Castro Joins Priaulx and Halcome as Porsche One-Make Champion.

by Thomas Moore

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Round 16

Braselton, Georgia. The Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands has crowned its champions. With the conclusion of Round 16, held here at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Seb Priaulx (United Kingdom) in the Pro class, Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) in Pro-Am and Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia) for the Pro-Am 991 class have been written into history as the class champions for the inaugural season of North America’s premier one-make race series. Priaulx and Halcome locked their class titles earlier in the weekend, but Castro had to win the third-race of the weekend to have a chance at the Pro-Am title. The Dominican Republic-driver took the lead two-minutes into the race and never relinquished it earning his seventh race win of the year, and his first professional title.

Priaulx drove the No. 15 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car to six victories during the season with one coming at the season-opener in Sebring, Florida and two (Rounds 14 and 16) here at the Braselton, Georgia to bookend the season. Halcome scored seven wins in 16 starts in the No. 55 Goldcrest machine but missed the podium here in Atlanta. Castro had to finish ahead of eight-time winner Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) to win the Pro-Am award. His focused victories in all three rounds kept the chase right down to the last lap of the last race. With Metni fighting back from a two-lap deficit as a result of a first lap incident, the Texan – who, with eight, has more victories than any other driver regardless of class – was one position and two points from winning the title.

In the Pro-Am 991 class, Dimitri Dimakos (Chicago, Illinois) drove the No. 96 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to victory in Friday’s Round 16. This was his third win in the class this weekend, his first event in the series.

With the conclusion of the 2021 season, eyes now turn to the 2022 sophomore season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. An open test will be held at Sebring International Raceway in Florida on March 7 – 8.

2022 Schedule. Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands.

Open Test | March 7 – 8 | Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida, USA

1. March 16 – 19 | Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida, USA

2. April 8 -9 | Grand Prix of Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA

3. April 29 – May 1 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California, USA

4. June 23 – 26 | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York, USA

5. July 15 - 17 | Street of Toronto, Toronto, Quebec, Canada

6. August 5 – 7 | Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA

7. TBA

8. September 28 – October 1 | Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia, USA

Final Standings.

Pro.

Seb Priaulx (United Kingdom), No. 15 Kelly-Moss Road and Race | 371 points – Six Wins

Kay van Berlo (Netherlands), No. 3 Kelly-Miss Road and Race | 287 points – Seven Wins

Parker Thompson (Canada), No. 9 JDX Racing | 258 points – Three Wins

Pro-Am.

Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic), No. 65 Team Hardpoint | 318 points – Seven Wins

Alan Metni (Austin, Texas), No. 99 iFly Kelly-Moss | 316 points – Eight Wins

Curt Swearingin (Chattanooga, Tennessee), No. 17 ACI Motorsports | 237 points – One Win

Pro-Am 991.

Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia), No. 55 Goldcrest Motorsports |315 points – Seven Wins

Grady Willingham (Birmingham, Alabama), No. 21 Goldcrest Motorsports | 229 points – One Win

Craig Conway (Edgewater, Florida), No. 97 Irish Mike’s Racing | 168 points

Pro Class. 2021 Champion. Race 3 Winner.

Seb Priaulx, Driver, No. 15 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“It still hasn’t sunk in. It has been a great year fighting with Kay. Kelly-Moss and Multimatic have done an awesome job this year. I love driving this Porsche. It is a great championship. I have learned loads. It has been a great first step to whatever I will be doing next year. I really could enjoy that last race and I did.”

Pro-Am. 2021 Champion. Race 3 Winner.

Efrin Castro, Driver, No. 65 Team Hardpoint Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“This is unreal. Coming into this weekend I had just a little bit of hope. I was putting faith in the Man Above and whatever would happen would happen. I just got blessed with this amazing weekend. I love it. It feels unreal. I was crying inside the car non-stop. I am not going to lie. I feel so blessed. I have to give thanks to everyone that made this possible. To everyone who supported me and believed in me.”

Pro-Am 991. 2021 Champion.

Matt Halcome, Driver, No. 55 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“It is unbelievable. Just a few years ago I was doing D.E. classes and now here I am. This is awesome. When I swept COTA, and had a pretty good lead in the championship, I started to believe we could do this. The goal was to keep focusing and stay out of trouble. Wrapping it up at Road Atlanta was great. I had my Mom here and friends and family to help us celebrate.”

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. To learn more about the Cayman Islands, please go to www.visitcaymanislands.com; www.divecayman.ky or call your local travel agent.

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 10122021