JDC Takes Top Three Spots On First Day At NOLA Test

Subtitle:Koch, McMurry, Toppe End Up 1-2-3

AVONDALE, La. (Feb. 24, 2015) – It may be a new track and a new season, but JDC Motorsports continued to show the same power during testing Tuesday, Feb. 24 that delivered it a Team Championship in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda in 2014.

JDC drivers Kenton Koch, Matt McMurry and Clark Toppe occupied the top three spots on the Lites 1 time sheets, respectively, after two sessions of testing in chilly conditions at NOLA Motorsports Park near New Orleans. Koch and Toppe are newcomers to the Minnesota-based team and the IMSA Development Series, while McMurry returns for a second season.

Koch, 20, from Glendora, California, was quickest overall with a top lap of 1 minute, 32.095 seconds on the 2.74-mile circuit at NOLA in the No. 60 JDC entry. Koch won the Mazda MX-5 Cup championship in 2014.

Testing took place under a mixture of clouds and sunshine, with air temperatures in the high 40s.

“We are all working together because we want this to be the best team in the paddock,” Koch said. “We want to be the top three in the series, and if we can get the top three on the podium and shut out the podium with JDC Motorsports, that’s going to be really cool. That’s what we’re working to do, and so far we’re looking pretty good.”

McMurry, 17, from Phoenix, was second overall at 1:32.531 in the No. 20 JDC entry. He made history last season by becoming, at age 16, the youngest driver ever to start the most prestigious sports car race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McMurry finished sixth in the Prototype Lites standings last season, with a victory at Road Atlanta for JDC.

“It’s not a huge difference in the handling,” McMurry said about testing in unseasonably cool temperatures. “It will be quicker to get up to temperature on a normal race day when it’s not as cold as it is now. But I’m still going to learn all of the things I normally learn. There might be some differences, but I think they will be small.”

Toppe, 17, from The Woodlands, Texas, was third overall at 1:32.867 in the No. 10 JDC entry. Toppe, 17, won a race and finished eighth for JDC in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda open-wheel series in 2014.

JDC won the Team Championship in 2014, boosted by nine victories from series champion Mikhail Goikhberg. He graduated to the Prototype Challenge class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship this season with JDC-Miller.

Slusher, from Las Vegas, was the quickest Lites 2 driver at 1:36.852 in the No. 62 ONE Motorsports entry. He won three races in the class last season, his first in the series.

“With the cool weather, the car is running at its optimum,” Slusher said. “Plenty of grip. I thought the track was phenomenal. I had an absolute blast out there. It’s so cool because you’ve got to work on every single turn. Not one turn is the same. You have to put yourself to the test and sort out the little things that can get you time because there are lots of places you can gain time at a track like this.

“It was an absolute joy to drive it. Really, really fun.”

Testing continues Wednesday for Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda drivers and teams from 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (CT) and 3-4:30 p.m. Rain and continued unseasonably cool temperatures are forecasted.

The 2015 season starts March 18-20 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. Rounds 3 and 4 of the championship are scheduled for April 10-12 at NOLA Motorsports Park and its 2.74-mile circuit, a flat, flowing design created by Alan Wilson, whose other layouts include Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

Stay tuned to @IMSA on Twitter for live updates from testing Wednesday.

TUESDAY TEST QUOTES:

KENTON KOCH (No. 60 JDC Motorsports, quickest, Lites 1): “I’ve never been here before, and this car is completely different for me, as well. I’ve never driven in a downforce car before. Coming from MX-5’s, I think it’s taught me a lot of good habits that have translated into this car, which is nice. I was able to take to the track quickly. It’s not that difficult. There are a couple of technical spots, but other than that, it’s actually a pretty fun track.” (What was biggest change mentally to driving this car?): “You definitely use the same technique that you use in the MX-5, which is just rolling speed. In this scenario it’s just a little bit different on how you roll that speed. The rolling speed you have can incrementally increase, and you can actually roll more and more speed because there’s that much more downforce on the car. It’s a lot of the same techniques. You just have to trust yourself rolling that much more speed. The car doesn’t break away that bad, so once you figure out where that limit is, the car isn’t going to snap around on you.” (About pooling data with new teammates): “We are all working together because we want this to be the best team in the paddock. We want to be the top three in the series, and if we can get the top three on the podium and shut out the podium with JDC Motorsports, that’s going to be really cool. That’s what we’re working to do, and so far we’re looking pretty good.”

MATT McMURRY (No. 20 JDC Motorsports, second quickest, Lites 2): (What do you learn on a chilly day like today?): “There are still a lot of the same things. It’s not a huge difference in the handling. It will be quicker to get up to temperature on a normal race day when it’s not as cold as it is now. But I’m still going to learn all of the things I normally learn. There might be some differences, but I think they will be small.” (Impressions of the track): “This is the first time I’ve been to NOLA. It’s a pretty fun track. There is a good mix of corners, and it flows pretty well.”

TODD SLUSHER (No. 62 ONE Motorsports, quickest, Lites 2): “With the cool weather, the car is running at its optimum. Plenty of grip. I thought the track was phenomenal. I had an absolute blast out there. It’s so cool because you’ve got to work on every single turn. Not one turn is the same. You have to put yourself to the test and sort out the little things that can get you time because there are lots of places you can gain time at a track like this. It was an absolute joy to drive it. Really, really fun.” (About adjusting to new circuit): “You try and find your own little things. Everybody has their own reference points. I use a lot of the curbing. Where it starts. Sometimes the way the curbing is shaped, you can use that.”