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The penultimate round of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge was another do-or-die for the Unitronic JDC-Miller MotoSports Audi RS 3 LMS TCR team, with only 50 points separating them from leading the TCR Championship standings, heading into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 240. Having achieved four podium finishes in the last five races and fresh off a win at VIR, the team knew it would need to maximize their points haul yet again to stay in contention for the championship.
It being the team’s first time with its TCR at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, not having done any testing prior, the driver pairing of Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller spent the first two sessions working through setup and preparations. Included in the preparations was some night practice runs to give Taylor some seat time in the darkness as this marked the first time Michelin Pilot Challenge competition would extend after sunset. With both practice sessions yielding positive changes, Chris Miller got behind the wheel of the #17 Audi RS 3 LMS TCR for the Saturday morning qualifying session, throwing down a fast lap of 1.31:076 to earn pole position in TCR.
“We came into the weekend with a lot of unknowns due to everyone’s unfamiliarity with the track but the Unitronic JDC-Miller team did a great job adapting to the new challenge. We made steady progress through the first two practice sessions and by the time we got to qualifying, the car felt great. I gave it everything I had and it was a special feeling when we realized that we had earned a pole position at Indy. It was great to start up front but we knew it was going to be a long and difficult race. I had a small issue at the start that dropped us all the way to P10 but everyone stayed calm knowing it was a long race. The team gave us great pit stops and brilliant strategy to get us back right next to our championship rivals in the front and I had full faith in Mikey to get the job done at the end.” said Miller.
With Indy being one of only two 4-hour races in the Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team knew it needed to stay focused — a lot can happen in four hours, especially with a record 42 total cars on track with 14 of them being in TCR. The 4:30pm race start brought out cloudy skies and a threat of rain in the forecast. Miller got a great start from the front when the green flag flew, but fell back to P10 early on as he battled through traffic and other obstacles in his path. Keeping his focus, Chris Miller regrouped and began working his way through the field while managing his tires and fuel consumption.
Miller worked his way through the field expertly for both of this stints after coming into the pits for fuel and front tires, ranking as high as P2, before coming in for his second stop for a full service including fuel, four tires, and a driver change. Mikey Taylor would take over driving duties near the halfway mark with the objective of maintaining pace while conserving tires and fuel. Saturday’s race had so far seen many incidents and yellow flags with several drivers fighting hard for position on a track which IMSA has not visited since 2014. This would play into the team’s favor since they were able to conserve fuel throughout the later stages of the race.
Lap after lap, Mikey Taylor masterfully drove the #17 Audi while avoiding incidents and keeping pressure on the front runners, sitting comfortably in 3rd position. Three hours and 45 minutes into the race, a late yellow flag would set up the most thrilling and nerve racking finish of the 2023 racing season. The course went green with 10 minutes to go and Mikey Taylor jumped from P3 to P1 at the end of the main straightaway, diving hard into corner one. Shortly after regaining the lead, a GS backmarker drove into the side of him, sending him totally sideways heading into turn two. Expert car control from Taylor allowed him to straighten the Audi back out while only losing two positions in class, dropping back down to P3, just in time for him to assess damage done to his Audi machine.
“Once we got into the lead, there was still major pressure and I know one way I could alleviate some of that pressure was to get a GS backmarker between us, but that decision almost cost us the race and possibly the championship. After the huge contact I thought our race was over! The car was rattling, and driving weird, for sure I thought the splitter would fall off and destroy the car. But after about half a lap that hadn’t happened yet, so I just decided to drive it as hard as I could and send it.” said the South African standing in victory lane.
With his eyes on the prize, Taylor quickly regained composure and chased the leaders back down. Upon catching up with the #33 Hyundai piloted by Robert Wickens, Taylor would contest each corner and push the #17 Audi to its limit. Finally on the penultimate lap, Taylor would see a clear track coming out of turn 6 and passed Wickens, who is the main championship condeter at this point. With no one in front of him and victory in sight, Taylor would take the checkered flag in dramatic fashion, beating the Hyundai by nearly 1.5 seconds and earning the right to kiss the bricks at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Winning at Indy is extra special and we got to check that box together with our team, partners like ECS Tuning and Liqui Moly, friends, and family. It’s exponentially more intense with the on-going championship battle with the 33 [Hyundai]. Our team has been grinding so hard, doing all the little things right to pave the way for the ultimate goal of winning the TCR championship and I’m super proud of what we’ve accomplished here with this program.” said John Staffi, Technical Director at Unitronic.
This back-to-back victory closes the championship points gap even more for the Unitronic JDC-Motorsports team who are now only 20-points behind the leaders. In classic story book fashion, this sets the script for an epic 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season finale at Road Atlanta on October 11-13th.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: Michelin Pilot Challenge 2023
On track action starts Wednesday, October 11th followed by the Fox Factory 120 on Friday October 13th at 12:25 PM ET. Stay up to date on all 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 HERE. Tune into the UNITRONIC social media channels or IMSA.TV for race coverage of all ten championship events!
INDIANAPOLIS GALLERY
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
About OUT THERE BRANDS
Out There Brands was founded by professional racing driver Mikey Taylor. He saw a need for a company that offers extreme personalization and customer service in the branding industry and founded OTB in order to fill it. Producing custom-made displays and apparel to bring attention to our customers. Using his experience in the motorsport industry, Mikey focused on working with suppliers and forming partnerships to utilize only the best materials and products from around the world to deliver durable, cost-effective and stand out products! Learn more at www.OutThereBrands.com
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