Nearly one year after capturing his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America victory, Ryan Yardley was a winner once again in the series, this time at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal.
At the Grand Prix du Canada, the New Zealander started from pole position with Topp Racing after securing the spot in qualifying on Saturday morning. He then led flag-to-flag en route to his first win of the season later in the afternoon.
It was a crucial victory for Yardley, who entered the weekend third in the Pro class championship standings chasing leader Riley Dickinson. Fittingly, it was Dickinson who Yardley held off for the entire 40-minute race to win by just 1.6 seconds.
“Riley really closed up there with about 10 to go there,” said Yardley, whose first career victory in the series came at Watkins Glen International last year in late June.
“I knew it was going to be a tough fight, always is with Riley, but it was nice to lead from start-to-finish.
“A massive thank you to everyone at Topp Racing for the fast car and it’s awesome to get a win here in Canada. My parents are here from New Zealand as well for the first time to see me race since 2023 and it’s my mom’s birthday, so happy birthday to her.”
Behind the battle between Yardley and Dickinson was Zachary Vanier, the Canada native relishing in his hometown race. From Garson, Ontario, Vanier started fifth – was pushed back at the start – but maneuvered his way up to third by the race’s end.
The Pro-Am class win came down to the final minutes, with James Sofronas and GMG Racing emerging on top amidst the chaos.
With 10 minutes remaining, Sofronas led the train of his Porsche and those of teammate Patrick Mulcahy and polesitter JP Martinez. The three were separated by less than one second before Mulcahy shortcut the chicane and dropped to third.
Martinez then ran side-by-side with Sofronas for the win, pulling ahead slightly before mirroring Mulcahy’s error in the chicane as well. Martinez gave the position back to Sofronas, who held on for his second win of the season. Martinez and Mulcahy followed in second and third, respectively, at the finish line.
“Obviously, big crowds, big excitement and the team really steps up,” said Sofronas, who was also the Race 1 winner at Montréal last year.
“What better event to really push hard and get on the top step. You get on the big F1 podium, there’s some killer incentives.
“But we’re pushing every weekend. Tate, Anthony, all the GMG guys were awesome. It was really a team effort, but the car was spot on. The GMG guys killed it.”
In the Masters class, Scott Blind expertly navigated traffic from the Pro and Pro-Am classes to finish first in his own race. With Ruckus Racing, Blind captured his fourth victory of the season on Saturday and will search for his fifth on Sunday.
“Our pace was a little off, so we’re going to work on some timing, work on some brake points, work on some turn-ins,” said Blind, focusing on improvements for Race 2.
“We’re going to pick up the pace tomorrow and have a better showing.
“(Standing on top of the F1 podium) was a big deal, it was really cool. It’s a cool place to be and hopefully we’ll be there again tomorrow with more pace.”
Porsche Carrera Cup North America activity comes to a close on Sunday morning with Race 2 at 9:30 a.m. ET, prior to the start of the Formula 1® race at 2 p.m.
The pair of Carrera Cup races at the Grand Prix du Canada will be shown live on IMSA and Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channels, IMSA TV, Peacock, and the Porsche Motorsport North America social channels on Facebook, Linkedin, Threads and X.
