Two Podiums for Dan Goldburg at Sebring

Roger Johnson on March 13, 2023

Two podium finishes for Dan Goldburg in his #73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08 keep him in the championship points lead.

In Race 1, Goldburg started on the outside pole and retained that position through to the finish.  Race 2 was more exciting for the Florida driver. Again starting P2, Goldburg took the lead on the first lap and held it under pressure from Bijoy Garg and Antonio Serravalle for the first 30 minutes of the race. Garg got by in Turn 7 and Goldburg pressured him until a quick spin allowed Serratore by. Goldburg fought back to retain the 3rd position and his second podium of the weekend.  Goldburg was the top Bronze driver in both races.  

After 4 of 14 races of the series, Dan Goldburg leads a very tight championship by 60 points over Bijoy Garg and 160 over Brian Thienes.  He has been the top Bronze driver in all four races this season and thus leads that championship, as well.

The next race for the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge is July 7-9 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

Race Recap – ROAR and the Rolex 24 at Daytona

Roger Johnson on February 22, 2023

It was a very busy 2 week stretch for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team. JDC entered three teams, each with their own transporter, running in three different series at Daytona. They were scattered around the paddock as each team is required to paddock with their respective series.  In addition to the Duqueine D08 LMP3 entry in the WeatherTech series, the team campaigned another Duqueine D08 LMP3 in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge for veteran prototype driver Dan Goldburg. The team also returned to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series in the TCR class with a new Audi RS3 LMS touring car for Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor.  

JDC has extensive experience with the Duqueine D08 so much of the Roar weekend was focused on getting the four new drivers acclimated to the car and the racing in this series. Luca Mars qualified the car 6th in class less than .7 seconds behind the fastest car in the class and 25th in the 61 car field. 

The highlight of the ROAR weekend was Dan Goldburg’s victory in the inaugural VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race. Dan qualified on the outside pole, took the lead on the first lap, and carried it home for the victory in the 45-minute sprint race.  He followed that up by winning Sunday’s race as well. 

The TCR team chased new car teething issues for much of the event but showed very good speed. Chris Miller qualified 3rd just .1 off the TCR pole.  In the 4-hour race, the car started strong and ran close to the front. Late in the race, the car developed a high-speed misfire. Mikey Taylor and the team masterfully managed to nurse it to the finish and secured a 5th place finishing position in class.  A good points start to the 2023 campaign. 

In the Rolex 24, the team was running in the top 25 overall for the first 160 laps until a touch with the wall broke the right-rear suspension. The car went to the garage for repairs which were performed in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the car went down 20 laps and into 56th position overall. The rest of the race was spent fighting back to 37th overall and 5th in class. They completed 715 laps of the 3.6 mile circuit. 

On to Sebring for the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 18th, a race the team won in 2021.  

Be sure to check out the photos from Daytona here.

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Has Familiar Ending

Katie Church on January 22, 2023

JANUARY 22, 2023

Goldburg and Griffin Complete Weekend Sweeps in the New Sprint Series for LMP3 and GT4 Cars

By Mark Robinson for IMSA.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – They took different paths, but Dan Goldburg and Billy Griffin completed weekend victory sweeps Sunday in the debut of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Goldburg cruised to a dominant win in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class while Griffin battled from behind to triumph in the GSX class for GT4-spec cars.

Both drivers started from their respective pole positions in the 45-minute race. Goldburg, in the No. 73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08, was hounded by Bijoy Garg in the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 until Garg spun in the Le Mans Chicane while working through lapped traffic with 15 minutes remaining. Relieved of that pressure, Goldburg went on to win by 9.739 seconds over Brian Thienes in the No. 77 US RaceTronics Ligier.

As he did in Saturday’s first race, Griffin took a patient approach and relinquished the GSX lead on the opening lap to avoid potential confrontations. Dropping to third place in the No. 14 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, Griffin bided his time before overtaking Sebastian Carazo (No. 27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport) for the lead on the tri-oval section of Daytona International Speedway with seven minutes to go. Griffin pulled away to win by 3.735 seconds over Carazo.

