Martin Harvey continues dominance in Gold Cup; Andrew Danyliw sweeps Silver Cup
TORONTO, July 18, 2016 /CNW/ - The 2016 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama continued this past weekend with Rounds 7 and 8 taking place at Toronto Indy. Although there is a new points leader in the series, the points spread remains even tighter after two very dramatic races on Saturday and Sunday.
"Before the Toronto Indy rounds the leaders of the Platinum Cup were impressively within eight points of each other," said Alexander Pollich, President & CEO Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. "Now, with only four races remaining, a mere three points separate the first two drivers. That will certainly keep things interesting for the drivers and race fans as the competitiveness will only get stronger to finish the season."
In the first race, held on Saturday, July 16, Daniel Morad won under caution after starting second in the No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche. Scott Hargrove was on pace to win the event, holding over a 10 second lead over Morad with 12 minutes remaining in the No. 28 OpenRoad Racing Porsche, but experienced an issue that caused his day of racing to end short of the checkered flag and finished with a sixth place in the Platinum Cup.
"It honestly took me a lap to realize what happened," said Morad. "I saw his (Hargrove's) car, but it took a while to process that he was actually out of the race. This is a huge turning point in the championship because now I move into the lead."
Green-flag racing resumed with five minutes remaining. While fighting for second, Zach Robichon in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche and Chris Green in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche made contact, sending Green into the wall in Turn 3 of the 11-turn, 2.824 km temporary street circuit, causing the race to finish under caution. Robichon was penalized 19 seconds after the race for incident responsibility, dropping him from second position to fourth in the finishing order.
The action nearing the end of the race vaulted Tim Sanderson to place second in the No. 07 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche, earning him his first overall podium finish since June 2015. Marco Cirone finished third overall in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche, ahead of teammate, Robichon.
In addition to his second position finish, Tim Sanderson also won the Platinum Masters, ending Marco Cirone's three-round winning streak. Cirone was runner-up in the Platinum Masters.
In the Gold Cup, Martin Harvey extended his win streak to three consecutive rounds, while Shaun McKaigue placed second after starting from the class pole in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche.
Andrew Danyliw remained unbeaten this season with his third victory in the new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport race car in the Silver Cup, starting the race in class pole ahead of Gerald Panneton in the No. 57 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche.
In the second race, held on Sunday, July 17, Scott Hargrove bounced back with a vengeance and had a dominant victory in Round 8, adjusting the points spread to within three in the Platinum Cup championship. Hargrove, driving the No. 28 OpenRoad Racing Porsche, beat out Daniel Morad in the No. 17 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche by 13.523 seconds to claim his fourth victory of the season.
"All the credit to the team for giving me such an amazing car," said Scott Hargrove. "I'm happy and ready to continue this exact same thing the rest of the year."
After going slightly off track early in the race, Morad vigorously clawed back and made his final pass in the last lap around Zach Robichon in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche, earning him a second place finish and sliding Robichon into third.
Tim Sanderson finished fourth overall and in the Platinum Cup in the No. 07 Porsche Centre Oakville/Alegra Motorsports Porsche while sweeping the Platinum Masters class. Platinum Masters contender Marco Cirone rounded out the top five and finished second in the Platinum Masters in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche.
Martin Harvey finished off the weekend sweeping the Gold Cup class with another victory in the No. 08 Wingho Racing Porsche after a neck-and-neck battle with Shaun McKaigue. Shaun McKaigue finished second in the No. 34 Fiorano Racing Porsche, while Bruno Chapinotti finished third in the class in the No. 03 DFC Motorsport Porsche.
Andrew Danyliw also earned a weekend sweep in the Silver Cup in the No. 38 SCB Racing Porsche and remains unbeaten this season with his fourth victory in four starts in the class.
Rounds 9 and 10 of the 12-round Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama are scheduled for August 12 - 14 at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières, QC.
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: "The 2016 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama continued this past weekend with Rounds 7 and 8 taking place at Toronto Indy. (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160718_C2052_PHOTO_EN_736508.jpg
Image with caption: "Standing on the podium after round eight of the 2016 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, which was held at Toronto Indy, is (from left) Daniel Morad (2nd), Scott Hargrove (1st), and Zach Robichon (3rd). (CNW Group/Porsche Cars Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160718_C2052_PHOTO_EN_736510.jpg
Daniel Ponzini, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., 905-694-9959, [email protected]
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