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No. 17 Audi Locks Down Title

Katie Church on October 13, 2024

October 11, 2024

By Tony DiZinno and David Phillips from IMSA Wire Service

BRASELTON, Ga. – The Touring Car (TCR) class warranted watching from start to finish. Literally. For the second year running, the season’s team and driver championships were decided at the drop of the green flag.

Last year, the championship-leading (and pole-winning) No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR suffered a mechanical failure while bringing the field to the green and the team could only watch as Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi won the race in the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with teammates Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker finishing fourth to clinch the driver, team and manufacturer TCR titles.

So, it was more than a little ironic Friday when, with Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor needing to finish 11th or better in the No. 17 Audi to claim the driver and team TCR crowns, the 12th and final starter in the class (the No. 73 Racers Edge Motorsports Honda Civic FK7 TCR) was unable to start the race after experiencing mechanical problems of its own. Mission accomplished for Miller and Taylor.

Fast forward to a race dominated virtually from start to finish by the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai of Tyler Gonzalez and Morgan Burkhard. Virtually is the key word, as the white flag waved to signal the final lap, Burkhard peeled into pit lane for a splash of fuel, handing the win to Wilkins, Filippi and the No. 98 BHA Hyundai.

“We were all in the same boat trying to get to the end,” Wilkins said after he and Filippi won their second straight race of the season and second straight at Michelin Raceway. “It was a battle of who did a better job of getting there.

“The No. 99 is the same car, and I didn’t know where they were (on fuel). I was just trying to gauge off of everybody else, honestly. I felt like we were all so similar. I didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. It looked the way he was driving that maybe he had a shot to make it to the end, so he had to push, obviously a little bit more. I think we did a good job earlier in the stint to allow ourselves to run a bit more aggressive at the end; to put some pressure on him. So, I guess they were waiting for a yellow that never came.”

Although sixth place was a disappointing and uncharacteristic showing for a team that amassed four wins and stood atop the TCR standings from the opening round of the season at Daytona International Speedway, there was plenty of joy to be found in the JDC-Miller compound after the race.

“No question, last year was heartbreaking,” said Taylor. “The whole team set out to make amends for that this year. We had a great year but it wasn’t easy. Some rules changes in the middle of the season meant we had to redevelop the car. Even this weekend wasn’t easy by any means. We had an ‘off’ in qualifying that damaged the car, so the team was here until midnight repairing the damage. Even when we found out the (No. 73) wasn’t starting the race, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Although the other shoe never dropped, Miller, Taylor & Co. had a tough day at the office, so to speak.

“Of course, it was in our minds that we’d won the championship,” Taylor continued. “But we’re here to race, and we wanted to finish the season on a high note. Although the crew did a fantastic job fixing the car, we didn’t have another session before the race to test the repairs and the car was not exactly right today. The Hyundais had more speed and, obviously, a couple of them went the distance on one pit stop, where we had to stop twice.” 

JDC-Miller Audi Working Hard to Nail Down Title This Time

Katie Church on September 6, 2024

September 3, 2024

By David Phillips for IMSA.com

No. 17 Drivers and Crew Focused on Capturing TCR Championship that Eluded Them in 2023

“We’ve got a new input shaft going in at Indy.”

So says John Church, JDC Motorsports founder in discussing plans for the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR (second gen) in the upcoming IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

No wonder. Church’s Minnesota-based operation was in position to win the Touring Car (TCR) class driver and team championships coming to the green flag at last year’s season finale, the Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 17 Audi was on the pole and a mere 20 points behind No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR and its co-drivers, Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens.

But all that promise turned to ashes when the yellow Audi coasted to a stop on the pace lap.

“We had a car that was capable of winning and we didn’t even get to the start/finish line before it broke,” says a rueful Church. “An input shaft failed, literally broke in half. So that’s been replaced once or twice already this year. And we’ve got a new one going in at Indy, to make sure.”

Fast forward to 2024 where Miller, Taylor and the JDC-Miller team are in a stronger position to vie for the TCR championships heading into the final two events on the calendar. Following a hard-fought seventh-place finish Aug. 24 at VIRginia International Raceway, they own a 170-point lead over their same nemeses, Gottsacker, Wickens and the No. 33 Hyundai. And given that JDC-Miller is the defending TCR winner at Indianapolis, not to mention the Michelin Raceway pole winner, it would appear the No. 17 is in the proverbial catbird’s seat.

