Dickinson earns first career Porsche Carrera Cup North America win at Sports Car Together Fest in Indianapolis

by Thomas Moore

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Round 14 of 16



• Dickinson becomes fifth winner in Carrera Cup North America history.

• Castro and Kvamme repeat Pro-Am and Am class wins.

• Pro class title chase tightens as two top-contenders fail to finish.

• NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon earns top-11 finish against stout competition.

Indianapolis, Indiana. Riley Dickinson closed out the second annual Porsche Sports Car Together Fest with his first win in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. The native of New Braunfels, Texas bettered a field of 33 of the best Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car drivers in the world to earn his debut victory in the series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Included on that stout entry list was NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (Charlotte, North Carolina) who made his first two starts in the premier one-make racing series piloting the No. 24 Hendrick Performance Group machine. The four-time NASCAR Cup champion nearly had a top ten finish in class on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course at “The World Capital of Racing”. 2021 class champion Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) won his seventh Pro-Am class race of the season in the No. 65 Kelly Moss Porsche while Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) raced the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to is fourth-straight Am class win.

The all-Porsche race series now travels to Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to decide the second recipient of the Al Holbert Cup awarded to the overall champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The final two 40-minute races of the season will decide the champions in each of the three classes with rounds on September 29 and 30.

Pro Class.

In earning his inaugural victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Riley Dickinson became the fifth driver to win in the two-year-old series. Despite being among the youngest drivers in the championship at age 20, Dickinson has been a threat for every Carrera Cup North America race since the series debuted in 2021. The driver of the No. 53 earned his breakout win today at “The Brickyard”. He leapt into the lead from third-place on the opening laps and staved off his Kelly Moss teammate van Berlo for the remainder of the 40-minute race. Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain regular Matty Graham (Great Britain) earned his first podium in North America after finishing fourth in his debut yesterday in the No. 91 MDK Motorsports Porsche. Today’s fourth-place went to TJ Fischer (Vacaville, California) in the No. 58 Topp Racing Porsche while Leh Keen (Atlanta, Georgia) brought home fifth-place for the 311 RS Motorsports No. 12 program.

For the first time since the green flag for race one at Sebring International Raceway, Kay van Berlo (Netherlands studying in Miami) entered a 2022 Carrera Cup North America race not as the points leader. That honor went to Parker Thompson (native of Canada living in Indianapolis, Indiana) who, by virtue of his win in Saturday’s Carrera Cup feature, entered round 14 with an 11 point lead. However, that changed shortly into the race as the driver of the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche was out of the race with a damaged car. That same incident took out Trenton Estep (San Antonio, Texas) who had to park the No. 6 MDK Motorsports Porsche with substantial damage as a result of contact with the road course’s first turn tire wall. Estep, who entered the day in third-place held on to the position despite finishing 33rd in the race.

Riley Dickinson, No. 53 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“I can’t thank everyone at Kelly Moss enough for everything they do. I am still out of breath. I am going to enjoy this one a little bit. I have always said: everything happens for a reason. It all makes sense today. Winning my first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is that reason. This is a surreal moment.”

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Hendrick Performance Group Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“I wanted to do some fun things, make some passes. I made a pass on the white flag lap. That made my whole weekend. I think we ended it on a positive note. All week I have been happy I am here, having a great time with Ray [Evernham], Steve Bardahl, my dad, , Jon Edwards and the whole team. I must say that yesterday, I thought ‘man, I am getting beat out here’ and I don’t like that. If I am going to be in an environment like this, I want to be competitive. But today turned the corner for me. So, I hope I get to do another one one day.”

Pro-Am Class.

For the fourth time in five Porsche Carrera Cup races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2021 Pro-Am champion Efrin Castro stood on the top of the podium. The driver of the No. 65 bettered his main rival Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) who finished just behind his Kelly Moss teammate in second place driving the No. 99. Third went to Curt Swearingin (Chattanooga, Tennessee) behind the wheel of the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

Efrin Castro, No. 65 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

“I want to give thanks to the Man Above for this victory. I also want to give thanks to my team at Kelly Moss for such an amazing job. All the Pro-Am drivers come, and they fight and they make me push my limits. This is one of the best series in Pro-Am. The field is full of talented drivers. I am blessed to be racing against them.”

Am Class.

Kvamme continues to be a juggernaut at the front of the Am class charging to his ninth win of the season. Despite the two Porsche Sports Car Together Fest class victories, his competition for the title are staying close. John Goetz (Weston, Connecticut) raced to a second-place finish in the No. 55 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Third-place went to Bill Smith (Dallas, Texas) in the No. 42 Topp Racing Porsche.

To the point.

The weekend had a dramatic impact on the points standings tightening an already narrow gap between first and fourth. With van Berlo scoring no points on Saturday; Thompson and Estep scoring none on Sunday and Dickinson taking a win on Sunday, the four title contenders for the Pro class championship are now separated by only 47 points. With a theoretical 56-points available (25 x 2 for race wins, 2 x 2 for pole position wins and 1 x 2 for fastest race lap in each session) to a single driver over the course of a normal weekend, all four drivers are still in the hunt for the title. Van Berlo remains in the lead with 270 points, ten more than Thompson (260), 40 ahead of Estep (230) and 47 points beyond Dickinson. Metni has retained the lead in Pro-Am despite Castro’s two Indy victories. The two Kelly Moss drivers are separated by 24 points, less than one victory, 257-233. In the Am class, Kvamme added to his margin with two wins. He now holds a 16 point margin over Goetz and 58 over Smith: 272-256-214. Kelly Moss strengthened its grasp on the Entrant Championship going to the finale.

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 15 and 16 of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will crown the class champions as part of the Petit Le Mans weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, September 29 and 30.

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, Bob Chapman, Autosport Images

09042022