He holds the series records for the most wins, poles, and fastest laps – now Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America stand-out Kay van Berlo is set to make a return cameo appearance this weekend in Miami.
Rounds five and six of the 2023 championship will be staged in conjunction with this weekend’s Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
Van Berlo competed in the championship last season, finishing runner-up in the title chase for the second season in a row.
Across 2021 and 2022, van Berlo scored 13 victories, 10 poles, and 11 fastest laps for Kellymoss. The Miami-based Dutchman’s “day job” in 2023 is competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Kellymoss in the GTD class alongside Carrera Cup Pro-Am ace Alan Metni.
In Miami, van Berlo will race against Kellymoss for the first time – competing for Accelerating Performance as team-mate to Sebring Pro-Am race winner Moisey Uretsky.
“I’m just excited to be back in a Carrera Cup car. Having been out of the series for a couple of months, I now realize what a fun championship this is, and I can’t wait to get back,“ van Berlo said.
“The fact that it’s in Miami – it’s a big happening over here – and being part of it this weekend is pretty awesome. I can’t think of the last time I had a “home” race. It was probably in karting six or seven years ago but it will be awesome to go racing and still be able to sleep in my own bed.”
Van Berlo took on a coaching role for Uretsky at the Porche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America pre-season test at Sebring. Whatever advice he passed on obviously worked – his fellow Miami-based driver came away with victory in the Pro-Am class in the opening race of the season.
“I did some coaching with Moisey at the pre-season test and we stayed in touch and talked about the idea of running two cars. From a team perspective it is a huge help as you have more data to work with and can try different things on the cars,” van Berlo said.
“But at that stage, we thought the grid was going to be completely full, but then two weeks ago, a spot opened up, and here I am – I’m really looking forward to it – it was totally unexpected.”
For the first time in van Berlo’s time in the Carrera Cup championship, he will actually race against the Kellymoss team that he has had so much success with and continues to race with in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship today.
“That is certainly going to be interesting, and I’m curious to see what it is going to be like with a different group of people around me,” he said.
“It’s still the same car, so the basic principles will apply. However, since I haven’t been in a cup car for a while, I’m coming into this weekend without any expectations. The rest of the guys are two races into their championship battle and ready to push really hard.
“I’m just going into the weekend and will do whatever I need to do on track to make the best out of it, and hopefully, that will end up with a strong result.”
Growing on the remarkable success of its Porsche Junior Program North America 2022, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) announces a 14-driver lineup for 2023.
These drivers will compete across the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America (992 class), and the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America (GT4 class) series.
The Porsche Junior Program North America is an intricate part of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid on the continent, a level-by-level process of driver development from karting to the highest levels of endurance sports car racing.
All Porsche Junior Drivers will be invited to attend the official Porsche Junior Workshop to be conducted at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta from July 20–21, 2023.
The workshop provides an opportunity for the junior drivers across all three categories to receive a range of education, training and support to take the next step in their career. Additionally, all Porsche Junior Program North America drivers will have the right to use the official designation, including the use of the official program logo, in promoting themselves.
In addition to the education and training, the recipient in both Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge receive a range of financial support throughout the year with the junior champion from each Sprint Challenge program receiving free entry in the 2024 season.
The Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Junior Champion will be awarded a nomination to attend the Porsche Global Junior Shootout at the end of the year. There they will compete against the best junior drivers from around the world to be crowned the official Porsche Junior.
The Porsche Junior receives funding to compete in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in the 2024 season. If a driver is unsuccessful in the Global Shootout, they still have the opportunity to compete in GT3 racing in North America as part of the Porsche Selected Driver program.
Porsche Junior Program North America Drivers:
Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America
Elias De La Torre IV.: JDX Racing
Riley Dickinson: Kellymoss
Jimmy Llibre: MDK Motorsports
Will Martin: JDX Racing
Thomas Nepveu: McElrea Racing
Thomas Sargent: McElrea Racing
Sean Varwig: Kellymoss
Travis Wiley: Topp Racing
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
Cayman Class.
Paul Bocuse: Zotz Racing
Chloe Chambers: TPC Racing
Nick Maloy: Tatum Racing
Riley Pegram: MDK Motorsports
992 Class.
Aidan Kenny: ACI Motorsports
Zach Vanier: MDK Motorsports
Enhancements. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. 992 class.
Drivers in the 992 class – which exclusively uses the type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car – will have the opportunity to compete for a full-season, paid entry to the 2024 Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America. After two rounds held at Sebring International Raceway, Canadian Zachary Vanier is the 992 class points leader at this time.
Enhancements. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Cayman class.
Among participants in the all-Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport category, the winning Junior driver of each round will receive a free set of Yokohama tires and a free entry into the next round of the championship. The overall champion will receive a free season-long entry into the next level, the 992 class, for the following season. Paul Bocuse enters rounds three and four as the points leader of the Cayman Pro/Am class.
Drivers will have their next opportunities to take the lead in the respective Junior championships when the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama races April 28 – 30 at Birmingham, Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park. Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America is scheduled for May 5 – 7 in Miami as support for Formula 1 ®.
Volker Holzmeyer, president and CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America.
“A strong development program is key to the overall health of our sport and to the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. Since my arrival, we have put a great deal of attention on creating a pathway for drivers to move up through the ranks with an emphasis on talent. This isn’t always easily done because the sport is so cost-sensitive. However, we believe, working with our partners, our teams, with IMSA and with USAC, we are building a system in North America that can see talent rise to the top. These additions are a substantial step in that direction.”
