Rennsport Carrera Cup Notebook

Photo: Porsche

***Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America has taken center stage this weekend at Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7, with Rounds 13 and 14 set to be among the feature races on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

***It marks the second time an IMSA-sanctioned Porsche single-make series has been part of the Rennsport event, following the 2015 edition when Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama held points-paying races, also at Laguna Seca. Carrera Cup teams are set up in a massive tent in the paddock (pictured above).

***The entry list has remained at 37 cars, despite two withdrawals. The No. 37 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Sabre Cook will not take part after Cook was not cleared to race following her accident in Race 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway two weeks ago. The No. 99 Kellymoss entry of Alan Metni also dropped off the list earlier this week due to a non-racing injury for Metni.

***Cook’s car was destroyed in the accident at The Brickyard, triggered by an apparent issue for Marco Cirone’s Pro-Am class entry, which made heavy contact with Cook’s Deluxe-sponsored Porsche. Cirone is also not taking part this weekend.

***Nicky Hayes (Wright Motorsports) and Blake McDonald (GMG Racing) have taken up entries in Pro and Pro-Am respectively. Both drivers are set for the first career Carrera Cup North America starts this weekend, in addition to Bayley Hall, who has been confirmed at the wheel of the No. 24 McElrea Racing Porsche for the remainder of the season.

***Hall is a Porsche Michelin Junior in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, also driving for McElrea. The 20-year-old Australian has tested twice with the team in the U.S., at Road America and Circuit of The Americas, prior to arriving at Laguna Seca for the first time.

***While Riley Dickinson has already locked up the Pro drivers’ championship following his sweep of the weekend at Indy, Kellymoss continues to be on course to secure its third consecutive entrants’ championship. The Wisconsin-based team has an 81-point lead over JDX Racing and a 99-point advantage over McElrea Racing heading into the final four races of the season.

***Dickinson said racing as part of Rennsport 7  is “quite a special experience.” He told Sportscar365: “For me this is my first time at a Rennsport. I’ve obviously heard so many great things about it but it’s really cool to see all of the Porsche heritage and all of the history throughout the years. To be a small piece of it this weekend is something to be pretty proud of, for all of us drivers and teams. Hopefully we’ll be able to put on a good show this weekend for all of the fans.”

***Dickinson will be awarded the Al Holbert trophy, named in honor of the Porsche legend who lost his life in a private plane crash on this day in 1988.

***Pro-Am class driver PJ Hyett has seven cars entered under the AO Racing banner as part of Rennsport Reunion 7 run groups. The team has brought numerous iconic cars to the event, led by an un-raced 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, which is sporting a livery honoring F.A.T International.

***In addition, Hyett and AO Racing team co-owner Gunnar Jeannette have the original Porsche 962 which carried the F.A.T. livery in 1990, the 1983 Rolex 24 at Daytona0-winning “Swap Shop” Andial Porsche 935L and a 2007 Team Penske Porsche RS Spyder, along with the 1985 Lowenbrau Porsche 962 HR1 and the overall Petit Le Mans-winning factory Porsche 911 RSR from 2015.

***Hyett’s current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ride, a 2023 Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 R, known as “Rexy”, is also on-site this weekend, as well as several other active WeatherTech Championship cars including JDC-Miller Motorsports’ Porsche 963 as well as an example from Porsche Penske Motorsport, which co-grand marshal Patrick Long turned laps in for the first time this weekend.

***GMG Racing, which is fielding Carrera Cup entries for McDonald and Kyle Washington this weekend, also has a presence in the Rennsport  run groups, including team owner James Sofronas returning to the wheel for the first time since his back injury at Road America, in a Type-997 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the Flacht Cup.

***The 2024 Carrera Cup North America schedule is planning to be released at next month’s round at Circuit of The Americas according to Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO Volker Holzmeyer. It is expected to be similar to this year’s calendar but with at least two changes.

***Carrera Cup Qualifying is scheduled to get underway at 2:20 p.m. PDT (5:20 p.m. EDT) this afternoon, with Race 1 set for Sunday at 9:05 a.m. PDT (12:05 p.m. EDT) and Race 2 at 3:35 p.m. PDT (6:35 p.m. EDT). Both races will be streamed live on PorscheCarreraCup.us, IMSA.tv and Peacock, with Nick Tandy set to join John Hindhaugh in the booth to call Race 2.

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