JDC-Miller MotorSports partners with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®for the remainder of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season

Katie Church on April 15, 2024

April 15, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports is honored to announce it will be partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for the remainder of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The collaboration is possible thanks to a generous supporter of St. Jude and JDC-Miller MotorSports, who is dedicated to ending childhood cancer.

Watch for future announcements as we bring the power of St. Jude to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.

Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports

“Our relationship with St. Jude began last June when we hosted Porsche Minneapolis and Porsche St. Paul at our facility for the 75th Anniversary of Porsche celebration. St. Jude was a key part of that effort, and our relationship was born. We take a lot of pride in being a very family-oriented organization, so it’s a natural fit. St. Jude is an impressive organization, and what they do is incredible. All of us at JDC-Miller MotorSports are very proud to support this effort.”

Amanda Cahow, Territory Vice President, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

“We continue to be amazed and humbled by the generous support of our donors at St. Jude. This new partnership with JDC-Miller MotorSports will allow for the St. Jude mission to continue to grow and showcases the hope that St. Jude families find comfort in when they hear the four most devastating words a parent can hear, “your child has cancer”. We are so grateful for the way JDC-Miller MotorSports embraced our fight against childhood cancer and look forward to what the future holds as we find cures and save children together.”

William Dunne, General Manager, Porsche Minneapolis and Porsche St. Paul

“Our Porsche dealerships have been in a partnership with St. Jude for over a decade. Two years ago, we established a relationship with JDC-Miller MotorSports after they announced that they would be racing the Porsche 963. This relationship has grown stronger over time, as they have become an integral part of our Porsche community.”

“Connecting a passionate Porsche enthusiast with St. Jude and JDC is rewarding, knowing the partnership will help cure childhood cancer worldwide. I’m excited about what we can do together.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retires from the 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with left-rear axle issue

Katie Church on March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retired from the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the 6th hour with a left-rear driveshaft issue. The team put a strong car on the central Florida track all weekend, as demonstrated by setting the fastest overall time in Practice 2. They were optimistic for a strong finish when the issue occurred just past the halfway point of the race, completing 178 laps.

Through exceptional pit work from the crew, the JDC-Miller MotorSports team overcame being rear-ended in the left rear early in the race. They stayed on the lead lap and, in the ensuing hours, had worked their way up to leading the race shortly before the issue. With 58 cars on the 3.74-mile circuit, all three drivers carefully worked through the almost constant traffic while being fast and saving energy and tires for the late race charge. While disappointed with this finish, the team is very optimistic going forward to Long Beach and the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season. 

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“It is disappointing to end the race this way.  We had a very competitive car all weekend. The drivers and pit crew were doing great work, and our strategy was solid. We were running consistent lap times in the heat of the day and were ready to make a run when it cooled off in the evening. The plan worked very well, and we all felt good about our chances before the driveshaft issue. 

We recovered well from an early hit on the left rear corner. Our Porsche 963 was hit very hard in the left rear, so we will determine whether the contact caused the failure or if something else caused it.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Obviously, it is disappointing. What makes it worse is that we had such a good car. We were running with the leaders and, for much of the time, were the strongest Porsche. We recovered quickly from the early contact, and everything was going well.

Our car was very good for energy saving and a car that was good over a double-stint. We were all set for the fight at the end but never got to show just how fast we were.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“I had a lot of pace. The car felt amazing, and it looked like we could get a nice finish here! But sometimes luck isn’t on your side, and that is racing. A big thank you to JDC-Miller MotorSports and my teammates Richard and Phil for their efforts, as well as to my sponsors, family, and, of course, all the fans.”

Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Sadly, we had to retire the car due to a mechanical issue. Really disappointing end to our weekend as the car was flying and we were in the fight for a podium.”

Miller and Taylor Return to TCR Victory Lane in No. 17 Audi

Katie Church on March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

By Jeff Olson and John Oreovicz IMSA Wire Service

Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor drove the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSport Audi RS3 LMS TCR to a convincing victory in Touring Car (TCR) class action Friday at Sebring.

Miller engaged in a spirited battle with Motul Pole Award winner Harry Gottsacker in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR in the first 40 minutes of the two-hour contest. After the various strategies played out over the course of several mid-race cautions, Taylor emerged in the lead.

“It was a smooth weekend from start to finish,” said Taylor. “That’s what we wanted, and the team gave us that. I’m just happy the car ran well. The crew put in a lot of work after Daytona, and here we are.

