VIR VP Racing SportsCar Challenge 2023
Goldburg Goes Early, Holds Strong Late for VP Racing Challenge Win
JULY 9, 2023
By Mark Robinson
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – Dan Goldburg learned his lesson in Saturday’s first IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race of the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park when he was balked in traffic at the start. He wasn’t about to let it happen again in Sunday’s finale.
Goldburg got the jump on polesitter and chief championship rival Bijoy Garg at the drop of the green flag in Race 2, then held Garg at bay the rest of the way to claim his third win of the season in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class. Meanwhile in the GSX class for GT4 cars, Gregory Liefooghe drove away from the pack to a comfortable victory.
Goldburg pushed the No. 73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08 into the early race lead on the 2.459-mile road course as Garg was slow getting up to speed in the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 and slipped to fourth position. While Goldburg remained up front, Garg worked his way back to second place just past halfway through the 45-minute race and set his sights on the leader.
When Goldburg drifted wide in Turn 5 (CTMP’s historic Moss Corner) with 15 minutes remaining, it allowed Garg to close up tight behind. The Californian made several takeover attempts the rest of the way – none successful – and Goldburg won by 1.347 seconds.
“I knew the start was super important so I was really on edge for that,” Goldburg said. “After that, it was run clean laps. The team was calling out the gap. I knew Garg was a little faster but I had a feeling where that would be and it would be pretty tough to pass, so I just stuck to my plan and focused on the traffic.
“Everything was just solid,” he added. “We were really strong for Race 1 but got held up at the start and all kinds of stuff, so happy to pull it out today.”
With the win, Goldburg unofficially leaves CTMP with a 50-point lead over Garg at the halfway point of the six-event, 12-race season.
VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Competitors Eager to Get Back at It
JULY 5, 2023
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Weekend Will Conclude a Nearly Four-Month Break for the Sprint Series
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It’s no wonder Dan Goldburg is itching to get back into IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge competition again.
When the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and GT4 (GSX class) cars take to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for practice on Friday, it will have been nearly four months since the new sprint series conducted a race. On top of that, it’s been a decade since Goldburg – the LMP3 points leader heading into the weekend – has raced on the track he adores.
“CTMP is a rippin’ track,” said Goldburg, who drives the No. 73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08. “High speed, full commitment, blind corners – I love CTMP! It’s probably our highest average speed of any track we’ll visit this year.
“I was last at CTMP in 2013 in the IMSA Lites days,” he added. “The track is a bit different (now) – bumpier, some new asphalt patches and some runoff areas that didn’t used to be paved – but the essence is still the same. The LMP3 car really rips here. It should make for some great racing.”
Goldburg was the overall and LMP3 class winner in both 45-minute sprint races when the VP Racing Challenge debuted at Daytona International Speedway in January. He added a pair of podium results at Sebring International Raceway in March and holds a 60-point advantage on Bijoy Garg (No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320). They head up a dozen LMP3 entries for CTMP, the largest LMP3 field to date in the new series.
Goldburg has worked to remain sharp during the long layoff between events. He’s raced a shifter kart at his local track whenever possible, gone testing in the LMP3 and was part of the JDC-Miller LMP3 lineup in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen International on June 25. Goldburg turned 52 race laps over two full stints as the No. 85 Duqueine finished ninth in class.
“It’s been some time since Sebring, but I’ve kept pretty active to be ready,” Goldburg said. “… I’m ‘primed and ready’ and looking forward to getting back on track with a solid field of 12 competitors in LMP3 for the CTMP races.”
Sixteen cars are entered in GSX at CTMP. Sebastian Carazo (No. 27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport) is the class leader despite not winning a race yet. He’s on a streak of three straight podium finishes and leads Moisey Uretsky (No. 44 Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4) by 40 points atop the standings.
Two practice sessions and qualifying are scheduled for Friday at CTMP. Race 1 starts at 11:40 a.m. ET Saturday, with Race 2 at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Both races will stream live on Peacock in the U.S. and on IMSA.com/TVLive outside the U.S.
