From karting rookie to quadruple Porsche champion in just six years, 59-year-old Porsche racer Scott Blind has pulled off one of the most remarkable feats in North American sports car racing.
In 2025, the St. Louis driver completed an unprecedented sweep, capturing the Masters Class titles in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, and the overall title in Porsche Endurance Challenge North America. No driver had ever managed championship success in all four championships in the same season — until Blind.
In fact, Scott Blind’s ever-expanding trophy cabinet will have seven new additions by season’s end:
- Masters Champion: Porsche Carrera Cup North America
- Masters Champion – Andial Cup: Porsche Carrera Cup North America
- Overall Champion: Porsche Endurance Challenge North America
- Masters Champion: Porsche Endurance Challenge North America
- Masters Champion: Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama
- Overall Champion: Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama
- Masters Champion: Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama
The remarkable campaign began without the sweep in mind. Blind and his Ruckus Racing team planned to defend their Sprint Challenge North America Masters title and contest a full season of Carrera Cup, the pinnacle of Porsche one-make racing on the continent.
“We just started the year thinking, okay, we’re going to try a repeat for Sprint Challenge North America, and we’re running the full season of Carrera Cup,” Blind explained.
“But with the second event, we were on the same weekend as USA West. And I thought, any time the cars are on track and I’m not, I’m nervous. That can’t happen.”
At Sonoma, Blind picked up a win and a third place in Sprint Challenge USA West, even while juggling his North American program. That early success paved the way for a larger goal.
Blind and his team started brainstorming on trying to win every title across the continent. “Everybody said, ‘Let’s do it.’ From that point on, we jumped in with both feet.”
To pull it off required logistical creativity. For West Coast rounds at Utah and Laguna Seca, Blind rented cars from Bob Faieta’s Competition Motorsports while still bringing his own trusted crew to the track.
“We just rented a car, asked them to give us tools, and we’d do the rest,” Blind recalled.
“The harmony in my team is just incredible. They’re young guys with such great attitudes. Everybody just knows exactly what to do. It’s like a little ant farm.”
At the center of that effort were two key figures: Mike Johnson, the longtime strategist who helped build the team’s infrastructure and called races from the pit wall, and Andrew Davis, Blind’s coach and de facto engineer.
“Andrew’s been such a great mentor. He does my driver coaching, but he also engineers the car. Mike helped me tailor this team. Those guys have been difference-makers,” Blind emphasized.
If the Sprint Challenge programs gave Blind consistent track time, it was the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America that highlighted his stamina. Unlike the sprint-style races of Carrera Cup, the PECNA format demands long stints, strategy, and sometimes sharing the car.
“I love being in the car,” Blind said. “I don’t feel any pressure out there driving at nine-and-a-half tenths lap after lap. Physically, it’s demanding, but I could do it all day.”
That combination of fitness and focus, coupled with Johnson’s strategy, produced an overall victory at Sebring to start the season. Blind and his team nearly repeated the feat at Sonoma, winning their class and just missing another outright triumph.
By the time the series arrived for the four-hour Road Atlanta finale, officials pushed for Blind to bring in a co-driver for safety. He called on Alan Metni, and together they capped off the season — sealing Blind’s sweep of the Endurance crown.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America has become the ultimate test of his pace against some of the fastest young talents in Porsche’s pipeline. Blind clinched the Solairus Aviation Masters title last weekend with a pair of wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, pulling his daughter onto the podium to celebrate.
“To win at Indy is just incredible,” Blind said. “Carrera Cup is the pinnacle of single-make racing. To be on track with those fast kids and keep improving every weekend is as satisfying as the wins themselves.”
Blind’s late-career surge is underpinned by a fitness regimen as strict as many full-time professionals. He works out almost daily, often with his daughter alongside him.
“After school every day, we go to the golf course, then we hit the gym for cardio and weights,” he said. “I eat really healthy — no sugar, no carbs for over a year. I don’t drink. I don’t have any vices to speak of. I just stay as fit as I can.”
That dedication allows him to withstand long stints in the car and the grind of double-header weekends that would fatigue younger competitors.
Only six years ago, Blind was a newcomer at Gateway Kartplex in St. Louis in a Margay Ignite kart. That spark quickly turned into a passion. By 2023, he had purchased his first Porsche Cup car, brought Davis on board as a coach, and began climbing the Porsche Motorsport North America Pyramid.
“I’ve always said, whatever I do, I go 100 percent in,” Blind reflected. “Sometimes I joke that I wish I had started this when I was 18. But then again, maybe I’d be broke now. The way it worked out is probably better.”
The sweep brings more than just four trophies. Later this year, Blind will travel to Germany for Porsche’s worldwide championship celebration, joining title-winners from across the globe.
