The Inaugural Season for the Single-Make Series Reaches Its Midpoint This Weekend
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will have more than 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars racing at Road America this weekend for Rounds 7 and 8 of the 16-race inaugural season. With 32 cars on the pre-event entry list, it would exceed the most seen this season which was 30 at the season-opening weekend at Sebring International Raceway. The Porsche development series will have two 45-minute races as part of the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at the legendary 4.048-mile road course.
The IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America marks the midpoint of the first season of Porsche Carrera Cup in North America. In the first six races, teams and drivers needed to learn the particulars of the series as well as the new type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The second half of the season will see attention turn to winning the championship in each of the three classes: Pro, Pro-Am and Pro-Am 991.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America: Road America Entry List
Both the Pro and Pro-Am classes utilize the newest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, the type 992, exclusively. Based on the latest-generation Porsche 911 GT3 road car, the rear-engine, normally aspirated race car generates 510 horsepower. The Pro-Am 991 class takes advantage of the previous-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racer, the type 991.
Pro Class (14 entries): Kay van Berlo trailed his Kelly-Moss Road and Race teammate Seb Priaulx in the Pro driver standings up through the most recent two rounds at Watkins Glen International. However, the driver of the No. 3 Porsche charged to victory lane in both Rounds 5 and 6 at The Glen to move into the lead of the standings by 10 points over Priaulx in the No. 15.
By virtue of a win at Circuit of The Americas in Round 3, Parker Thompson sits in third place with 84 points in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche. Leh Keen, who has twice stood on the podium with the No. 12 311RS Motorsport Porsche, comes to Wisconsin fourth in the Pro standings. Riley Dickinson in the No. 53 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche is currently in fifth, one point behind Keen.
Pro-Am Class (10 entries): Alan Metni has held the top spot of the Pro-Am class – for drivers 40 and older who are campaigning the current type 992 generation of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car – since the first round at Sebring in March. The driver of the No. 99 iFly Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche has won all but one round of the championship and has totaled 145 points. Efrin Castro (No. 65 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche) sits 33 points behind Metni and is the only other driver to win a race in the class. With 80 points, Curt Swearingin currently has the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche third in the driver standings.
Pro-Am 991 Class (eight entries): The class for drivers racing the previous-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, type 991.2, is led by Matt Halcome, who opened the season with four straight victories in the No. 55 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche and has 132 markers. However, two victories at Watkins Glen by Goldcrest teammate Jeff Majkrzak in the No. 29 nudged the Minnesotan to within 13 points of Halcome. Grady Willingham enters Road America third in the Pro-Am 991 standings with 83 points in the No. 21 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche.
Entrant Standings: Kelly-Moss Road and Race holds a commanding lead in the Entrant championship. With five entries across all three classes, the Madison, Wisconsin-based program has gathered 145 points, collecting the most points available (25) in all but a single race. 311 RS Motorsports has yet to win but through consistency sits in second place with 95 points. JDX Racing, with one overall victory, is third, one marker behind 311 RS.
As the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands celebrates the middle of its inaugural season, Porsche would like to congratulate the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America on that single-make series’ 100th race, scheduled for this weekend at Road America.
Weekend Schedule: First practice of the weekend will come at 9 a.m. ET Friday, with a second at 12:20 p.m. Because a lap of the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit takes so much time to complete, drivers and teams must take advantage of every minute of the 30-minute practice sessions.
A 30-minute qualifying session will close the first day of on-track activity at 4:30 p.m. Race 1 of the weekend will take the green flag at 12:35 p.m. Saturday. Race 2 will start at 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Full race coverage of both 45-minute races can be found live at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us, with IMSA Radio’s John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw providing commentary. Following live coverage, events can be found on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel (youtube.com/porschemotorsportnorthamerica).
Brian Blocker, Series Manager, Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands: “Road America feels like the perfect place to celebrate the midpoint of the inaugural season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. The interest in this first season has exceeded even our highest estimates. Witnessing our largest entry list since Sebring is very satisfying and very fitting for a track steeped in Porsche history. We are adding new competitors and new partners such as the Cayman Islands and SP Tools USA. This weekend, we will announce our 2022 schedule. Each championship is shaping up to be a battle down to the wire at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. We have a great deal to look forward to and celebrate here in Elkhart Lake.”