JDC–Miller MotorSports explained

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]

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

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] 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

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

YearClassChassisEngineDriversNo.1234567891011Pos.Pts.
2014 DAYSEBLAGKANWGIIMSROAVIRCOTAATL 
Oreca FLM09Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 Chris Miller (9 races)
Stephen Simpson (8 races)
8546106737766th235
2015 DAYSEBLAGDETWGIMOSLIMROACOTAATL 
Oreca FLM09Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 Mikhail Goikhberg8534425367555th285
2016 DAYSEBLBHLAGDETWGIMOSLIMROACOTAATL 
Oreca FLM09Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 Mikhail Goikhberg
Stephen Simpson
85141574567634th317
2017 DAYSEBLBHCOTADETWGIMOSROALAGATL 
PrototypeOreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 Mikhail Goikhberg
Stephen Simpson
8554446228464th277
2018 DAYSEBLBHMOHDETWGIMOSROALAGATL 
PrototypeOreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 Robert Alon
Simon Trummer
856913121088127911th216
Mikhail Goikhberg
Stephen Simpson
997787111726104th252
2019 DAYSEBLBHMOHDETWGIMOSROALAGATL 
Cadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 5.5 L V8 Stephen Simpson
Simon Trummer
84108574989958th237
Mikhail Goikhberg
Tristan Vautier
8557910510988911th230
2020 DAY1DAY2SEB1ROAATL1MOHATL2LGASEB2 
Cadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 5.5 L V8 Sébastien Bourdais53334464755th249
Various855787888848th217
2021 DAYSEBMOHDETWGI1WGI2ROALAGLBHATL 
Cadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 5.5 L V8 Loïc Duval
Tristan Vautier
571457466376th2933
2022 DAYSEBLBHLGAMDODETWGLMOSROAPET 
Cadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 5.5 L V8 Tristan Vautier
Richard Westbrook
5323 4 6 575576th2979
2023 DAYSEBLBHLGAWGLMOSELKIMSPET
Porsche 963Porsche 9RD 4.6 L Turbo V8 Tijmen van der Helm
Mike Rockenfeller
57445859th1660

Michelin Pilot Challenge

YearClassCarDriversNo.12345678910Pos.Pts.
2021 DAYSEBMOHWGL1WGL2LIMELKLGAVIRATL 
Audi RS 3 LMS TCR Chris Miller
Mikey Taylor
17112149124541156th2450
2022 DAYSEBLGAMOHWGLMOSLIMELKVIRATL 
Audi RS 3 LMS TCR Chris Miller
Mikey Taylor
171010th210

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wins

Overall wins

Season Date Classes Track / Race No. Winning Drivers Chassis Engine
12018July 1PrototypeWatkins Glen99 Mikhail Goikhberg / Chris Miller / Stephen SimpsonOreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8
22021March 20Sebring5 Sébastien Bourdais / Loïc Duval / Tristan VautierCadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 5.5 L V8

Class wins

Season Date Classes Track / Race No. Winning Drivers Chassis Engine
12016January 30–31Daytona85 Mikhail Goikhberg / Kenton Koch / Chris Miller / Stephen SimpsonOreca FLM09Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8
2April 16Long Beach85 Goikhberg / SimpsonOreca FLM09Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.jdcmotorsports.com/ JDC MotorSports
  2. Web site: Dagys . John . 2022-12-01 . JDC-Miller Enlists LMP3 in Place of Porsche 963 for Daytona – Sportscar365 . 2023-09-16 . sportscar365.com . en-US.
  3. Web site: Miller, Taylor Set for Return in JDC-Miller Audi TCR. Dagys. John. January 17, 2022. sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. January 30, 2022.
  4. Web site: Porsche announces JDC-Miller as first IMSA customer prototype race team .
  5. http://www.britsonpole.com/star-mazda-adam-christodoulou-wins-championship-showdown-post15717 Star Mazda: Adam Christodoulou wins championship showdown
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716131634/http://www.starmazda.com/news/teams/2011/02/JDC2011-4-021511-Mazda-Vautier-signing%20with%20header.pdf JDC MOTORSPORTS SIGNS RACE WINNER VAUTIER FOR 2011 STAR MAZDA TITLE RUN
  7. https://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/jdc-miller-sebring-driver-lineup-confirmed/ JDC Miller Sebring Driver Lineup Confirmed
  8. https://www.redlineoil.com/jdc-miller-motorsports-wins-class-at-rolex-24-hours-of-daytona JDC Miller Motorsports Wins Class at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona
  9. https://racingnews.co/2016/01/31/2016-rolex-24-at-daytona-results/ 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona Results
  10. https://sportscarracingnews.com/2016/04/07/simpson-set-for-long-beach-street-fest/ SIMPSON SET FOR LONG BEACH STREET FEST
  11. https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/2016-imsa-silly-season-update-2-prototype-challenge/ 2016 IMSA Silly Season Update 2: Prototype Challenge
  12. https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/gainsco-partners-with-jdc-miller-for-return-of-red-dragon/ GAINSCO Partners with JDC-Miller for New ‘Red Dragon’
  13. http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/12/19/robert-alon-joins-jdc-miller.html Robert Alon Joins JDC Miller
  14. https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/watkins-glen-win-gets-monkey-off-our-back-for-jdc-miller-1055373/3134123/?nrt=207 Watkins Glen win gets “monkey off our back” for JDC-Miller
  15. https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/jdc-miller-confirms-switch-to-dpi-for-2019/ JDC-Miller Confirms Two-Car Cadillac DPi Program for 2019
  16. https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vautier-moves-to-jdc-miller-barrichello-for-rolex-24/ Vautier Moves to JDC-Miller; Barrichello for Rolex 24