Goldburg credited his LMP3 experience – three previous years overall, including 10 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races in the past two seasons – with his success negotiating slower traffic that led to the two VP Racing Challenge wins.

“I think the key was running WeatherTech last year and learning how to manage GT traffic,” said the 44-year-old from Delray Beach, Florida. “That came in really handy today.

“I like having the traffic to work with. I had good success last year in WeatherTech with it, so I like it. There’s definitely a big enough gap between the speeds of the (LMP3 and GSX) cars that’s manageable and can be used well. It’s good.”

It was that traffic and over-aggressive driving in his class that Griffin was on the lookout for in his bid to repeat as the GSX winner, and it wound up costing a pair of contenders. He and Carazo were locked in an intense four-car battle with Moisey Uretsky (No. 44 Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4) and Patrick Wilmot (No. 88 Split Decision Motorsports BMW M4 GT4) when Uretsky and Wilmot tangled in Turn 3 of the infield section with 14 minutes remaining.

Wilmot’s BMW sustained significant damage and retired. Uretsky was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility and taken out of contention, leaving Griffin and Carazo to battle it out for the win.

“I lost the lead (on Lap 1) again because of aggressiveness and the way they were crowding in there but was able to regroup,” Griffin said. “I knew that the patience thing was going to pay off for me in the long run. I really just took my time and let the battle happen.”

Griffin got a run on Carazo through Turns 3 and 4 of the Daytona oval and made the decisive pass as they crossed the start-finish line.

“I made the move, it worked … and I was able to check away,” the Venice, Florida, resident and IMSA newcomer added. “It’s an amazing feeling; thrilled to death. Definitely a lifelong dream come true.”

Telecasts of the VP Racing Challenge races at Daytona air on CNBC at 11:30 a.m. (Race 1) and 12:30 p.m. ET (Race 2) Saturday, Jan. 28. The series returns to action March 11-12 at Sebring International Raceway.

Goldburg, Griffin Grab First-Ever VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Victories

Katie Church on January 21, 2023

JANUARY 21, 2023

The Debut of the Sprint Series Sees Plenty of Early Race Excitement

By Mark Robinson for IMSA.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The action came early and fast in the debut race of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge on Saturday. Once things settled into a rhythm, Dan Goldburg and Billy Griffin logged their names into the record book as first-ever race winners in their classes.

Dan Goldburg capitalized on a first-lap, first-turn miscue by pole sitter Bijoy Garg to take the overall and Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class lead that he never surrendered. Griffin, pole sitter in the GSX class, lost his lead on the opening lap but recovered the top spot on Lap 3 and never looked back.

Goldburg, driving the No. 73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08, started second in the 45-minute sprint race but had to check up when Garg locked up the brakes on his No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 heading into Turn 1 of the road course that leads to the infield section at Daytona International Speedway. Lance Willsey snuck briefly ahead in the No. 30 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier until Goldburg recovered and took the lead for good midway through the opening lap.

“Coming into (Turn) 1, it seemed like Bijoy was braking kind of in a weird spot,” Goldburg said. “He didn’t take the natural line so I was immediately a little cautious. I was just playing it safe and took it out wide and around, and then Lance got through.

“I was able to get by him pretty quick and then just put my head down and tried to build a gap. This is really special to be here in Daytona victory lane. It’s quite a spot! I couldn’t be happier.”

Brian Thienes finished second in the No. 77 US RaceTronics Ligier, 22.808 seconds behind Goldburg. Garg recovered after falling to the back of the field following the opening-lap spin to finish third.

In the GSX class for GT4-specification cars, Griffin started first in the No. 14 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 but fell to third on the opening lap. He rebounded just as quickly, going from third to first on Lap 3 with the help of a spin by Sebastian Carazo in the No. 27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport that was running second.

