Sebring WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2024
JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retires from the 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with left-rear axle issue
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.”
Miller and Taylor Return to TCR Victory Lane in No. 17 Audi
March 15, 2024
By Jeff Olson and John Oreovicz IMSA Wire Service
Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor drove the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSport Audi RS3 LMS TCR to a convincing victory in Touring Car (TCR) class action Friday at Sebring.
Miller engaged in a spirited battle with Motul Pole Award winner Harry Gottsacker in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR in the first 40 minutes of the two-hour contest. After the various strategies played out over the course of several mid-race cautions, Taylor emerged in the lead.
“It was a smooth weekend from start to finish,” said Taylor. “That’s what we wanted, and the team gave us that. I’m just happy the car ran well. The crew put in a lot of work after Daytona, and here we are.
“It was a tough race nevertheless,” he added. “It might have looked easy, but we were saving as much fuel as possible while just giving it our all there.”
It was the second consecutive Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR win for the No. 17 duo, who also triumphed in the season opening BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway in late January.
“We feel good, but the competition is really tough, and we know those guys are coming,” Miller said. “We had the best strategy today, which won us the race. But there’s a lot of fast cars so we need to keep working.”
Taking the checkered flag in second place was the No. 80 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai shared by Morgan Burkhard and Chase Jones, but the car did not meet minimum ground clearance in post-race technical inspection and was moved to the back of the class. Andy Lally prevailed in a late-race multi-car scrap in his first race in the No. 12 StarCom Racing Hyundai that he co-drove with Nick Tucker. With the penalty to the No. 80, they moved up to second place with the No. 89 HART Honda Civic FK7 TCR with drivers Chad Gilsinger and Steve Eich taking third.
JDC-Miller MotorSports ready for the 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with the Porsche 963 GTP
March 7, 2024
Savage, Minnesota
JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited to return to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the
top class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with the Porsche 963
GTP.
JDC-Miller MotorSports boasts a history of exceptionally strong performances at
Sebring, highlighted by an overall win in 2021. The team returned in 2022 and came up
a bit short with a runner-up finish. They also secured a 4th place finish in 2020. Last
year, they once again graced the podium, this time in the LMP3 class, while awaiting
the delivery of the Porsche 963.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We’re thrilled to be back at Sebring in the top class, vying for the overall win, especially
with a car as capable as the Porsche 963. It’s a bit different this year carrying the
Porsche banner as Sebring has such a special place in Porsche’s storied history. It’s
humbling to see all those banners of Porsche victories along pit lane. We feel a
responsibility to do everything we can to extend that legacy.
Our team is seasoned with the unique challenges of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of
Sebring. We take great pride in our mastery of what it takes to perform at this classic
racetrack and the iconic 12-hour race. Sebring holds a special significance for our team.
We had a successful Sebring test last month, completing numerous laps without any
issues. Our drivers and crew boast significant Sebring and prototype experience, which
not only enhances our competitiveness in the race but also makes test sessions more
productive. Our Porsche 963 program has come together nicely, and I’m incredibly
proud of this team.”
Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I can’t wait for Sebring. It’s possibly my favorite race of the year. It’s just one of those
classic events that has a very special atmosphere, steeped in tradition and history, and
I’ve had a lot of success there over the years. Managed to win it in 2013 and last time I
was with JDC in 2022, we came close to winning just missing out with a really good
runner-up finish. Would love to go one better, but as we all know, it’s a very different
venue to most tracks.
It’s extremely bumpy, which gives the engineers a lot of headaches in trying to set the
car up, but we had a good test there a few of weeks ago. We are going in quite
confident.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“We had a good run at Daytona and I am really looking forward to the 12-hours of
Sebring. I’ve done the 12-hours twice before, once in WEC and last year with JDC in
the LMP3 car. This will be my first time in the top class and am really looking forward to
competing for the overall win.“
Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Coming off a solid Daytona, I am very excited to see what we can do at Sebring. The
JDC team has been working very hard to give us a strong package ahead of the
Sebring 12-hour and I am optimistic we will be in the fight. It’s been a few years since I
raced in the 12-hour, having been in the WEC paddock for the previous few years, I
can’t wait to be back in the IMSA pitlane this year.”
12 Hours of Sebring Podium Finish
As always, the 12 Hours of Sebring was a rough and tumble affair with an exciting finish for the overall leaders. With 20 minutes remaining, the leading Porsche 963 was taken out by the 2nd place Acura which, in turn, collected the 3rd place Porsche 963. This was unfortunate for Porsche as they were poised to take two podium spots. The GTP class was incredibly competitive across all marques at Sebring in only its second outing, which speaks well for the class and its new cars going forward. We look forward to contesting in the GTP class with our own Porsche 963 in the coming months.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports #85 Duqueine D08 had a strong run in the LMP3 class. Drivers Till Bechtolsheimer, Dan Goldburg, and Tijmen van der Helm put down 308 quick, steady laps on the 3.74 mile circuit, keeping the team in contention all day.
A late caution set up van der Helm to race the 2nd place #13 Duqueine D08 to the finish. Unfortunately, the GTP incident with 20 minutes remaining led to a long caution. This left only two laps of green flag racing remaining and time ran out to mount a charge.
Overall, a 3rd place finish was a good run for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team.
The next race for the team will be the MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered By Hyundai at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca May 12-14. This will be the first outing for the team’s new Porsche 963 entry in the GTP class.
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.
