Yves Baltas (ACI Motorsports) refused to back down in the hunt for his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America victory of the season, and his efforts paid off in Race 1 at the Miami Formula 1 grand Prix.
Recently named as a Porsche EBOOST Junior Program Driver, Baltas made an astounding maneuver past polesitter and teammate Jimmy Llibre, going from third to first after Turn 1
After a restart with 16 minutes left in the contest, Baltas took advantage of Llibre’s late-braking into Turn 1 to slip by and take off in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.
The battle raged behind Baltas for remaining podium positions, allowing him to finish more than six seconds ahead of his competitors for the Pro class win.
“I really wanted to make it happen and it was great,” said Baltas. “(The race) was really good and the car was super strong. We showed our pace, we made a big gap. Once I got ahead, I just knew I had to keep my nose clean and it was easy from there.
“I want to thank all of ACI, all my sponsors, Gus, Andy, Adam, Curt. Everyone at ACI gave me an amazing car, so I really have to appreciate everyone on my team.”
After dropping to second, Llibre was attacked left-right-and-center by other Pro drivers and contact with then third-place Ryan Yardley left Llibre with a drive-through penalty and Yardley spinning off track.
Therefore, Tyler Maxson (Topp Racing) – in just his third Carrera Cup start – finished second for his inaugural series podium. Maxson gained the spot only in the final corners of the race, making a pass on Michael De Quesada (Alegra Motorsports) who finished third.
Riley Dickinson (Kellymoss), who scored the Race Brew Pole Award earlier in the day, was demoted to the back of the grid after failing post-qualifying inspection. However, the former series champion powered back to fourth place by the end of the 40-minute race.
James Sofronas (GMG Racing) encountered just as much chaos en route to his Pro-Am class win on Saturday. After starting third, Sofronas watched polesitter Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) get collected in a first-lap incident, and jumped past second-place Angel Benitez (FMS Motorsport) for the class lead.
While he held the lead for the remainder of the race, he was being hotly pursued by JP Martinez (ACI Motorsports) – winner of both rounds at Sebring International Raceway in March and the quickest driver in both Miami practice sessions on Friday. However, Martinez retired to the pits with 10 minutes remaining, reinstating Benitez to runner-up and Alan Metni (Kellymoss) to third.
“I feel great, those are the kind of wins you want to have with strong competition,” said Sofronas. “We started third-in-class and made an aggressive move on the start into (Turn) 1. There was some nice bump and rolling and rambling out there, but I just wanted to push hard early. Track position is key here and then you gotta get a draft on those straightaways.
“At this point, I was settled in good, had some good restarts and the car was great. The GMG boys put together an awesome car. Anthony and Tate and the guys, the car was really good at the end. We were hanging in with the Pro top eight, so I was satisfied with what we had.
“But the best part was those restarts. They’re always fun and I capitalized when I needed to, got around some Pro cars to give myself a buffer to the second-place car. Then you come around and take the checkered, and it’s a big relief to win here at the Miami F1 weekend and get on the big show podium.”
Perhaps the most glowing driver after Race 1 in Miami was Todd Parriott (Kellymoss) in the Masters class. Parriott, entering the weekend winless in Carrera Cup and facing a dominant class leader in Scott Blind, found himself first on the podium by the end of Saturday’s race after Blind was tangled in a Turn 1, Lap 1 incident.
Blind was running mid-pack where the incident took place, while Parriott’s starting spot near the back of the field allowed him to avoid the mayhem en route to his first series victory.
“I feel amazing,” said Parriott. “This is my first ‘first’ ever, it’s been so cool. It’s just so exciting to be here in Miami and to actually get that opportunity. I’m almost out of words, it’s so amazing.
“It is surreal when you’re up there (on the F1 podium). That is the coolest thing ever to be up on that stand and see the stage, the lights, the music. It’s an incredible opportunity.”
Race 2 on Sunday is set for 10:15 a.m. prior to the Formula One Miami Grand Prix at 4 p.m., and be shown live on IMSA & Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channels, IMSA TV, Peacock, and the Porsche Motorsport social channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and X.
RACE 1
Pro
- #15 Yves Baltas
- #77 Tyler Maxson
- #11 Michael De Quesada
Pro-Am
- #14 James Sofronas
- #5 Angel Benitez
- #99 Alan Metni
Masters
- #13 Todd Parriott
- #45 Scott Blind
