Moorespeed drivers Riley Dickinson and Rob Ferriol capped the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama round at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a pair of podium finishes on Sunday morning. Dickinson crossed the finish line fourth overall and in Platinum Cup, and was elevated to third post-race after a fellow competitor was penalized. Ferriol landed on the podium in third place in Gold Cup.
The 30-minute race run in conjunction with the Formula 1 Canada Grand prix was a rebound from a challenging Saturday, where bad luck caught both drivers out and prevented challenges for podiums and wins.
“I’m really proud of our drivers and the Moorespeed team for a great comeback to get onto the podium today,” Moorespeed President David Moore said. “We’re known for keeping cars on the track or repairing them when they need to be repaired. This was no exception. The guys did a good job. We got parts from Porsche Motorsports, and some parts from other teams. It’s a family. The other guys hated to see what happened, and they wanted us back out there. We got some points today, I’ll take it. But we’ve got to redeem ourselves in the next race at Watkins Glen.”
Dickinson’s battle and strong finish is a credit to the entire Moorespeed team, who stayed up late into the night repairing the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup after Dickinson was collected by a spinning competitor early in Saturday’s race. Dickinson moved into third place temporarily on lap 12 with 10 minutes to go in the race but relinquished the position two laps later with the contact that would ultimately elevate him to third anyway.
The 16-year-old had moved into second place on lap 17, but a red flag for an on-track incident came out on the same lap and reverted the standings to the last completed lap – leaving Dickinson in his final third position.
“I started third and got a great jump with the leader going into turn one,” Dickinson said. “But since I was on the outside of turn two, I fell back into fourth. Throughout the race the car really felt good, which allowed me to race for the podium and ultimately we finished in a very strong third place. It was a great result to give back to the team for all of their hard work last night and throughout the weekend. I can’t wait for Watkins Glen!”
Ferriol scored his fourth Gold Cup podium of the season and first in the No. 5 Moorespeed/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 Cup since moving to Moorespeed prior to the Montreal event.
“It feels good to be back on the podium, especially after yesterday didn’t go our way,” Ferriol said. “We had good pace. I know I had the pace to run with the leaders but I had a bit of a bobble at the start that generated a gap. I just wasn’t able to close it down in such a short race.”
Sunday marked a much better day on the track for the Moorespeed team. During the first race of the doubleheader, Dickinson’s early incident left him scored 16th in class. Ferriol was challenging for the lead in Gold Cup competition when Platinum traffic forced him wide in the hairpin, causing him to spin. He was forced to settle for a sixth-place finish in his class.
The pair return to IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama action June 27 -30 at Watkins Glen International for a doubleheader. The No. 19 CAG/Moorespeed Audi R8 GT3 LMS will be in action on the same weekend in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona competition.
