JDC-Miller MotorSports Bio
JDC-Miller MotorSports is a professional sports car racing team founded in 1994 and based in Savage, Minnesota. The team fields Porsche race cars in North American sports car competition and is noted for driver development and success across junior open-wheel and sports car series.
Founded by John Church and Gerry Kraut, JDC-Miller MotorSports has expanded from junior open-wheel programs into full-time entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. The team’s record includes multiple drivers’ championships in developmental formula series and major endurance race victories at the top level of American sports car racing.
Early Life and Background
JDC-Miller MotorSports was established in 1994 by John Church and Gerry Kraut. The organization is headquartered in Savage, Minnesota and has grown from a development-focused operation into a multi-car professional racing team. Ownership and senior leadership include John Church (CEO, Managing Partner) along with board members Gerry Kraut, John Miller, Chris Miller, and Katie Church.
Across its early years the team concentrated on junior open-wheel categories that serve as a pathway to higher levels of professional racing. That focus on young talent and technical preparation set the foundation for later successes in open-wheel feeder series and, subsequently, in sports car competition.
Path to MotorSports
JDC-Miller MotorSports built its reputation in the Star Mazda Championship and the F2000 Championship, where the team cultivated drivers who advanced through the Road to Indy ladder and into professional sports car roles. The team’s early competitive milestones came in these championships, where a pattern of driver development and title contention emerged.
Success in those formative series translated into opportunities at national sports car events and endurance races. The team progressively expanded its program scope from single-seater development series to endurance and prototype competition, ultimately securing entries in the United SportsCar Championship and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
JDC-Miller MotorSports Career
Early Career (1994–2006)
After its 1994 founding, JDC-Miller MotorSports focused on establishing a competitive engineering and driver development platform. The team campaigned in junior open-wheel categories that positioned it to attract promising drivers and to pursue championship opportunities in the late 2000s.
That period emphasized technical growth and personnel development, enabling the organization to contest national championships and to build the operational capacity required for professional sports car racing and endurance events.
Star Mazda Championship Breakthrough (2007–2011)
JDC-Miller MotorSports recorded its first major title in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship when Dane Cameron won the drivers’ championship for the team. That victory established the team as a leading contender in the Road to Indy ladder and underscored its strength in preparing young drivers for professional careers.
The team followed with further Star Mazda titles in 2009 and 2011, with Adam Christodoulou winning the 2009 championship and Tristan Vautier securing the 2011 drivers’ championship. Vautier’s 2011 title came with a scholarship that helped him advance to Indy Lights in the Road to Indy program.
F2000 and Development Success (2009)
In 2009 JDC-Miller MotorSports also captured the F2000 Championship Series drivers’ title with Chris Miller. That championship further demonstrated the team’s capacity to contend across multiple developmental categories and to produce drivers capable of stepping up to higher series.
The combination of Star Mazda and F2000 championships in this period highlighted JDC-Miller’s role as a driver-developing operation with a consistent record of preparing competitors who would continue in professional motorsports.
IMSA WeatherTech Era (2014–Present)
JDC-Miller MotorSports made its debut in the United SportsCar Championship in 2014, the series formed by the merger of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series. In its first season the team achieved a best result of third in the Prototype Challenge class at Road America, fielding drivers such as Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson.
In 2015 the team secured multiple podium finishes, including a second place at The Raceway on Belle Isle and third-place results at the 24 Hours of Daytona and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Those podiums preceded a breakthrough in 2016 when the team claimed major victories including the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Long Beach street race, finishing third in the overall Prototype Challenge class that season with drivers Mikhail Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson.
JDC-Miller advanced to the Prototype class in 2017. The team recorded strong results including second-place finishes at Watkins Glen International and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and a fourth-place finish in the standings that year. In 2018 the team ran two cars for the first time, fielding multiple driver lineups; Stephen Simpson delivered the team’s first Prototype class victory in the Watkins Glen round that season.
Following a quieter 2019 campaign, JDC-Miller continued to evolve its program. In June 2022 Porsche confirmed JDC-Miller MotorSports as the first customer team to field the new Porsche 963 prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP class. The team currently fields the No. 85 Porsche 963 in the GTP class and the No. 17 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the Michelin Pilot Challenge, with the organization listed as a Porsche manufacturer entrant and the primary car numbers verified as 85 and 17.
Driving Style and Strengths
JDC-Miller MotorSports is recognized for developing young drivers and preparing competitive endurance entries. The team’s strengths include sustained driver development programs, adaptability across vehicle types from single-seaters to prototypes and GT cars, and operational experience in long-distance races and multi-car campaigns.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones for the team include three Star Mazda drivers’ championships (2007, 2009, 2011), the 2009 F2000 Championship drivers’ title, and major sports car victories such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Long Beach street race in 2016. The confirmation in 2022 that JDC-Miller would run a Porsche 963 as the first customer entry in IMSA GTP represents a significant program milestone.
JDC-Miller MotorSports Career Wins
JDC-Miller MotorSports’ verified achievements span developmental formula championships and top-level sports car victories. The team has recorded multiple drivers’ championships in Star Mazda and F2000 competition, and race wins and podiums in IMSA-level endurance racing.
Star Mazda Championship Highlights
JDC-Miller secured three drivers’ championships in the Star Mazda Championship: Dane Cameron in 2007, Adam Christodoulou in 2009, and Tristan Vautier in 2011. These titles established the team as a leading operation in the Road to Indy ladder and helped several drivers progress to higher categories.
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Highlights
At the top level of North American sports car racing, JDC-Miller’s verified highlights include major wins in 2016 at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Long Beach street race in the Prototype Challenge class, as well as the team’s first Prototype class victory at Watkins Glen in 2018. The team has also produced multiple podium finishes across endurance events.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Beyond Star Mazda and IMSA victories, JDC-Miller captured the 2009 F2000 Championship drivers’ title with Chris Miller. The team has consistently produced competitive results in feeder formula series and regional championships that contributed to its broader endurance racing program.
JDC-Miller MotorSports Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Ownership and senior leadership are publicly reported as John Church (CEO, Managing Partner) with board members Gerry Kraut, John Miller, Chris Miller, and Katie Church. That ownership structure reflects the long-term involvement of founding principals and family members in guiding the team’s competitive direction.
Personal Life
As a professional racing organization, JDC-Miller’s public profile centers on team operations, driver lineups and ownership. John Church serves as CEO and managing partner while Chris Miller has combined roles as a board member and as an ongoing driver within the organization’s racing programs.