Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America championship leader Riley Dickinson continued to head the pack as the series kicked off rounds nine and ten of the 2023 championship at Road America.

Running in conjunction with the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend, Dickinson and all his series rivals faced a new track surface for the first time today, with the entire 4.048 miles now repaved.

Dickinson (Kellymoss) stopped the clocks with a best time in the afternoon 40-minute session of 2:08.805 to lead Road America rookie Tom Sargent (McElrea Racing) and Jason Hart (MDK).

Sargent held the fastest time for much of the session until Dickinson lowered the mark with a flying lap nearly a full second quicker than his rivals.

PJ Hyett topped his first-ever Carrera Cup session in the Rafa Racing Club Pro-Am class this afternoon – the Chicago-based racer pulling out a strong performance on his “home” track.

Marco Cirone and Jeff Mosing rounded out the top three.

“I’ve been coming here to Road America for years, but this weekend is like coming to an entirely new race track,” Mosing said.

“There is plenty of grip online, but as soon as you go offline, it is very slippery. Passing is going to be extremely difficult and qualifying is probably going to be more important than a street circuit.

“The circuit now is extremely smooth – it’s like Miami – and there is also very little tire degradation.”

MDK Motorsports performed strongly in the Am class, with Scott Noble leading his team boss Mark Kvamme this afternoon. John Goetz was third-fastest.

Unfortunately, the championship field is down one car after an incident in the opening practice session earlier today. McCann Racing’s Michael McCann suffered an impact at the high-speed Road America carousel – sadly ending his weekend early.

The Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America is back on track tomorrow morning for qualifying at 10:45 am. The 40-minute, round nine of the championship will go green at 2:55 pm on Friday.

The young stars of Porsche Motorsport North America Junior Development Program converge in Atlanta this week for two days of intense training, development and education.

No, the racers from the Porsche junior program are not headed to Road Atlanta – the new-for-2023 junior initiative from Porsche Motorsport North America aims to educate these young hopefuls in every aspect of what it takes to be a complete race driver – over and above simply what happens on the race track.

The 12 hopefuls each are aiming to follow in the footsteps of Porsche factory stars like Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell – both of whom came through the Porsche junior ranks and are now racing for Porsche Penske Motorsport in this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship aboard the Porsche 963 GTP car.

But to become a future factory star, there is more “homework” to do than just being fast over a single lap.

This week, the 12 racers will complete a curriculum that covers diet, nutrition and mental performance, visual performance training, physical testing and training, use of race simulators, personal brand management, sponsorship, digital and social media and presenting and on-camera training.

The students include Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America racers, Riley Dickinson, Jimmy Llibre, Will Martin, Thomas Sargent, Elias De La Torre IV, and Sean Varwig. The Porsche Sprint Challenge Presented by Yokohama will be represented by Chloe Chambers, Nicholas Maloy, Aidan Kenny, Zachary Vanier, Riley Pegram, and Paul Bocuse.

“Being fast in the car is one thing, but there are many facets which are vital in developing the ‘complete’ racing driver who one day could be ready to represent Porsche at the highest level,” Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO Volker Holzmeyer said.

“Through initiatives like the annual Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe, the brand has done an incredible job in developing the Porsche stars of the future.

“Our ambition is to help our young drivers who race here in North America get to a level where they are in consideration for future factory seats. The level of competition here in Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge is very intense and there are some impressive performances which are already standing out – our goal is to take those raw talents and equip our young stars with all the skills they need to take that next step.”

Porsche has brought some of the biggest names in the sport this week to pass on their knowledge including renowned racer, stunt driver and television host, Tanner Foust (Personal Brand Management); and commercial film director, racer, photographer, cameraman and author Jeff Zwart (sponsorship). Renowned television commentator Bob Varsha – who has worked in all forms of motorsport from Formula 1 to Formula E, Indycar to sportscars and more – will provide an insight for the racers about presenting and the world of television.

Additionally, the Porsche youngsters will work with Dr. Kalie Baker who is an optical expert and currently works with many of the leading MLs. MLB & IHL athletes and teams . Sports vision training works to improve athletes’ and driver’s many visual processing skills so they can more effortlessly, efficiently, and effectively process visual data.

