Porsche Carrera Cup North America is set to go racing at the first of three Formula 1 events this weekend when rounds three and four of the championship are contested at the Formula 1 ® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
The stars and cars from the premier one-make series will have back-to-back Formula 1 events in 2024, with Montreal’s Canadian Grand Prix next on the schedule and the season finale again being held in conjunction with the US Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.
The circuit in Miami Gardens, Florida, uses 19 turns to cover 3.362 miles around Hard Rock Stadium, which regularly hosts the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. This weekend, it will host 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars in addition to the Formula 1 grid.
With 2023 race winner – and overall Pro champion – Riley Dickinson (New Braunfels, Texas) ascending to the next level on the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America, a first-time overall race winner is promised in North America’s premier one-make race series.
2023 Pro-Am and Masters (formerly Am class) race winners Efrin Castro (Dominican Republic) and Mark Kvamme (Columbus, Ohio) return to defend their twin victories in the pair of races.
Two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday, May 3, will be followed by a 30-minute qualifying session and the first 40-minute plus one-lap race on Saturday. The second race will take place ahead of the Formula 1 ® feature race on the morning of Sunday, May 4.
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AUTODROME FAST FACTS
- Full Field. 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for competition at COTA.
- Pro class. 17 Pro-Am class. 13 Masters class. 8
- Teams. 13 race teams are represented across all three classes.
- Track Record. 1:56.014, 2023, Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
2024 Winners.
- Pro. Race 1 & 2. Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss
- Pro-Am. Race 1 & 2. Efrin Castro, Kellymoss
- Am (now Masters). Race 1 & 2. Mark Kvamme, MDK Motorsports
Point Leaders.
Pro. Gustav Burton, No. 20 MDK Motorsports
Pro-Am. Marco Cirone, No. 84 ACI Motorsports
Masters. Matt Halcome, No. 55 ACI Motorsports
Entrants. MDK Motorsports
Schedule. All times Eastern
Friday, May 3.
2:25 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. – Practice 1
6:05 p.m. – 6:35 p.m. – Practice 2
Saturday, May 4.
12:55 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. – Qualifying (all classes)
5:50 p.m. – 6:35 p.m. – Race 1 (40-minute + 1 lap race)
Sunday, May 5.
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Race 2 (40-minute +1 lap race)
Full field.
Thirty-eight cars are entered for the second of eight weekends of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and each entry will have to compromise in the paddock, pit lane, and on the track. Unable to have their race transporters and awnings to work from, teams will need to be very calculated in planning the tools and equipment they bring into the shared paddock facilities at the track. This holds true for Yokohama Tire and Porsche Motorsport North America as well. Both must also plan to the final detail what they bring into the paddock to supply the teams for the full weekend.
Hometown heroes.
Five drivers on the entry list consider Florida their home state. Angel Benitez, Moisey Uretsky, and David Tuaty all call Miami home. Elias De La Torre lives in nearby Key Largo while Carlos De Quesada lives in Tampa. Two drivers, Jimmy Libre and Efrin Castro, are residents of the Dominican Republic, making Miami their “home” track.
Open to the public.
Situated outside the footprint of the Formula 1 ® paddock, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America paddock is open to any holder of a General Admissions ticket to the Grand Prix. Fans can walk through and watch the 38 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars being prepared for each practice, qualifying, and the pair of races.
New names.
A changing of the guard was apparent in the top Pro class at the Sebring season opener. With 2021 champion Seb Priaulx as well as 2022 champ Parker Thompson now racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and 2023 champion and defending Miami race winner Riley Dickinson now competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, a new Pro champion will be awarded the Al Holbert Trophy in 2024. New faces stood atop the podium at both rounds in Sebring. Loek Hartog (Netherlands) raced to his first race win in the series in round one at Sebring, while Gustav Burton (United Kingdom) drove to his first win in round two.
To the point.
Gustavo (Gus) Burton of the United Kingdom comes into rounds three and four with a narrow one-point lead (47 – 46) over Loek Hartog (Netherlands) in the Pro class and the Porsche EBOOST North America Junior Program standings. That battle extends to the Team standings, where three points (45 – 42) separates MDK Motorsports and Kellymoss. Marco Cirone (Canada) holds the Pro-Am class points lead over James Sofronas (Villa Park, California) 40 markers to 33. Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia) returns to Carrera Cup after a season focused on the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama with two race wins at Sebring International Raceway in March. The 18-point margin he holds over Chris Bellomo (Portola Valley, California) is the widest in any category in the series.
Master racer.
After two rounds, only one driver, regardless of class, swept the weekend at Sebring: Matt Halcome (Dallas, Georgia). The 2021 Pro-Am 991 class champion, and driver of the popular Mystery Machine liveried No. 55 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, returned to the series in style winning both races in the competitive Masters class. He also captured the fastest race lap for both rounds.
Endurance Challenge.
With the overwhelming success of its one-make championships and the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid North America, Porsche Motorsport North America announced the next evolution in one-make racing for the continent, the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America. The four-event championship will include three 60-minute races and a single six-hour endurance race. The new race series will debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas on May 26, 2024, and conclude at the Texas track on November 22. Each round will feature a top category for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car (type 992 and 991.2) and a class for the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Racing for Children’s.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama was the support series for the IndyCar Series event at Barber Motorsports Park, April 26 – 28. The event supports the Racing for Children’s, a name familiar to one-make race fans for its beloved “hand print” livery Kellymoss entries have carried for years in Carrera Cup. On-site supporting were three drivers of the Racing For Children’s livery since 2021: Kay van Berlo (2021 – 2022), Riley Dickinson (2023) and Loek Hartog. Efrin Castro raced in the pair of Sprint Challenge rounds at Barber in a Racing For Children’s livery earning an overall second place in race one and a fourth place result in race two.
Chambers in Miami.
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama regular Chloe Chambers (Fort Wayne, Indiana) will be in Miami for the Grand Prix weekend. However, the 19-year-old will not be behind the wheel of a Porsche. Instead, Chambers will be piloting the No. 14 Campos Racing entry in the F1 Academy series. She comes to Miami off twin Sprint Challenge Cayman class victories at Barber Motorsports Park in the No. 77 TPC Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
