Miami, Florida. Round Two of the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season, May 3 - 4 at Miami International Autodrome, saw a pair of action-packed races and five different class winners. The premier one-make series in North America saw Yves Baltas (New York, New York) finish at the front of the 28-car grid of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) machines both days to sweep the overall and Pro class races. James Sofronas (Villa Park, California) and Angel Benitez (Miami, Florida) earned Pro-Am wins, while Todd Parriott (Las Vegas, Nevada) and Scott Blind (Fenton, Missouri) split the 40-minute races in the Masters class.
Race 1 - Saturday. May 3, 2025:
Yves Baltas avoided the trouble that plagued many of his on-track rivals, earning a 6.398-second win in race three of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season. Baltas and his No. 15 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup earned his second career victory, following a win at Montreal in 2024.
Saturday’s race was an eventful affair from the green flag, with officials throwing a full course caution and deploying the safety car on the opening lap after contact in the midfield ended the day of Masters class polesitter and point leader Scott Blind.
Race Brew Polesitter Jimmy Llibre’s No. 2 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup led away from the restart with Yves Baltas, Ryan Yardley and Aaron Jeansonne just behind. Llibre held the position until a second full course caution. On the ensuing restart with just more than 16 minutes remaining, Llibre ran wide into the first turn and saw Yves Baltas and Ryan Yardley go by.
As Llibre and Yardley battled for second, Baltas inched further away. His win was all but secured with 13 minutes, 40 seconds to go when Libre and Yardley made contact. Yardley spun and Llibre was assesed a drive through penalty for his role in the incident. The pair would eventually finish ninth (Llibre) and 11th (Yardley).
That contact opened the door for the first career Porsche Carrera Cup North America podium finishes for both Tyler Maxson in second for Topp Racing and Michael De Quesada in third for Alegra Motorsports. Championship leader Riley Dickinson finished fourth after starting at the rear of the 28-car field. Dickinson turned the quickest qualifying time on Saturday afternoon, but had his times disallowed for non-compliance following post-qualifying technical inspection.
James Sofronas became the first Porsche Carrera Cup North America driver to earn a class win at all three Formula One support events, adding a Pro-Am class win at Miami in his No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to victories at Montreal and Austin last season. Todd Parriott scored the Masters class win in the No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche after the first-lap contact that ended Scott Blind’s race.
Race 2 - Sunday. May 4, 2025:
Unlike Saturday, Sunday’s race ran caution-free for the entire 40-minute duration. But like Saturday, Yves Baltas stood on top oft he podium at the finish.
Baltas and the No. 15 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup inherited victory when Jimmy Llibre, who crossed the finish line first, was given a 10-second penalty for multiple track limit violations. Baltas was just behind Llibre for the entire 40-minute race and 1.968-second behind at the finish line before the promotion. Baltas‘ third career win and weekend sweep moves him to second in the season-long point race. Llibre was scored sixth in the final results.
Ryan Yardley and Zachary Vanier swapped positions multiple times throughout the race in what became a battle for second. Yardley’s Topp Racing Porsche outlasted Vanier’s JDX Racing machine as the two completed the final podium spots. Kellymoss teammates Aaron Jeansonne and championship leader Riley Dickinson completed the top five.
Angel Benitez and his No. 5 FMS Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup turned the tables on Saturday winner James Sofronas in the Pro-Am class. Scott Blind recovered from Saturday’s contact for a Sunday Masters victory in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche.
Winners & Points Leaders
- Pro class winners.
- Race 1 and 2. Yves Baltas, No. 15 ACI Motorsports.
- Pro-Am class winners.
- Race 1. James Sofronas, No. 14 GMG Racing.
- Race 2. Angel Benitez, No. 5 FMS Motorsports
- Masters class winners.
- Race 1. Todd Parriott, No. 13 Kellymoss
- Race 2. Scott Blind, No. 45 Ruckus Racing.
- On point.
- Pro class. Riley Dickinson, No. 91 Kellymoss.
- Pro-Am class. JP Martinez, No. 4 ACI Motorsports.
- Masters class. Scott Blind, No. 45 Ruckus Racing.
- Entrant. Topp Racing.
Highlights
Entrant Standings Change:
Though still searching for their first win, Topp Racing moved to the front of the Entrant Standings leaving Miami. Ryan Yardley now has three runner-up finishes for the season, and Tyler Maxson earned a runner-up on Saturday at Miami to contribute to the team point score. They move ahead of Kellymoss, who missed the overall podium for the first time since Miami’s second race a year ago.
EBOOST Junior Driver Success:
Yves Baltas’ weekend sweep came just days after he was officially announced by Porsche Motorsport North America as a member of the Porsche EBOOST Junior Driver Program. Baltas was joined on the podium throughout the weekend by fellow Junior Driver Program members Tyler Maxson and Zachary Vanier.
Home Track Success:
Baltas’ weekend sweep was all in a day’s work, as he works as a driver coach for the Precision Drive Club based at the Miami International Autodrome. Sunday’s Pro-Am winner, Angel Benitez, and Pro-Am point leader JP Martinez are members of the club.
How to Watch & Next Event
Broadcast. All races can be seen live and are archived on the IMSA and Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channels, IMSA TV, Peacock, and the Porsche Motorsport North America social channels on Facebook, Linkedin, and X. The Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube page can be found at https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica.
Online. Porsche Carrera Cup North America: www.PorscheCarreraCup.us
Next up. June 13 - 15. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Races 5 and 6.
Quotes
Yves Baltas, No. 15 ACI Motorsports. Pro Winner, Races 1 and 2:
“I missed it so much. I really wanted to make it happen. The car was super strong. We showed our pace and made a big gap. Once I got ahead I knew I just had to keep my nose clean and it was easy from there.”
James Sofronas, No. 14 GMG Racing, Pro-Am Winner, Race 1:
“I feel great. Those are the kind of wins you want to have with strong competition. There was some nice bump and rolling and rambling out there but I wanted to push hard early. Track position is so key here. The car was great, the GMG boys put together an awesome car. We were hanging with the Pro top eight, so I’m satisfied with what we had. You come around to the checkered flag and it’s a big relief because you want to win here in Miami and get on the big show podium.”
Angel Benitez, No. 5 FMS Motorsports, Pro-Am Winner, Race 2:
“It’s a dream come true. The amount of effort we have to put together to be here, I really have to say thank you to my sponsors. I’m so happy. This is a feeling I can’t put into words. It’s amazing. I looked up, I looked down, I feel like Verstappen or LeClerc, you have to be here to really feel it.”
Todd Parriott, No. 13 Kellymoss. Masters Winner, Race 1:
“I feel amazing. This is my first podium ever. It’s so cool. It’s so exciting to be here in Miami and get that opportunity. It’s so surreal when you’re up there. It’s the coolest thing ever to be up there on that stage and seeing the lights, hearing the music. It’s an incredible opportunity.”
Scott Blind, No. 45 Ruckus Racing. Masters Winner, Race 2:
“It really feels good. Yesterday we had some bad luck. We hit the reset button today. We were in front of these crazy fast Pro-Ams and I thought I just needed to survive this one and get a good finish. It feels great to be back up here and get that first place trophy.”
