JDC-Miller is patient with Porsche

Patience is the mother of all virtues. The client stables of Porsche en Endurance should repeat this adage over and over as the frustration grows day by day. The German manufacturer's LMDh is still in development, and if it will be present at the 24 Hours of Daytona (January 28-29) for its first official appearance, this will only be the case for the Porsche-Penske factory team. Customers of the Stuttgart firm IMSA, JDC-Miller MotorSports and Proton Competition, should thus be deprived of competition until Laguna Seca (May 12-14, 2023), according to Porsche estimates. The two teams did not even have the opportunity to test it during pre-season testing, due to supply delays. It is the same for Jota in WEC.

A heavy delivery delay, while all the other teams already have some experience with their new mounts. For its part, JDC-Miller is forced to wait. However, the wait is far from passive. The structure based in Savage, Minnesota (United States), closely scrutinized the running of the Porsche 963 during private testing and winter testing at Daytona.

The engineers and mechanics of the American team were able to experience the development of the new LMDh, with a presence during a 36-hour simulation at Sebring in October. “The results were very positive, underlined John Church, president and director of the JDC-Miller team. Our group of engineers and mechanics were able to see everything that was going on, ask any questions we might have and get straight answers. Everything was done as an open book. (…) [You had to] become familiar with the car and the systems, understand why things work the way they do. For now, it's more about covering miles than going fast. The 36 hour trial was very encouraging. The car kept turning and turning. »

JDC-Miller continues preparation despite frustration

If John Church admits that a certain “frustration” is present because of this supply delay and the resulting consequences, he underlines the good relationship maintained with the Stuttgart firm. “It's a little frustrating to have to wait, but we're making the most of it and Porsche and Penske have been very supportive. (…) It is possible that we will be in Sebring, but for the moment we do not intend to. All I can say for sure is that we'll be running it as soon as we get it. »

In the meantime, JDC-Miller Motorsports is preparing behind the scenes. If the GTP crew has not yet been revealed, Frenchman Tristan Vautier should be there. He was also present at the tests at Daytona last December, as a simple spectator. The team will be very attentive to the debut of the Porsche 963. “Even if we don't have a car, we will be there, says John Church. We'll keep an eye on the GTP class, understand what's happening and why, and put it all to good use in our own program when the time comes. »

The team will not sit idle at the start of the season and plans to run a Duqueine LM P3 at Daytona, Sebring and the rest of the IMSA calendar. Participation in the Michelin Pilot Challenge is also on the table with the new Audi RS3 LMS TCR, renewing the relationship with Unitronic and drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor.

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