Rasmus Lindh Joins JDC-Miller MotorSports LMP3 Program at Watkins Glen
Rasmus Lindh joins Dan Goldburg and Till Bechtolsheimer in JDC-Miller MotorSports LMP3 No. 85 entry at Watkins Glen.
Savage, Minnesota (June 20, 2023). JDC-Miller MotorSports confirmed today that 21 year-old Rasmus Lindh from Gothenburg, Sweden will join season regulars Dan Goldburg and Till Bechtolsheimer in their JDC-Miller MotorSports Duqueine D08 LMP3 class No. 85 entry for this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International.
Lindh has considerable open-wheel experience in the Road to Indy program. He was series runner up in USF2000 in 2018 and Indy Pro 2000 the following year. In 2020 he made his IMSA debut in a Prototype Challenge car and has competed in LMP3 since 2021, while also competing in the Road to Indy program. Currently, he competes in the Indy NXT championship with a full season campaign. Indy NXT is the final step to the NTT Indycar series.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 85 currently sits 3rd in the LMP3 class of the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship.
Quotes:
Rasmus Lindh, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Duqueine D08 LMP3
“I am really looking forward to being with JDC-Miller and back in LMP3 again. I have a really good feeling after the test we had a few weeks ago, and look to keep working on the good result that the team had in Sebring.”
Dan Goldburg, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Duqueine D08 LMP3
“I am pumped for this weekend at Watkins! Till and I worked together quite well at Sebring, and I have many years working with Rasmus. He’s a rocket in these LMP3 machines and based on our speed in testing, we should be in the fight for the win!”
Till Bechtolsheimer, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Duqueine D08 LMP3
“I’m looking forward to improving on our strong 3rd place performance at Sebring. Rasmus is a great addition to the driver line-up.”
John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“We are very happy that Rasmus can join us this weekend at Watkins Glen and team up with Dan and Till in our LMP3 class entry. We have tested with him at the Glen and were impressed with his speed and consistency. He will be a great addition to our line-up and will allow us to compete for the win this weekend.”
Minnesota-based JDC-Miller MotorSports began making its mark on the IMSA record books with a PC class win at the 2016 Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona. The John Miller and John Church led operation quickly transitioned to the top ranks of sports car racing in 2017, scoring two second place finishes and fourth in the final class championship.
The team’s success and growth continued in 2018, when they introduced a two-car effort and scored a victory at Watkins Glen and a pole position at Road America. Once again, JDC-Miller MotorSports finished fourth in the series championship despite racing an even larger and more competitive IMSA WeatherTech Championship field.
For the 2019 season, the team entered into a partnership with Cadillac to field a two car Cadillac DPi-V.R effort. The program had a number of podium finishes and added the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring crown to its growing list of accolades.
JDC-Miller MotorSports entered into an agreement with Porsche for the 2023 season, making it the first customer team selected to campaign the German sports car manufacturer’s Porsche 963 customer program. The Porsche 963 will compete in the new GTP category, which competes as the top class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The GTP Class introduces technically sophisticated hybrid power to IMSA matching it for the first time to efficient and bespoke internal combustion engines. For more information, please visit: www.jdcmotorsports.com.
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12 Hours of Sebring Preview
It’s going to be another very busy weekend for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team at this weekend’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. The team won the race in 2021.
In the WeatherTech race, the team’s LMP3 class Duqueine D08 will be driven by Till Bechtolsheimer, Tijmen van der Helm, and Dan Goldburg. Bechtolsheimer and van der Helm return after driving the car at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Goldburg currently holds the points lead in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series after two wins at Daytona and two podiums last weekend here at Sebring.
The team’s Audi RS3 LMS effort in the Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR class will again be driven by Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor with a Liqui Moly livery.
This year marks the 71st running of the endurance classic. The 12 hour race was first run in 1952. Sebring’s 3.74 mile 17 turn circuit is the oldest and one of the busiest racetracks in North America, hosting activities more than 300 days per year.