Mikey Taylor, Chris Miller back in team’s Gen2 Audi RS 3 LMS TCR…
January 17, 2024
by John Dagys at www.sportscar365.com
Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports has confirmed its return to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition with the unchanged lineup of Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller in its Audi RS 3 LMS TCR.
The pairing, who finished third in the TCR championship last year, ended the season with three class victories, five podium finishes and four poles with its second-generation Audi TCR challenger.
“As the saying goes, why fix what isn’t broken,” said Taylor.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure driving with Chris and working with the entire Unitronic JDC-Miller team over the last few years.
“Last year we came so close to achieving our ultimate goal of the championship, and I’m confident if we can have a better start to our season we’ll be right there at the end again in 2024.
“Thank you to all our partners and crew members for coming back for another year of fun.”
Miller added: “Obviously 2023 didn’t end as we’d hoped but it was still a great effort by everyone involved and proved that we have everything needed to win the championship.
“To be able to return this year with a lot of continuity in the program should give us all a lot of confidence and I’m very grateful to everyone at JDC-Miller Motorsports, Unitronic, Liqui Moly and our other partners, for helping to make it happen.
“Looking back at last season we got off to a bit of a slow start as we were sorting out issues with a brand new car.
“We won’t have that excuse this year so it will be important to hit the ground running in Daytona and get a great result.
“I know everyone has been working hard to be as prepared as possible and I can’t wait to get on track.”
JDC-Miller MotorSports had a very productive off-season and is highly confident regarding its prospects for the Rolex 24 and the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season. The team has put together a very solid driver line-up for not only the Rolex 24 but the entire IMSA WeatherTech Championship season. A recent Daytona test confirmed the team’s confidence in its position going into the upcoming season.
All the team’s 2023 partners and sponsors are back on-board for 2024. This includes Porsche Motorsport NA and its affiliates as well as Trofipack, S3S Saltworks, Wiha Tools, OMP, and Justice Brothers.
The driver line-up brings considerable Rolex 24 experience. Richard Westbrook returns to Daytona where he made his first start in 2007, also in a Porsche. He has competed in the race 16 times. Ben Keating has competed in 14 consecutive Rolex 24 hour classics and for the 8th time in two different cars. He will again this year be participating in two classes, GTP and LMP2. Both Phil Hanson and Tijmen van der Helm have previously competed in the Rolex, Hanson in 2018 and van der Helm in 2023.
The JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 GTP will wear car number 85. 85 is the number it ran for several successful years, including a Rolex 24 class win in 2016.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time so much was unknown. We knew all the GTP teams would have a steep learning curve with the new hybrid platform. Our challenge a year ago was that we didn’t know when we would start down that road and so many decisions and activities could not be kicked off until the car was in our hands. Once the car arrived for the 5th round of the season at Laguna, everyone involved did tremendous work to catch up with the other teams as well as learn as much as possible about the new cars, especially the Porsche 963. A huge thank you to our people as well as Porsche Motorsports and its partners on both sides of the Atlantic for their stellar effort.
Almost everyone involved with the team in 2023 has returned for 2024. Tijmen van der Helm is returning from last year and is getting faster with each race. We are incredibly happy to have Richard Westbrook and Ben Keating returning from our 2022 DPi effort. Ben will be doing double-duty in both prototype classes. For such a young man, Phil Hanson has a tremendous amount of experience in WEC including a Le Mans class win and an LMP2 championship. We are starting the new season with a great knowledge and experience base which these days is critically important. This will allow us to make another step forward as a team. “
Tijmen van der Helm, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m really looking forward to the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season. In 2023 everything was new to me. The team, the cars, the series, and especially all of the tracks. For the coming year I can build on all that I learned last year and concentrate on going faster and winning races.
The team now has experience with the Porsche 963 GTP and I am confident that together we can turn that into results.”
Richard Westbrook, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Can’t wait to kick the 2024 season off and I’m so happy to be back with JDC-Miller MotorSports and racing in IMSA again. It was nice to get a feel for the 963 in December and the car felt really balanced. It was also really nice to work with Tijmen and Phil and, of course, Ben again where we shared the DPi in 2022 and ended with a fantastic podium. It’s going to be a long hard season but nothing better than kicking it off with a strong result at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.”
