Jani, Esterson Complete JDC-Miller Lineup for Petit Le Mans

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Neel Jani and Max Esterson will complete JDC-Miller Motorsports’ lineup for next weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

The two drivers join full season pilot Tijmen van der Helm at the wheel of the No. 85 Porsche 963 for the ten-hour enduro at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Jani, a regular in Proton Competition’s Porsche entry in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, takes the seat that was previously announced for Porsche factory driver Nico Mueller.

Mueller, who joined van der Helm in the car at the recent Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, however, has been ruled out of doing the race because of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship testing commitments according to a Porsche spokesperson.

The Swiss driver was originally announced as a replacement for Gianmaria Bruni, who parted ways with the team following Road America.

Formula 2 driver Esterson, meanwhile, is set for his sports car racing debut following a successful test with the John Church-led team at Road Atlanta earlier this month.

The 22-year-old American has an extensive background in European single-seater racing, including F2 and Formula 3.

“I’m really looking forward to my first endurance race at Petit Le Mans,” he said. “I’ve grown up watching this race, so it’s awesome to be a part in it this year.

“I have a lot to learn since this is quite different from the racing I’m used to—it’s actually the first time I’ll be racing a car with a roof!

“That said, the JDC-Miller Motorsports team has done a great job helping me get up to speed, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve. It’s an honor to share a Porsche 963 with drivers like Tijmen and Neel.”

With Proton unlikely to return this season with its Porsche GTP entry, it allowed prototype veteran Jani, a two-time Petit Le Mans winner, to make the switch to the Minnesota-based squad.

“I’m very excited to join JDC-Miller MotorSports at Petit Le Mans,” said Jani.

“I’ve had great experiences there, including winning twice several years ago and earning a podium finish two years ago in the Porsche 963.

“I know the 963 well and am eager to see how the 85 car feels and drives compared to what I’ve been racing.

“I understand they had a solid test at Road Atlanta recently, so I believe the car will already be well setup, which is good because there’s not much time to prepare during the weekend.”

Church added: “Adding Neel to our driver lineup provides a great mix of youth and experience. Neel has a couple of wins at Petit Le Mans and has a wealth of experience with the complex Porsche 963. He will integrate seamlessly with the team.

“Tijmen is now our journeyman driver with two previous Petit Le Mans starts. We had a very successful test with Max and Tijmen at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago, and we approach Petit with a lot of confidence.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John