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An unfortunate end to a consistent run of races for the Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSport Audi TCR at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the final event of the season. While once again showing great speed and being the fastest car during practice, an abnormal engine issue forced the team to retire just after the half way mark of Friday’s 120 minute season finale.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Heading into the weekend with an outside shot at the top positions of the TCR championships, the Minnesota based team knew they needed to execute during every aspect of the weekend. Starting off with practice 1 the team was off to a great start ending the session in 3rd place. Practice 2 on Thursday morning went even better with Chris Miller setting the fastest lap of the session which subsequently turned into being the fastest TCR lap of the weekend. Unfortunately the troubles for the team started in qualifying when a shifting issue did not allow Chris Miller to put down any reasonable time, forcing the team to start from the back of the field in 16th position.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
Knowing they had a lot of speed in the car, drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor weren’t worried about coming through the field in the race as they’ve done it several times this season, including at the sites of their two victories; Daytona and VIR. Miller started off with a bang climbing up the order up as high as 3rd place, before being unfairly forced into the gravel trap at turn 6 through avoidable contact with a GS class competitor. As luck would have it, the track services crew arrived on site within seconds and were able to assist Miller in getting out of the gravel trap before even losing a lap! Unfortunately though, Miller found himself at the back of the field again. After the restart Miller once again worked his way up the order, eventually handing the car over to co-driver Mikey Taylor in 7th position. During a lengthy safety car period for the clean up of a huge crash in turn 12 involving a GS car, Taylor radioed to the team reporting a loss of power and engine misfires as they were coming to the green flag restart, unfortunately the issue only got worse and ultimately Taylor was forced to retire the car with just over 50 minutes remaining.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
“I feel so sorry for all our crew and partners who put so much into this program this year! We were fighting our way back up the championship order after some bad luck earlier in the year and all looked very promising. Chris did an awesome job coming from the back to the front, TWICE and I really thought we were the favorites to win even with all our issues. I just want to thank everyone who’s been a part of this program this year. It's been a really fun year and even with some big challenges we showed what we could do! said a disappointed Mikey Taylor.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
“It was a season of highs and lows but even with our struggles I was proud to be a part of a team that showed so much fight and resiliency. I think we have the hardest working crew in the paddock and they gave us a fast car every weekend. Thank you to Unitronic, everyone with JDC-Miller Motorsports, our other partners and anyone who followed or cheered us on this season. I’m already looking forward to Daytona!” said Chris Miller.
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
With the 2022 IMSA championship getting under way in a short two months, the team will be looking to finalize their plans before the holiday break. Follow along for all the updates via the UNITRONIC social media channels. You can also stay up to date on 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 on www.getunitronic.com/motorsports!
Photo by Sideline Sports Photography LLC
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.us
About DRAGY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
The Dragy Performance Box uses high speed GPS satellites to accurately measure your vehicle’s performance within 1/100th of a second. The included Dragy software is available for iOS and Android users and automatically charts slope on all timeslips which you can then post to forums or social media, share with friends, or even upload to the Dragy leaderboard. Runs are saved in both metric and SAE formats, allowing comparisons of 100-200kmh and all metric equivalents for users all around the world. Learn more at www.godragy.com
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