Race 2
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.
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.
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.
Comments after 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.”
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.”
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.
Race 1
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.
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.
Comments after the race
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.”
Preview
For the second year, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will headline Porsche Sports Car Together Fest at the “Racing Capital of the World," the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Rounds 13 and 14 of the 16 race second season of the world’s premier one-make race series will enjoy 35 entries across its three classes: Pro, Pro-Am and Am. Included on the impressive list of Porsche racers is NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana. With only four races remaining in its sophomore season, championship battles are raging across all three classes.
The September 2 – 4 weekend will see not only the Porsche one-make racing series, including four races of the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, but all things Porsche. The Labor Day weekend event will celebrate the German sports car manufacturer’s long history of performance road and race cars, along with trackside activities for families and fans of all ages.
Utilizing portions of the legendary oval that has hosted 106 Runnings of the Indianapolis 500, the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course winds its way through the infield before crossing the “Yard of Bricks” start-finish line. Race one will take the green flag on Saturday, September 3 at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT. Race two will start at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, September 4 as the final competition of Sports Car Together Fest.
All classes utilize the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car. The 500 hp rear engine, naturally aspirated competition machine is almost mechanically identical to the road going Porsche 911 GT3 that will pace the field for both 40-minute races.
The Entry
35 Entries. Pro. 16, Pro-Am. 13 Am. 6
Pro Class.
A grid of 16 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars make up the Pro class, the top category of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, at Indianapolis. The most recent weekend at Road America tightened the battle at the sharp end of the series significantly when points leader Kay van Berlo (the Netherlands currently studying in Florida) finished off the podium in race one and failed to finish race two in the No. 3 Kelly-Moss Porsche. Instead, his most heated rivals Trenton Estep (San Antonio, Texas) piloting the No. 6 MDK Motorsports machine and Parker Thompson (Canada) in the No. 9 JDX Racing 911 GT3 Cup car won the two rounds respectively. While the three top the class points leaders are the only ones with wins on the season to date, just behind are Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas) in the No. 53 Kelly-Moss entered car and T.J. Fischer (Vacaville, California) in the No. 58 Topp Racing entry. Both are eager to take their first win in the hallowed halls of Indy.
Included in the Pro class is four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon who will briefly step out of retirement to race the No. 24 Hendrick Performance Group-entered Porsche. The three-time Daytona 500 winner will be a reunited with longtime and storied crew chief Ray Evernham. It marks the first time the championship-winning combination has teamed together since 1999. Gordon will race in the Pro class but will be technically considered an Invitational class driver and not eligible for points toward the Pro class championship.
To the Point. Pro Class.
Van Berlo… 248
Thompson… 232
Estep… 216
Dickinson… 176
Fischer… 92
Pro-Am Class.
At 13, the Pro-Am class has one if its largest grids of the season for Indianapolis. Like the Pro class, Road America threw more speculation into the mix of who would come out as champion at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta finale in just over a month. Like 2021, Alan Metni (Austin, Texas) remains at the top of the standings coming into Sports Car Together Fest but with growing pressure from behind. The three-time winner in 2022 had a second-place finish in the first race at Road America but his Kelly-Moss No. 99 only scored five points in the second race after damage. Behind him, after three straight wins, 2021 class champ Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) earned only a total of 14 points on the weekend with the No. 65 Kelly-Moss car. This set the stage for Marco Cirone (Canada) to add both Road America wins in the No. 84 Mark Motors Racing Porsche and closed to within 59 points of Metni. Curt Swearingin (Chattanooga, Tennessee) in the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche sits in fourth-place with a surging Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia) moving into the top five.
To the point. Pro-Am Class.
Metni… 215
Castro… 188
Cirone… 156
Swearingin… 132
Halcome… 128
Am Class.
The Am class has been the most active in swapping points positions in the last several rounds. While No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche of Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) controlled the early season, missing rounds nine and ten pushed the motorsport veteran but Carrera Cup rookie out of the top spot. Bill Smith’s two wins in the No. 42 Topp Racing Porsche moved the resident of Dallas, Texas to the lead. However, an at-home injury forced Smith to miss Road America. By returning to form with two wins at Road America, Kvamme took over the top spot again and a second place finish by John Goetz (Weston, Connecticut) moved the No. 57 Wright Motorsports Porsche into second-place entering Indy. All three are entered for Sports Car Together Fest as is Grady Willingham (Birmingham, Alabama) in the No 21 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche who sits in fourth-place.
To the point. Am Class.
Kvamme… 222
Goetz… 219
Smith … 188
Willingham… 105
Hanley … 94
Timing (all times ET)
Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands.
Friday, September 2 – Practice 1 – 11:10 a.m. – 11:50 p.m.
Friday, September 2 – Practice 2 – 3:50 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.
Saturday, September 3 – Qualifying – 10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
Saturday, September 3 – Round 13 – 3:15 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.
Sunday, September 4 – Round 14 – 1:30 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
Where to Watch
Broadcasts as well as live timing and scoring of each Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands round can be found at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us. The races will also be streamed live on the official series web site, on the Peacock Streaming App as well as on IMSA.TV. IMSA Radio provides play-by-play commentary.
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. 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.