Like Goldburg in LMP3, once Griffin snatched first place in GSX, he led the rest of the way and finished 12.717 seconds ahead of Moisey Uretsky in the No. 44 Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4. It culminated an amazing day for Griffin, making his debut in any IMSA series.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s an absolute dream come true for me,” the resident of Jupiter, Florida, said. “It’s been a dream come true just to get to IMSA alone, let alone getting pole and to win the first race ever in GSX. I was really glad that IMSA came up with this sprint-race challenge series.”

Patrick Wilmot crossed the finish line third in GSX, in the No. 88 Split Decision Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, but the car was found to have suspension components in conflict with GSX technical regulations during postrace inspection and moved to the rear of the class. That moved the No. 25 Auto Technic Racing BMW driven by Rob Walker to third in the GSX provisional results.

Goldburg and Griffin will start from their respective pole positions in Race 2 on Sunday, which starts at 12:20 p.m. ET and airs live on Peacock.

Unlucky 5th place finish for JDC-Miller MotorSports at Road America after leading the race for 26 laps in mixed conditions.

jdc2022 on August 7, 2022

Road America, WI. (August 7, 2022) – The ninth race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season included mixed weather conditions that played with strategy and tire choices on the 4.048-mile natural-terrain road course, four full-course cautions and hard racing late between the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R and the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R that benefitted Bamber in the end as the race ended under caution.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Tristan Vautier and Richard Westbrook finished fifth after leading Laps 20 through 45 rain-soaked laps.

Richard Westbrook: “We’re obviously disappointed with the result. We showed again that we can fly at the front and made some great calls, particularly tire-wise, and had good pace in the wet. The car was awesome. The yellows didn’t help us. We had a nice, healthy lead and it wasn’t to be. Tristan did a great job keeping everyone behind him, but then we got stuck in the pit stop and went down to fifth. Tough day, but it was good for bits and pieces.”

Tristan Vautier: “We were in the fight for a podium with Renger (van der Zande) and it was a tough battle. Eventually, he got a run on me when I got behind a GT entering the Kink. We raced really hard, knowing it was for a podium spot. He squeezed me quite hard on the inside to brake on the damp side of the track and we both broke really late and that got us off-line and allowed the 02 to go through. No regrets. The team worked really hard and had a great strategy. We gave it a fight; it just didn’t play out our way today. It was good to be in the lead in mixed conditions. We showed as a team that we could be in the lead and manage it. It was good to be at the front, but only the result counts. We have to move forward to the next one because this one hurts.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports announces Porsche LMDh Customer program for 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class.

jdc2022 on June 25, 2022

Porsche announces JDC-Miller MotorSports as first IMSA customer prototype race team.

Longtime prototype program to enter new Porsche 963 in North America.

– First Porsche 963 IMSA customer race team announced.
– JDC-Miller MotorSports to field one-car IMSA GTP effort in 2023.
– Porsche to offer support program for prototype efforts.

Hot on the heels of Friday’s official factory announcement surrounding the new Porsche 963 prototype race car, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) and JDC-Miller MotorSports announce the first customer entry for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class. The longstanding sports car team will field a single Porsche 963 prototype as a privateer entry in the new-for-2023 top class of North America’s premier sports car racing series. The Porsche 963 is set to make its official competitive debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2023. A second privateer entry is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Porsche Motorsport North America will provide full customer support for the privateer entries in 2023. As the sole supplier of Porsche race cars and parts in the United States and Canada, PMNA will offer its traditional technical and parts support to all privately entered Porsche 963 race cars in the GTP class beginning with the model’s inaugural race including pre-season testing. Engineering and parts sales will be provided for the prototype race cars from both the company’s Carson, California-based headquarters and on-site in the paddock throughout the 2023 IMSA race schedule. This high level of customer support has been a hallmark of Porsche Motorsport for generations including previous prototype customer entries such as the Porsche RS Spyder and the Porsche 962. PMNA will continue its unbroken chain of service for GT-based machines including the 911 GT3 R, 911 GT3 Cup and the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. PMNA is also the official organizer of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands, currently in its sophomore season of one-make competition.

