Performance Tech Motorsports is bringing on Mazda Factory Driver Joel Miller as the fourth driver in its lineup for the 56th Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona. He joins Performance Tech’s James French, Kyle Masson and Patricio O’Ward to complete the driver lineup.
Miller’s experience in both developing cars and racing at the Rolex 24 will aid Performance Tech as it takes on new challenges in a new class. Mazda has relied on Miller to lend a hand in developing various cars including its new Pro Mazda PM-18 and the Mazda RT24-P Daytona Prototype raced in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Miller has never raced with Performance Tech Motorsports but spent time coaching former drivers in the IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda series. He kept in contact with Team Principal Brent O’Neill over the years and with help from John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports, a deal came together shortly after the Roar Before the Rolex 24 in mid-January.
Miller is happy to bring his expertise to Performance Tech in hopes of securing his first Rolex, the team’s second.
“I look forward to working with the Performance Tech team and working together with the drivers,” Miller said. “It’s a small family team that always takes the fight to bigger teams which is inspiring to see. They’ve won this race already in the PC class, so the team knows the process. I’m glad to help bridge the learning gap to IMSA’s top class for the Rolex 24 hour but the car was competitive at the Roar, so I expect we will continue on the path the Performance Tech engineers have planned. If I can lend some setup help then, fantastic, I’ll be there to help.
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It’s nice to see Miller landing on his feet after the changes happening at Mazda. It’s also nice to hear about Mazda retaining Miller as a factory driver, and finding him a position soon after the Roar Before the 24. Mazda appears to be very loyal to the staff, which goes some way of explaining why Speedsource was given so long to improve the car.
Unfortunately for in this case, the loser of the situation is BAR1 Motorsports. Miller tested the car during the Roar, and no doubt provided valuable information on the Riley chassis given his experience last year. That knowledge is no longer available to BAR1, making a tough job even harder.