The drivers will learn about diet, nutrition and mental performance from Jeremy Mullins from sports nutrition company and motorsport sponsor, 1st Phorm; the technical side of braking from Pagid Brakes’ Ian Berwick; and will undergo intense physical testing and training at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium – formerly known as Turner Field (the ex-home of the World Championship-winning Atlanta Braves baseball franchise) and also the main venue for the 1996 Olympic Games.

Completing their curriculum will be Scott Baker (Director, Marketing Communications for Porsche Cars North America) who will give the students an overview of the Porsche brand and former Porsche junior, turned Porsche legend Patrick Long who will detail the “Porsche Pyramid” and give valuable insights from his own rise through the ranks to Porsche stardom.

Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America Rafa Racing Club Pro-am championship leader, Efrin Castro, is set to make his FIA World Endurance Championship debut this weekend in Monza in Italy.

Castro will drive the Porsche GT Team 911 RSR for Project 1 – AO – stepping in for his Kellymoss Carrera Cup stablemate, PJ Hyett, who has a clashing race this weekend for AO Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Castro will be teamed with Italian racer Matteo Cairoli and Guilherme de Oliveira aboard the No.56 entry in the GTE-Am class.

“I was in the trailer just talking to PJ (Hyett), and I told him – just kidding around – if you ever need a bronze driver, let me know,” Castro said.

“And the next week, he emailed me saying he couldn’t make Monza because he had a clash with Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and asked me if I wanted to do it.

“I couldn’t even believe it when that came through. I was just like so happy. He’s giving me this amazing opportunity, and it’s so nice of him; it’s incredible.”

Not only is Castro making his FIA World Endurance Championship debut, but he is also making it at the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza – known as the “Temple of Speed.”

“When I walked Monza for the first time, you could almost feel the spirit of the old racers that drove here. The place is incredible. It is such a classic old-school European race track,” he said.

The Dominican Republic-born racer will face some big changes from his usual ride this weekend – going from single-driver, 40-minute races in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, where all the cars are the same, to three-drivers, six hours, and multiple classes on track at the same time.

“I think the biggest challenge for me is going to be getting used to the aerodynamic downforce of this car,” he said.

“Getting used to carrying the speed into the corners and trusting that aero – I think that is going to be a test. That, and doing pit stops for the first time.

“It all looks fairly simple watching it as a fan, but there are a lot of little things you have to do in the car as you come in before handing over to your teammate.”

Since making his debut in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America last year, Jeff Mosing contested 14 races in the Rafa Racing Club Pro-Am class without standing on the top step of the podium.

That was until he arrived at Watkins Glen International last weekend. The Topp Racing driver not only scored his first win on Friday but backed that up with another success in Saturday’s race to not only win but also take the extra point for the fastest lap of the race.

The result didn’t come easy either. Mosing had to catch and pass 2021 class champion and last year’s runner-up Efrin Castro in both races to win.

That performance has elevated him to third in the Pro-Am class points and Topp Racing to sixth overall in the team’s championship.

A long-time competitor in various IMSA championships, the Austin, TX-based racer is also no stranger to success in Porsche machinery. He won a pair of races in the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge in 2014 aboard a Porsche Cayman and earned a championship in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA in the Gold class by taking nine wins from 16 races – also with Topp Racing.

At the halfway point of the 2023 Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America championship, the Rafa Racing Club Pro-Am class certainly appears to be heating up, with five different drivers taking wins so far.

Alongside Mosing, other winners have included Castro, Marco Cirone, Moisey Uretsky, and last year’s champion, Alan Metni.

“ I’m so grateful and fortunate to have such a great team, and they really had the setup nailed this weekend,” Mosing said.

“It made me look like a hero, but Castro ran me hard, but I was very fortunate not to have any pressure from behind, so I could just focus on him and aim to make a run in the last part of the race on Saturday.

“But he ended up having a little bobble into turn one, and that just gave me the opportunity to get past.

“Historically, I’ve just absolutely loved this series. I still have my original Cup Car from 2010. These cars are so amazing. Porsche makes a great product – it’s bulletproof.

“The way we beat these cars up over all the bumps and everything, it’s just amazing what they can take, and I’m really looking forward to running the rest of the series this year and hopefully next year too.”