“It’s going to be super special to be part of that dinner, to get that recognition,” he said. “I’d love to take my daughter with me. That would make it unforgettable.”
In the end, Blind may be the one behind the wheel, but he is quick to credit those around him. From Johnson and Davis to his tight-knit crew, their preparation and positivity laid the groundwork for the year’s success. “I’ve got the best crew in the paddock and the best car on track,” Blind said. “These guys make it happen, week after week.”
Jared Thomas is no stranger to the challenges around funding a race program, but his approach to that problem sets him apart from many other young drivers in the paddock.
Thomas currently ranks 10th in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America ExxonMobil Pro standings and fourth in the Rookie point chase in his first season with the championship, but even that doesn’t reflect his success.
He elected to compete only in the ANDIAL Cup rounds – which take place on traditional road courses – in 2025 because he has bigger goals in mind than his own lap times. He is also operating his team and supporting his own customers with whom he shares the starting grid. All that, and he is firmly inside the top 10 with just two rounds and four races to go.
He’s done it all with his own JTR Motorsports Engineering team name on the side of his car. But how did he get there?
“I always tell people it was never the plan to be a business owner,” Thomas said. “It was never the plan to be a professional race car driver. It kind of just all happened. And I think there’s a lot of hard work in there, but you get lucky with the right timing, right place as well.”
That timing was key. Thomas grew up karting, and as an Indiana native he gravitated toward oval racing. But his road racing, first with the SCCA, opened the opportunities. He won a manufacturer shootout to race as a pro, where most of the work was done by Thomas and his father, Dave.
In 2020 he won the “Rookie of the Year” and spent the prize money on a stacker trailer for his race car and the ability to start up his team in a full capacity. A few weeks later the Thomas family set off as their own entity. Fast-forward four years and JTR Race Engineering held two championships, a roster of customers and a plan to expand.
“That second championship that I won gave me the money to be able to purchase a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and start down that venture,” Thomas said. “We were able to use that and get a car. We had one other customer at the time.”
The 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge by Yokohama season was a true launching pad for both Thomas and JTR Motorsports Engineering.
“We went to Porsche Sprint Challenge, and that was a good learning year,” Thomas said. “We won that championship, and the goal was always to come to Carrera Cup. One, because this is where I want to be, with a really high competition level.
“Everybody here in the top 10 is really, really good. So being there, competing up front, that’s our goal, and I feel like every weekend is a little bit closer and a little bit better.”
This year Thomas and his teammates Peter Atwater and Rob Walker made the leap to Carrera Cup. It’s been a successful first season, with highlights coming at Road America, where Thomas cracked the top five overall for the first time, and most recently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished fifth in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2.
Atwater and Walker have also delivered, including a 1-2 finish on the Masters podium at Road America.
So what is the future for both Thomas and the team? From his perspective, it’s continued steady growth with a brand that he knows is in motorsports for the long haul.
“At JTR, we always want to expand while being smart about it,” Thomas said. “And that’s why we chose Porsche. We looked at all the other single makes out there.
“We chose Porsche because the brand loyalty is second to none, and because Porsche is always racing. They’re not a manufacturer that’s in and out. It’s one that you can rely on, and one that you can rely on to build a business.”
He realizes the road ahead will be difficult, but JTR has a plan to go toe-to-toe with established teams in the championship.
“Winning is very important to us in performance,” he explained. “And that’s always the first, most important thing. I think some people get caught up in the hospitality. There’s a list of priorities, and you have everything that you need for a customer to come enjoy the weekend.
“But also, you need to be able to perform. We’ve always been at the front of the pack, and I don’t see why that’s going to be any different here. It’s just taking a little time.”
Ever the strategist, Thomas is looking forward to the recently announced Type 992.2 911 Cup replacing the current 911 GT3 Cup in the 2026 season. Where other teams have years of data and experience with the current machine, his outfit hustled to make up for lost time.
“We came in years behind everybody else that’s already been here,” Thomas said. “We’re learning and we’re getting better and better. Our goal two years ago was, let’s get to Carrera Cup, let’s solidify our position there.
“And then although the new car is not going to be a whole lot different, it’s a little bit of a reset. So we’re on the ground floor with that and can build off it.”
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History was made at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today as Aaron Jeansonne captured victory, marking the seventh different race winner this season in Porsche Carrera Cup North America — the most ever in a single year.
The Carrera Cup rookie driver entered the weekend at the Brickyard without a top-three in the ExxonMobil Pro class, but following two pole positions, scored his first podium on Friday en route to his first win in Race 2.
“Yesterday’s result one hundred percent motivated me,” said the Kellymoss driver. “I thought my first podium was great, I loved it. But to start on pole and not win was bittersweet, and today made up for it.