Phil Hanson, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m excited to kickstart my year at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race never disappoints, and competing for the overall win only adds to the spectacle. It will be my first race weekend with JDC-Miller MotorSports. In the past few years, the team has a history of strong races at Daytona so I’m keen to see what we can bring to the fight.”
Ben Keating, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I am thrilled to return to JDC-Miller MotorSports for the Rolex 24. The experience of getting an overall podium with the team in 2022 was incredible. I think it went well enough that both the team and I were eager to do it again. The Porsche 963 GTP is a lot of car to figure out. Part of the thrill is that it is a very different experience from just hopping in a GT car and driving fast. I am honored that the team is allowing me to be the only Bronze-rated driver to ever compete in an LMDh/Hyper car. I think my LMP2 championships have earned me the right to be here, but it still is a big step and a big responsibility. I am excited and nervous, which is very close to the same emotion! The anticipation is incredible.”
JDC-Miller MotorSports is pleased to announce that it has renewed its partnership with Wiha Tools for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season. Wiha has considerable expertise in tools for high voltage applications such as the Porsche 963 GTP’s hybrid system. This expertise makes Wiha a perfect fit for JDC-Miller MotorSports 2024 WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTP class campaign with the Porsche 963.
The collaboration between JDC-Miller MotorSports and Wiha Tools began prior to delivery of the team’s Porsche 963 in early 2023 as the team recognized the challenges of working with high voltage applications. Wiha not only provided the team with a complete line of insulated tools, they also provided expertise to the team. The outcome of this collaboration is the team mechanics work safely and more efficiently.
Founded in 1939 by Willi Hahn in Schonach, Germany, Wiha Tools, is recognized for producing high-quality, durable, hand tools trusted by professionals worldwide. The company has over 3,500 products and a global workforce of more than1,400 people. JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited about its continued partnership with Wiha Tools and the prospects to expand Wiha’s presence in the dynamic world of motorsports.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“Wiha Tools is a great partner to JDC-Miller Motorsports. What is a more fundamental need in professional motorsports than great hand tools? Our partnership with Wiha started strong and just keeps getting stronger. They have a great product and are great to work with.”
Wade Krinke, VP of Marketing and Product Development, Wiha Tools
“Last year was an incredible opportunity for us to break into the endurance racing scene with JDC-Miller Motorsports, and we’re thrilled to be back for 2024. Our product provides the team with the peace of mind and capability to get the job done. We’re confident Wiha tools will ensure speed and success come race day.”
Josh Kerrigan, Lead Mechanic, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“Initially it was Wiha’s line of insulated tools that got my attention. Wiha Tools met an immediate need we had for working on the high-voltage hybrid system we are using in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. We have been using Wiha’s complete hand tool line for more than a year and really enjoy the safety, comfort, and capabilities, of our Wiha tools. We all use them every day.”
Richard Westbrook joins Tijmen van der Helm for JDC-Miller MotorSports 2024 Porsche 963 GTP campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Phil Hanson joins the team for the Michelin Endurance Championship rounds.
Savage, Minnesota (November 14, 2024). JDC-Miller MotorSports confirmed today that Richard Westbrook and Tijmen van der Helm will return to lead the driver lineup of the team’s no. 5 Porsche 963 GTP in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As previously announced, Phil Hanson will join the team for all five Michelin Endurance championship rounds. Ben Keating returns to JDC-Miller MotorSports for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The Minnesota-based race team will be going with experience in its sophomore season with the Porsche 963 GTP. Van der Helm was with the team for the entire 2023 season and drove the team’s Porsche 963 GTP from the fourth round onward. He gained pace and race experience throughout the season as he and the team jelled around the new 963 and the GTP program. Westbrook, who has been a factory driver in several programs, drove the team’s Cadillac DPi in 2022. He brings experience with the new hybrid prototypes having driven an LMDh in the 2023 WEC season. Hanson has a huge amount of protype experience in IMSA and WEC, including a 2020 LMP2 class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ben Keating, 2023 IMSA WeatherTech LMP2 Champion, returns to JDC-Miller MotorSports after driving the team’s Cadillac DPi in the 2022 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports “We were very pleased with our 2023 season with the Porsche 963 GTP. Everything was new for all the GTP teams last year and we all gained a huge amount of knowledge. For 2024, we will have a balance of youth and experience, but more importantly, all our drivers will have extensive prototype experience in IMSA. This driver line-up, coupled with the support of Porsche Motorsports North America, will put us in the position to compete for wins in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship.”
