Van Berlo returns to winning ways at Watkins

by Thomas Moore

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands – Watkins Glen – Round 7 of 16.

• Van Berlo leads green to checkered for overall victory in Pro class.

• Metni and Kvamme take Pro-Am and Am wins.

• Wiley walks away from opening lap incident.

Watkins Glen, New York. Kay van Berlo (Netherlands studying in Miami, Florida) returned to his winning way in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands today at Watkins Glen International. The current Pro class points leader held the top spot from green flag to the checkered in the No. 3 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car. Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) did the same in the Pro-Am class No. 99 Porsche prepared by Kelly Moss while Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) remained at the sharp end of his game in the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche in Round seven of the Am class. Round eight of the premier one-make race series will begin at 11:05 a.m. ET/8:05 a.m. PT on Saturday, June 25 at the Watkins Glen, New York-area track.

Pro Class.

Van Berlo was eager to return to victory lane after missing the top-step of the podium for the first time this season at rounds five and six. He charged to pole position this morning, narrowly ahead of his teammate Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas), and fended off the driver of the No. 53 entering the first corner. The fight was beginning to take shape when an accident in the second-pack of cars forced an extended caution period.

On the first lap, the No. 77 Topp Racing Porsche of Travis Wiley (Austin, Texas) had contact with the No. 11 Deluxe 311 RS Motorsports Porsche of Dimitri Dimakos (Chicago, Illinois). Wiley was turned to the right and made hard contact with the Armco barrier before coming back across the track narrowly missing multiple competitors. After a lazy roll, the No. 77 came to rest on its wheels. Wiley was evaluated and released from the medical center.

The incident forced repairs to the barrier before the green flag wave again. The race resumed with half of the 40-minute race remaining. The Dutchman slowly pulled away from the competition with Dickinson trailing in second-place, two-time winner Parker Thompson (Canada) in third-place driving the No. 9 JDX Racing machine, Trenton Estep (San Antonio, Texas) piloting the No. 6 MDK Motorsports Porsche to fourth and Leh Keen (Atlanta, Georgia) racing to a top-five in the No. 12 311 RS Motorsports Porsche.

Pro-Am Class.

Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) in the No. 99 Kelly Moss Porsche returned to the top-step of the podium and strengthened his lead in the class point standings. He crossed the line ahead of 2021 class champion Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) in second-place with the No. 65 prepared by Kelly Moss. Justin Oakes (Houston, Texas) earned the final podium spot behind the wheel of the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.

Am Class.

Mark Kvamme has been the consistent target for drivers in the Am class. The driver of the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car won the class from pole position and tightened his grip on the title chase for drivers 57-years-old and older. Bill Smith (Dallas, Texas) in the No. 42 Topp Racing machine rallied past the sight of his teammate Wiley incident to take second-place. John Goetz (Weston, Connecticut) was able to reward his Wright Motorsports crew for a quick midday engine change to finish in third-place driving the No. 57.

To the point.

Van Berlo added full points for the day to his total (including pole position and fastest race lap) to move to 171 markers at the head of the Pro class. Thompson has 138 while Dickinson holds 107 and 99 points for Estep after seven races. In Pro-Am, Metni adds 25 for a total of 133 ahead of Oakes (112) and Castro (99). Kvamme leads in the Am class with 155 points to Goetz’s 125 and Smith’s 113.

Where to Watch.

Replays of both races can be found on Porsche Motorsport North America TV presented by Deluxe: (https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica).

Next Up.

Round 8 of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will take the green flag tomorrow, Saturday, June 25, at 11:05 a.m. local time (8:40 a.m. PT).

Kay van Berlo, No. 3 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Pro Class Winner.

“We are happy to come away with the win here, but the main thing is that Travis is alright. A good race for us; nothing crazy. I covered the inside on the first corner. I added a bit of a gap into the Bus Stop [corner] which put me in a safe position. In the end I got a great restart, and I had a bit of a gap straight-away and didn’t have to defend on the opening lap. Riley and I were pulling away from third and fourth. I took no risks and just tried to maintain the gap. Credit goes to the Kelly Moss guys. You can see that Riley and I were quick this week. I am excited about tomorrow. It is a new day and new chances.”

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. The second season of the championship is scheduled to host 16-rounds at eight venues. Each 40-minute race counts toward a season-long driver and team championship in each of three classes: Pro, Pro-Am and Am.

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

  • Image courtesy of Porsche Motorsport North America

06242022