Fresh Faces Looking for First Victoria Day SpeedFest Win

For the seventh consecutive year, the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama is part of the annual Victoria Day SpeedFest this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Eleven Porsche GT3 Cup Canada Platinum Cup class cars are slated to compete in the two, 45-minute sprint races set for the weekend, with the first on Saturday, May 19 at 3:05 p.m. ET and the second on Sunday, May 20 at 11:20 a.m. ET.

The races are the third and fourth rounds of the season and will be streamed live on IMSA.tv.

Only one driver in this weekend’s lineup has previously been victorious in Platinum Cup at Victoria Day SpeedFest – Zach Robichon in the No. 98 Mark Motors Porsche. Robichon, who won Round 2 in 2016 at the fan-favorite event, enters the weekend with a 12-point advantage in the championship standings after taking the first two victories of the season at Sebring International Raceway back in March.

One of the ten drivers looking to halt Robichon’s momentum is rookie Jeff Kingsley in the No. 16 Porsche for Policaro Motorsport / SportsCarBoutique.

With a background featuring the Canadian Touring Car Championship and a win at the 2017 British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) three-hour endurance race, Kingsley is well acquainted with CTMP, albeit in different cars.

“I am really looking forward to getting on track this weekend at the Victoria Day SpeedFest in the Porsche GT3 Cup car,” Kingsley said.

“I’ve driven the track many times in different cars, however, the speed of the Porsche will certainly add some exciting challenge. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is renowned for its driving criteria as it really puts drivers to the test.”

Kingsley makes up half of the two-car effort put forth this season by Policaro Motorsport / SportsCarBoutique, with Michael Di Meo sliding in the team’s No. 35 Porsche for the first time this year.

With this season being the team’s first since 2016, both Kingsley and Di Meo are looking to deliver results.

“Policaro Motorsports and SportsCarBoutique are working diligently to get the cars dialed into race pace,” added Kingsley. “Representing Porsche Centre Oakville, the cars have a great team behind them, and they’ve left it up to me to get the result at the end of the day.

“It is my hope that I can put the team on the podium, right where they belong, and where they left off in 2016. I hope to see many fans in the crowd and hope as a series we can provide them with a great show.”

Porsche GT3 Cup Canada action kicks off this weekend with two practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning at 8:50 a.m.

Along with the on-track action this weekend, fans have an opportunity to meet the drivers at an autograph session also scheduled for Saturday at 11:15 a.m. at the Yokohama Tire Service Center.

Victoria Day SpeedFest is the first of two trips Porsche GT3 Cup Canada will make to CTMP in 2018, as the track will host the series finale on August 25 – 26. CTMP also hosts IMSA’s flagship series, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on July 6 – 8 for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix weekend.