Jackie Chan DC Racing’s owner David Cheng has revealed that the team’s planned NAEC programme fell through due to the high damage bill from Daytona, where the team, like many in the Prototype class, suffered multiple punctures.

While JCDC wasn’t fully committed to the four-round IMSA sub-championship, which features the races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, any chance of them continuing were shelved due to the cost of the bodywork damage, and a lack of spare parts available.



“Personally I’ve raced in the USA before, and raced at Daytona five times. I was shocked that there were so few yellow flags,” Cheng said to DSC. “It meant we were at a disadvantage, as with more yellows you can claw back time lost from things like punctures.



“The elephant in the room there were the punctures. It was a difficult situation to manage, and we had a lot of bodywork damage,” he said. “It set us back, and in testing plans for WEC too. Luckily we know the car and the tyres for the WEC, so we’re still confident.



“So quickly after Daytona, we knew Sebring wasn’t a possibility. If we had a clean and successful Daytona, we would chase the NAEC, with a chassis from Asian Le Mans that we could have upgraded from an (ORECA) 05 to an 07.



“But as we saw from Daytona, all the damage set us back, and after we evaluated it, we knew we couldn’t do Sebring, because it would mean we’d lose out on the the Aragon test. We were low on spares.”



Cheng said the team enjoyed its run at Daytona, but was discouraged by the performance disparity between the DPi and global LMP2 runners in the race, explaining that to be in the mix, his drivers would have had to be on the limit consistently.



“To be frank about it, part of the reason we aren’t continuing, is because there’s a performance gap too, between DPi and P2s. From the BoP point of view, IMSA is making progress, going back from when it was P2s and DPs, progress has come on quicker this time.



“But from the nature of the two cars, even with the same chassis, it’s more than just the same cars with new aero and a new engine.

“The reality with it is that it’s not just the engine, it’s the suspension package you can develop, so when you look at, for us, our ORECA 07 compared to the Acura Penske cars, speaking to the drivers they were saying that at Sebring the bumpiness was far less than for the P2s.



“At Daytona, the DPis can come out of corners better, they’re more complient. Even though we could make the same lap times, with good drivers, for them to make the time it they had to be on the edge. But the DPis can consistently get that lap time running at 95%. It puts us at more risk.



“It’s always hard to see unless you see really in depth. The only way to make it truly better I think, is allowing us open development on the global P2 package.”



Going forward, while the team says it’s unlikely to make any further appearances with IMSA, an Asian Le Mans Series programme for the upcoming 2018/19 season looks certain.

“For us, we’re going back (to the Asian Le Mans Series),” he revealed. “It’s a place for us to exercise our team in the winter, and it’s a good place for younger drivers starting out in prototypes before jumping into WEC. It can move them along quickly.

“If you do well there, you can do WEC with us, which is the case with the line-up in our #37 car. There’s a clear path. So there’s a real reason for us to be there, racing in Asia.”