“It was a tough race nevertheless,” he added. “It might have looked easy, but we were saving as much fuel as possible while just giving it our all there.”

It was the second consecutive Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR win for the No. 17 duo, who also triumphed in the season opening BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway in late January.

“We feel good, but the competition is really tough, and we know those guys are coming,” Miller said. “We had the best strategy today, which won us the race. But there’s a lot of fast cars so we need to keep working.”

Taking the checkered flag in second place was the No. 80 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai shared by Morgan Burkhard and Chase Jones, but the car did not meet minimum ground clearance in post-race technical inspection and was moved to the back of the class. Andy Lally prevailed in a late-race multi-car scrap in his first race in the No. 12 StarCom Racing Hyundai that he co-drove with Nick Tucker. With the penalty to the No. 80, they moved up to second place with the No. 89 HART Honda Civic FK7 TCR with drivers Chad Gilsinger and Steve Eich taking third.

JDC-Miller MotorSports ready for the 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with the Porsche 963 GTP

Katie Church on March 10, 2024

March 7, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited to return to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the
top class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with the Porsche 963
GTP.

JDC-Miller MotorSports boasts a history of exceptionally strong performances at
Sebring, highlighted by an overall win in 2021. The team returned in 2022 and came up
a bit short with a runner-up finish. They also secured a 4th place finish in 2020. Last
year, they once again graced the podium, this time in the LMP3 class, while awaiting
the delivery of the Porsche 963.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We’re thrilled to be back at Sebring in the top class, vying for the overall win, especially
with a car as capable as the Porsche 963. It’s a bit different this year carrying the
Porsche banner as Sebring has such a special place in Porsche’s storied history. It’s
humbling to see all those banners of Porsche victories along pit lane. We feel a
responsibility to do everything we can to extend that legacy.

Our team is seasoned with the unique challenges of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of
Sebring. We take great pride in our mastery of what it takes to perform at this classic
racetrack and the iconic 12-hour race. Sebring holds a special significance for our team.

We had a successful Sebring test last month, completing numerous laps without any
issues. Our drivers and crew boast significant Sebring and prototype experience, which
not only enhances our competitiveness in the race but also makes test sessions more
productive. Our Porsche 963 program has come together nicely, and I’m incredibly
proud of this team.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“I can’t wait for Sebring. It’s possibly my favorite race of the year. It’s just one of those
classic events that has a very special atmosphere, steeped in tradition and history, and
I’ve had a lot of success there over the years. Managed to win it in 2013 and last time I
was with JDC in 2022, we came close to winning just missing out with a really good
runner-up finish. Would love to go one better, but as we all know, it’s a very different
venue to most tracks.

It’s extremely bumpy, which gives the engineers a lot of headaches in trying to set the
car up, but we had a good test there a few of weeks ago. We are going in quite
confident.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We had a good run at Daytona and I am really looking forward to the 12-hours of
Sebring. I’ve done the 12-hours twice before, once in WEC and last year with JDC in
the LMP3 car. This will be my first time in the top class and am really looking forward to
competing for the overall win.“

Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Coming off a solid Daytona, I am very excited to see what we can do at Sebring. The
JDC team has been working very hard to give us a strong package ahead of the
Sebring 12-hour and I am optimistic we will be in the fight. It’s been a few years since I
raced in the 12-hour, having been in the WEC paddock for the previous few years, I
can’t wait to be back in the IMSA pitlane this year.”

Westbrook: JDC-Miller Reunion Was Always on Radar

Katie Church on January 30, 2024

Richard Westbrook excited to return to JDC-Miller after year away racing for Cadillac in WEC…

by Jamie Klein for Sportscar365.com

January 25, 2024

Richard Westbrook says that a potential reunion with JDC-Miller Motorsports was always on his radar after sealing a deal with the Porsche customer outfit to return to full-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition.

After a season spent largely in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Cadillac in 2023, Westbrook is back in the WeatherTech Championship this year, sharing JDC-Miller’s customer Porsche 963 with Tijmen van der Helm for the full season.

Westbrook previously was part of JDC-Miller’s program in 2022 with a Cadillac DPi, which yielded podium finishes in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Speaking about his return to the team, the 48-year-old revealed that he always considered it a strong possibility even after becoming a works Cadillac driver.

“I have a really good relationship with John [Church],” Westbrook told Sportscar365. “We had a really strong year in 2022, we were close to winning at Daytona, Sebring. 

