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October 14, 2024
Savage, MN
The No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP dropped out 160 laps into the finale of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season with a power steering issue. Driver Richard Westbrook safely brought the car back to the garage with limited steering capability, ending the team’s very strong weekend in front of a record crowd that packed Road Atlanta for the 10-hour-long Petit Le Mans.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports team was pleased with its performance up to that point. Phil Hanson led the qualifying leaderboard for more than half of qualifying and started the car in the third row of the grid. Throughout the first 159 laps of the race, the team executed its strategy, running between 3rd and 6th much of the time while conserving tires and working toward the sprint to the finish when darkness fell. The car was quite competitive with the rest of the GTP field until the failure and a bittersweet ending for the team’s 2024 season.
It was also a melancholy weekend for the team as it was the final race for driver Richard Westbrook, who is retiring after a racing career that spans some 30 years, including two stints with JDC-Miller MotorSports. The Brit started in open-wheel racing but found his stride in sportscars. He has been a part of factory teams with Porsche, Chevrolet, Ford, BMW, and Aston Martin. JDC-Miller MotorSports is proud to have played a small part in his incredible career and to be there to allow him to retire from the top class in sportscar racing. Richard will always be a beloved part of the JDC-Miller MotorSports family, and we wish him all the best as he focuses on his other passion, Westbrooks Brewery.
John Church with Brad Knight and Charles Henderson from BDO
On Friday, the JDC-Miller MotorSports team was presented with not one, but two, BDO Knows Strategy Awards. The award recognizes the race team exhibiting excellence in strategy and execution during each WeatherTech Series weekend and is chosen by the IMSA radio broadcast team at the conclusion of each race. JDC-Miller MotorSports won the award for its runner-up finish in the LMP2 category at Road America and again in GTP with its 3rd place finish at Indianapolis. BDO tells us that this is the first time in the history of the award that a team has won twice in a single season, let alone consecutive races.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“A disappointing end to what had been a very good weekend. We were competitive on pace and were successfully working our race strategy when the steering let go. I feel bad for the drivers and the crew as we were doing really well until it was over.
This has been a difficult season as we have performed well and just couldn’t get the results we should have gotten. Dropping out with mechanical issues at Sebring and now Petit when running strong are just two examples of how things went this year. With that said, I am extremely proud of what we accomplished in 2024. We continue to become more and more competitive against all the factory teams in the GTP class with a sliver of the resources. I am very optimistic regarding our prospects for the 2025 season and anxious to put our heads down and get going on next year.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Unfortunately, we are out of Petit Le Mans. It’s a shame. In some ways, it summed up our season. We often showed so much promise, but couldn’t finish the job off. This is one of those failures that’s out of our hands. I was going through turn one and the power steering just went. The car was difficult to control, so I’m happy the car’s back in one piece. It’s a three-hour change, so we are out of the race. I would have loved to have finished on a high in the last race of my career. As importantly, getting a good result for everyone at JDC-Miller would have meant a lot to me. I am just gutted for everyone on the team. Everyone on this team should be proud of themselves. We’re up against the big dogs and there’s been several races where we have really punched above our weight and that is very satisfying.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Last race of the year. The season seemed to go by so fast. There were a lot of good moments and some not so good, but we got stronger as the year went on. We had a really good weekend. In qualifying we put the car in mid-field with good pace, so we were expecting a lot in the race. Then suddenly we lost the steering, which is a shame. Now we can only look forward to next year. My thanks to everyone on the team for their hard work all season long.”
Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 “It is never nice to go out the race and end the year on this sort of note. Unfortunately, a power steering issue made us retire the car quite early on. Difficult to know how we would have gotten on later in the race. The car was set up with the night in mind, and we showed strong pace in NP3. That made us quietly confident that we were going to be stronger at the end of the race, which is when it matters in IMSA. It’s a shame we never got there to find out where we truly stood. I think its been a year of really good potential. We’ve shown on many occasions how we can be very strong and very quick. Unfortunately, we never got to convert those strong moments into a victory or a podium. When you look back at it, we have been quite consistently at the front, which is impressive against some of the big guys out there. I just want to thank the team for their hard work this year. My teammates also obviously did a really solid job all year, as well, so my thanks to Tijmen and Richard.”
