SAVAGE, Minn. (October 5, 2026). The JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing No. 5 Porsche 963 was involved in an incident just past the 8 hour mark which retired the car from the 2026 Petit Le Mans 10 hour race.
Petit Le Mans, by its very nature, is always an exciting race for the fans and the competitors. It features 54 world-class sports cars racing through day and night for 10 hours on a 2.54 mile 12-turn up-and-downhill road course. Lap average speeds for the GTP cars approach 130 mph. At 21 cars per mile, traffic is constant. Add in that it is the season finale with championships on the line, and you get a race with a lot of excitement.
Unfortunately, the No. 5 Porsche 963 was one of the cars caught up in the excitement. After 8 hours and 290 laps, driver Tijmen van der Helm committed to passing two GT cars when one pulled out to pass the other leaving no room on the track for the No. 5. The impact with the wall damaged the car beyond what could be repaired in the remaining two hours of the race and the car was retired.
Up until that moment, the team was feeling good about their ability to bring home a good result. A minor issue with the hybrid system had put the car two laps down earlier in the race. Through effective strategy choices and good pace, they had recovered those laps and were back on the lead lap, only 15 seconds behind the overall leader. There was confidence with the setup and the strategy for a strong push into the night. Unfortunately, the JDC-Miller MotorSports team’s season would end in the garage. The 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season was one of tremendous growth and success for the JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing team in their quest to compete with the manufacturer-based teams at the highest level of sports car racing, IMSA GTP. Highlights include a victory at Laguna Seca, a 2nd at Road America, and a 3rd at Watkins Glen. They finished the hard-fought season in 7th position in championship points.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“A disappointing end to a race that was definitely coming to us as we entered the night. Our overall strategy was playing out as we had hoped, and we were feeling very good about where we were for a good result. Unfortunately, we got tangled up with a couple of GT cars. With the number of passes we make here, the odds of getting caught up in something are not insignificant and hard to avoid.
It’s been a tremendous season for our team. We saw our first overall victory in GTP, which was also the first for a non-manufacturer team in the GTP era. We knew we were improving as a team over the past few years, and it feels great to finally be rewarded for all the hard work that went into it. A huge thank you to everyone involved, including the crew, the sponsors and partners, as well as Porsche and IMSA. We couldn’t do this without all of you.
Our thanks to Laurin Heinrich for his help this season, and we are very pleased and proud to have had a role in his push to win the driver championship.
I’m feeling very optimistic as we look toward the 2027 season.”
Kaylen Frederick, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“Obviously, not the way you want to end the weekend. We thought we had something for the end of the race. We got back the laps we lost earlier and looked to push with fresh rubber at the end. There are always opportunities with the carnage at the end of this race, and we thought we would take advantage of them instead of being part of it. A bit disappointed, of course, but glad Tijmen is okay. There wasn’t much he could have done in that situation. Not the way you want to end your season.
My thanks to everyone who has helped make this season happen. It’s really great to see some success come from all the effort that has gone into it and great to be part of it.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“Disappointed with the incident going into turn 10. It was going to be a very routine pass until the trailing car pulled out to try to pass the car in front of him. I had already committed to the left side to go by and there wasn’t much I could do. We were back on the lead lap, not too far back from the leader, and things were looking good for a strong result.
It’s been a great season with the JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling team, and thanks to them for giving me the opportunity for the success we had this year. It’s been a fun season and great to take some trophies home.”
Nico Müller, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“Super sad ending to, not only this race, but also the season for the team. I wish we could have brought home some good points for the championship because I think everybody at JDC-Miller really would have deserved that. It’s not been the easiest week in terms of pure pace, but I still think even with all the small gremlins and stuff that we had to overcome, we put ourselves back into the game. The car felt pretty good as the race progressed, and was getting better. I felt like we had a chance to, score some good points, especially as everyone pushes at the end of the race. There were good points up for grabs and I wish we could have brought them back. But in the end, after a shunt like that, the only thing that is important is that Tijmen is all right.”
