Jackie Chan DC Racing to enter IMSA in 2023

Jackie Chan DC Racing, having found success in sports car racing championships around the world, will launch an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program in 2023. The team has an eight-year track record of success in the WEC, ELMS, ALMS, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that it is looking to extend into the IMSA paddock as a full-time entrant next season.

While the team’s success over the years has come primarily in LMP2, the full nature of the IMSA program, including in which class the team will compete, is yet to be determined.

The team — headed by Chinese-American David Cheng in partnership with international star actor, filmmaker, martial artist and stuntman Jackie Chan — was first formed in 2015 and quickly found success. Jackie Chan DC Racing raced to a remarkable second-place overall in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, part of a dramatic 1-2 team LMP2 class finish. The team has also staged campaigns in the Asian Le Mans Series, capturing both the LMP2 and LMP3 championship in 2018.

After pausing the competition effort in the wake of 2020, the team has committed to the rapidly growing IMSA platform with a debut slated for the 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“Obviously there is a ton of excitement surrounding IMSA GTP, but if you step back and look at the robust size and deep levels of talent in this paddock through all of the classes, it is really impressive,” said Cheng. “It makes for a very attractive package, both for sponsor partners and for potential clients.”

Jackie Chan DC Racing is in the final stages of planning for a new state of the art U.S. headquarters, set to be based on the West Coast.

“We had to step away from the sport in 2020, but we’ve spent the time exploring opportunities to compete and I’m thrilled to be making this full-time move to compete in IMSA,” said Cheng. “By establishing a new base here in North America, we can build our business and offer a tremendous experience to our customers.”

Despite the competition hiatus, Cheng has kept an active engagement on the team building side as he looks to build on well-established talent and relationships to deliver performance.

“Even though we’ve not been competing recently, we have been able to retain or reconnect with some of the key team members from some of our biggest successes as we build our team with this fresh new focus,” he explained.

Jackie Chan DC Racing has also aligned with the Circuit of the Northwest, a motorsports facility that is less than 20 miles from downtown Seattle. This will allow Cheng — a founding member and track consultant — to assist track CEO Brian Nilson as the vision of facility is realized.