“We always stayed in contact, and I felt when I left it wouldn’t be a final goodbye. 

“I’m really happy to be back in IMSA as well. The writing was on the wall (at Cadillac) and I was happy to get it done and be back where it feels like home.”

On his goals for the year, Westbrook says he is hoping that he and JDC-Miller can replicate the form they showed in 2022 and take the fight to the works GTP squads.

“My last year with JDC, there was a lot of promise but we fell off mid-season before coming back really strong at Petit Le Mans,” said Westbrook. “We were leading for a good chunk of the race until Loic [Duval] had an unfortunate accident.

“I want to pick up where we left off there, which is punching above our weight and taking it to the factory teams.

“It’s a huge task, because there’s so much work for these teams to do in GTP, which makes it even harder for the privateers, but JDC always punches above its weight.”

No Hard Feelings With How Cadillac Stint Ended

Westbrook shared Cadillac’s full-time WEC entry last year with Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, the highlight of the year being a third-place finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

However, the trio struggled for performance in subsequent races, only finishing 10th at Monza and Fuji before concluding the season in Bahrain out of the points in 11th.

Looking back on his season with Cadillac, Westbrook said he had no regrets at how his time with the American marque came to an end.

“You have to be realistic,” said the British driver. “It was a good year, we came away with a podium at Le Mans with a brand new car. 

“I wish we had been more competitive at the end of the year. We got stuck in a box a little bit, it was really difficult, especially against the [Le Mans] Hypercars in the WEC. It was a shame that we didn’t realise that early promise. 

“If it wasn’t for a couple of small issues, we genuinely could have fought for the win at Le Mans. So I have nothing but good memories and I wish them all the best.”

Westbrook also suggested that a return to the WeatherTech Championship appealed to him more over staying in the WEC for a second campaign.

“It was my first (full) year in WEC last year, and I’m not saying I don’t like it, but it’s a different mentality,” said Westbrook. 

“IMSA feels more like home, I’ve done it for so many years, I love it here. There was an opportunity to come back, and here I am.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports finishes 6th at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

Katie Church on January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

The JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 GTP came across the finish line after 24 hours
of racing in the 6th position. It was the team’s first attempt at a 24-hour race with the
Porsche 963. The No. 85 Porsche was fast from the start posting top times in practice.
At the start, JDC-Miller Motorsports driver Richard Westbrook moved up from his 9th
starting position to 2nd in his first session in the car. The drivers and crew performed
flawlessly throughout the 24-hour race, perfectly executing the team’s race strategy,
and late in the race was on the lead lap and in a very good position for a late charge.
Unfortunately, with less than two hours to go, the right-side driver’s door opened and
necessitated an unscheduled pit stop to close the door and repair the latch.

A Porsche 963 GTP was the car to have at this year’s Rolex 24, placing four cars in the
top six positions with the No. 7 Porsche Penske taking the checker by just 2 seconds
over the 2nd place Cadillac. JDC-Miller Motorsports Chief Engineer, Rick Cameron, was
a very proud father as his son Dane was one of the drivers of the winning car.

The No. 85 covered 2806 miles during the race averaging 133.354 MPH. The crew
flawlessly did 31 pit stops and 14 driver changes.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We had a better car today than our 6th place finish indicates. The car was strong from
the start I’m very proud of the crew and the drivers for their exceptional performance.
We are starting to get our arms around the Porsche 963 and it showed this weekend.
All the hard work building up to the race was very evident in the car, crew, and driver,
performance.

I’m very pleased with our driver line-up. They have really jelled as a group and were fast
and mistake free throughout the event. This bodes well for the rest of the 2024 season.
It was fun to have Ben Keating back with us as he is a great driver and a good fit for our
program. He adapted to the complicated 963 almost immediately.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“This was our first 24-hour race in the 963. We know how complex these cars are, so to
finish with just minor issues at the end, is really sweet, but a little bit bitter as well. We
just had a couple of niggles at the end that pulled us out of contention. The first half of
the race we felt like we had the weapons to take it to the fight. Later a couple of little
things unraveled. That’s racing. We will dust ourselves off and head to Sebring. But I
think it bodes well for a good year. The crew, I can’t say enough about them. Not one
mistake in pit stops. Drivers didn’t make any mistakes. I think JDC-Miller deserved
something a bit more. But that’s racing. Looking forward to Sebring.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We had a fast car which is always fun. When I qualified the car, I thought “wow, this
thing is fast.” It felt really good to put down a lap under the old track record. Later in the
session others went a bit faster but it really showed we had the pace for the race. We
ran really hard for the entire 24 hours and were ready to make a run to the finish when
we had the door issue. Things are really coming together and I am looking forward to
the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season.”

Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

Feeling bittersweet because at one point there we were running a strong fourth. We
were the second Porsche and had good pace. Unfortunately, a few issues along the
way prevented us from achieving the result that we think we deserved. Some door
issues late in the race kind of let us down, but lots of positives to take away. The team
did an excellent job. There were no mistakes. Reliability was fantastic. It ultimately gives
us a very good platform to build on for the rest of the year. It’s a little bit of a
disappointment that we couldn’t get the result that I feel we probably deserved today.
Congratulations to Porsche Penske for the win. It’s nice to see the Porsche 963 win
Daytona for the first time.

Ben Keating, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

What a great experience! I love working with this team. The whole GTP experience in
the Porsche 963 was a lot to learn and a lot to take in. I felt honored to be welcomed
into the team with open arms as the only Am driver to ever compete in the GTP class. I
always know that JDC-Miller Motorsports is going to give us a great car for the Rolex
24! We all wanted more than 6th place, but everybody did their job very well and that is
what the race gave us.

JDC-Miller Audi Makes ‘Hail Mary’ Recovery to Win TCR Class

Katie Church on January 29, 2024

January 26, 2024

By John Oreovicz & Mark Robinson IMSA Wire Service

Mikey Taylor won two races for JDC-Miller MotorSports on Friday. The first was to and from Orlando International Airport in the morning to pick up a critical part to be installed in the team’s No. 17 Unitronic Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Miller and co-driver Chris Taylor then proceeded to charge to the front and capture the four-hour Touring Car (TCR) class season opener.

After turning six laps in opening Michelin Pilot Challenge practice on Wednesday, the team was unable to start the car on Thursday. The No. 17 sat out Thursday’s practice and qualifying while the JDC-Miller crew scrambled to replace multiple parts on the Audi without success to get it restarted. What they didn’t have on hand to swap out was the engine control unit (ECU), but the nearest one they could find was in Mexico.

Arrangements were made for someone to fly with the part to Orlando early Friday morning and Taylor met them and the ECU at the airport and raced back to Daytona.

“We were not doing the speed limit to get back here,” Taylor said, “and we just made it just in time. Miraculously, the car started because we had no idea that the parts we had would actually fix the issue. It was a pure Hail Mary and we were super lucky today.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career,” he added, “and I don’t want to be part of it again because it’s too stressful.”

Starting at the back of the TCR grid, Miller knew quickly he had a fast car and moved up to fourth in class less than a half-hour into the race. Taylor pushed the No. 17 into the lead for the first time just past the halfway point and wound up leading all but four of the final 53 laps around the 3.56-mile road course.

Not to say it was easy. Taylor fended off challenges from Denis Dupont in the No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Tom O’Gorman in the No. 15 Rockwell Autosport Development Audi RS3 LMS SEQ and Mark Wilkins in the No. 98 BHA Hyundai. The margin of victory was 20.408 seconds over Dupont, Preston Brown and Nick Looijmans in the No. 76 Hyundai, but only because Dupont ran out of fuel coming to the finish line.

It was Taylor’s eighth Michelin Pilot Challenge win, the sixth for Miller and their second together at Daytona – the other in 2021.

It was also particularly rewarding for reasons other than the miraculous recovery. It salved the wounds of the way the 2023 season ended, when an early exit from the season finale ended a bid for the TCR championship. Team members also learned Thursday night that Jay Cottrell, a former JDC-Miller crew member, passed away and dedicated the victory to him.

“It was nice to be able to do this and have the whole team rally around trying to win it for him,” Miller said. “It feels extra special because of that.”

The Michelin Pilot Challenge returns to action March 15 with the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring International Raceway.

JDC-Miller MotorSports partners with Kärcher North America for 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season

Katie Church on January 23, 2024

January 23, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Kärcher North America for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season, beginning with the iconic Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 27, 2024.

As part of the partnership, Kärcher will become an associate sponsor and the Official Cleaning Partner for JDC-Miller MotorSports. The team will benefit from utilizing Kärcher cleaning equipment within the team’s race shop, race cars, and at the track. 

The partnership brings together two entities utilizing equipment focused on innovation.