Talented sportscar racing driver Phil Hanson is delighted to announce that he will join JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Porsche 963 GTP program for all five 2024 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events.
Phil has had an impressive career in endurance racing, despite being just 24 years of age. He was the first driver to win the FIA World Endurance Championship (LMP2), European Le Mans Series, and the Le Mans 24 Hours (LMP2) all in the same year.
He is also the youngest driver ever to win an FIA WEC title, the youngest British driver to win LMP2 at Le Mans, was the youngest Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 champion, the youngest European Le Mans Series outright race winner, and youngest outright Asian Le Mans Series championship winner.
So far this season, Phil has recorded three podium finishes in the FIA WEC and taken a victory in the European Le Mans Series, and is no stranger to IMSA racing, having already raced in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 6 Hours of The Glen.
Ahead of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, JDC-Miller MotorSports was named as the first customer team to run the Porsche 963. Entered in the series’ new GTP class, it scored four top-five finishes, despite running a partial season campaign.
Quotes:
Philip Hanson, No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m very excited to be joining JDC Miller Motorsport for the 2024 IMSA endurance races! After my first taste of IMSA back in 2018, I am thrilled to be back in the IMSA paddock and above all, to be making my debut in the GTP class with JDC’s 963 Porsche. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve.”
John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“JDC-Miller MotorSports is very pleased to announce Phil Hanson will be driving our Porsche 963 GTP in the 2024 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events. We have been following Phil’s career for quite some time and his accomplishments are very impressive. He is a proven winner at the top levels of sports car racing and will be a great addition to the team. It will be fun to see what Phil can accomplish in a Porsche 963 GTP. JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited to take Phil to success at the next level of his already impressive career.”
Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO Porsche Motorsport North America
“We are very proud of what JDC-Miller MotorSports achieved in their first season of racing the Porsche 963. They were the first to make the commitment to take on the challenge of customer racing in the GTP class. Each week we learned more together, and I see no reason this won’t continue into 2024. To attract a driver the caliber of Philip Hanson to the team speaks well of the program that has been built. I think we will see the true potential of customer race teams show against the works programs in the class. This is like what we saw in the 1980s with the 962 and that speaks well for the future.”
JDC-Miller MotorSports wrapped up its first Porsche 963 GTP season with a solid 5th place finish at Motul Petit Le Mans. The team was set up for a late race charge, but late cautions foiled the plan as the race finished under yellow.
“The drivers and team executed the race flawlessly.” said Managing Partner John Church. “To get a top 5 finish in the race with no damage after 10 hours of Motul Petit Le Mans traffic is a strong testament to everyone involved. Our regular season drivers Tijmen van der Helm and Mike Rockenfeller helped get Jenson Button up to speed very quickly in the complicated Porsche 963 and the very busy Road Atlanta course. The Porsche again ran flawlessly over the 397 laps completed.”
Fan response to the yellow JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP was phenomenal. The autograph lines at Motul Petit Le Mans were some of the longest in IMSA history. Our drivers enjoyed their time with the fans and the fans with them.
JDC-Miller MotorSports has committed to the full 2024 season in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship GTP class. The team will announce its driver line-up in the next couple of weeks.
Minnesota-based team could double its GTP class effort in future…
October 17, 2023
By John Dagys for SportsCar365.com
JDC-Miller Motorsports could expand into a two-car Porsche 963 operation in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season amid the team’s upcoming delivery of a second LMDh car.
The Minnesota-based team, which made its GTP class debut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in May, is expected to take delivery of a new Porsche LMDh chassis prior to next year’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“It’s just for spares,” Church told Sportscar365. “We need to have a proper spares program. It’s always more economically viable that way [to buy an entire spare car for spares].
“The whole car is a lot worth a lot more than half of its pieces.”
