Rockenfeller, Van der Helm in JDC-Miller Porsche 963

Photos: JDC-Miller Motorsports

JDC-Miller Motorsports has confirmed that Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm will lead the driver lineup of the team’s new customer Porsche 963 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

As previously confirmed by Sportscar365, the Minnesota-based squad will debut the car in next month’s round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Rockenfeller, a winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, has most recently been part of Action Express Racing’s Cadillac DPi program in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races and is set to take part in this year’s centenary Le Mans edition in the NASCAR Garage 56 effort.

Van der Helm, meanwhile, has competed with JDC-Miller in the opening two WeatherTech Championship races of the season in the LMP3 ranks in preparation for the move to the GTP class.

The 19-year-old Dutchman has previous experience in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series in LMP2 machinery.

A third driver for the Michelin Endurance Cup events will be announced at a later date.

It’s unclear if longtime JDC-Miller driver Tristan Vautier, who had been embedded with the team at Daytona and Sebring, could be in the frame for the drives at Watkins Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans.

“We are very proud to announce the new driver lineup for our 2023 GTP campaign with the Porsche 963,” said team principal John Church.

“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.”

Rockenfeller, a former Porsche factory driver, said: “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 added: “I am really happy to be a part of JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 LMDh project.

“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 car, which completed a shakedown at Porsche’s facility in Weissach last week with Matt Campbell, will sport a yellow and black livery, marking a departure from its previous seasons’ partnership with Mustang Sampling.

Image: JDC-Miller

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