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October 17, 2024 from getunitronic.com
After 10 thrilling rounds of heated IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge racing, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team is thrilled to claim the title of 2024 IMSA TCR Champions! This season was marked by many intense battles and unforgettable moments on the track. Heading into the final race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the team remained focused on its objective and all that hard work paid off in the best way possible.
As it Happened in Braselton, GA
Coming off a strong P3 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 150-point championship lead, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team was in a good position to take it all but the relentless factory-backed Hyundai teams still remained within striking distance. Practice 1 and 2 allowed for final setup changes, but nothing could prepare the team for Thursday evening’s qualifying session incident.
As the sun was setting over turn 3 at Road Atlanta, visibility was dwindling fast and the #17 Audi lost control over a curb and collided with a safety barrier. Miraculously, Miller got the car moving again while avoiding a red flag and he would even go on to improve his qualifying time which was a true testament to the team’s “never give up” attitude. The Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team would start Friday’s 2-hour Fox Factory 120 race from P7 but not before a long night of repairs.
On race day, only 11 teams made it to the starting grid instead of the anticipated 12 and with a 150-point differential between P1 and P11, the team would simply have to make it past the start line to clinch the championship win. Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor went on to finish the race without taking any unnecessary risks and ultimately crossed the line in P6 with their heads up high, surrounded by cheering fans, crew, family and friends.
Breaking the Hyundai Stronghold
“I am so proud to be able to finally get this championship! All the hard work over the last 5 years has led to this and there couldn’t be a more deserving group of people in the paddock. Everyone has worked so hard week in and week out so it’s nice to finally get this reward!
I don’t think people realize the level at which IMSA TCR is right now, you really have to piece everything together to have a shot at beating the factory supported Hyundai team who have great driver line ups and a fantastic program! To be the first team to break their stronghold on the TCR class means a lot to a little one-car team like us! We put everything we had into this one, and I’m so relieved it all worked out! A special thanks to all our partners who have been on this journey with us and stuck with us through the thick and thin!” said Mikey Taylor.
Miller Reflects on the Tough Racing Season
“Obviously it would have been great to end the season with a win but our goal with this program since we started years ago was to win a championship and it’s a massive achievement by everyone involved to be able to deliver that. I’m so grateful to everyone for their hard work this year. We faced a lot of adversity beginning at Daytona when we thought we may not start the race and then the second half of the season definitely didn’t go as smoothly as we wanted, but everyone showed great resilience.
I feel very lucky to have had such a great teammate, crew, group of engineers, partners and countless other supporters who I got to be a part of this with. Special thanks to Unitronic, JDC-Miller Motorsports, and my family for always believing in us. Championships are very hard to win and I think we will all be celebrating this one for a while!” said Chris Miller.
Thankful for the Outpouring of Support
This championship win is not just a testament to the skill of our drivers but also to the dedication of the entire Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team. From the crew to our technical partners, every detail mattered, and everyone gave it their all. Now, we celebrate this incredible achievement, reflect on an unforgettable season, and look forward to what’s next. Thank you to our partners, fans, and everyone who supported us along the way!
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.”
Jun 13th, 2024 from www.getunitronic.com
As the summer temperatures heat up, so too does the IMSA racing schedule and kicking off the busy summer season was the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team’s second 4-hour race of the season at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio.
Coming into the race on a three race winning streak, the team knew it would be tough to keep the chasing pack behind as every competitor gunned to take down the #17 that had been on top for most of the start of the season. The Lexington, Ohio based track is also one of the toughest on the calendar for the Audi RS3 LMS TCR platform as it suited the hatchback car configuration of the Honda Civic FL5 TCR and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR more than the sedan platform of the road car based Audi platform.
HEATED COMPETITION
Starting off the weekend strong, drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor topped the charts in practice 1 and a solid 5th place in practice 2 in the tight TCR field. Qualifying brought more of a challenge, as the Honda Civic FL5 TCR team of MMG stretched their legs and showed what their well-favored balance of performance could do with a chart topping time of 1.27.103, leading to driver Chris Miller in 4th place with a 1.27.804.
TEAM FIGHTS THROUGH EARLY CONTACT
As the green flag flew the battle started for the #17 team as the rowdy TCR class battled back and forth making contact with the Audi several times and forcing Chris Miller as low as 8th at one point. Nevertheless, the team charged on throughout numerous issues with the handling and gearbox shifting of the now damaged race car. Around the halfway mark of the 4-hour challenge, the team made their mandatory driver change and put Mikey Taylor into the seat to give him a shot at battling until the end. Through a sequence of fast laps, pit stops and clever strategy by John Church, the #17 was to cycle through to 4th place near the final hour of the race, just behind the two factory backed Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryan Herta Autosport and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering.
UNITRONIC JDC-AUDI HANGS ON FOR P3 FINISH
As the field took the green flag from one of the final few full course caution periods with just over an hour to go, Taylor made a decisive move inside the #33 Hyundai to take a podium position and start the charge towards the front. Unfortunately for him, the damage from earlier in the race to the aerodynamics and gearbox of the car held him back and did not allow the South African born driver to unleash the pace of the Unitronic Audi. Ending the three-race winning streak the team had to settle for a admirable 3rd place finish, only 6 seconds off the winning Hyundai #76 and second place #5 Alfa Romeo. A solid result and points haul for the team means they retain their championship lead by 170 points over the chasing #76 Hyundai.
EXCLUSIVE OFFER FROM ECS TUNING
Throughout the week, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team partnered up with ECS TUNING for several activities at their facility and on the track. We’d like to thank them again for their time and enthusiasm around our brand and race program. As a reminder, FREE limited edition posters are still available on ECSTUNING.COM while supplies last. These unique posters not only commemorate our special partnership at Mid-Ohio but they have also been autographed by our pro drivers; Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor.
NEXT RACE
The next round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Championship takes place next week at the world famous Watkins Glen International Raceway on June 20th – 23rd. Stay up to date on all our activities, learn more about the team, our pro drivers, the #17 RS 3 LMS TCR race car, our tremendous sponsors and shop for team merch HERE. Make sure to tune into UNITRONIC social media channels for behind the scenes race coverage of all ten championship events!
