Porsche works driver Laurin Heinrich will run the remaining IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint races for JDC-Miller MotorSports, further expanding his IMSA commitments for 2026.
Heinrich will drive the #5 Mustang Sampling-sponsored Porsche 963 alongside regular co-driver Tijmen van der Helm, starting with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on 17–18 April. He will then drive the black and gold privateer Porsche at the upcoming GTP sprint races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, and at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Heinrich will honour the third race of his initial three-race Michelin Endurance Cup schedule for Porsche Penske Motorsport, and will not be with JDC-Miller at either Watkins Glen or Road America. A JDC-Miller MotorSports representative confirmed to DSC that Nico Pino and Kaylen Frederick are expected to remain with JDC-Miller for the remaining three Endurance Cup events, with Pino scaling back to an Endurance role.
“[I’m] incredibly thankful to be given this opportunity, collecting more valuable experience in the 963 and also joining a renowned team such as JDC-Miller Motorsports,” Heinrich said in a statement released on social media. “I will share the car with Tijmen van der Helm for the first time and can’t wait to get to work.”
After two seasons at AO Racing, including a GTD Pro title-winning 2024 rookie campaign, Heinrich moved up to Porsche Penske Motorsport as a top-tier Porsche works driver. In his first IMSA races for the factory GTP team, Heinrich won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring alongside co-drivers Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer.
Since then, Heinrich’s schedule has grown beyond just the three races and will include many GT3 appearances in the newest Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The 24-year-old will compete in the European Le Mans Series’ LMGT3 class for High Class Racing, he will race in the Nürburgring 24 Hours for Lionspeed GP, and will run select GT World Challenge Asia rounds for Origine Motorsport.
Images © Jack Webster / dailysportscar.com