“It’s very special. I couldn’t say I expected this going into the season because this is the one track that’s not a street course that I’ve never driven. So I can’t say this is the one where I thought it would happen, but I’m super grateful for it. I’m so happy to be here at Indy.”
Behind Jeansonne, Saturday’s race proved crucial to the ExxonMobil Pro class championship as Ryan Yardley finished runner-up for the second day in a row. Yardley overtook Riley Dickinson in the standings following his Race 1 performance, but further stretched the gap to ten points after a podium in Race 2.
Zachary Vanier, winner of Friday’s race, executed an impressive start at the drop of the green flag to go from sixth to third by the race’s end.
Meanwhile, the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class championship delivered a significant tilt towards leader JP Martinez, although the rookie driver finished second behind race winner James Sofronas.
Sofronas found himself in the lead after polesitter and title contender Alan Metni was issued an incident responsibility penalty. Metni – chasing Martinez in the points – dropped to sixth place after the decision, and Sofronas went on for his third win of the season.
“I have to give my hats off to the GMG guys,” said Sofronas of his team. “We hadn’t tested here. Patrick (Mulcahy, teammate) and I haven’t raced since Watkins Glen. We show up, we’re fast out of the gate. It’s a testament to those guys – our engineering, all our prep back at the shop at Thermal, and really the guys being dialed in when we unload the cars here at Indy.
“I’m super proud because it’s not easy; this field is stacked. It’s some of the best Porsche racers and racing here in Carrera Cup. I love it.”
Runner-up was a welcome result for Martinez in a backup car after not finishing race one due to a crash. Marco Cirone completed the podium for the third time in 2025.
In the Solairus Aviation Masters class, Saturday was doubly meaningful for Scott Blind, as not only did he complete another weekend sweep with a Race 2 victory, but he also was provisionally scored as the 2025 Solairus Aviation Masters champion.
Blind checked off a fourth Porsche single-make championship in 2025, with the other three coming just last weekend in Porsche Sprint North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, and Porsche Endurance Challenge North America.
“It was a really good race,” said Blind. “This one was clean, we had a lot of green laps.
“I was hooked up with James Sofronas, who was leading in Pro-Am. I’m sure they were battling like hell behind, but I had a good rabbit out in front and we just kept it clean.”
Richard Edge matched his season-best performance by finishing second, just ahead of Michael Auriemma in third.
The penultimate event for Porsche Carrera Cup North America takes place at Road Atlanta during Petit Le Mans on October 8 – 11, followed by the season finale at Circuit of The Americas with Formula 1 on October 17 – 19.
All Carrera Cup races, including replays from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are shown live on the 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.
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Zachary Vanier wasted no time making his mark at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, snatching the lead on the opening lap and holding firm through two late-race restarts to score a statement victory in Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s wild first race of the weekend.
Two lengthy caution flags impacted the first Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and ultimately had significant championship implications ahead of Race 2 on Sunday.
The biggest drama struck on lap 1, not only resulting in the first yellow flag from the mid-pack, but it also led to Zachary Vanier’s eventual race-winning move.
Vanier weaved past polesitter Aaron Jeansonne in the opening turns to capture the top spot, and despite two high-pressure restarts, Vanier would keep the position for his second ExxonMobil Pro class win of the season with JDX Racing.
“This one feels amazing,” said Vanier, who previously finished first at Watkins Glen. “This is such a historic track, such a historic venue. I’m speechless, I’m having a hard time getting the words out. This one means so much. I can’t credit the team enough, all my partners, my dad, everyone who supports me. This is something you dream of as a very young kid.
“I just waited for the moment, found the moment, and went for it. After that, I didn’t look back. I just tried to manage the race, and that’s exactly what we did. Super happy, and now we try to go for the sweep tomorrow.”
At the second restart with 12 minutes on the clock, Ryan Yardley also made a move on Jeansonne and completed the pass for second. As a result, Yardley – who entered the weekend two points behind championship leader Riley Dickinson – inherited the title lead ahead of Race 2.
Jeansonne held on to third for his first podium of the season, while Dickinson finished fourth.
The Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class had the biggest championship shake-up, as title rivals JP Martinez and Alan Metni were caught up in the first caution. Therefore, the path was paved for Patrick Mulcahy to claim his first win of the season with GMG Racing.
“It was chaotic,” said Mulcahy, who previously stood on the podium at Montreal and Watkins Glen earlier in the summer. “Lap 1, I got lucky avoiding some of the traffic and made a lot of passes, but glad to hold it the rest of the race.
“Tom (Sargent, driver coach), Anthony, our team engineer, Tate, everybody was doing a great job for making sure I brought it home.”
