JDC-Miller MotorSports delivered an upset victory in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Laguna Seca, as the privateer squad claimed top honors with its No. 5 Porsche 963 in dramatic fashion. Germany’s Laurin Heinrich and Dutch co-driver Tijmen van der Helm combined for the breakthrough win, sealing the result on the final lap of the 2-hour, 40-minute contest. Heinrich, a former Porsche Junior, executed a decisive overtake on the previously dominant No. 31 Cadillac to secure what marks the first IMSA victory for a customer-run Porsche 963 program in North America.
Highlights
- First IMSA victory for a customer team since the start of the LMDh era in 2023
- Factory driver Laurin Heinrich takes the lead in the championship standings
- Porsche remains at the top of the manufacturers’ standings
- AO Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R on the GTD Pro podium
Heinrich’s charge through the field proved pivotal. After taking over from van der Helm roughly 40 minutes into the race while running 10th, the 24-year-old methodically climbed the order before delivering the race-winning move in the closing moments.
“A top-notch performance by the entire team and an outstanding drive by Laurin,” said team principal John Church. “We executed our strategy without mistakes, and that’s what put us in position to win. It’s an incredible result for everyone involved.”
Factory-backed entries from Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG endured a more complicated race. The two Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s briefly contended near the front thanks to aggressive strategy calls, but late pit stops ultimately relegated them to sixth and seventh.
The No. 6 car, shared by Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, led the factory effort in sixth, followed by the sister entry of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer in seventh. Both cars ran special liveries celebrating Porsche’s 75 years in motorsport alongside the 50th anniversary of Apple Inc..
The win moves Heinrich to the top of the drivers’ championship standings, having previously been part of winning lineups at Daytona and Sebring. Nasr/Andlauer and Estre/Vanthoor now sit third and fourth, respectively, while Porsche maintains its lead in the manufacturers’ championship.
GTD Pro
In GTD Pro, AO Racing secured a podium finish with its Porsche 911 GT3 R, affectionately known as “Sketchy.” Driven by Nick Tandy and Harry King, the car led much of the second half before a late splash of fuel dropped it to third.
GTD
A similar fate befell Wright Motorsports in the GTD class, where a late stop cost the No. 120 entry a likely victory, relegating it from first to fourth by the checkered flag.
Gallery (All Photos © 2026 Rex McAfee)
