Thirty-Eight Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars Promise Thrilling Races in Action-Packed Weekend
Entry List (Click Here)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For the second year, Porsche Carrera Cup North America will act as a support race for the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. The circuit uses 19 turns to cover 3.362 miles around Hard Rock Stadium, which regularly hosts the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. This weekend it will host 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars in addition to the Formula 1 grid. With 2023 race winner – and overall Pro champion – Riley Dickinson ascending to the next level on the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America, a first-time overall race winner is promised in the premier one-make race series. 2023 Pro-Am and Masters (formerly Am class) race winners Efrin Castro and Mark Kvamme return to defend their twin victories in the pair of races. Two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday will be followed by a 30-minute qualifying session and the first 40-minute race on Saturday. The second race will take place ahead of the Formula 1 feature race on Sunday morning.
• Field. 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for the weekend.
- Pro class: 17; Pro-Am class: 13, Masters class: 8
- Teams. 13 race teams are represented across all three classes.
• Track Record. 1:56.014, 2023, Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
• 2023 Race Winners.
- Pro. Races 1 & 2. Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss
- Pro-Am. Races 1 & 2. Efrin Castro, Kellymoss
- Am (now Masters). Races 1 & 2. Mark Kvamme, MDK Motorsports
• 2024 Point Leaders.
Pro. Gus Burton, No. 20 MDK Motorsports
Pro-Am. Marco Cirone, No. 84 ACI Motorsports
Masters. Matt Halcome, No. 55 ACI Motorsports
Entrants. MDK Motorsports
• Schedule. All times Eastern
Friday: 2:25-2:55 p.m., Practice 1; 6:05-6:35 p.m., Practice 2
Saturday: 12:55-1:25 p.m., Qualifying (all classes); 5:50-6:35 p.m., Race 1
Sunday: 10:30-11:15 a.m., Race 2
• Full field. 38 cars are entered for the second of eight weekends of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season, and each entry will have to compromise in the paddock, pit lane and on the track. Unable to have their race transporters and awnings to work from, teams will need to be very calculated in their planning of tools and equipment they bring into the shared paddock facilities at the track. This holds true for Yokohama Tire and Porsche Motorsport North America as well. Both must also plan to the final detail what they bring into the paddock to supply the teams for the full weekend.
• Hometown heroes. Five drivers on the entry list consider Florida their home state. Angel Benitez, Moisey Uretsky and David Tuaty all call Miami home. Elias De La Torre lives in nearby Key Largo while Carlos De Quesada lives in Tampa. Two drivers, Jimmy Libre and Efrin Castro, are residents of the Dominican Republic making Miami their “home” track.
• Open to the public. Situated outside the footprint of the Formula 1 paddock, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America paddock is open to any holder of a general admissions ticket to the grand prix. Fans can walk through and watch the 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars being prepared for each practice, qualifying and the pair of races.
• New names. A changing of the guard was apparent in the top Pro class at the Sebring season opener. With 2021 champion Seb Priaulx as well as 2022 champ Parker Thompson now racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and 2023 champion and defending Miami race winner Riley Dickinson now competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, a new Pro champion will be awarded the Al Holbert Trophy in 2024. New faces stood atop the podium at both rounds in Sebring. Loek Hartog raced to his first race win in the series in Round 1 at Sebring while Gus Burton drove to his first win in Round 2.
• To the point. Burton comes into the Rounds 3 and 4 with a narrow one-point lead over Hartog in the Pro class and the Porsche EBOOST North America Junior Program standings. That battle extends to the team standings, where three points separate MDK Motorsports and Kellymoss. Marco Cirone holds the Pro-Am class points lead over James Sofronas, 40 markers to 33. Matt Halcome returns to Carrera Cup after a season focused on the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama with two race wins at Sebring in March. The 18-point margin he holds over Chris Bellomo is the widest in any category in the series.
• Master racer. After two rounds, only one driver regardless of class, swept the weekend at Sebring: Halcome. The 2021 Pro-Am 991 class champion, and driver of the popular Mystery Machine liveried No. 55 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, returned to the series in style winning both races in the competitive Masters class. He also captured the fastest race lap for both rounds.
• Class Descriptions.
Pro. The highest level of competition in Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The car entry number is delineated in orange on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers are clear with orange cross-marks.
Pro-Am. Restricted to drivers who are 36 years or older as of Jan. 1, 2024. The car entry number is delineated in green on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers are clear with green cross-marks.
Masters. Open to drivers over 50 years old as of Jan. 1, 2024. The car entry number is delineated in yellow on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers are clear with yellow cross-marks.