“I told the guys after VIR we’re in a lot better spot than we were last year,” Church says. “We went to Indy 60 points back (in ’23) and we got the gap down to minus-20 going to (Michelin Raceway) with a mindset, ‘If you win the race, it doesn’t matter what anybody else does.’ So, we’re in a much better position points-wise based on our run at the beginning of the year. We’ve been competitive everywhere and there’s no reason to believe that will change. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and execute, and hopefully the results will come.”

JDC-Miller’s strong position in the driver and team championships reflects the fact the team was ready, willing and able to win races from the drop of this season’s first green flag. In contrast, while they were surely willing to win races in ’23 from the get-go, the “ready” and “able” parts were lacking thanks to the “second generation” part of their Audi’s moniker. Given that newer Audi sported a host of improvements and updates to the tried-and-true Audi RS3 LMS, with which JDC-Miller had previously shown race-winning form, it took the team a few races to become fully competitive.

Not so this year. The No. 17 Audi swept the opening three rounds and finished third at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before returning to the top step of the podium at Watkins Glen International. Although a DNF (while leading) followed at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, they were back on form at Road America to finish fourth.

Which brings us to the opening laps at VIR, where the JDC-Miller Audi plowed into the tire wall at Oak Tree Bend while running third and dropped well down the order. Ultimately, Miller and Taylor mounted a strong recovery to come home seventh and limit their points loss to the No. 33 Hyundai, their cause aided when Gottsacker and Wickens finished in third place.

Not that Miller and Taylor had it easy. As they have all season, they faced long odds in the numbers game given that their Audi was up against the four-car flotilla of BHA Hyundais, none of which gave an inch during their recovery drive – witness the No. 17 Audi’s caved-in driver door.

“Unfortunately, we got ourselves into a hole early,” Church says. “Until we did that we were in good shape, but it was just a small mistake by Chris (Miller). But in the end, it worked out, despite some of the other cars trying to take us out. All in all, it definitely could have been worse, but we survived and carry a decent points lead to Indy, so no complaints.”

Thus, they head to the penultimate round of the season on Sept. 21 in search of another strong finish, one that will make their task three weeks later at Michelin Raceway simpler.

“Right now, the way it sits is if we have a 170-point lead leaving Indy, depending on how many cars show up (for the Fox Factory 120), we’d pretty much only have to start the race,” Church says. “So, that’s your ideal scenario. You could essentially lock it up after Indy by carrying enough of a gap in points that no matter what anybody else does, all you have to do is start the race and there’s not enough points on the table for them to take it away from you.

“We’re in a great position,” he continues. “It’s due to the drivers and team doing a great job, so there’s no reason to change the recipe. We’re confident, the guys are confident and we just have to keep digging, mind our Ps and Qs and hopefully have a solid race. If not, we’ll just go to (Michelin Raceway) with our elbows out!”

And don’t be surprised if there’s another new input shaft in the mix as well.

JDC-Miller MotorSports has strong weekend at Road America on and off the track

Katie Church on August 6, 2024

August 5, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

The JDC-Miller MotorSports team had a very rewarding weekend at Road America. Surrounded by friends, family, and fans, we achieved strong on-track results and also had a great deal of off-track activity with our wide range of supporters.

The weekend got off to a good start on Saturday when Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor’s No. 17 Audi RS3 LMS clawed their way through the Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR class field to a fourth-place finish. Importantly, this increased their championship points lead by 70 points to a 220-point advantage.

In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, the No. 85 Porsche GTP team improved steadily over the course of the hot and humid weekend. Starting from the 8th position, drivers Richard Westbrook and Tijmen van der Helm had good pace and stayed in contention throughout the 2 hour and 40 minute race. The crew provided fast and error-free pit-stops.  The race featured five full course yellows which challenged the drivers with cold-tire restarts. Van der Helm was quick in the final stint to take the checker for a 6th place finish.

For the Road America round, the team entered the No. 79 Oreca 07 LMP2 for Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews for what will be their only appearance in 2024. Kraut ran a quick and error-free first stint before turning the car over to Andrews to take it home. Andrews worked his way through the field, culminating in a finish on the second step of the podium.

