Thompson wins dramatic Porsche Sport Car Together Fest Carrera Cup Race

Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Round 13 of 16

• Thompson captures Porsche Sports Car Together Fest Win.
• NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon debuts in one-make championship at Indy.
• Castro lights continues to close on Metni, Kvamme adds to Am totals.
• Title contenders all score top-five finishes.
• Carrera Cup Great Britain winner scores top-four finish in first North American round.

Indianapolis, Indiana. Parker Thompson (Indianapolis, Indiana) earned his fourth win of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands season today in the Race 1 of the Porsche Sports Car Together Fest. The native Canadian held the lead from the pole position to the end of the 40-minute race in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the premier one-make race series.

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon (Charlotte, North Carolina but grew-up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana) came out of retirement today here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to try his hand behind the wheel the No. 24 Hendrick Performance Group car. The one weekend program was headed by longtime crew chief Ray Evernham.

Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) scored the Pro-Am class victory in the No. 65 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to win his third Carrera Cup victory at The Brickyard in the two years of the event. Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) continued to strengthen his position in the Am class taking the victory in the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche capturing the victory on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course winds its way through the infield before crossing the “Yard of Bricks” start-finish line.

Sunday’s second 40-minute race will conclude on-track competition for the celebration of the Porsche culture at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT tomorrow, Sunday, September 4.

Pro Class.
Behind Thompson’s green to checker run, title contenders and Kelly Moss teammates Kay van Berlo (Netherlands studying in Miami, Florida) in the No. 3 and Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas) driving the No. 53, raced as hard as two teammates could race including several moments of contact in the heat of battle. When the 40-minute race came to a close, it was championship leader van Berlo who nosed out Dickinson. Fourth-place went to series newcomer Matty Graham (Great Britain) in the No. 91. While the young Brit was making his first North American start, he has already won three times in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain this season. Fifth-place went to Trenton Estep (San Antonio, Texas) in the No. 6 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Estep, with three wins on the season, is deep in the fight for Pro class title chase.

Jeff Gordon, who last raced in 2016, briefly stepped out of retirement to experience the Porsche 911 GT3-based race car in competition. With limited seat time in the car, Gordon made a strong showing against the field of experienced hands of the rear-engine racing machine. He finished 15th in his first race in the series.

Parker Thompson, No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“Really good day for points. We got the win, pole this morning, I’d say that is a pretty good day for the JDX crew. My hat is absolutely off to this JDX team. We are on a budget. We are doing whatever we can. We are a one car team up against these Goliaths in a KMR and an MDK and it just shows how hard this team works. Everyone works so hard to put that number 9 at the front. Without this group of people, I couldn’t win races at the World’s Capital of Racing. It is pretty cool to be an Indianapolis resident and to get to kiss the bricks three times. We are going for four tomorrow. “

Pro-Am Class. Winner.
Efrin Castro, No. 65 Kelly Moss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“Indianapolis has been good to me. The race was fun… being with the fast kids and staying with them. It was a lot of fun to keep my pace with them and that helped me create gap back to the Pro-Am class. I am thrilled for win. It was something I have been working hard for. I want to thank Porsche for hosting such a great event and my team Kelly Moss for setting up a great car for me. We are going to make the championship very interesting to the end.”

Am Class. Winner.
Mark Kvamme, No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“Indianapolis! This is an amazing track and an amazing facility. The Porsche Sports Car Together Fest is a lot of fun to see all of these avid fans. We had a lot of fun out there and I was able to get a P1 along the way. I was around Gordon the whole race. It was a lot of fun. He is a very good driver, obviously, and he drove very fair too. He did an exceptional job.”

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 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will take the green flag tomorrow, Sunday, September 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT.

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.
About Porsche Cars North America, Inc. | One Porsche Drive, Atlanta, GA 30354 USA
Established in 1984, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) is the exclusive U.S. importer of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, Macan, Cayenne, Panamera and Taycan. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1998, PCNA is also home to the first Porsche Experience Center in North America featuring a module-based 1.6 mile driver development track, business center, and fine dining restaurant, 356. The company operates a second Porsche Experience Center near Los Angeles. That 53-acre complex features a driver development track with eight educational modules totaling 4.1 miles, a business center, and Restaurant 917. PCNA supports 194 independently owned and operated Porsche dealerships in the U.S., including supplying parts, service, marketing, and training. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the Porsche brand's more than 70-year history of leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency. PCNA is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

At the core of this success is Porsche's proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000-plus motorsport wins to date.

Image courtesy of Porsche Motorsport North America, Bob Chapman, Autosport Image. 09032022

Menu