Kellymoss racer Loek Hartog took his third victory of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship today with a controlled drive in treacherous conditions at the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix of Canada.
Again starting from pole, Hartog made sure there was no opportunity for rival Yves Baltas to repeat his turn 1, around the outside move that he put on the pole sitter yesterday.
Hartog impressed at the front of the field with Baltas in pursuit. MDK Motorsports’ Dan Clarke also took to the outside at the start but had to abandon the move and take the run-off before rejoining in turn two.
Despite all cars starting the race on Yokohama wets, the track conditions were still treacherous, with a number of cars running off at the hairpin on the opening lap. Kellymoss Masters’ Class racer Chris Bellomo, unfortunately, suffered contact with the wall as many cars ran wide.
Spins for Jodan Wallace (Kellymoss Pro-Am) and Sabre Cook (MDK Motorsports Pro) brought out the safety car after 10 minutes of track action.
With 24 minutes to go, the race resumed with Hartog maintaining his lead over Baltas with Alex Sedgwick (JDX Racing) in third.
Michael Cooper (Baby Bull Racing) moved past Sedgwick before the race again came under safety car control for a heavy impact by Colin Kaminsky at the final corner.
Kaminsky’s Topp Racing entry slid straight across the entrance to the chicane and made heavy impact with the Tech-Pro safety barrier.
Fortunately the former Indy NXT racer was able to climb out of the car uninjured. However with heavy damage to the safety barrier, the race was unable to be restarted and checkered early with Hartog, Baltas and Cooper filling the Pro podium.
“It was great to come away with the win today in Montreal, I’m really happy about that,” Hartog said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to race as many laps as I would have liked, but I executed everything I needed to. I also learned from my mistake at the start from yesterday. This time I kept the lead and could pull away quite a bit.
“A big weekend of points and a great lead in the championship – Montreal went well.”
For the second Porsche Carrera Cup North America weekend in a row, Baby Bull Racing’s Moisey Uretsky came away with the victory in the Pro-Am class-leading home Canadian Marco Cirone and former champion, Alan Metni.
“The day is great – first place Pro-Am – I can’t complain about that,” Uretsky said.
“The weather was definitely a bit challenging. The track was pretty good in the conditions, but the visibility was impossible. At 150 miles an hour, you couldn’t see anything and you are kind of guessing.
“You can’t even see the walls to the side, but I’m happy we survived. Baby Bull Racing also got third overall, so this one’s for our man Jason Hoover. He’s a little bit under the weather, so we hope he’s feeling better and what better way to get him there, than two podiums.
Returning to the championship in 2024, Masters’ driver Matt Halcome continues to impress with another victory today – the only driver from any class to win both races this weekend.
He finished ahead of Kyle Washington and Carlos de Quesada.
“It was amazing today, very exciting. The spray was unbelievable with a lot of guys spinning around me,” Halcome said.
“It’s been great to be back in the championship I’m doing pretty good so far. I wasn’t expecting to be where we are leading the points at the moment. Taking two wins here in Montreal was pretty cool – especially to do it here at a Formula 1 track.”
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America teams now head back across the border and set their sights on rounds seven and eight of the 2024 championship at Watkins Glen International from June 20-22.
MDK Motorsports Yves Baltas pulled off a stunning outside move in the first corner of the opening lap of round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America – a move that paid huge dividends at the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix of Canada.
Baltas started second alongside championship leader Loek Hartog (Kellymoss) and initially didn’t make a great leap off the line. As the field braked for turn 1 in slippery conditions, the New Yorker took the outside line around the pack and leaped into the lead.
He quickly began to stretch his lead as Michael Cooper (Baby Bull Racing) also initially found a way past Hartog.
After two laps with rain starting to fall heavily, the red flag was shown with teams headed to pit lane to switch to Yokohama wets.
With a time-certain 40-minute journey on the Formula 1 schedule, the race resumed behind the safety car but could not be restarted before time expired.
Baltas becomes the 11th different winner in Porsche Carrera Cup North America competition and the fourth American driver to take a race win.
“To win the race was great. I had mega confidence in the car at the start,” Baltas said.
“I wish we could have run longer just to show we had insane amounts of pace. We really didn’t get to show our stuff, but we would have easily walked that.
“I really like the wet conditions. It helps me focus on finding the grippier line and not focus too much on just locking up. So, the ABS in these cars helps enormously.