The highlight of the weekend, however, was the visit by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® patient Colton, his sister Malea, and mom Colleen. They came to the track to help JDC-Miller MotorSports kick off a two-month-long fundraising effort for our partner, St. Jude.  Colton’s big day kicked off with a visit from IMSA President John Doonan, welcoming him to Road America and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. Then, driver, Richard Westbrook, took Colton for a tour of the No. 85 Porsche. Thanks to IMSA and Porsche, Colleen, took a “Hot Lap” in a Porsche 911 GTS around the 4 miles of Road America. Colton was introduced to the massive crowd during the Fan Walk pit-stop demonstration and then stood with the team on the pit lane for the National Anthem and fly-over. Additionally, we took our guests around to the best vantage points to watch the race. To culminate this incredible experience, Colton and his family were able to visit Victory Circle when the No. 79 came home in 2nd place. Watch for more information shortly on this effort or you can donate here.

Quotes:

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

“It’s gratifying that we are competitive and very close to the kind of finishes we strive for. The competitive bar in GTP goes up every weekend. We have worked hard on our overall pace and are right there with our GTP competitors. From the front to the back of the GTP field, it is very tight, so now we need to focus on the many little things that gain you positions in the race results. We finished in P6 today but are only a couple of tenths here and there from the podium.

Overall, it was a great weekend for all three of JDC-Miller MotorSports teams. Good results but also it is so gratifying to see the level of fan support we have. A very fun weekend.”

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

“I am happy with the P6 finish. Made a couple of minor mistakes, but we were competitive. There are some things to work on for the next couple of races.  We know what we need to improve to fight for the podium every time.”

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

“6th is a decent result. We have struggled to get results this year. Not for lack of pace, we just haven’t been able to capture the result we are looking for. We had a good car. It was a bit tricky on restarts to get the tires up to temperature, which is something we can work on. 

We had so much support this weekend from all the guests, supporters, and sponsors. You do feel that in the car. It’s our home race, and it’s great to see this kind of support. I’m looking forward to the next two races. We have a good car and are confident in how we engineer it. I’m really proud of everyone at JDC-Miller MotorSports.”

Taylor, Miller, No. 17 Audi Collect Fourth Win of Season

Katie Church on June 22, 2024

June 22, 2024

By John Oreovicz and David Phillips IMSA Wire Service

Mikey Taylor enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the tussle for the lead of the Touring Car (TCR) class between Robert Wickens’ No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR and Jon Morley’s No. 61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR in the closing stages of Saturday’s race. But Taylor was positively delighted by the view in the rearview mirror of the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi the following lap, having taken the lead with a clean pass into the Inner Loop at Watkins Glen after Wickens firmly rebuffed Morley’s bold overtaking effort at the same point the previous lap.

“That was a tough move,” Taylor said of Morley’s unsuccessful passing attempt. “But as competitive as TCR is these days, when you have a sniff at an overtake you’ve got to go for it. I thought they were both going to go around and retire, but the Hyundai is pretty robust. That’s TCR for you: it’s tight, close and fun racing.” 

Once out front, Taylor gradually edged away from Wickens to take the TCR win by 2.054 seconds, even as the race ended in disappointment for Morley when the Road Shagger Audi ran short of fuel two corners from the finish line. Morley’s misfortune enabled Denis Dupont to grab the final spot in the No. 76 BHA Hyundai he shared with Preston Brown.

“We used what we had,” said Taylor. “We didn’t have much front end (tires) left and we didn’t have much fuel left. But (co-driver) Chris (Miller) did a great first stint to bring it to me, and the guys on the (pit) box – I can’t say enough – they did a great job on the strategy. At the end, it wasn’t about raw pace, it was about consistency and that’s what the Unitronic/JDC-Miller Audi is: It’s consistent.”  

Taylor and Miller are becoming quite accustomed to seeing the TCR field in their mirrors. This was their fourth win in five Michelin Pilot Challenge races so far this year and represents a rebound from the race at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago that saw the No. 17 Audi finish third.

“They’re all difficult,” Miller said, “and this is just one step closer to our goal. I’m just super proud of the team. The guys have been doing an amazing job and, honestly, it’s due to them that we’re on this run. Mikey and I are just trying to bring the car home in one piece. They’re calling great strategy, doing great pit stops and we’re picking ‘em up and putting them down.”

The result boosted the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Motorsports Audi to a commanding 220-point lead over the No. 76 BHA Hyundai as the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competitors head north to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in three weeks.