Making a late pass for second place was James Sofronas over Marco Cirone to complete the top three. However, it was race-ending damage for Martinez, Metni and others that sets the stage for a redemption battle on Sunday.
The Solairus Aviation Masters class seemed to be the most unscathed in Friday’s race, with Scott Blind converting his pole position to a race win with Ruckus Racing. It was Blind’s eighth of the season and second consecutive after winning Race 2 at Road America in August.
“It was a crazy race, wasn’t it?” Blind noted. “All we wanted to do was stay out of the mess. I had a great vantage point, saw all the activity in front. I was reacting for the first few laps or whenever we were green. We stayed out of it, had a good Turn 1 and rode it to the end.”
After the caution flags, several Porsches from other classes gave a buffer for Blind, but brought together the fight for second place between Chris Bellomo and Michael Auriemma. Auriemma passed last year’s Masters class champion with less than 10 minutes remaining and Bellomo finished third.
The final Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, at 10:45 a.m. ET.
All Carrera Cup races, including replays from Road America, 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.
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A breakthrough moment for Aaron Jeansonne came on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Porsche Carrera Cup North America rookie claimed his maiden pole position.
Jeansonne earned the Race Brew Pole Award by lapping the hallowed Brickyard at one minute, 25.015 seconds, which was more than two tenths quicker than Ryan Yardley in second.
Heading into Indianapolis, Jeansonne’s best finish of the season with Kellymoss was fourth at Miami International Autodrome, and he is in second place in the Rookie Driver standings behind Tyler Maxson.
“It feels so good, so rewarding for all the hard work that my team and I have put in all year,” said Jeansonne, whose pole comes less than a week after finishing second in the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America finale at Road Atlanta.
“I’ve learned so much from my engineer, and Riley (Dickinson, teammate) is obviously one of the best in the world in these cars. I’ve had a great example all year watching him do it so many times. So thank you to my team, Kellymoss, and my sponsors for helping me get here.
“There’s no other place I’d rather be than leading the field, so I can’t wait to do it.”
Behind Jeansonne – who will start first in both rounds this weekend – and Yardley was Zachary Vanier, who coincidentally ran third in both practice sessions on Thursday. The top 11 Pro class drivers were separated by less than a second by the session’s end.
Scoring a pole position in the Pro-Am class for the second consecutive event was Alan Metni, teammate to Jeansonne in the Kellymoss stable.
With a time of 1:26.364, Metni was more than two tenths faster around Indianapolis than championship leader JP Martinez, in second, and more than three tenths faster than James Sofronas, in third.
“I’m looking forward to it, I think this is going to be a fun race,” said Metni. “This is a great place to race. The infield section allows for some passing, it should be fun.”
Scott Blind and Chris Bellomo have taken turns atop the Masters class leaderboard at Indianapolis, but it was the former who topped qualifying on Friday. It was Blind’s first Carrera Cup pole since Montreal in June – a weekend in which he swept both poles and victories – and it came at a time of 1:26.698 around the 2.439-mile circuit.
Blind will keep an eye on his competitors, however, as Bellomo’s fastest time was .179 seconds off the top spot and Richard Edge was third by .509 seconds.
“This was a big one,” said Blind. “We’ve got Chris Bellomo back over here. He’s last year’s champ and he’s always fast, so we had to really dig deep. Richard was out there and you’re never safe when they’re on track. We were watching carefully. But we’re in here and we’re at the top of the charts and we’re super happy about that.”
Friday’s activities continue at Indianapolis Motorsport Speedway for Porsche Carrera Cup North America, as Race 1 is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Race 2 follows on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
All Carrera Cup races, including replays from Road America, 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.
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Day one at the Brickyard was a game of musical chairs — six different Porsche Carrera Cup North America drivers, three classes, and two sessions of nonstop leaderboard shake-ups.
However, Ryan Yardley topped the times in the morning session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a time of one minute, 26.384 seconds around the Brickyard – a lap which turned out to be the fastest of the day.
In fact, the top Pro four drivers in Practice 1 ran faster than the fastest time in Practice 2, set by Riley Dickinson at 1:26.876.
Ahead of the two races at Indianapolis, Dickinson leads Yardley in the championship by a mere two points.
“It’s always cool to be here at Indy, it’s obviously a special track with so much history,” said Yardley after the morning session.
“It’s nice to get out there in Practice 1. The track was super dirty, being the first session of the weekend. It’s nice to be P1, but it’s the first practice, so I’m not getting ahead of myself just yet. I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend and excited to see how we go.