“At the start, I think everyone braked a little early, and we could just carry the speed around the outside. It was a kind of make-or-break moment. I didn’t want to let the opportunity go because I had a feeling it was going to start pouring pretty quickly after that.
In the Pro-am class, James Sofronas (GMG Racing) was able to make a move past Moisey Uretsky (Baby Bull Racing) in the rain-soaked sprint and came home with the win. Pole sitter Jordan Wallace took third.
Masters class championship leader Matt Halcome (ACI Motorsports) took the chance to extend his points lead and take the victory. He led home Chris Bellomo (Kellymoss) and Kyle Washington (GMG Racing).
Teams and drivers have the chance to atone today with round six scheduled for 9:40 am at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. More rain is expected this morning with Yokohama wet tires again expected to be part of the team’s plans.
Round six of the championship can be seen live on Peacock as well as the IMSA YouTube Channel and series website.
Championship leader Loek Hartog earned the pole position for Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s return to Canada today at the Formula 1 AWS Canadian Grand Prix.
After the Kellymoss driver topped the times yesterday, the Dutchman continued his impressive pace to stop the clocks at 1 minute 36.982 seconds for the 2.710-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Hartog led MDK Motorsports duo Yves Baltas and Dan Clarke in the final qualifying standings. The front-row start for Baltas is his best qualifying to date for the former Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup driver.
Clarke is back on track at the Montreal venue for the first time since 2006 when he raced to a fourth-place finish in the Champ Car World Series in a race that was red-flagged due to rain and completed on Monday.
Baby Bull Racing’s Michael Cooper will join Clarke on the second row of the grid, with JDX Racing’s Zach Vanier completing a strong comeback for his team after the team completed late-night repairs to his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup due to contact with the wall in practice 2 yesterday.
After topping the times in Pro-am yesterday, Kellymoss racer Jordan Wallace continued to show that speed today by earning his first pole position.
James Sofronas (GMG Racing) and Moisey Uretsky (Baby Bull Racing) completed the top three, with reigning class champion Efrin Castro unfortunately suffering heavy contact with the wall.
Castro will revert to a backup car and will start from the back of the grid today.
Current Masters’ class points leader Matt Halcome set the pace in qualifying to head Chris Bellomo and Kyle Washington on the timesheet.
Reigning Masters champion Mark Kvamme will start at the back of the grid after suffering a brake issue during qualifying.
Round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will go green at 5:55 pm today at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Fans can watch the action on Peacock TV in the US as well as on the IMSA TV and Porsche Carrera Cup North America website.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America entrants managed to dodge the rain in Montreal at the Formula 1 AWS Canadian Grand Prix today, with championship leader Loek Hartog setting the pace at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The teams hit the track for a 40-minute practice session in the morning and a further 30-minute practice in the afternoon. Between the two, the circuit was hit with a torrential downpour.
Despite rubber being washed away during the rain, times still tumbled in the afternoon session.
Alex Sedgwick set the pace during the morning session but it was Hartog and last-start winner, Canadian Zachary Vanier, who swapped positions for the top spot during the session.
Hartog eventually came out on top after Vanier suffered contact with the wall, damaging the rear of his JDX Racing Porsche.
The Dutch Kellymoss racer finished with a time of 1:38.224 – but he was almost eclipsed by McCann Racing’s Michael McCann who finished in P2 only .011 of a second behind Hartog. Vanier finished third fastest ahead of Sedgwick and MDK Motorsports’ Dan Clarke.
“ It’s a nice feeling to end the day on top,” said Hartog.
“It’s a nice track, definitely. This one goes out to the boys. We had very challenging conditions and managed to choose the right strategy to go on slicks from the beginning.
“In the end, we were still fast, and I’m very happy with what we managed to squeeze out.
“It’s tight at the top, but there’s still definitely some performance to gain in myself.”
McCann again showed impressive speed today. It is not the first time he has featured towards the front of the pack, finishing P1 in the opening practice session of the year in Sebring.
”I like tracks that no one’s ever really been to before. I think that’s like a leg up for a smaller team like ours,” McCann said.
“I do love that because it’s hard. You can’t test here, which is nice, but it was nice to be P2. Luke has just got longer legs than me, so I think he just reached across the finish line right before I did.
“Congrats to him with P1. I think we’ll settle for P2 right now, but then tomorrow we’ll have some more fun.”
The battle for Pro-am supremacy was equally fierce, with Kellymoss racer Jordan Wallace coming out on top after times tumbled throughout the session, with Moisey Uretsky and Alan Metni also looking strong.
