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.