De Angelis Takes Final Win of Canada Season

It was the perfect ending to a perfect season on Sunday for Roman De Angelis in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.

In the final race of the year at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, De Angelis started second on the grid in his No. 79 Mark Motors Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car to Parker Thompson.

Thompson, in the No. 3 SCB Racing Porsche, led for nearly all of the 45-minute contest – including over a captivating battle amongst the top five competitors, all within one second of each other with 10 minutes remaining – but succumbed to De Angelis with three minutes remaining.

It was De Angelis’ 11th first-place trophy this year out of 12 races and came one day after securing his first GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Platinum Class championship.

This is De Angelis’ second GT3 Cup Challenge Canada championship in three years with Mark Motors Racing, after winning the Gold Class championship in 2017. He credited the team following the race and especially teammate Marco Cirone, who captured a sixth GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Platinum Masters championship of his own on Saturday as well.

Thompson held on for a second-place finish, which coupled with a fourth-place showing on Saturday, elevated him to second behind De Angelis in the 2019 championship standings as well.

Finishing third on Sunday was rookie Ethan Simioni in the No. 40 Policaro Motorsport Porsche. Simoni has had an impressive run in the second half of the season, finishing on the podium in the last four consecutive races. The podium streak moved him to fifth overall in the final championship standings.

Meanwhile, coming home in fourth place on Sunday after a difficult Race 1 on Saturday, was Jeff Kingsley in the No. 16 Porsche for Policaro Motorsport. Kingsley started eighth on the grid and moved up four spots to earn the final Yokohama Tire Hard Charger Award of the season. The award is given to the driver in the field who gained the most positions over the course of the race.

Also having an infinitely better Race 2 was De Angelis’ teammate and the 2019 Platinum Masters Class champion, Marco Cirone in the No. 88 Mark Motors Porsche. Weather and strategy calls plagued the No. 88 team throughout Saturday’s race, forcing them to finish last on the charts.

But a spectacular bounce back on Sunday ended with a win, Marco’s seventh of the season. However, it didn’t come without its own set of trials.

Saturday’s Platinum Masters winner, Michael Levitas in the No. 37 TPC Racing Porsche, finished second in the final race and coming home in third was Cirone’s Mark Motors teammate Perry Bortolotti in the No. 84 Porsche.

Completing his rookie season in GT3 Cup Challenge Canada was Sam Fellows, driver of the No. 35 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche. Fellows – son of legendary sports car driver Ron Fellows – secured the Gold Class championship after racing six events this year.

RESULTS: Race 2