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SAVAGE, Minn. (April 12, 2025) — JDC-Miller MotorSports brought their Porsche 963
home in a disappointing 10th position at the conclusion of the 2025 Grand Prix of Long
Beach. The 100-minute race around the 1.968 street circuit represented a sharp
contrast to the first two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
IMSA competitors went from the two longest races on the schedule to one of the
shortest. This year’s race represented the 50th running of this popular and iconic race
around the Long Beach harbor.
Starting in the 9th position, the race started strong for the JDC-Miller MotorSports no. 85
Porsche 963 as Tijmen van der Helm picked up a spot on the start and had excellent
pace. His day was short, however, as a caution came out twenty minutes into the race.
The team pitted to take advantage of the yellow for the mandatory driver change to
Gianmaria Bruni. The JDC-Miller crew had an outstanding stop, and when the race
resumed, the 85 was running in a very strong 5th. Gimmi was running with the leaders
when on lap 40, a GTD car he was lapping, hit the left rear of the Porsche and spun him
into the tire wall. This forced a pit stop to repair a broken rear wing. The JDC-Miller
team made the repair in less than a minute, keeping the car on the lead lap, but the 85
dropped to 10th, where it would remain until the race’s conclusion 20 laps later.
The car will stay on the West Coast for the next race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna
Seca May 11th. It was just 2 years ago that JDC-Miller MotorSports debuted their new
Porsche 963 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We were not happy with our qualifying set-up and the crew did a great job overnight to
give us a really good car for the race. Tijmen showed that right away with an over-take
on the first lap, and we were feeling confident of a good result. When the first caution
came out, everyone did an awesome job in the pits, and we vaulted up to 5th.
Unfortunately, as so often happens on a street course, Gimmi had an incident and we
had to pit to repair the rear wing. With only a little over a half hour left in the race, there
just isn’t much you can do.
A disappointing finish, but there were some real bright moments. We had a competitive
car and executed very well. If we keep doing that, we will be in a great position when
Lady Luck does smile on us.”
Gianmaria Bruni, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“A tough finish which doesn’t reflect how competitive the car was. The car was very
good, and we were running strong until, in turn 6, I got hit in the left rear corner by a
GTD car I had just lapped. It spun me around into the tire wall, damaging the wing and
diffuser. It’s a shame because we were doing very well. We’ll move forward.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“This is a very short race for our series. We had to come from the back as we struggled
with the setup in qualifying. The car was much better in the race, and we picked up
some spots early in the race. Sadly, we got hit by a GTD car and had to make an extra
pit stop. Just not the luck on our side. We will keep improving and get some results at
Laguna Seca.”
SAVAGE, Minn. (March 17, 2025) — JDC-Miller MotorSports brought their Porsche
963 home in the 8th position at the conclusion of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in
front of a record crowd for the 73rd running of the classic race. This year’s “12 Hours”
lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest races in the world for both man and
machine. Sebring is famous for its bumpy airstrip surfaces and intense multi-class
traffic, especially with 56 cars starting on the 3.74-mile circuit. This year had an
additional challenge as temperatures soared to nearly 90°F in the midday Florida sun.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports team had a setup strategy of running a slightly
compromised setup during the heat of the day which allowed the handling of the car to
be optimal when the sun went down and temperatures cooled. Even with the
compromised setup, the No. 85 Porsche 963 was quite competitive in the heat of the
day, running as high as 3rd mid-day the strategy played out. After close to 9 hours of
hard racing, however, the left front brake rotor failed. Lady luck smiled on the No. 85
Porsche as a caution came out just as the team needed to pit the car. Quick work by the
crew got the LF brake replaced with the loss of only one lap and the team was optimistic
that with three hours remaining, they could get the lap back and make a charge to the
finish. Unfortunately, there wasn’t the usual series of yellows that are typical of the final
hours of this race, and the No. 85 Porsche soldiered on in the 8th position for the
checker.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“A challenging and a bit disappointing day for us. We struggled to find the balance on
Thursday, which is the only practice we get for the 12 Hours. Working late Friday
evening, we made a good step forward, so during the race we had good pace.
Unfortunately, the issue with the brake rotor put us a lap down, and the way the race
played out, we were never able to recover. Disappointing as we were on track to finish
4th or 5th, but that’s Sebring.
We will take what we learned here and focus forward to Long Beach. Thanks to Gimmi,
Tijmen, and Nico, for their great performances and bringing the car home in one piece
after a challenging 12 hours.”
