Factory Driver Status The “Ultimate Goal” for Stephens

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

Michai Stephens says achieving factory driver status would be his “ultimate goal” after stepping up to GT3 competition for the first time this season with JMF Motorsports in a GT World Challenge America powered by AWS campaign with Mercedes-AMG works driver Mikael Grenier.

The pair head into the championship’s second race weekend of the year at the Circuit of The Americas sitting second in the Pro class points behind Random Vandals Racing’s Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi, after winning the opening race of the season at Sonoma Raceway in what was both the team’s and Stephens’ GT3 debut.

“To be able to come out with podium results would be tremendous,” Stephen told Sportscar365 prior to the breakthrough win. “If we are to be able to achieve that, then the goal is to always secure as many number-one finishes as you can. Keep the championship always in mind.

“That all pairs with the privilege I have in being teammates with a factory driver, Mikael, and that being my ultimate goal for myself to be a factory driver in the foreseeable future.

“They are a walking representation of the next level of professionalism. That’s what I want to be. You see your end goal. I’m able to work with what my end goal is.”

Stephens has been a mainstay in the JMF camp since 2021, earning a Pirelli GT4 Silver Class title with the John Farrow-led team in 2022 before finishing runner-up in 2023, all in Mercedes-AMG GT4 machinery.

After a partial IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class effort last year, the team has gone all-in on SRO America competition this season, complete with a significant expansion that includes their single-car GTWC America presence.

Stephens added that working alongside a Mercedes-AMG factory pilot has provided “instant clarity” in adapting to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo platform.

“Anytime you’re picking at straws and trying to figure out, ‘Should I go with this decision or that decision?’ it’s nice to have that little sounding board,” said Stephens. “And it’s a sounding board that gives you the black-and-white answer that you’re looking for. That is priceless.

“It’s challenged me in ways I could only dream of. It’s just been a really eye-opening experience. One that has forced me to break bad habits and do them quickly, because in this type of performance window, you can’t afford for an issue that you may have to extend its way through the course of an entire session, let alone a lap.”

Nevertheless, the 33-year-old Chicago native says he is enjoying his step up to racing at the top level in SRO America competition and learning the intricacies of GT3 racing.

“I’m beyond thrilled,” said Stephens. “Having the privilege to pilot a GT3 car and for it to be a very familiar platform in the Mercedes, and having been fortunate to drive [the GT4 car] in the last three years, the transition has been more seamless than anything else.

“It’s an accomplishment that I’ve been looking forward to for 20-plus years of my life. It’s a nice little internal celebration to finally be able to see my name on the side of such machinery.

“But just like the rate of speed that you’re traveling on circuit, similarly so is the prep work and all of the items that lead up to even a single lap.

“Physically in terms of preparing for it, there are a lot of things in terms of heat acclimation, the downforce as well. You need to be capable of changing the timing and the intensity of your inputs to match the stiffness of the car and also the conditions of the track, paired with the tire.”