Church, however, indicated that the spare car could be turned into a second race car for the 2025 season.
“I think down the road for sure,” he said. “But not next year.
“[2025] would be the goal. But right now, we’re just trying to take it one race at a time and then we’ll figure it out.”
Fellow Porsche LMDh privateer Proton Competition, which currently has two cars, is eyeing similar expansion plans, although the delivery dates for additional cars has forced the German squad to focus on single-car full-season programs in the WeatherTech Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship next year.
JDC-Miller, which has yet to finalize its driver lineup for next year, made significant progress over its debut season with the Multimatic-chassied prototype, posting multiple top-five finishes with drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm.
“I think we know way more than we did going into Laguna,” Church said. “You learn every day. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made and the guys have made.
“It’s been one of those years where it’s been really hard to find things to complain about.
“We’ll get some more testing in [during the off-season] but we’re definitely going in the right direction.”
Jenson Button’s IMSA Debut and Two Challenge Series Championship Runs Highlight the Team’s Michelin Raceway Weekend
October 10, 2023
By Tony DiZinno for IMSA.com
Photo Credit: LAT Images
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Few teams run as varied a program within IMSA as Minnesota-based JDC-Miller MotorSports. Heading to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the team’s three-series, three-class, four-car effort looks to steal headlines, thunder and championships from their rivals.
In Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans, the capper to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button will make his IMSA and track debut aboard the team’s No. 5 Porsche 963 entry in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. It provides Button a chance to reunite with his NASCAR Garage 56 and 24 Hours of Le Mans teammate, Mike Rockenfeller, and emerging talent Tijmen van der Helm.
The team will also run a Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) chassis with drivers Rasmus Lindh, Dan Goldburg and Till Bechtolsheimer for the last race of that class within WeatherTech Championship competition. Its No. 85 Duqueine D08 has run with multiple drivers in four LMP3 races this year and has a best finish of third at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with a driver lineup that included Goldburg and Bechtolsheimer.
Motul Petit Le Mans will follow three additional races earlier in the weekend where the team seeks championships in a pair of IMSA challenge series.
Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports with Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor in the No. 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR will attempt to wrest the Michelin Pilot Challenge Touring Car (TCR) class championship away from Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens, who have a 20-point lead in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
Similarly, Goldburg looks to secure the inaugural VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 title in the No. 73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08.
Pulling double duty this weekend for JDC-Miller by driving an LMP3 in both the WeatherTech Championship and the VP Racing Challenge, Goldburg has a pair of 45-minute races in the latter to erase a 90-point gap to Bijoy Garg and the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320.
Button Eagerly Anticipating GTP Debut
The JDC-Miller Porsche 963 tested at Michelin Raceway on Sept. 19, which allowed Button to learn both the car and the 2.54-mile, 12-turn track. After a 31-hour travel day from Singapore to Braselton, Georgia, Button was awed by the facility.
“How cool is this place?!?” Button remarked in a video before he started his track walk.
The smile continued once he’d completed the test day.
“Today went really well,” he said. “I got some good laps in the car. This track is nuts! It’s so fast, so fast flowing, with loads of blind crests. And I’m learning the track with a new car.
“It took a little while, but I felt really good at the end and good in the car. Yeah, I’m confident, so bring on Petit Le Mans!”
The JDC-Miller Porsche finished eighth at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ending a run of three straight top-five finishes.
Team principal John Church isn’t ready to announce 2024 program plans but hinted “things are coming together well” and announcements should follow the season finale.
Taylor, Miller Headline JDC’s Challenge Series Title Attack
JDC has three IMSA titles on its resume, with three consecutive championships in Prototype Lites – the VP Racing Challenge’s previous series iteration – from 2014 to 2016 (Misha Goikhberg, Kenton Koch and Clark Toppe won those titles, respectively). Winning both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and VP Racing Challenge titles in the same year would mark quite a feat; winning either would add to the team’s extensive resume.
Taylor and Miller’s new second-generation Audi features a sequential gearbox among other technical enhancements. After working through some teething issues the first third of the season, Taylor and Miller hit their stride. They’ve won the last two races –VIRginia International Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and finished first or second in five of the last six races.