The high note for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team this weekend was the No. 17 Audi RS3 LMS wrapping up the season drivers and team championships in the Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR-class. The Unitronic/JDC-Miller team, with drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor, had an exceptional season. It began with consecutive wins to start the season at Daytona, Sebring, and Laguna Seca. They also won at Watkins Glen. These results do not represent all the challenges the No. 17 team faced throughout the season, making the championship that much sweeter. There was a lot of well-deserved tired jubilation at Friday evening’s awards banquet after a long, hard-fought, season.
October 8, 2024
Savage, MN
The No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
GTP has renewed energy after finishing third at the Indianapolis round of the IMSA
WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. This, coupled with a history of strong runs at
Petit LeMans, makes the team very optimistic heading into the season finale and eager
to improve on last year’s 5th-place finish. With 54 entries in four classes, it should be a
very exciting race around the fast and flowing, 2.54 mile, 12-turn road course of Road
Atlanta.
JDC-Miller MotorSports is pleased to announce that IMSA has accepted their full
season entry of the No. 85 Porsche 963 GTP for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech
Sportscar Championship. Drivers will be announced at a later date. Plans for the 2025
season have been well underway for a number of months, and the team is very excited
about the prospects for their third season in the ultra-competitive IMSA GTP class.
The Saturday race broadcast in its entirety is streaming on Peacock starting at 12:00
EDT. The start and first 3 hours are live on NBC. USA picks up coverage at 6:00 EDT
through the finish.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Petit Le Mans is one of my favorite races. Part of it is fall is such a great time of the
year and Road Atlanta is in such a pretty part of the country. We always run well at
Road Atlanta, yet it remains the only long race we have not won. The team is working
hard to do something about that.
Being the last race of the season, it also has a bit different feel to it. At every other race,
you are already thinking about the next race and what needs to be done. At Petit, when
the fireworks go off at the end of the race, you have a feeling of accomplishment no
matter where you finish. A bit of melancholy that the season is over, but great feelings
of everything that was accomplished throughout the year.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Petit Le Mans is another of my favorite races. Great track with great fans. Love the day
and night aspect. This will be my 13th start at Road Atlanta. I’ve had many good results
with 3 or 4 poles and a 2nd in GTLM in 2019. This is a great opportunity to move up a
step.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Feeling really good for our prospects for Petit Le Man after our 3rd place finish at Indy. I
felt really good in the car by the end of last year’s Petit and am confident we will start
the weekend strong and that will lead to a good result.”
Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m very excited to be heading into my first Petit Le Mans. I have been a fan of the
event for years now, and I can’t think of a better race to close up the IMSA season. I
know we will be fighting hard to make it a memorable end to our 2024 season!”
September 18, 2024
The JDC-Miller MotorSports will be racing the No. 85 Porsche 963 GTP to stop cancer at this weekend’s Battle On The Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. September is Child Cancer Awareness Month, which has an official color of yellow.
The IMSA community provided a tremendous outpouring of support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® patient Colton at Road America, so the JDC-Miller MotorSports team decided to invite St. Jude patient Grayson and his family to join their effort for the six hours of the Battle On The Bricks.
St.Jude patient Colton enjoying the fan walk at Road America.
Not only will Grayson be joining the team, but so will a couple of hundred other JDC-Miller MotorSports and St. Jude supporters who joined the LOVE RACING. STOP CANCER. campaign. The team kicked this effort off with a “team meeting” at the JDC-Miller MotorSports shop, with over 200 joining in. The meeting consisted of a Porsche 963 technical presentation, a display of the team’s freshly restored 2016 Rolex winning Prototype Challenge Oreca, and various other activities. The highlight was a couple of live pit-stop demonstrations with fan Q&A. Photos are here: St. Jude Benefit – Dropbox.
For the race, we will be placing special LOVE RACING. STOP CANCER. stickers on the Porsche 963 with a message written by the supporter. A $250 donation puts your yellow sticker on the car and a $500 donation receives a larger black and yellow sticker. Supporters are encouraged to write whatever they like for the six-hour trip around IMS. Supporters have already donated over $25,000 to St. Jude.
