JDC Miller Confirm Daytona LMP3 Crew

JDC-Miller MotorSports has confirmed their all new driver line-up for the season opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Tijmen van der Helm, Till Bechtolsheimer, Luca Mars and Mason Filippi will race in the team’s #85 Duqueine in the LMP3 class.

While waiting for the delivery of its Porsche 963 to run in the GTP Class, JDC-Miller MotorSports will find a Duqueine D08 LMP3 class entry at the Rolex 24 as well as the Sebring 12 Hours.

“We are fortunate to have a strong LMP3 Program for the 2023 Rolex 24 while we wait for the Porsche 963 to be delivered.” said John Church, managing partner of JDC-Miller MotorSports. “We are very excited to welcome Tijmen, Till, Luca and Mason to our program. We have assembled a great driver line-up to compete for the LMP3 class win. We know the car very well and certainly have the experience to execute well in the race,” Church continued.

18-year-old Dutchmen, Tijmen van der Helm, competed in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of LeMans. van der Helm also competed in the 2022 European Le Mans Series LMP2 prototype class. This will be his second Rolex 24 after piloting an LMP2 in 2022.

“Last season I had a very good season in LMP2, in which I made a big step in driver development. We were at the front most of the times and I was really competitive with the top guys. Also here in Daytona last year we were in good spot for the win, but after 16 hours in 2nd place the suspension broke. For me personally, the Daytona 24h was the event of the year. Of course the 24h of Le Mans came close, where we finished 4th. Sort of petty, because I would have been the youngest guy on the podium in history. JDC-Miller is giving me a great opportunity to do a full season in IMSA and I look forward to race on the American hardcore tracks,” said Tijmen van der Helm.

Till Bechtolsheimer is no stranger to IMSA endurance racing and previously competed for several seasons in the GTD class category with Gradient Racing. In 2022, he purchased the intellectual property, name and assets of well-known British constructor Lola Cars.

“Very excited to join JDC-Miller MotorSports, Tijmen, Luca and Mason for the 2023 season. Many thanks to Gradient Racing for making the introduction and helping put this together. This will be a new experience and challenge for me competing in a prototype category, but the team has a lot of experience with those cars and has proven again and again in the past to be in contention of winning races, especially long endurance rounds like the Rolex 24,” on joining JDC-Miller MotorSports for the 2023 season.

2023 will be the first time to compete in the Rolex 24 for 16-year-old Luca Mars. The Pittsburgh native has raced for more than a decade prior to his 16th birthday. In 2022, he made his professional GT racing debut in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Class. Luca was also selected for the 2022 Honda Performance Development GT3 Driver Academy. Outside of racing with JDC-Miller MotorSports in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship in 2023, he also will compete again fulltime in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Class in 2023.

“I can’t thank the JDC-Miller MotorSports crew enough for the opportunity to run the Rolex 24 with them! Getting the chance to run in the WeatherTech series has always been our goal, and to get to make our debut in the series and the 24 together with a team like JDC is beyond exciting. I’m looking forward to working with the crew and my new teammates and can’t wait to get to Daytona and shoot for a win, “said Luca Mars.

California native Mason Filippi is no stranger to IMSA racing. The 24-year-old currently competes as a factory driver for Hyundai in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR category. Mason got his start in racing on dirt bikes, moved to karts at the age of 11, and transitioned into Spec Miata at the age of 14. In addition to his IMSA commitments, he also competed in the Xfinity NASCAR series in 2022. Beside his program with JDC-Miller MotorSports in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, he will also continue to compete for Hyundai in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR category in 2023.

“I am more than excited to be joining JDC-Miller MotorSports for the Rolex 24. Since I started karting it has been my goal to race the 24. I know we have a strong team and line up to go for the LMP3 win. JDC-Miller knows how to execute and my teammates are all quick behind the wheel. I am grateful for the opportunity to run this year’s Rolex 24,” commented Mason.

JDC Miller’s new Porsche 963 hybrid prototype is expected in April. The current plan to campaign the new car at the 4th Round of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in May.