SAVAGE, Minn. (May 31st, 2026). The JDC-Miller MotorSports team had a disappointing weekend at the Detroit Grand Prix. Tijmen van der Helm and Laurin Heinrich brought the No. 5 Porsche 963 home in 11th place after a race marked by contact and penalties.
After qualifying 11th, the team was optimistic that the historically contact-filled race on the tight 11-turn, 1.645-mile Detroit street circuit would provide opportunities to move up as the race progressed. The team started the race with a strategy of staying out of trouble early and pushing toward the end as opportunities arose. Tijmen van der Helm executed the team’s strategy well, staying clean and moving up as high as 8th. Unfortunately, in their haste to make a quick stop, the JDC-Miller MotorSports crew went over the wall before the car came to a complete stop, incurring a drive-through penalty. The penalty following the driver change put Laurin Heinrich at the back of the pack, amid slower traffic. As he pushed to move forward, he made contact with another car and received a penalty for the contact. That put the 5 a lap down and out of contention for a strong finish.
The 11th-place finish dropped Laurin Heinrich from the lead in the Driver’s Championship to second place.
Next race for the team is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, contested on June 28th at Watkins Glen.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Tough race for us, for sure. We certainly beat ourselves on multiple levels today. The good news is the car was fast and capable; we just didn’t execute to our potential. Looking forward to a rebound at Watkins Glen in a few weeks!”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Kind of a crazy race for us, which is typical for Detroit. We had a good plan that unraveled after a pit stop penalty, which set us back. I had a good first stint, staying out of trouble, which isn’t always easy here, and picked up some spots.
I’m excited to get to Watkins Glen, which is a track that suits us very well, and I’m looking forward to a good result.”
Laurin Heinrich, Driver, No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Unfortunately, the race in Detroit was not what we had hoped for after our win at Laguna Seca. First, we picked up a penalty for a pit stop infringement, and on top of that, I was involved in an on-track incident, which was my mistake, and we received another penalty for that. After falling a couple of laps down, there was little more we could do than finish the race.
I’m quite proud of the work the team put in. We improved the car every session and had a good strategy for a strong finish.”