Want to put your name on the JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963? There is still time, and we would love to have your help by inviting your friends and family to join in this important race…the race to end childhood cancer! All donations are tax-deductible and donors who make a gift of $250, $500, or more receive a customized LOVE RACING. STOP CANCER. sticker with an opportunity to add their message and be showcased at the Battle On The Bricks. (Email here if you wish to do this.) Click here to read more about the JDC-Miller MotorSports partnership and to donate today, or just go to www.stjude.org/jdc.
The race will be carried on Peacock from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT, with the final three hours on NBC.
June 25, 2024
Savage, Minnesota
After an outstanding qualifying session, JDC-Miller MotorSports driver Phil Hanson started the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen on the second row in P4. It was very hot and humid at the fabled central New York race track with a very high certainty of rain coming during the event.
Hanson took advantage of a dry track and made some amazing passes sweeping into the the lead on lap 7. He led until lap 20 when the team, anticipating weather and the need for options regarding drive time, took advantage of a yellow to bring him in and change to driver Tijmen van der Helm. Van der Helm kept the car in contention in very mixed weather conditions for the next two hours and handed it off to Richard Westbrook.
Things then unraveled for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team. Westbrook left his pit on fresh rain tires and was making the needed adjustments for the rain tires on his steering wheel, as well as jockeying for position with the 10 and 40 Acuras. With all that going on, he clipped one of the Michelin RFID stanchions at the single-lane pit exit. For this, the 85 was accessed a very harsh stop + 5 minute penalty. Three laps were lost, and any podium aspirations vanished. The team soldiered on to finish the race 9th in GTP and 17th overall.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We unloaded with the most competitive car since Sebring of this year. The team took everything we learned at a test a few weeks ago and gave the drivers a very strong car. Phil was awesome in qualifying and then made some great passes to lead the race. It was great to see the car at the front of the field.
It is unfortunate that there was an issue with the RFID gate. Things get crazy going into that gate as there isn’t much distance from the last pit boxes to the gate for everyone to get sorted single-file. The penalty was quite harsh.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No.85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m incredibly disappointed. After we switched to wet tires, I had to adjust the steering wheel on the way out. That’s when I made the mistake and nudged Michelin’s tire RFID system. I had expected to get a drive-through penalty, but the five-minute penalty was a killer for us. There was nothing we could do. I feel so sorry for the team, especially since our car was so strong this weekend. It’s a super bitter pill to swallow.”
Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh, Porsche Ag
“Our customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports put in an extremely strong drive today. Unfortunately, they received a major penalty. Still, congratulations to the team on its first-class work.”
March 18, 2024
Savage, Minnesota
JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retired from the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the 6th hour with a left-rear driveshaft issue. The team put a strong car on the central Florida track all weekend, as demonstrated by setting the fastest overall time in Practice 2. They were optimistic for a strong finish when the issue occurred just past the halfway point of the race, completing 178 laps.
Through exceptional pit work from the crew, the JDC-Miller MotorSports team overcame being rear-ended in the left rear early in the race. They stayed on the lead lap and, in the ensuing hours, had worked their way up to leading the race shortly before the issue. With 58 cars on the 3.74-mile circuit, all three drivers carefully worked through the almost constant traffic while being fast and saving energy and tires for the late race charge. While disappointed with this finish, the team is very optimistic going forward to Long Beach and the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“It is disappointing to end the race this way. We had a very competitive car all weekend. The drivers and pit crew were doing great work, and our strategy was solid. We were running consistent lap times in the heat of the day and were ready to make a run when it cooled off in the evening. The plan worked very well, and we all felt good about our chances before the driveshaft issue.
We recovered well from an early hit on the left rear corner. Our Porsche 963 was hit very hard in the left rear, so we will determine whether the contact caused the failure or if something else caused it.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Obviously, it is disappointing. What makes it worse is that we had such a good car. We were running with the leaders and, for much of the time, were the strongest Porsche. We recovered quickly from the early contact, and everything was going well.
Our car was very good for energy saving and a car that was good over a double-stint. We were all set for the fight at the end but never got to show just how fast we were.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I had a lot of pace. The car felt amazing, and it looked like we could get a nice finish here! But sometimes luck isn’t on your side, and that is racing. A big thank you to JDC-Miller MotorSports and my teammates Richard and Phil for their efforts, as well as to my sponsors, family, and, of course, all the fans.”
Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Sadly, we had to retire the car due to a mechanical issue. Really disappointing end to our weekend as the car was flying and we were in the fight for a podium.”
January 29, 2024
The JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 GTP came across the finish line after 24 hours
of racing in the 6th position. It was the team’s first attempt at a 24-hour race with the
Porsche 963. The No. 85 Porsche was fast from the start posting top times in practice.
At the start, JDC-Miller Motorsports driver Richard Westbrook moved up from his 9th
starting position to 2nd in his first session in the car. The drivers and crew performed
flawlessly throughout the 24-hour race, perfectly executing the team’s race strategy,
and late in the race was on the lead lap and in a very good position for a late charge.
Unfortunately, with less than two hours to go, the right-side driver’s door opened and
necessitated an unscheduled pit stop to close the door and repair the latch.
A Porsche 963 GTP was the car to have at this year’s Rolex 24, placing four cars in the
top six positions with the No. 7 Porsche Penske taking the checker by just 2 seconds
over the 2nd place Cadillac. JDC-Miller Motorsports Chief Engineer, Rick Cameron, was
a very proud father as his son Dane was one of the drivers of the winning car.
The No. 85 covered 2806 miles during the race averaging 133.354 MPH. The crew
flawlessly did 31 pit stops and 14 driver changes.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We had a better car today than our 6th place finish indicates. The car was strong from
the start I’m very proud of the crew and the drivers for their exceptional performance.
We are starting to get our arms around the Porsche 963 and it showed this weekend.
All the hard work building up to the race was very evident in the car, crew, and driver,
performance.
I’m very pleased with our driver line-up. They have really jelled as a group and were fast
and mistake free throughout the event. This bodes well for the rest of the 2024 season.
It was fun to have Ben Keating back with us as he is a great driver and a good fit for our
program. He adapted to the complicated 963 almost immediately.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“This was our first 24-hour race in the 963. We know how complex these cars are, so to
finish with just minor issues at the end, is really sweet, but a little bit bitter as well. We
just had a couple of niggles at the end that pulled us out of contention. The first half of
the race we felt like we had the weapons to take it to the fight. Later a couple of little
things unraveled. That’s racing. We will dust ourselves off and head to Sebring. But I
think it bodes well for a good year. The crew, I can’t say enough about them. Not one
mistake in pit stops. Drivers didn’t make any mistakes. I think JDC-Miller deserved
something a bit more. But that’s racing. Looking forward to Sebring.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We had a fast car which is always fun. When I qualified the car, I thought “wow, this
thing is fast.” It felt really good to put down a lap under the old track record. Later in the
session others went a bit faster but it really showed we had the pace for the race. We
ran really hard for the entire 24 hours and were ready to make a run to the finish when
we had the door issue. Things are really coming together and I am looking forward to
the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season.”
Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
Feeling bittersweet because at one point there we were running a strong fourth. We
were the second Porsche and had good pace. Unfortunately, a few issues along the
way prevented us from achieving the result that we think we deserved. Some door
issues late in the race kind of let us down, but lots of positives to take away. The team
did an excellent job. There were no mistakes. Reliability was fantastic. It ultimately gives
us a very good platform to build on for the rest of the year. It’s a little bit of a
disappointment that we couldn’t get the result that I feel we probably deserved today.
Congratulations to Porsche Penske for the win. It’s nice to see the Porsche 963 win
Daytona for the first time.
Ben Keating, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
What a great experience! I love working with this team. The whole GTP experience in
the Porsche 963 was a lot to learn and a lot to take in. I felt honored to be welcomed
into the team with open arms as the only Am driver to ever compete in the GTP class. I
always know that JDC-Miller Motorsports is going to give us a great car for the Rolex
24! We all wanted more than 6th place, but everybody did their job very well and that is
what the race gave us.
