(0)
After setting great pace at the Daytona season opener in January, the Unitronic JDC Miller-MotorSports team arrived at Sebring International Speedway hungry for top results and the driver pairing of Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor did not disappoint.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Wednesday was a busy day for the team working through two early practice sessions under threatening skies, followed by an afternoon qualifying session at what is easily the most abrasive and demanding track of the season. A disappointing qualifying run left the team puzzled as to the lack of speed which ultimately was determined to be due to a broken control arm and damaged set of tires forcing the #17 and driver Chris Miller to start at the back of the pack in P15.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Starting the race from the back of the pack didn’t phase the Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports team though as they’ve made plenty of comebacks with the help of exceptional strategy in the pits and of course the seasoned driver duo of Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor which are amongst the best in the field.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Given the demanding nature of this track, the race was plagued with yellow flags and incidents in both the GS and TCR classes but this allowed Chris to carefully move up positions throughout his stint. With just over one hour to go in the two-hour race, Chris handed the #17 Audi RS 3 LMS over to Mikey in P8 which would allow him to attack from a much more comfortable position. Lap after lap and caution after caution, Mikey drove the Audi with precision and managed to bring it all the way to the front of the pack with a 4 second gap, sitting in P1 with just 20 minutes to go for what would be a nail biting finish.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Nearing the end of the race, one final yellow flag would cause the TCR field to bunch up once again leaving the Audi in a much more vulnerable position. After the track went green, a swarm of top TCR contenders pressured Taylor, and an overly aggressive move by a Hyundai behind in P2 sent the Hyundai into the back of the #17 Audi, ultimately pushing him off the line into Turn 10, allowing the #99 Honda past both the #17 and #1 cars, sending Taylor down to P4. But Taylor wouldn’t let a podium finish slip away, overtaking another competing Audi on the way to a P3 finish.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
“We had some challenges in qualifying but the team did a great job to give us a super fast car for the race. I have a lot of confidence in the crew to make the right strategy calls and to execute our pit stops better than the other teams so even starting last I felt we had a great chance at a podium. I think we ran a great race with no major mistakes and while it would have been nice to come away with a win, we have to be pleased to be on the podium and score some good points. It was great to have the support from Unitronic and Liqui Moly and I’m confident we can carry this momentum through to the next events.” said Miller.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
An exuberant Mikey Taylor said “I can’t say enough about how good the Unitronic JDC-Miller boys were in the pits and paddock this week! They gave us a rocket of a car and our engineer Cole worked a magic strategy to make my job easy. After all their hard work I was really looking forward to rewarding them with a win but unfortunately the driving standards by some of the other competitors is far too aggressive and we were unfairly pushed out of the way! Nevertheless a podium and some good points is good for our championship and we’ll hold our heads high into the next round!
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Next event for the team will be the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 in Salinas, CA. On track action begins Friday, April 29th at 1:25PM ET where the #17 RS 3 LMS will be sporting its more familiar yellow team livery. Tune into IMSA.com for timing and scoring results, and follow along via the UNITRONIC social media channels for behind the scenes action. You can also stay up to date on our activities, learn more about the team, our pro drivers, the #17 RS 3 LMS TCR race car, our tremendous sponsors and shop for team merch on getunitronic.com/motorsports!
About Unitronic®
UNITRONIC® engineers industry-leading aftermarket performance enhancing software and hardware for Audi®, Volkswagen®, Seat®, and Skoda® cars worldwide. Best known for its performance software engine and transmission calibrations, Unitronic enhances vehicle performance while maintaining complete OEM-like reliability and drivability. Unitronic’s UniCONNECT+ Programming and Diagnostic Interface empowers Unitronic Clients to safely reprogram their engine and transmission control modules from the comfort of home, anywhere in the world. Learn more about Unitronic's competitive advantage at www.getunitronic.com
About JDC-MILLER MOTORSPORTS
JDC-MILLER MOTORSPORTS is a world-class multiple championship winning sportscar racing team, with a total of 18 championships, 60 wins, 57 pole positions, and 195 podiums, most of which coming by way of their Prototype class programs running in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Highlights include an Overall Win at the Six Hours at Watkins Glen in 2018, 2017 Winner Extreme Spirit Award, and 2017 Winner Jim Trueman Award, providing the team an automatic entry into the 2018 24 Hours of LeMans. Learn more at www.jdcmotorsport.com
About LIQUI MOLY USA – Canada
LIQUI MOLY USA – Canada is a subsidiary of LIQUI MOLY GmbH, a global motor oil and additive company based in Germany selling products in more than 150 countries. LIQUI MOLY offers more than 4,000 items globally covering automotive, powersports, commercial vehicles, boats and watercraft and more. LIQUI MOLY USA - Canada is actively involved in motorsports in numerous capacities highlighted by teams in IMSA USA and IMSA Canada, TC America and Trans AM. Learn more at www.liqui-moly.com
*Unitronic is not affiliated with any vehicle manufacturers. All Manufacturer and vehicle names and trademarks are used in this web site are for identification purposes only. All trademarks and trade dress such as Audi ®, Volkswagen ®, VW ®, Seat ®, Skoda ®, Porsche ®, Lamborghini® GTI ®, Golf ®,Golf R ®, Golf City ®, Alltrack ®, SportWagen ®, Cupra ®, Scirocco ®, Jetta ®, GLI ®, R32 ®, Rabbit ®, Passat ®, Passat CC ®, Tiguan ®, Beetle ®, New Beetle ®, EOS ®, Touareg ®, Phaeton ® DSG ®, S Tronic ®, TSI ®, TFSI ®, VR6 ®, A1 ®, A3 ®, S3 ®, RS3 ®, Q3 ® , A4 ®, S4 ®, RS4 ®, A5 ®, S5 ®,RS5 ® Q5 ®, SQ5 ®, A6 ®, S6 ®, RS6 ®, Q7 ®, SQ7 ®, A7 ®, S7 ®,RS7 ® A8 ®, S8 ®, R8 ®, TT ®, TTS ®, TTRS ®, Boxster ®, 911 ®, 996 ®, 997 ®, 991 ®, Panamera ®, Macan ®, 918 Spyder ®, Cayenne ®, Cayman ®, Huracan ®, Huracan Performante ® are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Porsche AG.
