Contenders Come to Premier One-Make Finale to Crown Inaugural Champions.

by Thomas Moore

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Rounds 14, 15 & 16

Braselton, Georgia. 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. 32 cars are entered for the final three races of the season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, November 11 – 12. The Braselton, Georgia-area race track, 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, November 11 with the final race, Round 16 closing the first year of North America’s premier one-make race series on Friday, November 12. All races are 45-minutes in length.

Three classes – Pro, Pro-Am and Pro-Am 991 – comprise the inaugural season of North America’s first Porsche Carrera Cup. Both 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 Hp. The Pro-Am 991 class uses of the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racer, the type 991.2.

Pro. 13 Cars.

The trio of Pro class drivers fighting to be the first name to appear on the recently announced Al Holbert Cup for overall champion includes the three drivers who have won in the class for racers competing in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car – based on the seventh-generation 911-platform, the type 992. Seb Priaulx (United Kingdom) enters the race at the top of the standings with 286-points via four wins and six additional podiums behind the wheel of the No. 15 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche. His teammate, Kay van Berlo (Netherlands) in the 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 in arrears to Priaulx. Parker Thompson (Canada) has raced the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to the top-step of the podium three-times scoring 210-points, good for third-place in the standings. 76 markers back from Priaulx, the Canadian is the last driver with a mathematical chance at the title. Drivers can earn 25-points for a win and 5 points for each pole position giving a total of 90 points left on the table.

Pro-Am. 10 Cars.

Entering the conclusion of the 2021 season, Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) leads all drivers in all classes for race wins with eight. The veteran racer has piloted the No. 99 iFly Kelly-Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car to eight class wins in the Pro-Am class for drivers 40 years-old and older driving the type 992. Despite this overriding success, Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) has charged to an impressive four victories and six second-place finishes in the No. 65 Team Hardpoint Porsche over the course of the first 13 races. This has kept the competition close with Castro 39 points behind Metni going to Atlanta. Curt Swearingin (Chattanooga, Tennessee) is only 81 points behind Metni. The driver of the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche has one win and nine podiums to-date. Like Thompson in the Pro class, Swearingin is the last driver in the class who could still capture the title.

Pro-Am 991. 9 Cars.

Of those closest to a lock entering his hometown race track is Matt Halcome of Dallas, Georgia. Piloting the popular No. 55 “Mystery Machine” Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, Halcome has seven wins the in the Pro-Am 991 class with an additional two podiums good for 278 points. His nearest competitor is his Goldcrest Motorsports teammate Grady Willingham (Birmingham, Alabama). The veteran sports car racer has one win thus far in the No. 21 and sits 75 points behind Halcome. With it nearly impossible for a previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, type 991, to win the overall pole position three times at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – thereby eliminating the 15 points for that accomplishment – the 75-point margin Halcome holds means he only needs to start regardless of if Willingham wins all three of the final rounds (25-points for each win).

Entrant.

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. Ten 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.

On Track.

Practice for all classes gets underway Wednesday, November 10 at 8:45 a.m. ET and again at 12:45 p.m. ET. both sessions are 30-minutes. Qualifying will wrap-up the day with each driver having 30-minutes to find a place on the grid beginning at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, November 11 has two of the three final races with the 45-minute Round 14 taking the green flag at 12:10 p.m. ET. Another 45-minute race will get underway at 4:45 p.m. ET later that day. Round 16, the final race of the year, will start at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday, November 12. At the conclusion of 45-minutes, champions in each of the three classes will be crowned. All events can be seen live at PorscheCarreraCup.us with IMSA Radio providing commentary. Following live coverage, events can be found on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel (youtube.com/porschemotorsportnorthamerica). Additional post race coverage and special programing will also be found here.

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.”

About the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands, located an hour south of Miami in the vibrant tranquility of western Caribbean, is a premier destination for travelers, thrill-seeking divers, adventurous epicures, honeymooners and families alike. The trio of islands affords each guest with the ultimate setting to enjoy life’s finest comforts, as the Caribbean’s leading luxury lifestyle destination. Five-star resorts, high-end villas, condos and breathtaking beachfront properties unique to each island offer a myriad of accommodation options for discerning travelers to enjoy. Additionally, the Cayman Islands is frequently heralded as the “Culinary Capital of the Caribbean” and offers endless gastronomic experiences to delight even the most seasoned of palates.

The Cayman Islands, world-renowned for impeccable “Caymankind” hospitality also employs best-in-class health and sanitation protocols to keep visitors and locals safe. To learn more about the Cayman Islands, please go to www.visitcaymanislands.com; www.divecayman.ky or call your local travel agent. For the most up-to-date travel guidance and protocols, please visit: https://www.exploregov.ky/coronavirus.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by The Cayman Islands.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America by The Cayman Islands is the premier one-make race series in the United States and Canada utilizing a combination of the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, type 992, and MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport Cup N3 racing slick to challenge the best road and street race courses on the continent. As with all national Carrera Cups worldwide, the inaugural season of the championship is scheduled to host 16-rounds. Each 45-minute race counts toward a season-long driver and team championship in each of three classes: Pro, Pro-Am and Pro-Am 991.

More on Porsche Carrera Cup North America by The Cayman Islands can be found at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us.

  • Image courtesy of Porsche Cars North America

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