JDC-Miller MotorSports will field the first Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) customer car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the No. 5 Porsche 963. Just like the class itself, the driver lineup is a mixture of the familiar and new with sports car veteran Mike Rockenfeller and up-and-coming driver Tijmen van der Helm.

“We are very proud to announce the new driver lineup for our 2023 GTP campaign with the Porsche 963,” said John Church, managing partner for JDC-Miller MotorSports. “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.”

The first opportunity for the JDC-Miller Porsche will be at next month’s Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, bringing the GTP class total to nine entries.

Rockenfeller has a list of sports car accolades to his name, including wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He most recently competed in the WeatherTech Championship during the 2022 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events co-driving the No. 48 Ally Cadillac Daytona Prototype international (DPi).

“I am excited to be part of this team and the Porsche 963 project,” said Rockenfeller, who began his association with the brand while competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2003. “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.”

Van der Helm, 19, is a relatively new face to the IMSA paddock, with three WeatherTech Championship starts under his belt. Following his series debut at the 2022 Rolex 24 in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, the young driver made starts at Daytona and Sebring this year with JDC-Miller in a Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) entry while the team awaited delivery of the Porsche 963. The team fared well with a fifth-place finish in the season opener and a podium finish of third at Sebring.

“I am really happy to be a part of JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 LMDh project,” said van der Helm. “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!”

The Motul Course de Monterey weekend runs May 12-14. For ticket information, click here. NBC’s live race coverage starts at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, May 14.

Source: IMSA