Gianmaria Bruni, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Great job by everyone on the team for a solid 8th place finish in what I think is the
hardest race of the season. The crew did an amazing job. We tuned up the car with the
engineers Friday night and went in the right direction. In the race, the car was really fast
in very hot conditions. Unfortunately, we had an issue with about 3 hours to go. The
front left brake disc failed and had to be changed. From there on, the car was not as
good under braking, which is critical for these cars. We were able to hold our position
and finish the race. Thanks to the team, Tijmen, and Nico. It’s not the result we wanted,
but I think it was the best we could achieve at Sebring today.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“With only qualifying on Friday it is hard to put everything together with the setup before
the race. We had been struggling to find the setup on Thursday, but the guys worked
hard on Friday night to make some changes. In the race, the car was quite good.
Unfortunately, our luck ran out, and we had some brake problems. That can happen in
long races like Sebring. We do have some positive things to take away. There is work to
do, but we are on track for some good results later in the year. The pace is there, so if
we can put everything together, we should have success.”
Nico Müller, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“What a weekend with JDC-Miller MotorSports at the 12 Hours of Sebring! My first laps
in the Porsche 963. To be taking the checkered flag in that beautiful yellow car at the
end of the Sebring 12 Hours was a thrill. We were competitive most of the race. We had
a really fun race going until the brake issue developed, which threw us back.
Unfortunately, there weren’t enough yellows at the end to recover the lost lap. It was a
bit of a pity as our pace had been strong. After trying to fix the issue, we weren’t quite
as strong anymore as we struggled with general brake performance on the car. I think
we were on track for a top 5. That would have been great in this tight competition. I felt
at home with the team and in the car and enjoyed returning to IMSA. Thanks to JDC
Miller MotorSports and Porsche for having me. Hopefully, we’ll be back soon.”
Savage, MN (March 10, 2025)
JDC-Miller MotorSports is pleased to announce the addition of Swiss Formula E driver Nico Müller to its driver lineup for the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Müller will join full-season drivers Tijmen van der Helm and Gianmaria Bruni behind the wheel of the team’s No. 85 Porsche 963 GTP.
The 33-year-old Müller is a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in multiple disciplines, including GT and Prototype endurance racing, DTM, and most recently, Formula E. He rounds out a JDC-Miller MotorSports driver lineup with considerable Sebring experience. Nico’s previous Sebring experience was with WEC, participating in the 1000km in 2022 in LMP2 and in 2023 in a Peugeot Hypercar. Nico also competed in the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona in LMP2. He is a Porsche factory driver and currently drives a Porsche 99X in the Formula E World Championship. JDC-Miller MotorSports is thrilled he could fit this race into his extremely busy schedule.
This will be Van der Helm’s 4th 12 Hour, three of which are with JDC-Miller MotorSports. Bruni will take his 13th green flag this year and has had considerable success at the fabled track with a Sebring 12 Hour GT class win, WEC 1000km GT class win, as well as four other podiums.
JDC-Miller MotorSports has enjoyed success at Sebring, as well. Most recently, the team took the top step of the podium with an overall win in 2021, the second step in 2022, and a third in LMP3 in 2023, prior to the delivery of their current Porsche 963.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We have a great driver line-up for this year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Adding Nico to our already strong driver line-up with Tijmen and Gimmi, builds on the confidence we have coming off our very strong run at Daytona. Thanks to our friends at Porsche for all their efforts in making it happen.”
Gianmaria Bruni, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I am really looking forward to the 12 Hours of Sebring with JDC-Miller MotorSports. I’ve raced here a dozen times with some success, so it’s a special place for me. It is hard on cars and drivers, but the JDC-Miller MotorSports team knows what it takes to win at Sebring. Hopefully, we can build on our strong effort at Daytona, keep improving, and get on the podium. “
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“It’s great to be heading back to the Florida sunshine. I really enjoy the challenge of Sebring. The traffic and the concrete surfaces, as well as how competitive it is for all 12 hours. It is different than other races. Difficult in an enjoyable way. JDC-Miller MotorSports know what it takes to win there, so I am optimistic for a good result.”
Nico Müller, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“First of all I’d like to thank JDC-Miller MotorSports, Porsche, and my Formula E Team, Andretti FE, who have made this last-minute project possible. I can’t wait to turn my first laps in the Porsche 963 and compete in my first prestigious Sebring 12-hour. It’s great being back in IMSA. I have previously competed at Sebring when WEC was part of the “Super Sebring” weekend. I loved following the IMSA action during the 12-hour. It’s known as the toughest race on the IMSA calendar. I am confident that together with JDC-Miller MotorSports, Gimmi, and Tijmen, all who bring lots of Sebring 963 experience to the table. That strong foundation will speed up my 963 learning process. One more good omen: Yellow is one of my favorite racing colors!”