“First P1 of the year here in Montreal – I can’t be more excited,” Wallace said.
“It’s good, but it’s just practice, so we’re going be focused on bringing out our best effort in qualifying. I think it’ll be really good – the car feels great.
“The track is a little slick. A little sketchy, but we have to figure it out, and we’re going to be fast tomorrow.”
The battle for Masters honors was headed by MDK Motorsport’s Mark Kvamme who continued his impressive run of speed on Formula 1 weekends.
“I don’t know what it is, but I always seem to do well on street circuits. These are tracks where you can’t practice very much.
“We had a good session, but I have to hand it to my coach Trenton Estep. When we were testing, he would tell me to go out immediately and go as fast as you can. That’s when you can really start feeling the track underneath you.
“That’s what I tried to do today. I was able to get some decent times. In fact, my time should have been better. I got stuck behind somebody on my quickest lap. So I think I have another half a second more.”
Chris Bellomo was second fastest in the afternoon session ahead of Matt Halcome.
Qualifying for this weekend’s rounds five and six of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will take place at 9:15 am (Eastern) tomorrow. The first 40-minute race of the weekend goes green at 5:55 pm (Eastern).
For the first time since 2022, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America returns to Canada, June 7 – 9.
Rounds five and six of the premier one-make race series on the continent will support the Formula 1 ® AWS Grand Prix du Canada in Montréal, Québec.
The Grand Prix of Canada is the second of three appearances of the year for the all-Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (type 992) car championship to compete as part of an F1 weekend. The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America series ran rounds three and four at the Grand Prix of Miami and will conclude its fourth season during the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas (October 18 – 20).
The 2.71-mile, 14-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will play host to 33 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars. Two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday, June 7 will be followed by a 30-minute qualifying session and the first 40-minute race on Saturday. The second race will take place ahead of the Formula 1 feature race on the morning of Sunday, June 9.
CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE FAST FACTS
- Field. 33 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for the weekend.
- Pro class. 15 Pro-Am class. 12 Masters class. 6
- Teams. 11 race teams are represented across all three classes.
Track Record: NA, New track to the series
Point Leaders.
Pro. Loek Hartog, No. 24 Kellymoss
Pro-Am. Marco Cirone, No. 84 ACI Motorsports
Masters. Matt Halcome, No. 55 ACI Motorsports
Entrants. Kellymoss
Schedule. All times Eastern
Friday, June 7.
10:00 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. – Practice 1
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Practice 2
Saturday, June 8.
9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. – Qualifying (all classes)
5:55 p.m. – 6:40 p.m. – Race 1 (40-minutes)
Sunday, May 5.
9:40 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. – Race 2 (40-minutes)
Hometown heroes.
Three Canadian drivers are entered to compete in their home country this weekend. Included is Garson, Ontario’s Zachary Vanier who is seeking his second consecutive Pro class victory after winning round four in Miami in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Toronto’s Roberto Tutino represents Canada at the wheel of the No. 26 ACI Motorsports entry in the Pro-Am class. Marco Cirone of Toronto looks to continue to hold tight to the Pro-Am class points lead in the No. 84 ACI machine.
Raising awareness.
The No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche of Masters class driver Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) continues to raise awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s through his motorsport efforts. The two-time Porsche Carrera Cup North America class champion stopped at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium before leaving Ohio for Montréal. The public appearance honored Columbus Zoo Director Emeritus Jack Hanna, who is currently battling Alzheimer’s disease. While at the world-famous zoo, Kvamme added Hanna’s name to Racing to End Alzheimer’s livery. Each week, race fans are welcome to add names of loved ones they have lost or who are suffering from Alzheimer’s through a donation to Racing to End Alzheimer’s.
Pioneers performing.
The success of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America has been proven each season as new drivers, teams and marketing partners have joined the ranks of the one-make race series.
In fact, in only its fourth season, the North American-based race series is now regularly among the elite of the Porsche single brand series worldwide in entry list size as well as international appeal for teams and drivers. It has proven itself as an indicator of future performance as well.
With event venues like this weekend’s Formula 1 ® AWS Grand Prix du Canada in Montréal, Canada and classic road courses run in conjunction with IMSA, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America not only attracts global interest but hones the skills needed to thrive at the next level of the sport.
2021 series champion Seb Priaulx (United Kingdom) has won the last two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro class in a Porsche 911 GT3 R with Laurin Heinrich (Germany) who, himself, is a former Porsche Junior and past race winner in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
2022 champion Parker Thompson (Canada) earned a GTD class win earlier this year at Long Beach while 2023 series champion Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas) raced a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season-opening victory at Daytona.