“The last few rounds have been really good. It’s been nice even for the whole team, Tyler (Maxson, Topp Racing teammate) has been super quick, and obviously, myself as well. It’s exciting times, but there’s a long way to go between now and the end of the year at (Circuit of the Americas). But I’m looking forward to the two races this weekend.”
Other drivers taking turns in the Pro class’ top three on Thursday were Maxson, Jimmy Llibre, and Zachary Vanier.
Further exemplifying the tight competition was the difference between lap times in the Pro-Am class. Alan Metni’s fastest time in the morning at 1:27.786 narrowly edged the afternoon’s leader, Patrick Mulcahy, by .006 seconds.
“This place is a lot of fun,” said Metni, who drives with the Kellymoss team.
“The interior section, the infield section, is super technical and has a nice rhythm to it. It feels awesome when you hit it just right, and I love this place.
“I think things are coming together nicely for me, and I’ve got a lot of frequency in the car in this part of the season, this late in the season, and that helps. I’m having a blast.”
In the Masters class, Chris Bellomo also ran quickest in the morning at 1:28.172. Indianapolis marks the first Carrera Cup event of the year for Bellomo.
“It’s fantastic (being back), I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it until I was gone for that extended period of time,” said Bellomo, the 2024 Carrera Cup Masters class champion.
“I’m very happy to be back in the car with Kellymoss.”
Meanwhile, coming off a triple championship-winning weekend at Road Atlanta in Porsche Sprint and Endurance Challenge by Yokohama – and with a large lead in the current Carrera Cup Masters championship battle – Scott Blind was at the top of Practice 2 on Thursday afternoon.
“I had a great race with (Blind) at Laguna in Porsche Sprint Challenge,” Bellomo added. “He’s fair, he’s fast, and great competition.”
Friday’s activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway starts early for Porsche Carrera Cup North America, as qualifying is scheduled for 9:35 a.m. ET. Race 1 follows in the afternoon at 3 p.m., followed by Race 2 on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
All Carrera Cup races, including replays from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 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.
PRACTICE 1
Pro:
- #78 Ryan Yardley
- #77 Tyler Maxson
- #9 Zachary Vanier
Pro-Am:
- #99 Alan Metni
- #4 JP Martinez
- #54 Patrick Mulcahy
Masters:
- #68 Chris Bellomo
- #45 Scott Blind
- #18 Richard Edge
PRACTICE 2
Pro:
- #91 Riley Dickinson
- #2 Jimmy Llibre
- #9 Zachary Vanier
Pro-Am:
- #54 Patrick Mulcahy
- #99 Alan Metni
- #14 James Sofronas
Masters:
- #45 Scott Blind
- #68 Chris Bellomo
- #18 Richard Edge
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Only six of the 16 races remain on the Porsche Carrera Cup North America calendar with all championships still up for grabs as the field of 29 drivers visits the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship has visited the Speedway each of its five years, and returns in 2025 for IMSA’s Battle on the Bricks weekend to the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course for round six of eight on the season.
Only two points separate Kellymoss driver Riley Dickinson from Topp Racing’s Ryan Yardley in the Exxon Mobil Pro driver standings, and Yardley’s teammate Tyler Maxson has helped boost Topp Racing to an 11-point advantage over Kellymoss in the team standings. JDX Racing’s Zachary Vanier is 40 points behind in the driver’s championship.
JP Martinez of ACI Racing, boosted by six wins in the opening 10 races, leads the Solairus Pro-Am standings by 35 points over Alan Metni. Scott Blind has a commanding 73 point advantage over Todd Parriott in the Solairus Masters class.
The Indianapolis race weekend begins with a 30-minute practice on the morning of Thursday, September 18, followed by a 40-minute practice that afternoon. All three classes will qualify in a 30-minute session at 9:35 a.m. ET on Friday morning. The pair of 40-minute races get the green flag at 3:00 p.m. ET and 10:45 a.m. ET on Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20, respectively.
Indianapolis FAST FACTS.
Field.
29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for Round Six at Indianapolis
- ExxonMobil Pro Class. 17
- Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class. 6
- Solairus Aviation Masters Class. 6
- Teams. 11 race teams across all three classes
Track record.
1:24.953, 2023, Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
2024 Race winners.
- Pro:
- Race 1 & 2. Loek Hartog, Kellymoss
- Pro-Am:
- Race 1 & 2. Alan Metni, Kellymoss
- Masters:
- Race 1. Scott Blind, Ruckus Racing
- Race 2. Richard Edge, ACI Motorsports
Point leaders.
- Pro.
Riley Dickinson, No. 91 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Pro-Am.
JP Martinez, No. 4 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Masters.
Scott Blind, No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - Entrants.
Topp Racing
Schedule.
All times Eastern
- Thursday, September 18.
10:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. – Practice 1
2:10 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Practice 2 - Friday, September 19.
9:35 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. – Qualifying (all classes)
3:00 p.m. – 3:40 p.m. – Race 1 (40 minutes) - Saturday, September 20.
10:45 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. – Race 2 (40 minutes)
An eye on the points.
The battle for the Exxon Mobil Pro class championship is at nearly a dead heat with three rounds (six races) remaining, as Ryan Yardley has closed the gap to Riley Dickinson to just two points entering Indianapolis. Yardley has finished ahead of Dickinson in three straight races, but Dickinson holds the advantage with four wins in 2025. Six drivers – including Yves Baltas (twice), Zachary Vanier, Jimmy Llibre and Tyler Maxson in addition to the championship leaders – have won this season in the 10 races.
Blind looking for four.
Ruckus Racing driver Scott Blind took on a particular challenge in Porsche single-make racing during the 2025 season, and it has been an unequivocal success. In addition to a full season in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Blind raced the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, and Porsche Endurance Challenge championships, all in the 992 class. Last weekend at Road Atlanta, Blind clinched the Masters class of both Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, and capped it off by taking the overall driver’s championship in Porsche Endurance Challenge. He currently leads the way in Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s Masters class.
Endurance Challenge drivers double up.
A total of nine drivers got into the action last week during the finale of the Porsche Endurance Challenge at Road Atlanta before this week’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Indianapolis. Todd Parriott, Scott Blind and Alan Metni all raced in both the Endurance Challenge and Sprint Challenge races during the weekend; Aaron Jeansonne, Zachary Vanier, Jared Thomas, Yves Baltas, Riley Dickinson and Ryan Yardley all participated in the Endurance finale as co-drivers and coaches.
Local flair.
It’s no secret that Indianapolis is a motorsports hotbed, which is why many professional race car drivers call the city home. Two of the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program participants fit that description. JDX Racing drivers Sabré Cook and Madeline Stewart relocated to Indianapolis to advance their careers and have the luxury of sleeping in their own beds during race weekend.
Class descriptions.
Pro.
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.
Pro-Am.
Restricted to drivers who are 35 years old or older as of January 1, 2025. 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.
Masters.
This class is open to drivers who are 50 years old or older as of January 1, 2025. 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.
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 races can be seen 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.
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For more than two decades, GMG Racing has been a fixture in North American motorsports—building race cars, running customer programs, and developing drivers at some of the continent’s most iconic circuits.
But for team founder and owner James Sofronas, it all started with a childhood love of speed.
That spark was lit in the unlikeliest of places: riding shotgun on the autobahn outside Vienna, Austria with his Dad in a BMW 2002tii.
“Back in the seventies, you were not wearing seatbelts like you do today,” Sofronas recalls. “I pulled myself up on the dash—maybe doing 110—and I thought this was the coolest feeling. So automatically, I loved speed.”
Years later, after college, he entered a time trial in his daily-driven Volkswagen GTI and won his class. “There were maybe three guys,” he laughs, “but I thought, wow, this is pretty cool.” That win kicked off what would become a 35-year journey in the sport.
Sofronas’ first wheel-to-wheel race car was a Nissan NX2000—also his work car.
With no air conditioning and a full roll cage, it wasn’t the most glamorous way to make sales calls around Boston in the summer heat, but it was the only way to keep racing. He eventually transitioned into medical sales to get a company car, freeing up funds to buy a dedicated race machine.
After moving to Southern California in the late 1990s, Sofronas noticed something surprising: Newport Beach was packed with high-performance cars, but there were hardly any local tuning or race shops.
That gap in the market, combined with his ongoing racing ambitions, led to the launch of GMG Racing in 2001. The first facility was a modest 1,800-square-foot garage in Santa Ana, where Sofronas sold brakes, wheels, and suspension components—mostly from companies that sponsored him with product, not cash.
It was a side hustle at first. He worked nights and weekends while holding down a full-time sales job in the medical industry. Later that year, a breakthrough came in the form of a financial sponsorship from SSF, a California-based wholesale parts distributor.
That allowed Sofronas to step up into a proper GT race car: a BMW M3. Not long after, he took a second mortgage on his house and purchased his first Porsche Cup car—$150,000 at the time, a third of the value of his home, and needless to say, a big risk!
But in 2005, Sofronas out-qualified and beat Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler and landed on the podium alongside the factory Cadillac team at Lime Rock. The result caught the attention of Porsche Motorsport North America. “Alwin Springer finally took my calls,” he laughs. “That was probably the launching pad for my career with Porsche.”
A year later, GMG moved into a facility across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America in Santa Ana. The proximity gave the team access to engineers, test parts, and deeper collaboration.
