Multiple LMP2 champion Phil Hanson has secured a GTP drive for JDC Miller MotorSports in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as their Endurance driver.

The British driver is most renowned for his LMP2 sportscar efforts with United Autosports, having claimed an LMP2 Le Mans victory within his 2020 LMP2 World Endurance Championship-winning campaign.

Other previous titles during his rise in sportscar racing includes two Asian Le Mans Series championships and a European Le Mans Series title.

The 24-year-old Briton will take part in the IMSA WeatherTech season in Porsche 963 LMDh machinery for the first time in his career.

Hanson, set to drive the #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche, said: “I’m very excited to be joining JDC Miller Motorsport for the 2024 IMSA endurance races.

“After my first taste of IMSA back in 2018, I am thrilled to be back in the IMSA paddock and above all, to be making my debut in the GTP class with JDC’s 963 Porsche.

“I can’t wait to see what we can achieve.”

Hanson’s previous IMSA experience includes two 24 Hours of Daytona entries, the first of which in 2018 saw him debut into the sportscar discipline, alongside taking on the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Six Hours of the Glen.

Next year will host six IMSA Endurance Cup events: The 24 Hours of Daytona in January, 12 Hours of Sebring in March, Six Hours of the Glen in June, Battle on the Bricks (six hours) in September, and Petit Le Mans in October.

Another former United Autosports LMP2 driver Tom Blomqvist was confirmed last week in an Endurance Cup drive with Action Express Racing, which will be followed alongside his Meyer Shank Racing IndyCar duties.

John Church, Managing Partner at JDC-Miller MotorSports, added: “JDC-Miller MotorSports is very pleased to announce Phil Hanson will be driving our Porsche 963 GTP in the 2024 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events.

“We have been following Phil’s career for quite some time and his accomplishments are very impressive.

“He is a proven winner at the top levels of sports car racing and will be a great addition to the team.

“It will be fun to see what Phil can accomplish in a Porsche 963 GTP.

“JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited to take Phil to success at the next level of his already impressive career.”

Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO Porsche Motorsport North America, commented: “We are very proud of what JDC-Miller MotorSports achieved in their first season of racing the Porsche 963.

“They were the first to make the commitment to take on the challenge of customer racing in the GTP class.

“Each week we learned more together, and I see no reason this won’t continue into 2024.

“To attract a driver the calibre of Philip Hanson to the team speaks well of the program that has been built.

“I think we will see the true potential of customer race teams show against the works programs in the class.

“This is like what we saw in the 1980s with the 962 and that speaks well for the future.”

JDC Miller most recently completed their first year in IMSA GTP with their 963, finishing fifth at Petit Le Mans in the hands of Tijmen van der Helm (who will continue in his full-time seat next year), Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button.

Tristan Vautier has labelled JDC-Miller Motorsports’ Daytona defeat as ‘bittersweet’ as the team narrowly lost out on victory but ultimately went on to finish third overall as the leading Cadillac team.

Vautier, along with Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval and Ben Keating, came close to an upset win after leading over 100 laps in the twice-around-the-clock enduro.

Westbrook even held a comfortable lead in the closing stages of the race, having taken over from Duval who captured the race lead with just under four hours left on the clock.

That was until a pair of late cautions brought their charge to a halt as the timing of their pitstops dropped them down the order behind the two Acuras that ultimately went on to secure a one-two, with the #5 Cadillac DPi-VR completing the podium.

 “It makes it bittersweet, but what a great job by the team overall,” Vautier said.  “We were in contention the whole way and probably the fastest car all the way to the end, so that’s what makes it feel bittersweet because we thought we could have gotten it. 

“But, overall, my first podium in the Rolex 24. Big thanks to the team for the hard work over the winter to make us so competitive. We didn’t get a Rolex but we can still celebrate.”

Vautier’s frustration was shared by Duval, who was in the car for the final restart. He managed to move from fourth to third by passing Pipo Derani’s #31 Action Express Cadillac, but was unable to catch the two Acuras driven by Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor.

The Frenchman later said the team ‘had it’ until he was forced off the track by Derani on the restart.

“I think we were the only Cadillac able to win the race,” he said. I was able to catch up but I was way too far away. Frustration because I think we had something. The whole team tried everything we could.”

Despite the team’s dissatifaction, third place was a notable result for bronze-rated Ben Keating. 

The Texas gentleman driver made his DPi debut and performed admirably, notably setting a fastest lap that was quicker than that of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

“What an incredible race that was run by the team,” said Keating. “We were there at the end because of how consistent we were.”

“If we wouldn’t have had any of those yellow flags at the end, we would have won it. We had a 20-second lead because we were consistent without any mistakes.”

“The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac was incredible to drive and I’m excited to be on the podium in the Rolex 24.”

“My time behind the wheel was the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car.”

Richard Westbrook will make his return to full time prototype racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with JDC-Miller Motorsports.

The Briton will partner Tristan Vautier as the full season pairing aboard the #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-VR for the 2022 season.

It marks the first time that he has raced a full season in IMSA since 2019 and his first season in a Daytona Prototype since his second season with Spirit of Daytona Racing in 2015, where he took two wins.

“I’m really excited to be back in IMSA for 2021 and to be joining JDC-Miller MotorSports in the Cadillac DPi-V.R,” Westbrook said. “I’ve been in contact with John ever since my GTLM program ended in 2019 and we both were keen to work together when the opportunity was right.”

“I’m just so happy we finally did it and grateful to John and the entire team and partners for believing in me and I’ll do whatever it takes to help take this team move forward into 2022 after they had some strong races last year. Last time I raced in the top class in IMSA we narrowly missed out on the title going into Petit Le Mans in 2015, so I feel I have a lot of unfinished business to take care of and I can’t wait to get going at the Roar in January.

“I tested with the team back in October in Atlanta and I felt Tristan was someone I could really work with. He has a lot of pace and knows the car and team well. Having Loïc here for the rounds of the Michelin Endurance Cup is a huge plus; he’s one of the best in the business so I feel we have a top lineup. The team really impressed me at the test. They have a lot of talent on the crew side and on the timing stand so there is a lot to be optimistic about.”

Westbrook effectively takes the place of Loic Duval. The Frenchman will remain with the team but in a reduced capacity amidst his involvement in the Peugeot Hypercar programme. Duval will only contest the four endurance rounds.

Notably, the team has signed Bronze-rated driver Ben Keating to complete its line-up for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Keating has not raced in the DPi category before, although he is the reigning champion in LMP2.

The 50-year-old Texan becomes the first Bronze driver to race a DPi since Jon Bennett’s time in the CORE Autosport Nissan DPi in 2019.

“It’s great to have Loïc and Tristan back for 2022, and we welcome Richard and Ben to the program,” said John Church, managing partner of JDC-Miller MotorSports.

“2021 was a challenging year for us. We were super competitive at Daytona until we had contact, then we bounced back and won the race at Sebring but after that we got a little unlucky at several of the races. We know we had the speed but just never got the results.”

“We had an opportunity to test Richard earlier this year and we feel he is the perfect fit for our program to partner with Tristan and Loïc for next year and in the future.

“The continuity we have with Loïc will prove valuable and with his previous commitments for a WEC program in 2022, he was the obvious choice for the endurance rounds of the Michelin Endurance Cup in 2022.”

“Ben has proven more than once that he is up to the task of running on this level. Not only is he the current 2021 IMSA LMP2 Champion but he has done so many 24-hour races in the past that he will be a valuable addition to the lineup when we get to Daytona in January.”