The Kärcher brand is associated worldwide with quality, innovation, and high performance.  As innovative leaders, Kärcher is setting standards in technology, service, and design, to provide optimum benefits for its customers. This matches closely with the highly innovative and leading-edge automotive technology powering JDC’s sophisticated hybrid-electric Porsche 963 GTP race car, and the operational excellence required by the JDC-Miller MotorSports team and drivers to win in the highly competitive IMSA WeatherTech series.

Kärcher plans various sales and marketing activations around the partnership to reach and positively influence both consumer DIY and professional/commercial cleaners who demand excellence in their cleaning equipment.

With sustainability being a key corporate focus of Kärcher, this matches well with IMSA’s leading sustainability initiatives in the areas of automotive electrification, tire technology, solar power, EV charging, and diversity, within its organization.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports

“We are pleased to form this partnership with Kärcher North America.  We look forward to working closely with them to develop their commercial goals.  The brand is an excellent fit with our team and will greatly appeal to our team’s and IMSA’s fan base and corporate partner ecosystem.”

Robin Paul, Senior Director of Professional Product Marketing, Kärcher North America

“As a company committed to sustainability, we are proud to partner with JDC-Miller MotorSports as their official cleaning partner. Embracing cutting-edge technology and environmental responsibility, our partnership with IMSA hybrid racing showcases a shared commitment to a cleaner and greener future. Through this collaboration, we aim to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices in motorsports, proving that high-performance racing and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.”

“Furthermore, Paul added, we are excited to utilize JDC-Miller MotorSports’ highly visible performance platform to develop the Kärcher brand and sales in North America.  This collaboration will allow us to achieve greater brand awareness and overall value for our consumers and professionals.”

About Kärcher

The company’s solutions serve customers’ cleaning needs in an economical and environmentally friendly manner. The company continues to distinguish itself with its inventive spirit, top-class performance and innovative cleaning solutions.

Kärcher is the world’s leading provider of cleaning technology. The family-owned business employs more than 15,300 people in 150 companies located in 80 countries. Kärcher North America is one of the largest subsidiaries with over 1,100 employees in the United States. Kärcher produces and distributes products and services under the brands Kärcher, Hotsy, Landa, Water Maze and Legacy.

Visit Kärcher here.

JDC-Miller MotorSports qualifies 9th for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Katie Church on January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024

JDC-Miller MotorSports qualified their Porsche 963 GTP in the 9th position for the first qualifying session of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season. Tijmen van der Helm turned a 1:33.506 which was .85 seconds off the pole position averaging 137.060 MPH. Conditions for qualifying were close to ideal with cool sunny weather and a strong breeze down the front straight and a headwind going into the bus-stop.  All nine GTP qualifiers bested the previous overall prototype track record of 1:33.685 set by Oliver Jarvis in a Mazda DPi in 2019.

The team did a huge amount of work on the car in the days leading up to qualifying. These efforts came together on Saturday when Richard Westbrook was second fastest overall in Session 3 and Phil Hanson fastest overall in Session 4. Conditions for night practice were not optimum for lap-times so Hanson’s fast time held overnight.

Van der Helm, using extra caution in bringing the tires up to temperature and pressure due to the low ambient temperatures, turned his fastest on lap 7.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports #85

“We are very happy with where we are in regard to being prepared for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.  To be only 8 tenths off an all-time track record puts us in a very good place as we prepare for the race. All the other teams have been working very hard as well so it’s going to be a great race.”

Rick Cameron, Chief Engineer, JDC-Miller MotorSports #85

 “We ran to our plan. We don’t do special qualifying set-ups for a flyer lap that some teams do. Our goal is to put the fastest set-up we know how to do that gives the driver a fast car that he can work with. Tijmen did a great job adjusting to the conditions and turned a phenomenal lap.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, JDC-Miller MotorSports #85

“I knew going into qualy that we had a fast car.  The team had done great work which Richard and Phil proved on Saturday afternoon. They put some pressure on me to get at least as much out of the car as they had. It was fun to see the kind of lap times we all ended up running. I’m really looking forward to the race!”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, JDC-Miller MotorSports #85

“Tijmen did a great job qualifying the really solid car the team gave him.  I’m very pleased with our progress so far. This team has a lot of experience from top to bottom.  Our driver line-up is very good. Both Tijmen and Phil have done this race twice before and what can you say about Ben Keating. Very fast and this is his 14th Rolex 24. Also running in LMP2 and put that car on the pole. Amazing guy.” 

