On Friday, fans at the Grand Prix du Canada were quick to cheer for their hometown hero, Zachary Vanier with JDX Racing, who posted the fastest time amongst Pro class drivers to start the day in Montréal, Quebec.
At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Vanier’s lap of one minute, 36.996 seconds opened the third event of the Carrera Cup season – the first outside Florida’s Sunshine State after rounds at Sebring International Raceway and Miami International Autodrome.
It was just one month ago that Vanier tied his best finish of the season in third at Miami, establishing the Canadian driver third in points.
“It was a really good morning for us in FP1,” said Vanier, who hails from Garson, Ontario.
“It’s a home race for me, so I’m super happy to be back. It’s been a year since we’ve been here, so to get on track and get everything rolling felt really good. Montréal as a city has welcomed me in quite nicely.
“I’m feeling really good with our program. We made really good gains this morning and I’m super happy with it.”
Vanier’s time was toppled by championship leader Riley Dickinson and the Kellymoss team in Practice 2 by just over half a second.
“It was fantastic,” Dickinson described. “The Kellymoss team has done a great job preparing the car for this weekend.
“We’ve got a big back-to-back weekend coming up, so there’s obviously a lot that’s going into this one that’s also going into Watkins Glen next weekend.
“This track is an absolute blast to drive. I haven’t been here since 2019, so it’s cool to be here with a 992 GT3 Cup car and feeling what it’s all about – balancing over the curbs, having a good time.
“It’s cool to see all the fans out here as well. The place is absolutely packed, so it makes it a bit nice as well, especially coming through The Stadium section and Turn 10. I’m excited for tomorrow morning.”
Fastest times in the Pro-Am category were also split by two drivers – JP Martinez with ACI Motorsports in Practice 1 and Patrick Mulcahy with GMG Racing in Practice 2.
Martinez seeks to expand his championship lead following two wins and a podium through four rounds in 2025, while Friday’s outing was Mulcahy’s best showing of the season thus far.
In the Masters class, Scott Blind continues his streak of dominance with Ruckus Racing by clocking in the fastest laps in class during both practice sessions.
After missing out on a weekend sweep in Miami, Blind looks for redemption in Montréal over challenger Todd Parriott.
Saturday’s activities for Porsche Carrera Cup North America begin at 10:25 a.m. ET with qualifying for the Race Brew pole award, followed by Race 1 at 6:05 p.m.
Race 2 on Sunday is set for 9:30 a.m. prior to the Formula One race at 2 p.m.
The pair of Carrera Cup races at the Grand Prix du Canada 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:
- #9 Zachary Vanier
- #91 Riley Dickinson
- #2 Jimmy Llibre
Pro-Am:
- #4 JP Martinez
- #16 Pedro Torres
- #54 Patrick Mulcahy
Masters:
- #45 Scott Blind
- #13 Todd Parriott
PRACTICE 2
Pro:
- #91 Riley Dickinson
- #9 Zachary Vanier
- #11 Michael de Quesada
Pro-Am:
- #54 Patrick Mulcahy
- #4 JP Martinez
- #99 Alan Metni
Masters:
- #45 Scott Blind
- #13 Todd Parriott