Podium Jordan.
Earlier this year, Jordan Wallace (Annapolis, Maryland) became the first African American driver to enter the Porsche Carrera Cup North America at round one in Sebring, Florida in March. At the most recent round – the Grand Prix of Miami – Wallace drove the No. 23 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to his first podium in the Pro-Am class. The series rookie but veteran racer and instructor comes to Montréal in search of a first win.
To the point.
With two race wins (Sebring, race one and Miami race one) Loek Hartog (Netherlands) moved back into the overall points lead coming to rounds five and six. By virtue of his overall victory in round four at Miami, Zachary Vanier (Canada) holds third place with the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche. Marco Cirone (Canada) has an 11-point lead in the Pro-Am class over Moisey Uretsky (Miami, Florida), 68 – 57. Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia) maintains his lead in the Masters class behind the wheel of the No. 55 ACI Motorsports “Mystery Machine” Porsche. The Georgian is 14-points up on Chris Bellomo (Portola Valley, California). Kellymoss flipped the Entrant standings with a six-point swing at Miami. The Wisconsin-based operation is now three markers ahead of MDK Motorsports, 79 – 76. .
He has already stood on the top step of a Porsche Carrera Cup North America podium at a Formula 1 race, but now JDX Racing’s Zachary Vanier has his sights set on repeating his Miami performance on home soil in Canada.
The 21-year-old Canadian had a remarkable season in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama last year, winning 12 out of 14 races and claiming the 992 Pro-am title.
Graduating to Carrera Cup this year with JDX Racing, he clinched his first victory in round four at the Miami International Autodrome.
The championship will visit the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix for the first time this weekend for rounds five and six of the 2024 championship.
The 14-turn, 2.710-mile circuit on Montreal’s Notre Dame Island is the second of three Formula 1 races on the 2024 championship schedule. For many drivers in the 33-strong field this weekend, this will be their first opportunity to drive at the famous F1 circuit.
But for Canadian racer Vanier, he enters this weekend with past experience in Montreal.
“This will actually be my third time racing at the Canadian Grand Prix,” Vanier said.
“In 2018 and 2019, I raced in the Formula 1600 junior category. It’s definitely been a few years, but I’m very excited to be back.
“To race there in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is going to be very different. We have a lot more power, and the car is obviously heavier, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
While Vanier’s pure speed was never in doubt, he is also pleasantly surprised to earn his first series victory in Carrera Cup so quickly.
“I knew coming into this season that it was going to be the most challenging year of my career in terms of competition and adaptability,” he said.
“Porsche Carrera Cup North America is really well run and absolutely the definition of what professional sports car racing is all about.
“To be honest, if you had asked me whether I would have had a win already under my belt, I would have said no way, so Miami was a very pleasing result.
“I’m one of only ten drivers who have won a race in this championship, and it is so competitive. We have a huge points battle ahead as we have only just gotten started.”
Vanier became the first-ever champion from Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama to win a race in Porsche Carrera Cup North America at Miami. His year honing his craft en route to the 992 championship in 2023 has put him in a strong position for his rookie Carrera Cup season.
“I really wanted to do Carrera Cup last year, but getting the entire budget together was a challenge. Mark Kvamme and the guys at MDK put together a great option for me for Sprint Challenge, and the year went exceptionally well.
“Getting the chance to learn the car and get used to the tires has certainly given me a head start in preparing for this season.”
For season 2024, Vanier switched to JDX Racing, joining forces with Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee Jeremy Dale.
Dale’s Colorado-based squad is no stranger to success in this championship. The JDX team has previously taken another Canadian to a championship win in Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Parker Thompson in 2022.
“Jeremy and I have been talking about trying to do something together for quite a few years and it is really pleasing that it has all come together this year,” Vanier said.
“He obviously has massive experience and was one of Canada’s most famous sports car drivers back in the day.
“We actually first met at the Canadian Grand Prix back in 2018, so this weekend is certainly going to be very special.
“Not only have I been able to lean on Jeremy’s experience, but the fact that JDX are running four cars in the Pro class has been a huge help. Alex (Sedgwick) and Elias (De la Torre IV) already have a season of experience under their belts, and that has been very beneficial for myself and Madeline (Stewart).
