Having taken delivery of its Porsche 963 LMDh, JDC-Miller MotorSports is planning its IMSA WeatherTech Championship GTP debut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in two weeks with Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm as the drivers. The team’s entry marks the first customer effort in the new GTP category.
“We are very proud to announce the new driver lineup for our 2023 GTP campaign with the Porsche 963,” said team managing partner John Church. “It represents a balance of youth and experience and features a tremendous amount of on-track success. This pairing combined with the Porsche 963 will allow us to compete for wins in IMSA.”
Rockenfeller has a long history in sports car competition, including stints as a factory driver for Porsche, Audi and Corvette. That includes a pair of victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as Daytona and Sebring, plus a DTM title. The German will be at Le Mans this year as part of the NASCAR Garage 56 program with Jjmmie Johnson and Jenson Button.
“I am excited to be part of this team and the Porsche 963 project,” said Rockenfeller. “Starting our GTP season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the fourth round of the season is going to be a challenge. I am confident the JDC-Miller MotorSports team is on a very steep learning curve and will compete with the GTP teams very quickly. So very happy to see my name back on a Porsche.”
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JDC-Miller entered the LMP3 class at Daytona and Sebring in preparation for competing with the 963, with a driver lineup that included van der Helm. In 2022, he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class, including his first start at Le Mans.
“I am really happy to be a part of JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 LMDh project,” the 19-year-old Dutch driver said. “To me it does not really matter that we start a bit later in the season. I think we as a team can maximize every opportunity we will get. Going to the Laguna race with a brand-new car will be tough, but I have no doubt that we will be competitive as a team. I look forward to the challenge and opportunity!”
JDC-Miller was announced as the first IMSA customer team for Porsche last July. But supply chain constraints left Porsche without the resources to deliver cars beyond the Porsche Penske Motorsports factory efforts before the start of the season. Both JDC-Miller and WEC team JOTA Sport received their 963s a few days ago.
The stalwart IMSA team, which competed with Cadillac in the final season of DPi competition last year, also runs programs in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and the Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR category.