Sebring Recap

SEBRING, Fla. — A mechanical issue with the Universal Coating No. 54 Audi RS3 LMS TCSR car hampered the efforts of Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson and the JDC-Miller Motorsports team at the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring International Raceway on Friday afternoon.

“The race didn’t go as planned,” said Johnson. “I started fifth and stayed in the that position for little while. The car felt pretty good, was handling well and I was closing in on the lead group. I unfortunately had a mechanical issue going into turn 17.”

Johnson was able to maneuver the car back to the paddock and the necessary repairs were made by the crew. With the time it took to finish the repair, however, the team lost around 16 laps and ended up finishing 12^th.

“Although we had a rough day, we did salvage some points so we will move on to Mid-Ohio in May and battle there,” said Johnson. “I can’t thank the JDC-Miller crew enough for their hard work and dedication. We will rebound and be even stronger!” 

“It was a tough race,” said Simpson.  “The brake issue essentially put us out of contention. Michael was driving very well and doing exactly what he needed to do. We were fast all weekend. It’s tough, as we felt confident we could have had a strong finish. We will certainly be looking forward to Mid-Ohio and looking to get our first win of the year.”

Johnson and Simpson will be return to the Universal Coating No. 54 Audi RS3 LMS TCSR car in early May for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, the third round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge tour. The 2-hour race is held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.