of his SRO GT4 career.

Jesse Webb, Mission, BC - Jesse began in karting and moved to cars, getting his start in the Nissan Sentra Cup. Jesse joined JMF Motorsports, and co-driver Michai, in 2023 for the SRO Pirelli GT4 America series, where they took 5 victories and 8 podium finishes to end the season 2nd in the championship.

Demi Chalkias, Stouffville, ON - Demi started in karting after being a competitive triathlete. She transitioned to GT cars and saw multiple podiums and championship wins. She joined JMF Motorsports in 2023, where she piloted the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the Sports Car Championship Canada, and ended the season 2nd place in the series.

Jake Cowden, Aurora, ON - Jake’s journey into motorsport started with snowmobile racing and karting. He moved into open-wheel cars, and collected multiple podiums and championship wins. He was a member of the Team Canada Scholarship in 2022, and competed in the Radical Cup Canada in 2023, where he won 3 races and took the championship title. Jake joins JMF Motorsports for the first time for the 2024 season.