Privateer Porsches Stake Their Claim at Roar Testing

Katie Church on January 21, 2024

January 20, 2024

JDC-Miller and Proton Competition Top the GTP Chart in the Afternoon Session

By John Oreovicz for IMSA

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When it comes to pure numbers, Porsche has the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship covered, supplying four of the 10 cars in the Rolex 24 At Daytona field.

Porsche is also the only one of four (soon to be five) manufacturers participating in GTP that currently sells cars to private customer teams in addition to fielding the two Porsche Penske Motorsport entries. Those customer Porsches proved their worth Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, as Phil Hanson turned the fastest lap of this year’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 test sessions in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 in preparation for next weekend’s Rolex 24.

Hanson’s time of 1 minute, 35.216 seconds (134.599 mph) in the fourth sessions of track time since Friday paced a tight field in which the top five cars were clustered within about a quarter of a second. Neel Jani and Connor De Phillippi came closest to Hanson on Saturday afternoon, clocking identical 1:45.329 laps in Proton Competition’s No. 5 Porsche 963 and the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8, respectively.

Hanson, a 24-year-old Englishman, was asked whether he felt the factory Penske Porsches that finished eighth and 10th in the same session were not yet showing their hand.

“I don’t think we’ve shown our hand yet, to be honest,” Hanson replied with a grin. “The JDC boys did a really good job of rolling out with a strong package this morning, and I think that showed in both practice sessions. We were very fast in the morning when my teammates drove, and that also translated into the afternoon.

“I think we’re in good shape, to be honest,” he added. “We’re just trying to learn as much as we can about the car. There are several other things we want to understand, foreshadowing the race weekend. There are going to be very different conditions, so we want to get as much data as we can now to adapt as best we can. The team is doing a really good job at the moment, and it’s nice to be at the front.”

JDC-Miller was the first customer team to campaign a Porsche 963, beginning in May 2023 in the race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The team’s full-time drivers this year are Richard Westbrook and 2023 carryover Tijmen van der Helm, joined at the Rolex 24 by Hanson and last season’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class champion Ben Keating.

Keating is performing double duty at Daytona, sharing the JDC-Miller Porsche in GTP while also anchoring the driver lineup in his full-time ride – the No. 2 United Autosports ORECA LMP2 07 in the LMP2 class. Keating was fastest in LMP2 in the Saturday afternoon session, notching a 1:39.047 lap (129.393 mph). Nicklas Nielsen turned the quickest LMP2 lap of the day in the morning with a 1:38.576 (130.011 mph) in the No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA.

Keating shares the No. 2 car with Nico Pino, Ben Hanley and Patricio O’ Ward. United Autosports also paced LMP2 on opening day of the Roar, in the hands of Paul di Resta in the team’s No. 22 entry.

“Obviously it’s early in the process of going through this event, but it’s looking like we’re near the top,” said di Resta, whose No. 22 Daytona teammates are Daniel Goldburg, Bijoy Garg and Felix Rosenqvist. “We’re being naive in the sense that we’re just concentrating on ourselves, trying to make the best possible car with the philosophy we think, and hopefully that will enable us to battle for the win.”

Klaus Bachler managed the fastest GT lap of the day, recording 1:45.799 (121.135 mph) in the afternoon session in the No. 86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 992) that competes in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. Tommy Milner produced the day’s best lap in the GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class in the morning, timed at 1:45.844 (121.084 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Porsche finished 1-2-3 in GTD in the Saturday afternoon session, a year after a difficult debut for the latest generation of the 911 GT3.

“I would definitely take it if next Sunday we would end up in this position,” Bachler remarked, looking ahead to the Rolex 24. “Nothing else to say – it was a good session for us, and the car felt really good. Last year was really hard for us; it was honestly the longest and hardest 24-hour race I’ve ever had. This is different this year, for sure.”

Roar activities were scheduled to continue Saturday evening with a two-hour session under the DIS lights. A final GTP session is set for 1:25 p.m. ET Sunday, just ahead of Rolex 24 qualifying for all classes starting at 1:55 p.m. Peacock has live streaming coverage of the Sunday practice and qualifying.

The 62nd running of the Rolex 24 takes place Saturday, Jan. 27. Flag-to-flag coverage is available on the NBC Sports platforms, with the race start airing live on NBC network beginning at 1:30 p.m.