JDC–Miller MotorSports

JDC–Miller MotorSports is a sports car racing team that currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[1] The team currently fields the No. 5 Porsche 963 full-time for Tijmen van der Helm and Mike Rockenfeller in the GTP class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[2] JDC previously ran the No. 17 Unitronic/Liqui Moly Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ full-time for Chris Miller and Zikey Taylor in the Touring Car class in 2022.[3]

United States JDC–Miller MotorSports
Founded1994
Team principal(s)John Church (CEO, Managing Partner)
Gerry Kraut (Board Member)
John Miller (Board Member)
Matthias Czabok (Board Member)
Chris Miller (Board Member)
Katie Church (Board Member)
Current seriesWeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Michelin Pilot Challenge
Former seriesStar Mazda Championship
F2000 Championship
Current driversIMSA SportsCar Championship:
5. Netherlands Tijmen van der Helm
Germany Mike Rockenfeller
United Kingdom Phil Hanson
Drivers'
Championships
Star Mazda Championship:
2007: United States Dane Cameron
2009: United Kingdom A. Christodoulou
2011: France Tristan Vautier
F2000 Championship:
2009: United States Chris Miller

In June 2022, Porsche confirmed that JDC–Miller MotorSports would field a new Porsche 963 prototype race car as the first customer entry for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class.[4]

History edit

The team was founded in 1994 by John Church and Gerry Kraut. The first major trophy was winning the 2007 Star Mazda Championship with American driver Dane Cameron. The performance was not repeated in 2008, when the American racing driver Joel Miller finished the season only on the 2nd place. JDC MotorSports won its second drivers' title in the 2009 season, when British racing driver Adam Christodoulou won the championship.[5] Also in 2009, JDC MotorSports won the championship in the F2000 Championship Series through American racing driver Chris Miller. In 2011, Frenchman Tristan Vautier won the Star Mazda Championship, receiving a scholarship that later allowed him to advance in 2012 Indy Lights, in the Road to Indy program.[6] The 2012 season brings another runner-up title in this competition through Colombian racing driver Gabby Chaves.

In 2014, the JDC-Miller MotorSports made its debut in the new competition, United SportsCar Championship, which resulted from the merger of Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series. At the first participation in this competition, the best result was the 3rd place in the race from Road America to the Prototype Challenge class. The main race drivers this season were Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson.[7] In the 2015 season, the team finished three times on the podium, in the race at The Raceway on Belle Isle they finished in 2nd place, and in the 24-hour races at Daytona and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park they finished in 3rd place. Races were Mikhail Goikhberg, Chris Miller, Rusty Mitchell and Stephen Simpson. In the third season of this competition, with the name change in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the JDC-Miller MotorSports achieves its first major victories, winning the 24-hour race at Daytona[8][9] and Long Beach Street Circuit,[10] finishing at the end of the season in position third in the general classification with pilots Mikhail Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson in the 2016 Prototype Challenge class.[11]

 
Oreca 07 of JDC-Miller Motorsports in 2017 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

In the 2017 season, the team moved to the Prototype class, Mikhail Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson finished 2nd in Watkins Glen International and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, finishing 4th overall. The 2018 season brings another premiere within the team, being the first time they line up two cars at the start.[12] In the no. 85 car, the full season racing drivers were the American Robert Alon[13] and the Swiss Simon Trummer, and in the no. 99 car were Mikhail Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson, the latter bringing the only victory of the season and the first in the Prototype class in round of the Watkins Glen International.[14] 2019 was the most modest season for the team.[15] Stephen Simpson and Simon Trummer in car number 84 and Mikhail Goikhberg and Tristan Vautier in car number 85 only had points in the 10 rounds of the season.[16]

