Premier one make series headlines world’s largest Porsche gathering
Monterey, California. Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America came to Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7 as the only professional, touring championship at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event. The premier one-make championship – which exclusively races the 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car – ran rounds 13 and 14 of the 16-race season at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn race course in Monterey, California. It was not surprising that the world’s largest gathering of Porsche fans would be a showcase event for the three-year old race series. What was shocking were the results at the September 28 – October 1 celebration of Porsche motorsport. First time winners, champions struggling and tightening points races excited the fans and put a spotlight on the top rung of Porsche single-marque entering its final weekend scheduled for the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), October 20 – 22.
• Pro class winners.
o Race 1. Tom Sargent (No. 17 McElrea Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).
o Race 2. Will Martin (No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).
• Pro-Am class winners.
o Race 1. Efrin Castro (No. 65 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).
o Race 2. PJ Hyett (No. 23 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).
• Am class winners.
o Race 1. Scott Noble (No. 10 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
o Race 2. Scott Noble (No. 10 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
Highlights.
• First time winners. Tom Sargent (Australia) has raced the No. 17 McElrea Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race to multiple podiums and has held second place in the standings for the majority of the season behind provisional champion Riley Dickinson. However, the first year Carrera Cup North America driver changed that in the first race of Sunday, October 1 by winning over Kellymoss driver Sean Varwig (Barrington, Illinois). In the Pro-Am class, it was PJ Hyett (West Chicago, Illinois) who scored his first class victory in Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Hyett raced the No. 23 Kellymoss Porsche to victory lane in the second race of the day.
• Champion challenge. Provisional Pro class champion Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas) had a challenging weekend on the Monterey Peninsula. Having locked the overall championship with the No. 53 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Texan was tested over the weekend. However, an interrupted qualifying session on Saturday prevented Dickinson from setting a representative lap time, setting him deeper in the field. Contact on lap one of race one damaged the Racing For Children’s Porsche beyond immediate repair and Dickinson would finish 36th in the 36-car field. The second race, later the same day, would show the champion’s spirit. He would start in third place behind Martin and Sedgwick but be in second place by the end of lap one. He would finish the 40-minute race as runner up.
• Drop two. Competitors in the Pro-Am and Am classes will have their lowest two race results removed from consideration for the points championship. The two rounds are automatically dropped entering the final weekend of the year at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA). The final two races cannot be dropped. While Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) secured the Pro-Am title entering the Rennsport weekend in the No. 65 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car – his second championship in the three-year history of the series – the eliminations have dramatically changed the Am class battle swapping the top-two positions. By being allowed to drop round two at Sebring – where he scored zero points – and round five (race one at Miami) where he also failed to score a point, Scott Noble (Dallas, Texas) jumps from second place over teammate and defending class champion Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) into the lead. He is now 12 points ahead rather than at an eight-point deficit. Kvamme was able to remove two rounds where he scored no points as well but Noble’s late season, six-race victory run has given him the better average finish. Kvamme will need to win both races to repeat as Am class champion.
• Rennsport. Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7 drew its largest crowd in the history of the event. A reported total of 91,000 people attended Rennsport Reunion in Monterey, California where the Porsche Carrera Cup North America was the headline motorsport series for the celebration of all things Porsche Motorsport past, present and future.
• Broadcast. All races air on the Peacock streaming app, on IMSA.tv and at PorscheCarreraCup.us before being archived on Porsche Motorsport North America TV: (https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica).
• Online. Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America: www.PorscheCarreraCup.us .
• To the point. Current Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America Championship Point Standings. http://results.imsa.com/ .
• Next Up. Rounds 15 and 16. United States Grand Prix, Circuit of The Americas, October 20 – 22, 2023.
Quotes.
Will Martin, No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Pro Winner, Race 2.
“It was a fairly straightforward race. I think the biggest challenge was just managing that gap and trying to get through all the traffic as well. You know it gets tough at times, but we did a great job and the team have done great all weekend as well. It’s been one to half remember and one to half forget; motorsport is like that. But overall, very pleased with the weekend.”
PJ Hyett, No. 23 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Pro-Am Winner, Race 2.
“I absolutely love the Carrera Cup series and to take home a win, the second race at Rennsport Seven is like a dream come true. I couldn't be happier. It was awesome.”
Scott Noble, No. 10 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Am Winner, Race 1 and 2.
“One, what a wonderful experience to have me, my team and my family here at Rennsport. It’s my first time. I had no idea all the amazing cars that are here and watching them on and off the track. It's just something that everybody should put on their bucket list. I'm really happy for my team. Happy that hopefully we gave the fans a little bit of show and came out on top this time.”
* Image courtesy of Porsche Motorsport North America.
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