Bourdais, Barbosa headed to JDC-Miller

Image by Richard Dole/LAT
1.2k shares
share
tweet
emailBy: Marshall Pruett | 6 hours ago

The JDC-Miller Motorsports team will rely on two champions and former co-drivers to lead the team in 2020 as Sebastien Bourdais and Joao Barbosa will partner in a Cadillac DPi-V.R.

France’s Loic Duval will join his countryman Bourdais and the Portuguese veteran at the longer IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship rounds in Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans.

Like its driver, Mustang Sampling, which sponsored the AXR Cadillac Barbosa drove through 2019, has moved to JDC in the wake of the No. 5 AXR Cadillac DPi program being shuttered where the No. 5 will be used with a new team

Having raced and won together in an Action Express Racing Corvette DP, Bourdais — the four-time Champ Car champion and class winner at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans who earlier today split with the Dale Coyne Racing IndyCar team — and Barbosa, a three-time overall winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona and double IMSA Prototype champion, form JDC’s strongest lineup to date in DPi.

Related

Bourdais out at Coyne

“Following two very difficult weeks filled with uncertainty regarding my future, I am thrilled to get the opportunity to race a prototype again, be reunited with Joao and drive for JDC-Miller MotorSports and Mustang Sampling Racing,” Bourdais said. “2020 can’t come soon enough and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of our Cadillac DPi-V.R.”

Barbosa worked with his longtime AXR co-driver Christian Fittipaldi, who joins JDC as an advisor, to make the Mustang Sampling union work at its new home with the Minnesota-based team.

“I’m incredibly excited to join JDC-Miller MotorSports and to continue my relationship with Mustang Sampling Racing!” he said. “[They] have been incredible supporters. It’s going to take a little bit of time to get to know everyone and how they work but so far they have been really nice and are also as excited about the program as I am. Since I first talked with John, I felt that we were on the same page and things just clicked.

“I’m also very happy to share the car with Sebastien again. I was sad to hear that his IndyCar deal did not continue, but on the other hand, I couldn’t really ask for a better teammate. We won Sebring and Daytona together and I feel we can achieve great results again!”

Duval was equally pleased to find a new role with JDC.

“First of all I am obviously super happy to be able to return to Daytona with a great team, car and fast experienced co-drivers,” he said. “I am very excited for the challenge and looking forward to my first laps in a Cadillac.” Duval said.

JDC also confirmed its plans to continue fielding a second Cadillac DPi-V.R for the full season with a driver roster to be named in the coming weeks.

“Our plans for the second car are progressing well and we will be running it again this season,” said co-owner John Church. “We have a couple very solid pieces in place and are currently in discussions with several additional drivers and partners. We hope we can make an announcement on who will drive for us in the JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 85 entry very soon.”

JDC-Miller, Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais, IMSA