New Season Opener; Return To Montreal, Laguna Seca for 2019

The 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama will feature a new season-opening round, a return to two popular venues from the series’ past and a new-for-2019 television partner IMSA officials revealed next year’s calendar at the site of 2018’s final event weekend.

The 2019 schedule will feature an eight-weekend, 16-round schedule of 45-minute races.

Television coverage for seven of the eight event weekends will air on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN as part of IMSA’s overarching, six-year partnership with NBC Sports launching in 2019.

The season begins a few weeks later than in recent years, kicking off with a doubleheader of races at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala on April 6-7.

It will be the first of two event weekends the series will run as a companion to the IndyCar Series.

The following month, the series rejoins the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the first of five companion weekends with IMSA’s flagship series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 4-5.

Next, it’s on to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in June as part of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. The date will be confirmed following the approval of the entire 2019 F1 calendar by the FIA.

It will be the first GT3 Cup Challenge USA event in Montreal since a pair of races in the 2016 season. It also will be the first of two combined events with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama set for 2019.

Three weeks later, the GT3 Cup Challenge USA rejoins the WeatherTech Championship at Watkins Glen International on June 28-29 as part of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen weekend.

After sitting out the month of July, the GT3 Cup Challenge USA returns to action in the first weekend of August at Road America on Aug. 3-4. The Road America event also will include GT3 Cup Challenge Canada.

August also will have two GT3 Cup Challenge USA events, the second of which coming once again at Virginia International Raceway on the weekend of Aug. 24-25.

The VIR round is a companion event to the Michelin GT Challenge for the WeatherTech Championship.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is the other venue returning to schedule after a two-year absence.

The penultimate event weekend of the season will be on Sept. 21-22 as a companion to the IndyCar Series.

As it has since 2016, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta again will host the 2019 GT3 Cup Challenge USA season finale on Oct. 10-11 as part of the Motul Petit Le Mans event.

In addition to NBCSN delayed television coverage in the U.S, IMSA.tv will offer live streaming of the seven event weekends with television coverage.

Only the Montreal weekend will be without television or streaming coverage. GT3 Cup Challenge USA events will be on the IMSA YouTube channel after the NBCSN telecasts have aired.

2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Schedule:

April 6-7 — Barber Motorsports Park
May 4-5 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course*
TBC — Montreal**
June 27-28 — Watkins Glen*
Aug. 3-4 — Road America*
Aug. 24-25 — Virginia International Raceway*
Sept. 21-22 — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Oct. 10-11 — Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta*

* — In conjunction with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events
** — F1 calendar to be approved by FIA