“The setup on this car is quite a bit different,” Taylor explained. “It’s a bit like a GT3 car with shims and how we adjust things. Now, I feel like we have a decent grip on it.”
As a single-car team, Taylor doesn’t underestimate what it would mean to win the title.
“I started in this class in 2018, and it was a lot more grassroots-type teams,” Taylor said. “Unless you put in huge money to compete, it’s quite hard, so I commend the smaller teams.
“You need a good driver lineup too, because it’s stout to go against (Herta drivers) Wickens, Gottsacker, (Mark) Wilkins and (Mason) Filippi.”
JDC-entered cars will run in Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans, which begins at 11:40 a.m. ET on Peacock in the U.S. (USA Network joins with live coverage at 6:30 p.m.), with the Michelin Pilot Challenge Fox Factory 120 at 12:25 p.m. Friday and the VP Racing Challenge races at 4:40 p.m. Thursday and 9:25 a.m. Friday. All three of those races will air live on Peacock.
The F1 World Champion Looks to Parlay His Motul Petit Le Mans Ride into a Fulltime Sports Car Gig in 2024 and Beyond
September 28, 2023
By Jeff Olson
IMSA Wire Service
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jenson Button did more than just accept his latest challenge. He welcomed it.
Earlier this year – when they were in the midst of the NASCAR Garage 56 project that successfully showcased a NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro on a global stage at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Mike Rockenfeller asked his teammate if he would be interested in joining JDC-Miller MotorSports for the 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans. Button, 43, didn’t need time to ponder the invitation. He promptly said yes.
“The question should be why would you not do this?” Button said. “I’m a racing driver. I could sit on the couch and do nothing, but why would I want to do that? I have to race.”
The 2009 Formula One world champion will be accomplishing three firsts in his acclaimed, 26-year career: Racing a Porsche prototype, racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“IMSA is something I’ve watched for years,” Button said. “I love endurance racing. I love the teamwork that goes into it, and how drivers have to work together rather than being rivals within the team. The racing is just awesome.”
So awesome, in fact, that Button is seeking to parlay next month’s run at Petit with JDC-Miller into a more permanent gig in the realm of endurance racing for 2024 and possibly 2025. Most likely that would involve a full-time ride in the FIA World Endurance Championship, he said, with a side hustle in IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.
“There are a few very good options,” Button said.
But for now, the immediate task is Petit Le Mans. He’ll join Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 for the team’s sixth race as the first customer team in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class this season. The 10-hour race is the fourth endurance race of 2023 and season finale for both the WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup.
It’s both a step into and a step out of Button’s areas of expertise. He spent almost two decades racing and winning in high-downforce cars – and is returning to it for the first time in four years – but he doesn’t have much experience with multiclass racing or co-driving with teammates.
Challenges accepted.
“Endurance is the place I want to be,” Button said. “Multiclass racing throws something else into the mix with traffic. There’s always a lot more action because of it. The way IMSA is run, you don’t know who is going to win until after the last safety car, basically. Endurance racing is where it’s at.”
So, too, is IMSA and its five classes and too-close-to-call championship battles. Button marvels at joining the GTP class, in which three manufacturers – Porsche, Acura and Cadillac – are within five points of one another for the championship heading into the final race.
While JDC-Miller didn’t get its customer Porsche up and running until May and therefore isn’t a part of the championship drama, Button says he won’t alter his approach to the race.
“It’s dangerous to not give it your all,” he said. “You’re not going to let people past. We are here to race and we’re here to compete. It’s a championship but it’s also a standalone race. You want to do the best you can. No quarters given, definitely not. As soon as you start taking it a bit easier on the guys fighting for a championship, it actually makes it worse.”
Since departing F1 after 18 seasons in 2017, Button’s racing career has been diverse and adventurous. He’s raced in Super GT, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, WEC, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), British GT, Extreme E, Nitro Rallycross and, earlier this year, three NASCAR Cup Series races and the NASCAR-backed Garage 56 entry at Le Mans with Rockenfeller and Jimmie Johnson.
A test of the JDC-Miller Porsche last week at Michelin Raceway marked the first time Button had driven a high-downforce car since 2019.
