Topp Racing and Ryan Yardley scored their first-ever Porsche Carrera Cup North America victories with an impressive performance from pole position at Watkins Glen International.
Yardley became the 13th winner of a Porsche Carrera Cup North America race and the second driver from the Southern hemisphere – the New Zealander joining Australian Tom Sargent as a race winner.
He is also the fifth race winner of 2024 – joining Loek Hartog (Kellymoss), Gustav Burton (MDK), Zach Vanier (JDX Racing) and Yves Baltas in victory lane. This equals the series record for the most individual winners in a season from 2022.
Topp Racing has scored class wins in the past – including two Pro-Am wins for Jeff Mosing here at Watkins Glen last year – but today was the Texas team’s first overall win.
Yardley stormed into the lead from pole, holding off strong early pressure from championship leader Hartog.
A full-course yellow put Yardley under pressure, but he was able to retain his lead despite pressure from behind. A late-race yellow flag clinched the victory for Yardley, who led home Hartog and MDK Motorsports’ Dan Clarke.
Clarke led a chase of Baby Bull Racing’s Michael Cooper for much of the race before squeezing through to clinch the final podium spot on lap nine.
“It’s obviously great to convert the pole into a win here at Watkins Glen,” Yardley said.
“It was an awesome race, and I have to say a massive thank you to everyone at Topp Racing and TCS Fuels for a fast car. The start of the race was pretty tough, with some pressure from behind.
“Then I settled in, and we had a nice little gap. I managed one restart, held the lead there and that was it. I have to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s got me to this point.
“To get my first win is a bit of a relief, but now I’m ready for the rest of the season.”
Former Pro-Am series champion Alan Metni took the victory aboard his Kellymoss entry after getting past pole-sitter Marco Cirone before the halfway mark.
The victory was Metni’s second win of the year. He also tasted victory in round two at Sebring earlier this year.
Efrin Castro finished second in class, with Pedro Torres completing the podium in third.
A new Masters Class winner emerged with ACI Motorsports’ Richard Edge, scoring this first win.
Edge was pressured early by pole winner Scott Blind who ended up in the sand trap after contact with another car.
“That was great. My first win in Carrera Cup,” said Edge.
“The ACI motorsports team gave me a good car and I really just focused on hitting my marks out there and keeping the guys behind me.
“It ended up working out. I had a bit of a rough restart because I got some junk on my tires, but I was able to clean that off and stay ahead of the group.
“It worked out great. I’m super excited for everybody on the team. I’m stoked.”
Points leader Matt Halcome finished second in class with series newcomer Jody Miller – graduating from Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama – earning a podium on debut.
Round eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will be contested on Saturday at Watkins Glen at 11:00 a.m. Live coverage will be available on PorscheCarreraCup.us, Peacock, IMSA.tv, and youtube.com/@imsaofficial.
