The Single-Make Series Heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for Rounds 5 and 6
MONTEREY, Calif. – The 34 competitors of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands enter Rounds 5 and 6 with a common goal: break the grasp Kay van Berlo has on the series. The pair of 40-minute races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca could prove the ideal setting for the field to outduel the points leader.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Entry List
It is the debut event at the track for the premier Porsche one-make series. While several drivers have seat time in a variety of other racing series at WeatherTech Raceway, van Berlo only has a single weekend under his belt at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn facility. However, he set a track record on his way to victory lane then. Competitors, all piloting the most current type 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, will have their first opportunity to topple the Kelly-Moss juggernaut on Saturday at 2:50 p.m. ET and again Sunday at 11:40 a.m. Both races will stream live on IMSA.com/TVLive.
Pro Class (15 Cars): While all cars in the one-make series are created equal, only the No. 3 Kelly-Moss Porsche of van Berlo has been able to stand atop the overall podium thus far in the second year of the championship. Van Berlo’s performance has been so strong that he has won each of the first four rounds from pole position and set all but one fastest race lap. Those results have garnered him 111 points out of a possible 112.
Challengers have not been lacking however, even within the Kelly-Moss camp itself, as teammate Riley Dickinson has consistently pressured in his No. 53. Entering this weekend, the Texan is the only driver to prevent a perfect point tally by van Berlo having earned the fastest race lap in Round 2 at Sebring International Raceway in March. Parker Thompson, piloting the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche, and the No. 6 MDK Motorsports Porsche of Trenton Estep have also been early season contenders for podiums and wins in the Pro class. T.J. Fischer stood on the podium at Long Beach with a pair of third-place finishes.
Pro-Am Class (13 Cars): Adding to the Kelly-Moss success, Alan Metni comes to the Monterey Peninsula with two victories thus far in 2022 (Sebring, Race 1 and Long Beach, Race 1). He also has a second place in the No. 99 Porsche (Sebring, Race 2). Justin Oakes secured the first win for Nolasport taking the No. 47 to victory lane in the most recent round, Race 2 at Long Beach. 2021 Pro-Am class champion Efrin Castro, driving the No. 65 Kelly-Moss Porsche, earned the class win at Sebring in Race 2.
Making his second start in the series is GMG Racing’s Kyle Washington. The driver of the No. 32 competed at Long Beach in both the Porsche Carrera Cup and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona class. This weekend he will repeat that with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Carrera Cup and the Porsche 911 GT3 R in the WeatherTech Championship, plus add a third Porsche, a 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Am Class (6 Cars): Open to drivers 57 and older, the Am class has seen a dominating performance of its own by Mark Kvamme in the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche. The veteran racer who is in his rookie season of Carrera Cup has taken three wins in four races – both rounds at Sebring and Round 4 at Long Beach. Wright Motorsports driver John Goetz piloted the No. 57 to a Round 3 win at Long Beach.