| No. 5 Cadillac Hoping for Smoother Race This YearFollowing Solid Run in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona March 3, 2022By David PhillipsIMSA Wire Service  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Like virtually every race team owner, John Church knows a thing or two about the agony of defeat. Case in point, the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Seemingly perfectly positioned to win the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a couple of hours remaining, his No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R was ultimately relegated to a third-place finish by an untimely yellow and, later, contact with a competitor. But unlike some team owners, Church also knows a bit about the thrill of victory. Case in point, last March when the No. 5 Cadillac snatched victory from the jaws of defeat – with notable contributions from Sebastien Bourdais – to capture the 2021 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. “If (the Rolex 24) had stayed green all the way to the end, we were in a really strong position,” Church says, “but that rarely happens. Going into that last few hours, we talked about how a yellow was really going to be difficult for us because we didn’t quite have the straight-line speed for the Acuras even if we had track position on the restart. And that’s what happened. “When it was all said and done, we were the only DPi car that didn’t go a lap down during the race. When you look back at it you go, ‘Wow! You’re not going to have many Daytona 24-hour races that go as smoothly as that.’ “Last year at Sebring was just the opposite,” he continues. “Everything went against us for 10-plus hours. We were two laps down at one point. Then two hours from the end, we got back on the lead lap, Seb got in the car, and it all came together. “Then it almost went south again. The rear wing spacers failed with 12 minutes to go and it was a nail-biter. Hats off to Sebastien, and frankly we got lucky that the No. 55 car (running a close second) didn’t try to move us out of the way.” Come March 19 and that same independent, Minneapolis-based JDC-Miller MotorSports team will look to reprise its role as David among the factory-supported Goliaths at Sebring’s famed 12-hour race – albeit with one notable difference. Gone is Bourdais, who finessed the tail-happy Caddy entry to victory last year, off to Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac works effort. In his stead is the equally experienced Richard Westbrook, who will partner with the same Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval who co-drove to victory at Sebring International Raceway last year. “Richard has done a bunch of factory programs and has a ton of experience, so I think that’s one of the reasons the transition has been seamless,” Church says. “He’s learning the DPi car now and, in a sense, we’ve replaced one experienced veteran with another. I loved having Sebastien around. I was disappointed when he got the other opportunity, and I certainly don’t blame him for taking advantage of it, but with Richard coming on board it’s filled that gap very well. “They’re getting on well. Richard and Tristan just finished a test at Sebring (last) week and they’re very complimentary of each other. Nobody’s too selfish. They’re all mindful of the fact that they’ve got two other teammates and that everybody’s input needs to be brought into the equation when making changes.” Needless to say, Church hopes that Sebring circa 2022 more resembles the recent Rolex 24 than last year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours, albeit with a slightly better outcome. “If every race can go like Daytona did this year, it will help me sleep better at night,” he says. “All you can do is have a competitive car and put yourself in position to win. Finish on the podium every race and you’re going to win a championship. You’re going to have races that are going to be a mess for whatever reason, but if you put yourself in the best position you can consistently … if we have another race like Daytona, we’ll be pleased with that. It’s just a matter of keeping the momentum going and not making any mistakes. “You look at the averages and try not to get too down when you have a bad race and not get overconfident when you have a good race. We’re confident going into Sebring. We’ll see what the race weekend brings, but I think there’s a reasonable amount of confidence.” If that confidence proves well founded and if the full-course yellows fall their way – or at least not against them – JDC-Miller could experience the thrill of victory again at Sebring. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race week runs March 16-19. WeatherTech Championship practice takes place March 17, with qualifying the next day. The 12-hour race begins at 10:10 a.m. ET Saturday, March 19. Flag-to-flag streaming coverage is available on Peacock. TV coverage picks up at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA and continues through the checkered flag. Live IMSA Radio coverage also is available on IMSA.com and SiriusXM Radio. |
