| July 31, 2019 Staff Report IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It’s always a show when Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama takes to the track, but fans at Road America this weekend for the IMSA Road Race Showcase will be getting double their money’s worth. For the second and final time this season, both the GT3 Cup Challenge USA and Canada series will team up for a doubleheader that will feature more than 30 Porsches competing for the overall win, in addition to the win in their respective series. The first joint event of the season came at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve back in June as part of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The trip to Montreal was a first for many of the GT3 Cup Challenge USA competitors, with that venue last hosting a joint race in 2016. This weekend, the tables will be turned as it’s the first time GT3 Cup Challenge Canada has visited Elkhart Lake and “America’s National Park of Speed.” One of those drivers experiencing Road America for the first time is Ethan Simioni, a GT3 Cup Challenge Canada rookie who earned his best career finish of third place in the second round of the Montreal weekend. “I am incredibly excited to be racing at Road America,” said Simioni, driver of the No. 40 Policaro Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. “It is such an iconic track and presents quite a challenge due to its variance in corner styles. It’s going to be key to hit the ground running and find a setup that works with minimal track time. I was able to get my first podium finish at the last joint event, so I’ll be looking to hopefully repeat, if not better that result this weekend.” Also looking to improve on two podium finishes from the Montreal weekend is Maxwell Root in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports Porsche. Root finished second and third to the winner of both races, Roman De Angelis, who leads the championship standings for both GT3 Cup Challenge USA and Canada. Root is second in the GT3 Cup Challenge USA standings in the Platinum Cup class for 911 GT3 Cup cars built in 2017 or later. “I’m looking forward to getting back to Road America with Wright Motorsports,” said Root. “I think if you asked most drivers, they’d agree that it’s a favorite on the calendar. Elkhart Lake is such a great little town and the venue and people they draw in are awesome. “I really enjoyed running with the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada crowd in Montreal, so I’m excited that we get to do it twice this season. Road America is obviously a much larger circuit and so there will be a lot more room to race on, especially with the amount of cars expected to be on the grid. It’s a track that has a little bit of everything from tight turns to fast straights and elevation changes, so I’m sure we’ll be able to put on a great show for the fans. I’m excited to get back to it.” Additionally, this weekend’s Race 1 will mark the 200th GT3 Cup Challenge USA race since the series’ inception in 2005. A special decal will be distributed to competitors at track. The weekend gets underway for GT3 Cup Challenge on Friday with a pair of practices at 9:55 a.m. EDT / 8:55 a.m. CDT and 2:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. CDT, with qualifying later that afternoon at 6:40 p.m. EDT / 5:40 p.m. CDT. Timing and scoring will be available at scoring.imsa.com. Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EDT / 11:30 a.m. CDT, while Race 2 goes green on Sunday at 10:40 a.m. EDT / 9:40 a.m. CDT. Both races can be streamed live on IMSA.tv. Fans can follow along with the action on IMSA.com and on social media using the hashtags #IMSA and #RoadAmerica. Tickets for the weekend are available at RoadAmerica.com. |
