SAVAGE, Minn. (September 30, 2025) — JDC-Miller MotorSports is excited to announce that two-time Petit Le Mans winner Neel Jani and European open-wheel driver Max Esterson will be joining Tijmen van der Helm for 10 hours of Petit Le Mans.
Jani, 41, a seasoned sports car driver, has over 125 starts in most of the top series worldwide. He has extensive experience with Porsche prototypes, having been part of the Porsche 919 program and racing the Porsche 963 since its debut. Neel has 15 Le Mans starts and two overall wins at Petit Le Mans. He finished on the Petit podium driving a Porsche 963 in 2023. He is a highly valuable addition to the JDC-Miller MotorSports driver lineup.
The 22-year-old New York native, Esterson, joins JDC-Miller Motorsports and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with extensive experience in European open- wheel racing, including Formula 2 and Formula 3. The team was very impressed with his test at Road Atlanta last month. He belongs to the new generation of drivers who develop their passion for the sport at a young age through SIM racing and then progress through various motorsport categories.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Adding Neel to our driver lineup provides a great mix of youth and experience. Neel has a couple of wins at Petit Le Mans and has a wealth of experience with the complex Porsche 963. He will integrate seamlessly with the team. Tijmen is now our journeyman driver with two previous Petit Le Mans starts. We had a very successful test with Max and Tijmen at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago, and we approach Petit with a lot of confidence.”
Neel Jani (CH), Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“I’m very excited to join JDC-Miller MotorSports at Petit Le Mans. I’ve had great experiences there, including winning twice several years ago and earning a podium finish two years ago in the Porsche 963. I know the 963 well and am eager to see how the 85 car feels and drives compared to what I’ve been racing. I understand they had a solid test at Road Atlanta recently, so I believe the car will already be well set up, which is good because there’s not much time to prepare during the weekend. I’m looking forward to racing with Tijmen and Max at Petit Le Mans.”
Tijmen van der Helm (NL), Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963
“Neel and Max are great additions to our team. I’m eager to start this partnership with them as my teammates for the final race of the year. I’m also eager for the race because Neel and I know the 963 well, which is a big advantage. Really looking forward to going for it together again next week.”
How to Watch
The 2025 Petit Le Mans takes place on Saturday 11 October at 12pm EST (GMT+5) and can be viewed on NBC and Peacock in the US. For those residing outside of the coverage area, the race can be viewed live on IMSA.TV or on their official YouTube channel (YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial).