Preview: Carrera Cup returns to the Grand Prix of Long Beach

The famed 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit in Southern California is the site of races three and four of the 16-race championship. The all-new Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) made its debut in the season opener at Sebring, along with the Pirelli P Zero DHG tire. The combination set a new track record in Central Florida.

Only five drivers who raced at Long Beach in 2023 return for this year’s edition of the race. Sabré Cook and Alan Metni return in the Pro Class. Cook was a rookie and finished 12^th in her appearance at that race, while Metni scored a Saturday win in the Pro-Am class that season (and also won in 2022). Marco Cirone is now in Masters, but was the Sunday Pro-Am winner in 2023, with Chris Bellomo also returning as a past competitor.

Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver and 2024 Carrera Cup North America runner-up Tom Sargent will join as a last minute VIP entry for GMG Racing. Sargent went on to finish second in both races at Long Beach in 2023.

The Porsche 911 Cup car delivers circa 520 PS from a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter boxer engine shared with the unit used in the Porsche 911 GT3 road car. The car has already proven to be quicker and more practical than the prior-generation car thanks to refined aerodynamics, cockpit ergonomics and updated electronics. In testing drivers got a feel for the newly added air conditioning system. The type 992.2 car is featured in just four championships this season; that includes Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in addition to Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Grand Prix of Long Beach fast facts.

Field.

23 Porsche 911 Cup race cars are entered for Round 2 at the Long Beach street circuit.

Mobil Pro Class. 15
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class. 3
Solairus Aviation Masters Class. 5
Teams. 8 race teams across all three classes

Track record.

1:19.246, 2023, Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992.1)

2023 Race winners.

Pro Class.
- Race 1, Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss
- Race 2, Will Martin, JDX Racing
Pro-Am Class.
- Race 1, Alan Metni, Kellymoss
- Race 2, Marco Cirone, ACI Motorsports
Masters Class.
- Races 1 & 2, Mark Kvamme, MDK Motorsports

2026 Championship Leaders.

Mobil Pro Class.
- Tyler Maxson, TOPP Racing
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class.
- Patrick Mulcahy, ACI Motorsports
Solairus Aviation Masters Class.
- Marco Circone, ACI Motorsports
Rookie.
- Cole Kleck, TOPP Racing
Team.
- TOPP Racing

Schedule.

All times Pacific

Friday, April 17.
7:45 – 8:15am | Practice 1
11:45am – 12:15pm | Practice 2
4:40 – 5:10pm | Qualifying
Saturday, April 18. 9:05 – 9:45am | Race 1 (40 minutes)
Friday, April 19.
11:20am – 12:00pm | Race 2 (40 minutes)

Street course return.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America is back at Long Beach for the first time since 2023. Riley Dickinson (USA; Kellymoss) and Will Martin (Great Britain; JDX Racing) split that weekend, with Martin’s victory making him the youngest winner in Porsche Carrera Cup North America history. At 20 years, 27 days, he remains the record holder. Janne Stiak (ACI Motorsports) and Paul Bocuse (Kellymoss) are both younger in the 2026 championship.

Five stars.

The combination of the Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) car and the Pirelli racing tire got rave reviews after the opening weekend, and the time sheets backed up the claim. Both races at Sebring were green flag for the entirety of the race, and all three classes set new track records in the season opener.

Street racers.

Some Porsche Carrera Cup North America drivers choose to focus on the ANDIAL Cup, comprised of traditional North American road courses, foregoing Long Beach, Miami and Circuit of the Americas, which are run in conjunction with Formula One or IndyCar. Others, like Solairus Aviation Pro-Am driver Steve Wetterau, show up in these unique events. Wetterau will drive for Kellymoss this weekend not far from his home in Newport Beach, California.

Now in sports cars.

Though it’s his rookie season in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Callum Hedge knows his way around the Long Beach layout. Hedge raced here for two years in Indy NXT, finishing fourth in 2024.

California dreaming.

The entry list is littered with drivers who call Southern California home. In the Mobil Pro class, Nikita Lastochkin resides in Los Angeles, while John Capestro-Dubets and Connor Bloum list San Diego as hometowns. The entire Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class fits the description, ranging from the coast (Mulcahy, Wetterau) to further inland (Conley). Rob Walker in the Solairus Aviation Masters class is a San Diego resident.

Rookie chase.

While his TOPP Racing teammate led the way in the overall standings, Cole Kleck got a jump on the rookie field with 50 points at Sebring. Kleck, a graduate and 2025 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Champion, led the way in both races at Sebring. John Capestro-Dubets and Nikita Lastochkin are not far behind with 37 points each.

Analog and digital.

The Porsche Esports Carrera Cup North America is now four races deep, and everyone is chasing Coanda Esports driver Mitchell deJong. After four races, deJong remains perfect, sweeping the season to this point. The iRacing-based championship features 40 Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) cars. 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Rookie Champion Aaron Jeansonne has qualified for the series, however his ‘analog’ racing program means he can only race in a selected number of ‘digital’ Carrera Cup events.

Class descriptions.

Mobil Pro Class.
The highest level of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The class is recognized through its orange color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in orange on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with orange cross-marks, with the addition of orange highlights on the side mirrors and front bumper splitters.

Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class.
Restricted to drivers who are 35 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its green color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in green on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with green cross-marks, with the addition of green highlights on the side mirrors and front bumper splitters.

Solairus Aviation Masters Class.
This class is open to drivers who are 50 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its yellow color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in yellow on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with yellow cross-marks, with the addition of yellow highlights on the side mirrors and front bumper splitters.

Entry list.

The full Porsche Carrera Cup North America entry list can be found by clicking here.

Points and results.

Event results and current points for Porsche Carrera Cup North America can be found by clicking here.

Broadcast.

All Porsche Carrera Cup North America races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America & IMSA YouTube channels. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by following Porsche Motorsport North America on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter, and by subscribing to the newsletter.

Round	event	date
Round 1	Sebring International Raceway	March 18 – 20
Round 2	Long Beach Street Circuit	April 17 – 19
Round 3	Miami International Autodrome	May 1 – 3
Round 4	Watkins Glen International	June 25 – 27
Round 5	Road America	July 30 – August 1
Round 6	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	September 18 – 20
Round 7	Road Atlanta	September 30 – October 2
Round 8	Circuit of the Americas	October 23 – 25