Roundup: 12 Hours of Sebring
Sebring: Speed, Grit, and Endurance
Sebring 12 Hours Race Summary | March 21, 2026
Kaylen Frederick | JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 | IMSA GTP
Qualifying: 1:46.722 | P7 in GTP class overall | 0.569s off the pole 1:46.153 (an impressive lap as a privateer/customer Porsche 963)
Race Stints & Laps Driven/Kaylen Frederick: 113 laps total (roughly 1/3 of the car’s 343 laps). Kaylen set the car’s fastest lap overall.
Personal best: 1:50.003 (122.396 mph) on lap 68.
Overall Team Result:
8th in GTP (8th overall), 343 laps completed, only 24.739 seconds behind the winner after 12 hours (dry track, 9 full-course yellow periods). The car matched the leaders’ lap count and was in the podium fight early. The car’s best lap came from Kaylen where raw speed stood out on the bumpy Sebring surface. Laps were quick and consistent, as he worked hard to maximize the car and deliver when it counted, leaving a standout individual showing in tough conditions.
Practice: Building a Car for the Long Fight
March 19, 2026
Sebring is one of the toughest tracks for racing endurance. Bumps, long straights, and heavy traffic. The focus during practice for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team was clear, to build a car to both survive and compete.
The JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 showed encouraging balance over long runs, particularly across Sebring’s unforgiving bumps. At race end, a realistic approximate gain of 0.3–0.6 seconds per lap can be derived by comparing the factory 2026 Evo-equipped Penske cars (#6 and #7) directly to the non-Evo 2025-spec customer JDC-Miller #5. While the factory cars held an edge in outright pace, the No. 5 crew leaned into consistency, tire life, and drivability in traffic. By the end of the sessions, a foundation setup was there for a disciplined, strategic race.
Qualifying: Deliver When It Counts
March 20, 2026
Kaylen carried fast team momentum in practice straight into qualifying. A lap of 1:46.722 placed the No. 5 Porsche P7 in GTP, just 0.569 seconds off pole, a standout result for a true customer entry in a factory-heavy field. It was a clear signal that both driver and car had the pace to compete. This qualifying time was .004 behind the Penske Porsche qualifying in 6th driven by Nasr and .327 behind the sister Penske that qualified in 3rd. Importantly, it positioned the team to stay within striking distance heading into the race.
Race: Speed, Setbacks, and Staying in the Fight
March 21, 2026
A difficult start set Kaylen back two positions to P9. Throughout the opening stint, Kaylen effectively worked through heavy traffic while efficiently managing fuel and energy. Data confirmed Kaylen’s driving was the most energy efficient of the entire field. Kaylen showed confidence and control in one of the chaotic phases of the race, in which the car had moved back up to P7.
That progress was interrupted by contact in traffic, an incident not of his making. A Penske Porsche contacted and spun the JDC car (receiving a 10 second penalty) dropping it down the order from P7 to P11. During the rest of this stint Kaylen’s excellent energy saving allowed the team a short pitstop under yellow, allowing teammate Tijmen van der Helm to jump forward three positions.
In the late afternoon stint, the race became about execution. Kaylen settled into a rhythm that would define his day: fast, repeatable, and mistake-free. Across 113 laps in total, roughly a third of the race distance, he delivered some of the most consistent driving in the GTP field.
The pace told the story. Fastest lap of the car: 1:50.003 (122.396 mph). Different stints, different phases of the race, same result: control, steady pace, and with consistency.
Car No. 5 took five contacts in 12 hours, including heavily damaging the left sidepod. Through nine full-course cautions and constant traffic, Frederick avoided errors entirely—no penalties, no off-tracks, no driver-induced issues. On a circuit known for punishing even small mistakes, discipline matters.
Final Hours
As the race wore on, the No. 5 Porsche continued to punch above its weight. Kaylen, alongside Tijmen van der Helm and Nico Pino, kept the car on the lead lap.
The JDC entry remained in the fight deep into the race, holding its ground against Porsche Penske, Cadillac, Acura, and BMW factory operations.
At the checkered flag, the No. 5 Porsche finished:
8th in GTP (8th overall)
343 laps completed
24.7 seconds behind the winner after 12 hours
In a tight endurance finish, the result underscored just how competitive and efficient the JDC team effort had been.
Takeaway: A Standout Drive in a Demanding Race
Kaylen combined one-lap speed with race-long consistency, delivered the car’s fastest lap, and maintained competitive pace across every stint. As a newcomer to GTP machinery, his ability to adapt to Sebring’s brutality, and do so without error, stood out.
In a race where the margins were razor-thin, Kaylen and teammates didn’t just hold their own, they elevated the effort. The performance told a strong story.
Reflecting on the weekend (Kaylen)
“It might not seem like it just by looking at the result, but there were many positives to take from this weekend. Every time we’re out with this car we seem to learn something new. Even though we didn’t quite get some things right for this race, we have a better understanding of where we need to be. It was also exciting to have competed in my first qualifying session in this championship. Big thanks to the whole JDC-Miller Motorsports team for their efforts this weekend. With some better luck with yellow flags, and a few small changes, we could have been right in the mix at the end.”
Key Performance Highlights
- Top-tier qualifying: P7 in GTP (1:46.722), just 0.569s off pole
- Led the team in outright pace: Set the car’s fastest race lap (1:50.003)
- Elite consistency: Multiple laps within ~0.1s across different stints and conditions
- Workload: Completed 113 laps (~1/3 of total race distance)
- Error-free execution: No penalties, spins, or driver-induced mistakes
- Strong race craft: Effectively worked through traffic while holding position and conserving energy.
- Resilience: Recovered cleanly from early-race contact and stayed in the fight
- Adaptation: Excelled on Sebring’s demanding surface as a GTP newcomer
- Lead lap finish: Critical role in keeping the car competitive to the end
Next Up: Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen
Please watch these pages for updates for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, at Watkins Glen from June 25-28!!
About Kaylen Frederick
For more information visit:
https://KaylenFrederick.com/
About Pilot ONE Racing
Pilot ONE Racing supports and assists young race drivers in developing professional driving careers, seeking funding, and reaching the highest level of motorsports in both the USA and Europe.
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