Yardley Victorious in Race 1 at Montreal

Nearly one year after capturing his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America victory, Ryan Yardley was a winner once again in the series, this time at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

At the Grand Prix du Canada, the New Zealander started from pole position with Topp Racing after securing the spot in qualifying on Saturday morning. He then led flag-to-flag en route to his first win of the season later in the afternoon.

It was a crucial victory for Yardley, who entered the weekend third in the Pro class championship standings chasing leader Riley Dickinson. Fittingly, it was Dickinson who Yardley held off for the entire 40-minute race to win by just 1.6 seconds.

Behind the battle between Yardley and Dickinson was Zachary Vanier, the Canada native relishing in his hometown race. From Garson, Ontario, Vanier started fifth – was pushed back at the start – but maneuvered his way up to third by the race’s end.

The Pro-Am class win came down to the final minutes, with James Sofronas and GMG Racing emerging on top amidst the chaos.

With ten minutes remaining, Sofronas led the train of his Porsche and those of teammate Patrick Mulcahy and pole-sitter JP Martinez.

The three were separated by less than one second before Mulcahy shortcut the chicane and dropped to third.

Martinez then ran side-by-side with Sofronas for the win, pulling ahead slightly before mirroring Mulcahy’s error in the chicane as well. Martinez gave the position back to Sofronas, who held on for his second win of the season.

Martinez and Mulcahy followed in second and third, respectively, at the finish line.

In the Masters class, Scott Blind expertly navigated traffic from the Pro and Pro-Am classes to finish first in his own race.

With Ruckus Racing, Blind captured his fourth victory of the season on Saturday and will search for his fifth on Sunday.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America activity comes to a close on Sunday morning with Race 2 at 9:30 a.m. EST.

RESULTS: Race 1