“The first 10 laps were a bit of a shock to the system,” Button admitted. “Getting used to downforce cars again and a circuit that is fast, flowing, blind and unforgiving was interesting. But to be fair, I loved it. Absolutely loved the challenge. I feel at home driving high-downforce cars. It’s in my makeup. It’s what I’ve done for two decades.”
He joins a select group of stars from other racing series participating in Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 14. Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden will join the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport GTP entry with co-drivers Felipe Nasr and Matt Campbell.
Newgarden’s IndyCar teammate, Scott McLaughlin, will return to Tower Motosports to try to add to their Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class victory in March at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves – who have been frequent competitors in IMSA endurance races the past several years – also are expected to be on the grid again at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“It’s nice to see drivers from different categories jumping in and being competitive,” Button said. “It’s lovely that we’ve got drivers from all over the world wanting to try their hand at endurance racing.”
For Button, though, the question of why always becomes the question of why not. He talks of drivers in his age range who continue to race successfully at high levels. He mentions multi-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, still competitive in F1 at 42. Above all, Button says, the desire is about competition.
“It never leaves you as a racing driver, that want for competition,” Button said. “As long as I still want to race and am still healthy and fit and my reactions are still there, there’s no reason to stop racing. When I get to a point where I’ve lost my edge, I won’t be doing so much serious racing. But for now, wow! I feel like I’ve got a lot of years ahead. I still feel like a 20-year-old when it comes to racing.
“I will race as long as I can.”
(Photo of Jenson Button courtesy of Drivinhard Media Group)
Late-Race Pass from Taylor in No. 17 Audi at Indy Creates Hotly Contested Championship Battle Heading to Season Finale
September 16, 2023
By Jeff Olson for IMSA.com
A wild pass in the dark during the final minutes left one team happy and another angry as the Touring Car (TCR) class championship intensified in Saturday’s penultimate round of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Mikey Taylor passed Robert Wickens heading into Turn 7 with two minutes left, giving Taylor and polesitter Chris Miller their second consecutive victory and third of the season in their No. 17 Unitronic/JDC Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
“I knew if I had a big enough run, I’d be at least side-by-side,” Taylor said of his approach on the pass. “But he actually braked earlier than I expected, and I got a nice run around the outside. I don’t think he was necessarily expecting me to go there. It’s not a normal place to pass.”
The contact surrounding the pass didn’t go over well with Wickens, who, with co-driver Harry Gottsacker, managed to help maintain the TCR championship lead for the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
“I don’t want to be the poor loser, but I’ve never raced the 17 yet this year where there hasn’t been contact,” Wickens said. “I can race everyone else without any contact. It’s just the way he is. If that’s how he wants to play, that’s how we’re going to play.”
Wickens and Gottsacker will unofficially take a 20-point lead over Taylor and Miller into the season-ending race next month at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“We have to perform, every race, to catch back the deficit we had at the beginning of the season,” Taylor said. “We’re taking it to Atlanta now. I think the ball is in our court. If we win, it doesn’t matter what they do.”
On a restart with 11 minutes left, Taylor passed Wickens, who quickly regained the lead when Taylor tangled with the No. 79 NV Autosport Ford Mustang GT4 driven by Drew Neubauer in Turn 14.
Minutes later, Taylor pulled his Audi alongside Wickens’ Hyundai, and the final tussle for the victory commenced. When asked if there was contact in the dark, Taylor replied, “Oh, for sure.”
“It was just good racing,” he continued. “That’s how we’ve all raced all season. I have a lot of respect for them. … If I finished second at Indianapolis, I wouldn’t be happy either.”
The two shook hands during the post-race celebration, but Wickens expressed his frustration with the late move and the previous pass on the restart.
“He hit me to get by, and then he hit a GS (Neubauer),” Wickens said. “I get back in front of him, and then their car is so fast that they just catch back up. I’m blocking for my life, and eventually all he’s going to do is just hit me out of the way. That’s what he does.”
Taylor’s winning margin at the line was 1.138 seconds. The No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR co-driven by Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi finished third.
The Fox Factory 120, the season finale for the Michelin Pilot Challenge, will be held Oct. 13 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Peacock will provide live streaming coverage in the U.S.
