JDC MotorSports expands operation into TUDOR USCC in 2014
Minnesota-based championship-winning squad will field a full-time entry in the Prototype Challenge category starting with the second round at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (November 26, 2013) – JDC MotorSports has announced that it will expand its current multi-car "Road to Indy" program and IMSA Prototype Lites operation into the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014.
The team plans to run one Prototype Challenge car under the entry of JDC - Miller MotorSports commencing at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring event on March 12-15, and at all the remaining rounds of the 2014 season.
JDC MotorSports has been one of the most successful junior open-wheel teams in North America in recent years, winning a total of 11 championships including three overall Pro Mazda Championship (formerly the Star Mazda Championship) titles with drivers Dane Cameron, Adam Christodoulou, and current IndyCar Series driver Tristan Vautier.
Prototype racing will be nothing new for the Minnesota-based team, as it has successfully fielded a two-car program in the IMSA Prototype Lites championship in recent years. A consistent front-runner and championship contender with drivers Gerry Kraut and Mikhail Goikhberg, scoring several podium finishes, JDC MotorSports was the 2012 series runner-up.
The team submitted an official 2014 entry to IMSA last week, and has already secured one full-time driver to be announced shortly for its planned 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype Challenge program.
"We are extremely excited about our expansion into the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship," said John Church, owner and President of JDC MotorSports, who will be joined by long-time team supporter and successful Minnesota businessman John Miller as a co-owner in the new venture. "We wanted to expand our current USF2000, Pro Mazda, and IMSA Prototype Lites programs, and looked at several different options. Since we already run multiple car programs in USF2000 and Pro Mazda, we felt we should look at different alternatives outside of open-wheel racing."
"We have had a lot of talented drivers come up through the ranks in our current Mazda Road to Indy and IMSA Prototype Lites programs, so we felt adding the Prototype Challenge program also provides them with an opportunity and place to go, if and when they decide to switch from open-wheel to sports car racing."
The team has secured its first ORECA FLM09 Prototype Challenge car, and plans to begin testing in the next month in preparation for the 2014 season.
"We decided it would be best to skip the season-opening 24 hours of Daytona race, since this would not be the right venue to start a new program. Starting our season at Sebring also will provide us with more lead time in order to be ready," stated Miller, the new co-owner of JDC Miller MotorSports. "I have been a friend of John Church for many years now, and we have raced together in several series, including winning the F2000 Championship Series in 2009. I always told John that I would be interested in getting more involved under the right circumstances.
"With the unification of sports car racing in North America, and the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship starting a new chapter in 2014, I felt it's the right time to get involved. This is a long term commitment for 2014 and beyond. We have everything in place to be a full-time program which can be competitive in the series."
"We are currently in discussions with several full-time co-drivers who are interested in running with us," Church explained. "That's the beauty of it. There are a lot of talented drivers who have driven for us in the past, as well as potential drivers out of our current open-wheel programs who could be added to the driver lineup for the Prototype Challenge program."
JDC MotorSports
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