The Briton Will Reunite with NASCAR Garage 56 Co-Driver Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm in the No. 5 Porsche 963
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One world champion, will make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in October when he joins the lineup of the No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 for the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Button will team with Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm to drive the No. 5 Porsche in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. JDC-Miller became the first customer team to enter the hybrid-powered GTP class, doing so in May at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
In an F1 career that spanned 18 seasons, Button won 15 races and finished on the podium 50 times. The Brit, who now lives in Los Angeles, teamed earlier this year with Rockenfeller and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson to race the NASCAR Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Most recently, Button has become a part-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series, with a best finish of 18th place in three road course races for Rick Ware Racing.
“Whilst I’m having a lot of fun cutting my teeth in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, a prototype with high downforce is definitely more in my comfort zone,” Button said in a team statement announcing the news. “That said, the Porsche 963, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Road Atlanta are all brand new to me, so I can’t wait to tackle all three with my teammates for the weekend.
“I partnered with Rocky at Le Mans this year and he will be invaluable as he’s fantastic at car/team development. He is also incredibly quick, which always helps! I’ll also have the pleasure of working with rookie Tijmen van der Helm, who seems to really be gaining speed and confidence through the season so we should have a lot of fun.”
Indeed, the No. 5 Porsche 963 has shown steady progress since its mid-season debut. In the last three races, Rockenfeller and van der Helm have delivered two fourth-place finishes and a fifth-place result.
“Having Jenson join JDC-Miller MotorSports is a testimony to the program John Church, John Miller and the entire team has assembled,” said Volker Holzmeyer, president and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America. “It also speaks to the high level of competition and interest in the IMSA GTP class. Rocky and Tijmen have proven how successful a privateer can be with the Porsche 963. The addition of Jenson should bring even greater success.”
The 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Oct. 11-14, is a 10-hour endurance race that marks the season finale for the WeatherTech Championship. Visit RoadAtlanta.com for ticket information or watch flag-to-flag race coverage on Peacock (in the United States; IMSA.com outside the U.S.) starting at 11:40 a.m. ET, with USA Network picking up live TV coverage at 6:30 p.m.