Martin Harvey sweeps weekend in the Gold Cup; Marco Cirone wins consecutive Platinum Masters
WATKINS GLEN, NY, July 4, 2016 /CNW/ - The 2016 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama continued this past weekend with Rounds 5 and 6 taking place at Watkins Glen International. The points spread at the top of the field was very close leading up to the weekend events and the points spread remains very tight after the two races.
"Canadian racers proudly captured some impressive results this weekend while commemorating Canada Day in the United States at Watkins Glen International," said Alexander Pollich, President & CEO Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., who was witnessing both races on site. "With less than 10 points separating the top three spots in the standings after half of the season it is clear that the competition is fierce and there is tremendous driver skill."
In the first race, held on Friday, July 1, very tricky conditions saw a heated duel between most of the competitors. This was the third event with a mixed field containing participants from both the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. With very limited green-flag racing after two separate multi-car accidents in the large 37-car field slowed the race down, Daniel Morad in his No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche led from pole and held off Scott Hargrove in the No. 28 OpenRoad Racing Porsche to take the two top spots in the combined podium. Morad finished the race with a .533 second lead over Hargrove. Zach Robichon finished third (fourth overall) in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche.
"It was nerve-wracking in a way, almost like driving in the rain," said Morad. "Tricky conditions, but I'm so happy with the car the Alegra Motorsports guys gave me. Race weekend after race weekend, delivering me beautiful race cars and giving me the chance to win every time I'm out here."
"I tried to get around him (Morad) on the final restart with three laps to go," said Hargrove. "We were pushing hard and had a couple of good runs. At one point, I got my tires dirty and fell back a little bit. At that point, there was only one lap to go. I closed up a lot on the final lap, thought about giving it a run, but I wasn't quite close enough."
Marco Cirone in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche finished in fourth place in the Platinum Cup while also winning the Platinum Masters.
In the Gold Cup, Martin Harvey earned his first victory of the season in the No. 08 Wingho Racing Porsche, while pole sitter Shaun McKaigue finished second in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche.
In the second race, early on Saturday, July 2, Scott Hargrove and Daniel Morad switch lead positions as Hargrove added his third victory to the season after passing Morad in the pole position with 21-minutes remaining in the 45-minute race. Zach Robichon added another third place finish. The top three Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama finishers were the overall winners as well in the fourth joint race, beating out the top entries in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.
Morad and Hargrove stayed side-by-side entering the iconic "Boot" section of the circuit. Their two cars touched in Turn 8, the "Heel" of the "Boot," with Hargrove nudging ahead. He finished the decisive pass of Morad in Turn 9, exiting the "Boot," and never trailed thereafter.
"It felt great out there, especially after yesterday not getting much time to get a good race distance," said Scott Hargrove. "So today after we had a little bit of running, our tires stayed there, and we were able to pull away. I'm excited to win here in the States with this joint event and with IMSA here."
Marco Cirone replicated his result from the day prior, finishing fourth and as the leader in the Platinum Masters.
Martin Harvey completed a Gold Cup event sweep at Watkins Glen International in the No. 08 Wingho Racing Porsche after beating Shaun McKaigue, while McKaigue earned valuable points finishing in second to maintain his Gold Cup championship lead.
Rounds 7 and 8 of the 12-round Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama are scheduled for July 15 - 17 at Honda Indy Toronto.
For more information on the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, visit www.imsa.com and @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3CAN. Live commentary for both races will be provided on Twitter at @IMSALive.
For high-resolution images, contact Paul Kelly at [email protected].
SOURCE Porsche Cars Canada
Image with caption: "A joint field of 37 cars competed in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama races July 1 and 2, 2016 at Watkins Glen International. (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160704_C8565_PHOTO_EN_726957.jpg
Image with caption: "In the fifth race of the series, on July 1, 2016, Daniel Morad (centre) topped the podium in the No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche, narrowly beating Scott Hargrove (left) in the No. 28 OpenRoad Racing Porsche and Zach Robichon (right), who finished third in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160704_C8565_PHOTO_EN_726955.jpg
Image with caption: "On July 2, Scott Hargrove (centre) won the sixth race of the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama series at Watkins Glen International. Daniel Morad (left) crossed the checkered flag second in the No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche, while Zach Robichon (right) followed him to a third place finish in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160704_C8565_PHOTO_EN_726953.jpg
Daniel Ponzini, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., 905-694-9959, [email protected]
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