Racing results edit

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship edit

Year Class Chassis Engine Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pos. Pts.
2014   DAY SEB LAG KAN WGI IMS ROA VIR COTA ATL  
PC Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8   Chris Miller (9 races)
  Stephen Simpson (8 races)
85 4 6 10 6 7 3 7 7 6 6th 235
2015   DAY SEB LAG DET WGI MOS LIM ROA COTA ATL  
PC Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8   Mikhail Goikhberg 85 3 4 4 2 5 3 6 7 5 5 5th 285
2016   DAY SEB LBH LAG DET WGI MOS LIM ROA COTA ATL  
PC Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8   Mikhail Goikhberg
  Stephen Simpson
85 1 4 1 5 7 4 5 6 7 6 3 4th 317
2017   DAY SEB LBH COTA DET WGI MOS ROA LAG ATL  
Prototype Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8   Mikhail Goikhberg
  Stephen Simpson
85 5 4 4 4 6 2 2 8 4 6 4th 277
2018   DAY SEB LBH MOH DET WGI MOS ROA LAG ATL  
Prototype Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8   Robert Alon
  Simon Trummer
85 6 9 13 12 10 8 8 12 7 9 11th 216
  Mikhail Goikhberg
  Stephen Simpson
99 7 7 8 7 11 1 7 2 6 10 4th 252
2019   DAY SEB LBH MOH DET WGI MOS ROA LAG ATL  
DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8   Stephen Simpson
  Simon Trummer
84 10 8 5 7 4 9 8 9 9 5 8th 237
  Mikhail Goikhberg
  Tristan Vautier
85 5 7 9 10 5 10 9 8 8 9 11th 230
2020   DAY1 DAY2 SEB1 ROA ATL1 MOH ATL2 LGA SEB2  
DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8   Sébastien Bourdais 5 3 3 3 4 4 6 4 7 5 5th 249
Various 85 5 7 8 7 8 8 8 8 4 8th 217
2021   DAY SEB MOH DET WGI1 WGI2 ROA LAG LBH ATL  
DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8   Loïc Duval
  Tristan Vautier
5 7 1 4 5 7 4 6 6 3 7 6th 2933
2022   DAY SEB LBH LGA MDO DET WGL MOS ROA PET  
DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8   Tristan Vautier
  Richard Westbrook
5 3 2 3 4 6 5 7 5 5 7 6th 2979
2023   DAY SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK IMS PET
GTP Porsche 963 Porsche 9RD 4.6 L Turbo V8   Tijmen van der Helm
  Mike Rockenfeller
5 7 4 4 5 8 5 9th 1660

Michelin Pilot Challenge edit

Year Class Car Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Pts.
2021   DAY SEB MOH WGL1 WGL2 LIM ELK LGA VIR ATL  
TCR Audi RS 3 LMS TCR   Chris Miller
  Mikey Taylor
17 1 12 14 9 12 4 5 4 1 15 6th 2450
2022   DAY SEB LGA MOH WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR ATL  
TCR Audi RS 3 LMS TCR   Chris Miller
  Mikey Taylor
17 10 10th 210

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wins edit

Overall wins edit

# Season Date Classes Track / Race No. Winning Drivers Chassis Engine
1 2018 July 1 Prototype Watkins Glen 99   Mikhail Goikhberg /   Chris Miller /   Stephen Simpson Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8
2 2021 March 20 DPi Sebring 5   Sébastien Bourdais /   Loïc Duval /   Tristan Vautier Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8

Class wins edit

# Season Date Classes Track / Race No. Winning Drivers Chassis Engine
1 2016 January 30–31 PC Daytona 85   Mikhail Goikhberg /   Kenton Koch /   Chris Miller /   Stephen Simpson Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8
2 April 16 PC Long Beach 85   Goikhberg /   Simpson Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8

References edit

  1. ^ JDC MotorSports. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Dagys, John (2022-12-01). "JDC-Miller Enlists LMP3 in Place of Porsche 963 for Daytona – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  3. ^ Dagys, John (January 17, 2022). "Miller, Taylor Set for Return in JDC-Miller Audi TCR". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "Porsche announces JDC-Miller as first IMSA customer prototype race team".
  5. ^ Star Mazda: Adam Christodoulou wins championship showdown. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. ^ JDC MOTORSPORTS SIGNS RACE WINNER VAUTIER FOR 2011 STAR MAZDA TITLE RUN. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  7. ^ JDC Miller Sebring Driver Lineup Confirmed. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  8. ^ JDC Miller Motorsports Wins Class at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. ^ 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona Results. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  10. ^ SIMPSON SET FOR LONG BEACH STREET FEST. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  11. ^ 2016 IMSA Silly Season Update 2: Prototype Challenge. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  12. ^ GAINSCO Partners with JDC-Miller for New ‘Red Dragon’. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  13. ^ Robert Alon Joins JDC Miller. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Watkins Glen win gets “monkey off our back” for JDC-Miller. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  15. ^ JDC-Miller Confirms Two-Car Cadillac DPi Program for 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  16. ^ Vautier Moves to JDC-Miller; Barrichello for Rolex 24. Retrieved July 18, 2020.

External links edit