James Munro (born 20 January 1997 in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand) is a New Zealand former racing driver. Munro won championships in junior formulae such as

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

and

Formula Pilota China Formula Masters China, FMCS () (previously known as Formula Pilota China), was a single-seater racing series based in Asia. The series was created in 2011 after the success of the Formula Abarth championship that was created a year before. Event ...

. James is the son of Mark Munro, a former

Toyota Racing Series The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is New Zealand's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. ...

racing driver.

Racing career

After his New Zealand kart career Munro started racing cars in 2013. Racing a

Mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the cha ...

Munro won the

New Zealand Formula Ford Championship The MTA New Zealand Formula Ford Championship has been held annually in New Zealand racing circuits. History Formula Ford emerged as a racing class in New Zealand. In 1972, the inaugural New Zealand Formula Ford championship won by David Oxto ...

winning ten out of fifteen races. He graduated into the fastest racing series in New Zealand, the

. Munro won one race at

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

. The young driver finished seventh in the series championship. He was the second best scoring Kiwi, behind Damon Leitch who placed third. In the regular season Munro competed in the

series. The series, using

Tatuus Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis. History The Tatuus ...

FA010

Formula Abarth Formula Abarth was an open wheel racing series based in Italy and Europe aimed at karting graduates. The inaugural season was in 2010, effectively replacing the Formula Azzurra. Abarth have taken over the supporting Project Youth initiative, th ...

chassis with

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

engines, ran on Asian circuits in China, South-Korea and Malaysia. Munro won the championship with Cebu Pacific Air by KCMG, a team headed by former racing driver

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'Hara: Stories, Charles McGrath, ed., The L ...

. The Kiwi driver started the season with six straight race wins at

Zhuhai Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pearl ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

. Munro won two more races at both circuits later in the season claiming the championship. For 2015 Munro started the season again in the Toyota Racing Series. The series introduced a new car, the

FT50, with a new chassis and updated aerodynamics. Munro was less successful with only one podium finish, a second place at

Teretonga Park Teretonga (means "Swift South" in Maori) is a motor racing circuit situated south-west of Invercargill, New Zealand. It is home of the Southland Sports Car Club. The circuit was established in 1957 and is the southernmost FIA-recognised race t ...

. In the strong international field Munro placed ninth in the championship standings, again the second Kiwi behind Damon Leitch. During the regular summer season Munro started in the inaugural

F4 Japanese Championship is a formula racing series held in Japan regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was held in 2015. History Gerhard Berger and the FIA Singleseater Commission launched the FIA Formula 4 in March 2013. The goal of ...

with KCMG. Initially announced competing the full season, Munro left the series after two rounds. Munro also competed in the

Sepang 12 Hours The Sepang 12 Hours (formerly known as the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race and Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race), was a 12 Hours endurance racing event held annually between 2000 and 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit on December in Mal ...

along with Martin Rump, Afiq Yazid and Yuan Bo in a Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo. The team finished eleventh overall, winning the Pro-Am class. At the end of the season Munro rejoined KCMG to race the season opener of the 2015–16 Asian Le Mans Series. At

Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and nati ...

Munro was joined by

Christian Ried Christian Ried (born 24 February 1979) is a German racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Career Ried's father Gerold founded Proton Competition in 1996, the team which Christian has spent most of his caree ...

and team principal Paul Ip. in the GT Am class finishing eighth overall, fifth in class. His third season in the Toyota Racing Series was the most successful. Munro scored three podium finishes and finished seventh in the season standings. The New Zealander signed with

Team Pelfrey Team Pelfrey is an American racing team in the F1600 Championship Series and F2000 Championship Series. The team is owned by Dale Pelfrey. Indy Racing League (1998–2000) John Paul Jr. replaced Danny Ongais as driver for the 1998 Indianapolis 5 ...

to compete in the American

USF2000 The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

series. During pre-season testing at

Barber Motorsports Park Barber Motorsports Park is an multi-purpose racing facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alabam ...

finished second in the fifth test session. After two unsuccessful events at

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and Barber Motorsports Park, Munro left the series.

Personal

Munro is a graduate from

Medbury Medbury is a rural locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located just off State Highway 7 near the Hurunui River. There is no longer a significant population base forming a township, just rural properties. ...

primary school. Munro has studied at

Christ's College, Christchurch Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, ...

Racing record

Career Summary

USF2000 National Championship

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, James 1997 births Living people Sportspeople from Christchurch People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch People educated at Medbury School New Zealand racing drivers Formula Ford drivers Toyota Racing Series drivers U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers Formula Masters China drivers Asian Le Mans Series drivers KCMG drivers Team Pelfrey drivers Japanese F4 Championship drivers