But the defining moment came in 2008, when Sofronas’ wife—a Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist—encouraged him to quit his day job and focus on GMG full-time. “She knew I wanted to race full-time and build my business, and she said go for it.”
From there, GMG’s customer racing programs accelerated. Early clients like Dino Crescentini and Sean Allen helped shape a blueprint: combine Sofronas’ experience and data with hands-on support and coaching to create winning packages. That philosophy still guides GMG today.
Now based trackside at The Thermal Club in Southern California, GMG’s footprint has expanded to a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility just 20 seconds from pit lane. The move to Thermal, finalized in 2024, allows GMG to test five days a week, offer driver development programs, and serve both members and visiting clients in a turnkey racing environment.
The current GMG lineup includes drivers like Patrick Mulcahy and Kyle Washington, who compete across a range of platforms including Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge, and the GT World Challenge America and GT America championships.
Washington’s SRO campaigns have included a first class win in GT World Challenge America at VIR last year alongside Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver Tom Sargent as well as solo wins in GT America.
GMG has guided the career progression for California racer Patrick Mulcahy, who has climbed the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro-Am podium after starting his Porsche journey at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles.
While Porsche remains the core of the team’s racing DNA, GMG supports multiple brands, offering everything from engineering to coaching.
Mulcahy, in particular, represents the next generation of talent emerging from GMG’s ecosystem. “Patrick has started to out-qualified me,” Sofronas says of their race weekend in Montreal. “That’s something I am very pleased to see, I’m not gonna pass him unless he makes a mistake or gets held up—as I am here to help push him up the Porsche ladder program and build upon his success.”
While Sofronas has a been a regular class winner in Carrera Cup, his focus remains on his customers. “People know that my racing comes secondary to my clients,” Sofronas says. “I fill in where I think it’s important to represent GMG and the program, but our clients always come first.”
Now in his mid-fifties, Sofronas is still as competitive as ever—both on and off track. But perhaps the most meaningful part of his story is what’s next: his 14-year-old son is starting to take interest in racing.
“It’s no secret that it’s a lot easier to drive a race car than to watch your son race,” he says. “He already has more talent than me. He just needs the experience.”
While GMG celebrates nearly 25 years in business, Sofronas is preparing for the future—building a pipeline of talent that includes his clients, his crew, and potentially his own family.
From a small garage in Santa Ana to a full-service motorsport headquarters at one of America’s premier private tracks, GMG Racing’s journey is a testament to risk, resilience, and relentless pursuit—on track and in business.
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For Jimmy Llibre, that breakthrough moment at Road America wasn’t just a Porsche Carrera Cup North America race win — it was the release of years of pressure, sacrifice, and unwavering belief.
In the opening race of Round 5, Race 1, he launched a bold move from third on the grid right at the green flag, grabbing the lead in the opening turns. From there, he controlled the pace like a seasoned veteran and took his first series victory by more than 1.5 seconds.
Crossing the line, the emotions hit him hard. He’d envisioned himself on the podium so many times before, but had been thwarted — most painfully in Miami.
“In the middle of the race, I was already imagining myself on the podium, taking the trophy,” Llibre recalls. “Then I told myself, ‘Jimmy Llibre, please focus. Finish the race.’ We’d been so close before — in Miami, I thought we had it, but we got a ten-second penalty.”
This time, he was thinking about all the hard work it had taken to get here.
“When I crossed the line, I was almost crying, thinking about my family and the people who supported me. It had taken such a long time to get this result.”
That first-lap move wasn’t luck; it was years of preparation. The morning of the race, Llibre studied archive footage from 2020 to 2023, hunting for a template.
“In 2021, I saw Trenton Estep make this great move into Turn 1,” he explains. “I thought, if I get a good start, I can do that too. So I focused on the green flag, ready to go. When the race started, I went for it — just like I’d visualized — and it worked perfectly.”
The move paid off beautifully, setting the tone for the win.
Jimmy Llibre’s journey began far back, long before Carrera Cup became a realistic target. He started karting at eight, inspired by a family that lived and breathed motorsport. His grandfather and grandmother were steeped in local racing in the Dominican Republic, and his uncles and father had both driven.
At first, he wasn’t interested.
“I went to support them, but I didn’t really like it,” he says. “It was just normal for me to be there — until one day in the pre-grid, watching my father and uncles, something inside told me, ‘Jimmy, you have to do this. You have to feel this adrenaline.’”
Money was tight. The family struggled to make ends meet. But Llibre did well in school, and his father used that as a springboard.
“On my birthday, he gave me a kart chassis — without an engine,” Llibre says. “Every afternoon after school, I’d sit in it and imagine I was racing. Six months later, he managed to get me an engine, and we started practicing.”
