Van der Helm on Button as IMSA ally: 'I like driving with him'

In America, one of the Netherlands' greatest talents is rapidly making a name for himself. At the age of 19 and in only his first season in the main GTP class of the IMSA championship (similar to hypercars in the WEC), Tijmen van der Helm is waiting for his first podium with his Porsche 963.

Van der Helm is a down-to-earth guy. During the exclusive interview with GPblog it is particularly striking how down-to-earth the Delft native talks about himself and his achievements. Ask him, for example, how he managed to be so successful at such a relatively young age, and he responds with: "It's definitely going fast, it's sitting pretty. I think I have a feel for it."

Advancing in IMSA title race

The latter is an understatement. In the European Le Mans series - in which he races for ex-F1 driver Olivier Panis' team - Van der Helm finished second in the opening race in Barcelona. In the American counterpart of the World Endurance Championship, he still started the season in a Nissan LMP3, only to be transferred after two races by his team JDC-Miller Motorsports to the main GTP class, with cars called hypercars in WEC. Alongside former DTM champion and NASCAR driver Mike Rockenfeller, Van der Helm finished seventh, fourth, fourth, fifth and eighth this season in the SportsCar Championship, IMSA's flagship class.

"I have been racing for a long time. I started with karting and made the switch to motorsport at 14. In the last few years, it's been pretty fast. Why am I good? How am I going to say that... I am used to formula cars, with which you also have some downforce, and these cars have that too. Qualifying may not be my strong point, but in the race, I have the aggressiveness, the speed, the insight. That's how I grab the gains over the rest. I'm trying to work on better qualifying now. And all races are just long. Even if you are seventh, you still have a chance for the podium."

Moreover, in Mike Rockenfeller, Van der Helm has a teammate who is purified in the business. "With Mike, I have a very good relationship outside and on track. We complement each other well with what we think of the car and how we work together to make the car better. So I'm quite happy with that. I'm learning a lot from him and I'm definitely going to do the same from Jenson."

Van der Helm soon alongside Button

Jenson is Jenson Button, a single-time world champion in Formula 1. JDC-Miller has committed Button as a teammate of Van der Helm and Rockenfeller for the closing IMSA season. "I have met Jenson. He's a really cool guy. Normal. So I'm curious to see how that goes in the last race. Cool to have him as a teammate? I'll tell you very honestly: I'm not really looking up to him. I like driving with him, but in the end, it's still about being fast. Then I don't really care whether you are a big name or not. And that you can work nicely together and help each other along. Not that you get in each other's way."

It's that down-to-earth Van der Helm again. However, Tijmen started his motorsport career in formula cars. In 2021, he drove one season in Formula 3. Whereas many colleagues work towards Formula 1, Van der Helm already made the switch to long-distance racing at the beginning of 2022. " I am not a daydreamer," he explains his decision not to try to climb up to Formula 1 via F3 for years. "I spend my time on it anyway and give up my school for it. So I do have a bit of a time limit that I want to perform and earn my living with it. I recognised that it wasn't going to happen in formula cars. Also because there are few seats available, it's all a bit tricky in terms of politics. So I thought, then I'll find my way in endurance a bit."

Where does his future lie?

With two championships, it's a busy year for Van der Helm: from America to Europe, and back again. As long as he competes in European Le Mans and IMSA, Van der Helm tries to focus equally on both classes. Asked whether his future in IMSA next season lies with JDC-Miller, he says: "We are in talks."

That JDC-Miller is happy is certain, though. "We tested once, while factory teams do it constantly. Still, we are close. Then we are doing something right. We have now just missed the podium twice and finished fifth once. It's getting closer and closer and I hope we can do it once before the end of the season. I am happy with how things are going. I certainly wouldn't mind continuing like this next year."

Finally, when Van der Helm is asked to daydream about what his career will hopefully bring him, he concludes: "I want to have won some big races and end up with a factory team. Several even, if possible. For now, I'm on the right track with Porsche. We'll see what the future brings."