Carrera Cup Makes Canada Return, Montreal Debut with F1

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche

For the first time since 2022, Porsche Carrera Cup North America returns to Canada for its debut in Montreal, supporting the Formula 1 AWA Grand Prix du Canada.

A total of 34 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are on the pre-event entry list for Rounds 5 and 6 of the one-make series, following its last outing as part of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami. The season closes out at Circuit of The Americas in October, also with F1.

The 2.71-mile, 14-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which previously hosted Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA and Canada competition, will make its Carrera Cup North America debut with a field largely comprised of full-season entries, with 16 cars in the Pro class, 12 in Pro-Am and six Masters class entries.

Following an up-and-down weekend in Miami, Kellymoss driver Loek Hartog heads to Canada with an increased 19-point lead over fellow Supercup rival Gus Burton, who had a weekend to forget.

Zach Vanier, who broke through for his first career Carrera Cup victory in Race 2 in Miami, currently sits third in the Pro class heading into the pair of 45-minute races.

Pro-Am sees Marco Cirone with the lead in class while Matt Halcome is out front in Masters as the series nears the halfway mark.

Pre-Event News & Notes

***Three Canadian drivers are entered to compete in their home country this weekend. Included is Garson, Ontario’s Vanier who is seeking his second consecutive Pro class victory in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche. Toronto’s Roberto Tutino represents Canada at the wheel of the No. 26 ACI Motorsports entry in the Pro-Am class. Cirone, of Toronto, looks to continue to hold tight to the Pro-Am class points lead in the No. 84 ACI machine.

***The No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche of Masters class driver Mark Kvamme continues to raise awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s through his motorsport efforts. The two-time Carrera Cup North America class champion stopped at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium before leaving Ohio for Montreal.

***The public appearance honored Columbus Zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna, who is currently battling Alzheimer’s disease. While at the world-famous zoo, Kvamme added Hanna’s name to Racing to End Alzheimer’s livery. Each week, race fans are welcome to add names of loved ones they have lost or who are suffering from Alzheimer’s through a donation to Racing to End Alzheimer’s.

***The success of Carrera Cup North America has been proven each season as new drivers, teams and marketing partners have joined the ranks of the one-make race series. In only its fourth season, the North American race series is now regularly among the elite of the Porsche single brand series worldwide in entry list size as well as international appeal for teams and drivers. It has proven itself as an indicator of future performance as well.

***Inaugural series champion Seb Priaulx has won the last two rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro class in a Porsche 911 GT3 R with Laurin Heinrich who, himself, is a former Porsche Junior and past race winner in the series. 2022 champion Parker Thompson earned a GTD class win earlier this year at Long Beach while 2023 series champion Riley Dickinson raced a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to victory the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season-opener at Daytona.

***Earlier this year, Jordan Wallace became the first African American driver to enter the Carrera Cup North America at Round 1 in Sebring. At the most recent round – the Grand Prix of Miami – Wallace drove the No. 23 Kellymoss Porsche to his first podium in the Pro-Am class. The series rookie but veteran racer and instructor comes to Montreal in search of a first win.

***Track action kicks off on Friday with a pair of practice sessions, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning and Race 1 at 5:55 p.m. EDT. Race 2 gets underway Sunday at 9:40 a.m. EDT, with both races airing live on Peacock, IMSA.tv and PorscheCarreraCup.us, before being archived on Porsche Motorsport North America’s YouTube channel.

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