Three Races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Will Determine Titlists
Braselton, Ga. – Three contenders. Three rounds. Three classes. The inaugural season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands has come down to threes.
Thirty-two cars are entered for the final three races of the season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Thursday and Friday. The racetrack, the competition home of Porsche in North America, will be the stage for the crowning of the class titlists. The ultra-fast 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit running through the North Georgia mountains just outside of Atlanta will see Rounds 14 and 15 contested on Thursday, with the final race closing the first year of the North American one-make race series on Friday. All races are 45 minutes in length.
Three classes – Pro, Pro-Am and Pro-Am 991 – comprise the field. The Pro and Pro-Am classes campaign the newest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, the type 992, exclusively. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, type 992, is based on the current generation Porsche 911 GT3 road car. The rear-engine, normally aspirated race car generates 510 horsepower. The Pro-Am 991 class uses of the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racer, the type 991.2.
Pro Class (13 Entries): The trio of Pro class drivers fighting to be the first name to appear on the recently announced Al Holbert Cup for the overall champion includes the drivers who have won in the class this year. Seb Priaulx (No. 15 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche) enters at the top of the standings with 286 points via four wins and six additional podiums. His teammate, Kay van Berlo (No. 3), leads all Pro class drivers with six race victories but only three additional top-three results, holding the Dutchman back in second place, 66 points behind Priaulx. Parker Thompson (No. 9 JDX Racing ) has reached the top step of the podium three times, good for third in the standings, 76 markers back from Priaulx. Drivers can earn 25 points for a win and five for each pole position this week, leaving a total of 90 points left on the table.
Pro-Am Class (10 Entries): Alan Metni (No. 99 iFly Kelly-Moss Porsche) leads all drivers in all classes for race wins with eight, each coming in the Pro-Am class for drivers 40 and older. Despite this overriding success, Efrin Castro (No. 65 Team Hardpoint) has charged to four victories and six second-place finishes to trail Metni by 39 points. Curt Swearingin (No. 17 ACI Motorsports) is 81 points behind Metni.
Pro-Am 991 Class (9 Entries): Matt Halcome (No. 55 Goldcrest Motorsports) from nearby Dallas, Georgia, is closest to wrapping up a class title. With seven wins in the in the Pro-Am 991 class and an additional two podiums, he leads teammate Grady Willingham (No. 21 Porsche) by 75 points. Halcome needs only to start the races to clinch the championship.
Entrant Championship: Kelly-Moss Road and Race has been elite in 2021. The Madison, Wisconsin-based operation has led the entrant championship since Round 1 in March. With 10 victories and 12 podium finishes, the program holds a 78-point margin over JDX Racing and is 95 points ahead of Team Hardpoint entering the final three rounds.
Schedule: Two practices and qualifying are set for Wednesday at Michelin Raceway. Thursday’s races start at 12:10 and 4:45 p.m. ET, with Friday’s finale at 11:15 a.m. All of the races stream live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, IMSA.com/TVLive and PorscheCarreraCup.us, with IMSA Radio providing commentary.
Brian Blocker, Series Manager, Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands:
“What an amazing first season it has been. We had very high expectations for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands, and I am confident that we exceeded each of those expectations. We enter the finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with three contenders for the Pro class championship and one of the largest entry lists we have had all season. That, to me, is a remarkable testimony to our customer teams, our partners and our drivers. I expect to see the most intense competition we have had all year… and that is significant when you see how hard everyone has raced all season. I’m looking forward to getting to Atlanta and crowning our champions in each class.”