“We’re all able to see where we are all getting the most out of the car. Being able to compare ourselves to one another and learning where we gained and where we lost time over a lap is really valuable.
“For me, it has really been an eye-opening experience as I’ve never been in a team situation like this. It really is pushing me to be better as a driver.”
While Vanier has stood on the podium at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Montreal’s Notre Dame Island in his junior days, repeating his performance from the Miami Formula 1 race is a dream at the forefront of his mind.
“Getting to stand on the podium again this weekend in Canada would certainly be a dream come true,” Vanier.
“This is obviously a race that I have been really forward looking to. I’ve got so many family, friends, and sponsors all coming this weekend. It’s a huge weekend for me, and I really can’t wait to get started.”
A host of past race winners, champions, and current stars of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship are set to join a star-packed grid for the inaugural race of the Porsche Endurance Challenge this weekend at Circuit of the Americas.
Debuting this weekend in Texas, the new series will feature one-hour endurance races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (August 11) and Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California (September 29) before returning to COTA for the six-hour event on November 24 to crown its 2024 champions.
The championship is open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport models and will accompany both the Porsche Sprint Challenge by Yokohama and the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama championships this weekend.
Two previous Carrera Cup champions and the 2024 points lead head the list of Cup stars heading to Austin this weekend.
2022 title-winner Parker Thompson returns to the Porsche fold to co-drive with Anthony Mcintosh aboard a JTR Motorsports Engineering-entered GT3 Cup.
Riley Dickinson followed in Thompson’s footsteps to take the 2023 title. This season, his regular race-winning ride has been aboard a Cayman in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition, but he will drive with Blake McDonald in BR Motorsport’s entry.
While Dickinson jumps from Cayman back to a GT3 Cup entry, 2024 Carrera Cup championship leader Loek Hartog is going in the other direction. The Dutch Kellymoss racer will compete in the Porsche Endurance Challenge alongside Michael Clark.
But this trio are not the only Carrera Cup race winners to enter the Porsche Endurance Challenge.
Three winners from the past three seasons will be part of the action this weekend.
Our most recent Cup winner, Canadian star Zachary Vanier, has joined forces with Sprint Challenge regular Mike Mim in the MVII Racing by Regal Motorsports. The last time Vanier climbed aboard a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, he tasted victory at the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Texas veteran Jason Hart returns to the MDK Motorsport driver’s seat as he steps in alongside Sprint Challenge rookie Conrad Geis. Hart raced full-time in Carrera Cup in 2023, taking victory at Watkins Glen.
Another Texan – young star Trenton Estep – climbs back behind the wheel for his first drive of 2024. Estep will co-drive with MDK’s Paul Bocuse beginning at COTA. Estep took three Carrera Cup wins in 2022 en route to finishing fourth in the championship standings.
Rounding out the list of Cup stars racing in Texas this weekend are Madeline Stewart (racing with Rafa Racing Club’s Rafael Martinez aboard a Cayman), Peter Ludwig (racing with Shane Leathers in a Fall Line Motorsports GT3 Cup), and Scott Blind, who enters the endurance championship this weekend after taking his Rukus Racing Porsche to a podium finish in Miami.
Rounding out the list of Cup stars racing in Texas this weekend are Madeline Stewart (racing with Rafa Racing Club’s Rafael Martinez aboard a Cayman), Peter Ludwig (racing with Shane Leathers in a Fall Line Motorsports GT3 Cup), and Scott Blind, who enters the endurance championship this weekend after taking his Rukus Racing Porsche to a podium finish in Miami.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama and the list of moonlighting Cup stars are just the start of a massive field competing in Texas this weekend.
The entry list also includes racer-actor Patrick Dempsey; Porsche legend Patrick Long; four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jan Magnussen; the vastly experienced Alexandre Premat (DTM, GT racing, Le Mans Series, Australian Supercars); 12 hours of Sebring winner and Intercontinental GT Champion, Tristan Vautier; Le Mans class winner, Ryan Dalziel; World Challenge and SRO GT4 Europe championship winner Alec Udell; former Trans-Am champion, Cameron Lawrence; World Challenge America and GT4 America champion, Eric Filgueiras and 2x Daytona 24 class winner, Jean-François Dumoulin.
Testing gets underway at Circuit of the Americas on Thursday, with official practice kicking off on Friday. Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and USA West will contest races on both Saturday and Sunday, with the opening round of the Endurance Challenge series going green at 3:05 p.m. (Central) on Sunday.
Watch the action live on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel – click here.