For the first time in its short history, the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America will be the featured support race of the world’s most popular motorsport series – the Miami International Autodrome hosting the championship in conjunction with the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
While this may be the first for North America’s premier single-brand race series, it is far from a first for Porsche. The German sports car manufacturer has a long history with F1.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has been acting as the open wheel championship’s primary support series since 1993. The series of all Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars will join F1 twice in 2023. The season will close with the US Grand Prix at The Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, October 20 – 22.
MIAMI FAST FACTS
- Full Field. 40 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for Miami. Like Long Beach, this is full capacity for the event based on paddock space. With five more cars than last round, it is only one car short of the largest grid of the year, the Sebring opener, which enjoyed 41.
- Pro class. 21, Pro-Am class. 10, Am class. 9.
- 14 race teams are represented across all three classes.
- Point Leaders. Riley Dickinson, the winner of three of the four rounds held thus far, has an 18-point lead over Tom Sargent. Third in points is Will Martin, winner of round four, 31 back from the lead. Marco Cirone and Mark Kvamme lead Pro-Am and Am, respectively. Kellymoss tops the team standings, while Dickinson tops the Junior ranks.
- Hard Rock. The Miami International Autodrome is a 3.362-mile, 19-turn road course circling Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- Hometown Hero. Porsche Selected Driver Kay van Berlo will make his return to the series in Miami. The two-time series’ runner-up has moved into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class driving for Kellymoss with Riley but, as a student at the University of Miami, will return to race in his adopted hometown behind the wheel of the No. 33 Accelerating Performance Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the Pro class.
- DR in the house. The Dominican Republic has two drivers entered: Jimmy Libre, driver of the No. 74 MDK Motorsports Porsche in the Pro class is from Santo Domingo. 2021 Pro-Am class champion Efrin Castro, piloting the No. 65 Kellymoss Porsche, is from Santiago.
- Top Ten. Sabré Cook, driver of the No. 37 Deluxe Kellymoss Porsche and the first recipient of the Porsche Female Driver Development Program scholarship, has been named one of the ten finalists to receive the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship. The recipient, to be named later this year, will receive benefits worth more than $250,000 to assist them in competing in one of three IMSA-sanctioned series during the 2024 season.
- Florida’s Own. Five drivers call Florida their full-time home, as do two race teams. Elias De La Torre (Key Largo), Michael McCarthy (Clearwater), Grant Talkie (Sarasota), Conor Flynn (Jacksonville), and Moisey Uretsky (Miami) are residents of the Sunshine State. Kay van Berlo is a temporary resident while studying at the University of Miami. Irish Mike’s Racing is based in Orlando, while BGB Motorsports is headquartered in Ormond Beach.
- Racing for Children’s. Kellymoss drivers Riley Dickinson and Michael McCarthy participated in last weekend’s Porsche Spring Challenge North America by Yokohama weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The pairing ran as unclassified entries to recognize Racing for Children’s, the program’s longtime partner. Dickinson and McCarthy joined in special activities off track supporting the Children’s of Alabama hospital, including the 13th annual gala dinner where each was assigned an honorary car chief for the event, a patient at Children’s of Alabama.
- Up the Pyramid. In 2002, the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America ran in support of F1 in Miami. The move to Carrera Cup this year is a step up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America to the premier one-make series.
- All races air on the Peacock streaming app, IMSA.tv and PorscheCarreraCup.us and are archived at: https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica.
- On the web. PorscheCarreraCup.us .
MIAMI SCHEDULE (all times US Eastern)
Friday, May 5.
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Practice 1
7:25 p.m. – 7:55 p.m. – Practice 2
Saturday, May 6.
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Qualifying (all classes)
2:05 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. – Race 1 (40-minute race)
Sunday, May 7.
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Race 2 (40-minute race)
The Houston, Texas-based RAFA Racing Club has joined the Porsche Motorsport family by securing naming rights to the Pro-Am Championship for Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America starting at this week’s Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
RAFA Racing Club delivers a dedicated motorsport complex where car enthusiasts can get together and share their passion for high-performance vehicles.
The facility/organization is an exclusive club founded by and created by a community of high-performance car auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all motor vehicles with the specific objective of creating a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy, network, and bond as one community.
RAFA Racing Club offers a range of experiences, including car storage, driver training, simulator training, networking events, motorsport events, and much more.
As naming rights partner to the Pro-Am championship within Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, RAFA Racing will receive significant brand presence at each of the six remaining Carrera Cup rounds, including rounds contested at Formula 1, IMSA, and NASCAR events, plus the prestigious Porsche Rennsport Reunion at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca circuit.
Club members will receive a range of exclusive experiences at each race weekend, with 25 RAFA Racing Club members joining the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Championship at the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
“Many avid motorsport enthusiasts know how difficult it is to be truly part of a community that shares your same energy for the sport. At RAFA Racing Club we Race As Family Always,” said Rafael Martinez, Founder, RAFA Racing Club.
“If you’re like many, your childhood memories revolve around family when you think of the racing. Everyone has their favorite car and can share stories about growing up as a racing fan. For the RAFA Racing Club to be joining the Porsche family, who epitomize the passion for motorsport, it’s a great opportunity for our club and our members to be a part of their racing journey moving forward”.
The Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup competitors will contest two races at the Miami International Autodrome as the exclusive support race for the fifth round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
After four rounds, Canadian racer Marco Cirone leads the newly renamed RAFA Racing Club Pro-Am Championship ahead of 2021 champion Efrin Castro and last year’s title winner, Alan Metni.
“It is great to have a key partner like RAFA Racing Club joining our program, as it connects Porsche Motorsport North America with a group of passionate enthusiasts that provide a community aligned with our passion for motorsport,” said Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America.
“We look forward to working with their members in the years to come to deliver a range of bespoke motorsport experiences”