At 12, Llibre represented the Dominican Republic in karting in Germany — a trip that almost didn’t happen. His family faced a visit from a bailiff that very morning.
“My father had the race money and the car keys,” he says. “He just said, ‘Take what you need, but this is not for you,’ and we got in a taxi to the airport.”
They flew. They won.
That win ignited everything. Llibre returned home and went on to score four national championships in the Dominican Republic, then moved into touring cars — Honda Civics, Toyotas — and finished second in his first season. He even tested Formula 4 in Argentina.
One day, he and his father were watching the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on TV.
“My father said, ‘Jaimito, one day, we’re going to go there,’” he recalls. “I told him he was crazy. He said, ‘Just believe.’”
Llibre began campaigning on local media — appearing on every TV channel he could — asserting that he aimed to represent the Dominican Republic in Porsche one-make competition.
“A lot of people told us we were crazy,” he says. “They said there’s no motorsport culture here and that finding $300,000 to race was impossible. But instead of discouraging me, it motivated me even more.”
An opening appeared when a company offered him a test in a GT4 car in Spain — something Llibre initially thought was a tease. Two weeks later, he was on a plane. At Lechner Racing, with Porsche Supercup star Larry ten Voorde as his coach, he proved himself.
“I’d only driven that car on my simulator at home,” he laughs. “At the end of the day, I was one of the fastest. They wanted me to race, but I didn’t have the sponsorship.”
Determined, he began visiting potential sponsors every day. The persistence paid off with a drive in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe series during the pandemic. Stepping into that professional environment was eye-opening — from data engineers to race strategy.
“In my first race, I qualified P5 and finished P5,” Llibre says. “Later that same day, it rained — and that was my moment. Without a radio, I didn’t know where I stood. I crossed the line, saw my father jumping in the pits — I had won.”
That victory caught the attention of a wealthy family back home, who offered to cover the costs for his next race.
“I’m still grateful to them because they still support me today,” he says. “In the next race, I qualified on pole and won both races.”
Stepping into a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the first time was another shock.
“I thought I’d smash everyone,” Jimmy Llibre admits. “But as soon as I accelerated, I thought, ‘What are you doing!’ The power was insane compared to the Hondas and Toyotas I’d driven.”
His debut ended in a crash, but Miami 2022 — Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama’s first support race with Formula 1 — presented another chance. A new track meant everyone started from zero, and Llibre seized the moment.
“I topped practice, grabbed pole, and won,” he says. “Hearing the Dominican Republic’s national anthem on that podium was indescribable. I cried. Hundreds of people chased me back to the paddock for photos and autographs.”
Back home, the president invited him to the National Palace.
“That was really the start of my professional career,” Llibre says.
Adapting to racing overseas wasn’t easy. New language, new culture — and the fact that the Dominican Republic is far better known for producing baseball players than racing drivers — made the challenge even greater.
“It was hard because there was no motorsport culture,” he explains. “People thought racing was just a hobby for rich people. My results helped change that. Now, more kids are karting, and companies see motorsport as a real sport.
“My family literally sacrificed everything for me. People would tell them they were crazy—putting everything they had into the belief that their kid had a dream and some talent, without knowing for sure how it would turn out. From the very beginning, they trusted me completely and gave everything to make this happen.”
He also credits Porsche for giving him the platform to build his career, and also the support of Jacinto Peynado, owner of the Porsche dealership in the Dominican Republic.
“Since my first race in Europe, he’s been supporting me,” Llibre says. “Now the country treats motorsport like any other sport — and that was one of my goals from the start.”
Returning home after the Carrera Cup Road America win, the reception was emotional.
“People were watching in supermarkets, in airports — everywhere,” he says. “When I came home, the media and fans were waiting at the airport. The country is proud. They love Carrera Cup because it’s competitive.”
Even in a team environment, pressure and rivalry are constants — your teammates are also your competitors. But at ACI Motorsports, Jimmy Llibre has found something different.
“It’s like a family,” he says. “Curt Swearingin believed in me from the beginning. Our engineer, Adam Tanner, has taught me everything about the car and setup.”
He also credits teammate Yves Baltas for helping push the team forward.
“Yves has been a great teammate,” Llibre says. “We push each other hard, and that makes us both better. He’s also become a good friend away from the track, and that’s rare in this sport. Having someone like that in your corner is huge.”
Jimmmy Llibre’s victory at Road America has also boosted his championship campaign. With 116 points already on the board after just five rounds — compared to a total of 126 across all of last season — the Dominican Republic racer is on pace for his strongest Carrera Cup season yet. His next opportunity to add to that tally comes next month, when the championship heads to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Round 6.
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