JDC-Miller MotorSports, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has a long history of participation at the highest levels of North American auto racing. JDC-Miller currently operates prototype race car programs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s DPi class and Prototype Challenge Championship in addition to an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TC class car. Founded in 1994 by Managing Partner John Church and later strengthened with the addition of John Miller to the ownership structure, JDC-Miller has captured 18 championships, 62 wins, 60 pole positions and 210 total podium finishes across its platform of entries in the last eight years. Most recently, JDC-Miller MotorSports added its name to an elite group by taking the overall win in the 2021 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and currently leads the Michelin Endurance Cup entering the third round of the championship within a championship for IMSA races of six-hours or more in length. For more on JDC-Miller MotorSports, please visit: http://www.jdcmotorsports.com/.

In compliance with the international LMDh regulations – raced under the GTP banner in IMSA competition – the Porsche 963 is based on an LMP2-category chassis. This newly developed vehicle chassis is supplied by the Canadian high-tech company Multimatic. Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering and Xtrac contribute the standard hybrid components. At the heart of the powertrain lies a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8. The engine is based on the high-performance 918 Spyder hybrid sports car. Its DNA goes back to the RS Spyder racing car, with which Porsche and Team Penske notched up many victories between 2005 and 2008. The design of the new Porsche 963 hails from the victorious 956 and 962 classics from the 1980s.

Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America.
About JDC-Miller MotorSports.
“It is a very special day for Porsche Motorsport, particularly PMNA, to be able to announce our first customer Porsche 963 for IMSA. That we can say it is an established team with a championship pedigree like JDC-Miller MotorSports is especially gratifying. Under the leadership of John Church and John Miller, JDC-Miller has established itself among the leading international prototype operations and that has proven itself from the earliest conversations about the team’s interest in representing Porsche as a customer program. While this will be our first foray into a partnership with JDC-Miller, their track record, attention to detail as well as enthusiasm has already confirmed this will be a successful relationship. We look forward to 2023 when, together, we can again challenge for overall wins.”

About Porsche 963 customer support.
“A very unique aspect of the Porsche 963 is our ability to provide customer race cars from its very start. This is a major undertaking as we must simultaneously develop the platform and a customer support structure that ensures parity between our customer programs and the Porsche Penske Motorsport operation. Our history, dating back to the first Porsche, has always been one of celebrating our customer victories as a Porsche victory and a Porsche works win as a customer program win. It allows us to strengthen all entries equally. This is special among manufacturers, particularly at the prototype level, and we believe will continue to give Porsche a leg-up on the competition.”

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports.
“We are very excited about this new partnership with Porsche and the new LMDh Hybrid platform that will run in IMSA’s new GTP prototype category, starting with the 2023 season. To be associated with an iconic brand such as Porsche and their incredible legacy in racing is just very special. A lot of work went into making this happen and we feel strongly that we have found the best possible partner for the future and look forward to adding to the incredible success Porsche has already enjoyed in IMSA.”

John Miller, Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports.
“We worked very hard to get to this point and I could not be more proud of my partner John Church and everyone in our group and company including our partners who have contributed to our success. These are very exciting times for our team but I think we have proven in the past as well as in the current ongoing season that we are ready for this new chapter and challenge with the support and partner such as Porsche.”

About Porsche Motorsport North America.
Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), founded in 1985, is the only authorized sales, parts and service provider in the United States and Canada for all purpose-built Porsche race cars including the 911 GT3 R, 911 GT3 Cup and Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. PMNA provides engine and transmission servicing, on-site race support and restoration services for historic Porsche race cars. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, PMNA is headquartered in 15,000 square feet of the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles. www.porschemotorsportna.com .

