RAFA’s Porto, Choksey Claim Breakthrough Win on Strategy

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

RAFA Racing’s Kiko Porto and Varun Choksey claimed a strategic victory in an incident-filled Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.

Porto overcame a late-race splash-and-dash to maintain his lead in the No. 12 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 that he shared with Varun Choksey.

It marked the first Pilot Challenge victory for the Kevin Conway-led operation.

The Brazilian, who was the only GS class driver to top up on fuel in the closing stages of the race’s third and final full-course caution with 1 hour and 9 minutes to go, attempted to go to the finish without an additional stop.

However, after enjoying a 41-second lead at the time, Porto pitted with 15 minutes to go for the splash and still emerged in the lead by some five seconds, and cruised to a 9.881-second win over the second-placed No. 27 AutoTecnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Stevan McAleer.

Nate Cicero completed the GS podium in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mustang GT4.

Both McAleer and Cicero only cleared the TCR class leaders in the overall running order in the final 20 minutes of the race, which was jumbled up early on, with cars on split strategies in the two-hour contest that was marred by early race accidents.

It included a lengthy safety car period following a violent two-car crash in Turn 4 involving the No. 30 LAP Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 of Scott Thomson and William Tally’s No. 21 Victor Gonzalez Racing CUPRA Leon VZ TCR that sent both cars airborne.

Both drivers climbed from their cars under their own power, with Tally evaluated and released, although Thomson was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation per an IMSA spokesperson.

Thomson, meanwhile, was given incident responsibility by race control.

The majority of the runners in GS and TCR utilized the long yellow to make their first pit stop at the 40-minute mark, and then took green flag stops to get to the finish.

Cicero and co-driver Robert Noaker have taken over the GS points lead as a result of their podium result, after the championship-leading No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW of Dillon Machavern was forced to the garage with suspension damage following opening-lap contact.

Machavern and co-driver Luca Mars returned to action but finished 34th overall and 23rd in class.

Trenton Estep made a late-race pass on Matt Plumb to finish fourth in the No. 66 YRB Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo, relegating Plumb and co-driver Paul Holton to fifth in their No. 46 Team TGM Mustang GT4.

TCR class honors went to the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryson Morris and Mason Filippi, which finished seventh overall after stretching its fuel to the end.

Filippi, who emerged in the lead following the pivotal round of stops, held off the class pole-sitting No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Karl Wittmer by more than two seconds at the line.

Bruno Junqueira, meanwhile, made a last-lap pass on Harry Gottsacker, to put the No. 56 Baker Racing Audi RS 3 LMS TCR on the class podium.

RESULTS: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John