North American Contacts.
Porsche Cars North America
Frank Wiesmann
Manager, Product Communications
Office. 770-290-3414
frank.wiesmann@porsche.us

Tom Moore
Motorsports Public Relations
Mobile. 615-509-5000
tom@darkhorseautosport.com

Memo Gidley and Alexander Koreiba scored their maiden win for the Al Autosport entire operated by JDC MotorSports at Mid-Ohio. Putting the team now 2nd in the overall championship.

jdc2022 on May 15, 2022

Al Autosport with JDC MotorSportsleaves IMSA Prototype Challenge Round 2 with its first win of the 2022 season.

After a taste of the podium at IMSA Prototype Challenge Round 1 the No. 23 Duqueine D08 maintained its momentum at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course topping the charts in every session. Drivers Memo Gidley and Alexander Koreiba opted for a more aggressive setup for the one-hour and 30-minute event, transforming their prototype into a race-winning rocket ship.

“This was a great day for the entire Al Autosport with JDC MotorSports operation,” Team Principal Alex Damalas said. “The team provided a great car and the drivers went out and executed. This is just the start for us, I’m excited for what the rest of the season will bring.”

The weekend kicked off on a high note for Gidley as he earned his second Pole Award of the season with a lap time of 1:17.260. He rolled out to take the green flag and made quick work of building a gap to the field, at points gaining over forty-five seconds on the competition. After an uneventful but successful 40-minutes, he popped into the pits to pass the reins to Alexander Koreiba.

“This race went great thanks to Al Autosport with JDC JDC MotorSports,” Gidley said. “There are weekends where everything goes your way, the car is great and you get a little bit of luck. For me, this is my second race with the team and I’m working on a full-time ride for the first time in 10 years. It’s nice to settle in with this great group of people. Alexander was on fire out there, as a co-driver, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The No. 23 entered the track in Koreiba’s hands; he immediately picked up where Gidley left off. Increased track temperatures required him to focus more on managing his tires but did little to affect his pace as he maintained at minimum a 45-second lead. He crossed the finish line in first place, the first win for he and Gidley as co-drivers as well as the first win for Al Autosport.

“First of all I have to thank Jesus for the talent he’s given me to make something like this happen,” Koreiba said. “I also have to thank Alex Damalas for what he’s done, we wouldn’t be here without him. Our pit stop must have been extremely good because we entered with about a ten-second lead and when I exited, they told me we had over a minute. This was a little bit of redemption from Daytona, this feels great. We went for a pretty aggressive setup today to get speed out of it which made it harder to drive but it definitely paid off in the end. This feeling is indescribable”

The No. 23 now enjoys a 6-week break to regroup and prepare for the summer session. IMSA Prototype Challenge Round 3 will take place July 3-5 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the series’ first expedition north of the border since pre-pandemic. To stay up to date on all things Al Autosport with JDC JDC MotorSports follow along on Instagram, @alautosport.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Tristan Vautier and Richard Westbrook finished fifth after leading Laps 20 through 45 rain-soaked laps.

Richard Westbrook: “We’re obviously disappointed with the result. We showed again that we can fly at the front and made some great calls, particularly tire-wise, and had good pace in the wet. The car was awesome. The yellows didn’t help us. We had a nice, healthy lead and it wasn’t to be. Tristan did a great job keeping everyone behind him, but then we got stuck in the pit stop and went down to fifth. Tough day, but it was good for bits and pieces.”

Tristan Vautier: “We were in the fight for a podium with Renger (van der Zande) and it was a tough battle. Eventually, he got a run on me when I got behind a GT entering the Kink. We raced really hard, knowing it was for a podium spot. He squeezed me quite hard on the inside to brake on the damp side of the track and we both broke really late and that got us off-line and allowed the 02 to go through. No regrets. The team worked really hard and had a great strategy. We gave it a fight; it just didn’t play out our way today. It was good to be in the lead in mixed conditions. We showed as a team that we could be in the lead and manage it. It was good to be at the front, but only the result counts. We have to move forward to the next one because this one hurts.”