Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama at the Toronto Indy race weekend

De Angelis takes sixth and seventh victory of the 2019 season


TORONTO, July 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Races 7 and 8 in the 2019 season of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama were disputed at the Toronto Indy race weekend.

“The weather was looking quite unpredictable but thunderstorms ultimately struck right before the scheduled start of our race on Saturday,” said Marc Ouayoun, President & CEO, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “But ultimately, the race resumed and talent was proven once again throughout the field especially considering the tight street circuit at the Toronto Indy.”

July 13, 2019 – First race
Roman De Angelis has been on a roll in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama this season, entering the Indy Toronto weekend with five consecutive wins through six rounds. If there was one factor, though, that could have thrown the 18-year-old off his game on Saturday ahead of Race 1, it was weather.

A strong summer storm rolled in over the Streets of Toronto just as the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada green flag time was approaching and ultimately caused a near two-hour delay. However, the storm passed, allowing the field of Porsches to battle not only each other, but also changing track conditions as the surface dried over the course of the 45-minute race.

For De Angelis, overcoming the challenges to score a dominating 45-second, flag-to-flag victory on the 1.786-mile street course made this particular victory a bit sweeter than the rest in his No. 79 Mark Motors Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

“There was a pretty big build up right before the race,” said De Angelis, of Belle River, Ontario. “There were probably two hours where we were sitting there waiting to see if we were going to race or not tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever driven better in my life. Something about Toronto and the rain earlier on just fitted the Mark Motors car and the conditions. It was a lot of fun on the slicks early on. Once again, I just can’t thank Mark Motors enough.”

Earning his second runner-up position in three races was Jeff Kingsley of Ajax, Ontario, in the No. 16 Policaro Motorsport Porsche. Kingsley held the position throughout the race after qualifying second earlier in the day.

Rounding out the podium – and also taking home the Yokohama Tire Hard Charger Award for gaining the most positions during the race – was Parker Thompson in the No. 3 Porsche for SCB Racing.

In the Platinum Masters class, Marco Cirone is on a streak of his own in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. After sweeping both victories at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just last week, Cirone repeated on Saturday in the class for drivers 45 years and older. Cirone is seeking his sixth Platinum Masters championship in 2019.

“We are now halfway through the season and the field has shown increased confidence, competitiveness, and aptitude,” said Marc Ouayoun, President & CEO, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “We were delighted to have been able to welcome 2018 LeMans-winner and World Champion Kevin Estre as a mentor in the series which has benefited drivers in tangible and measurable ways.”

July 14, 2019 – Second race
Roman De Angelis is in a league of his own this year in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, as showcased once again this past weekend at Indy Toronto.

In a rare statistical feat, De Angelis started from the pole position in both rounds of the doubleheader weekend after having posted the two fastest laps in Saturday’s qualifying- with both Laps 8 and 9 being an identical time of one minute, 12.966 seconds. The first instance scored him the pole for Race 1 on Saturday, while the second scored him the pole for Race 2 – for which the grid is set by either a driver’s second quickest qualifying lap or their fastest lap in Race 1 – whichever is fastest.

On Sunday, the 18-year-old took ownership of the lead from the drop of the green flag and proceeded on to another flag-to-flag victory as he did on Saturday. It was De Angelis’ third consecutive weekend sweep in GT3 Cup Challenge Canada and seventh consecutive victory through eight rounds of the season.

As De Angelis describes, the only difference between his Race 1 win on Saturday and his Race 2 victory on Sunday was the weather. Drivers faced mixed weather conditions for the first race of the doubleheader, while Sunday offered sunny skies and higher temperatures.

“The heat definitely plays a factor when you’re driving, especially when there’s not a lot going on around you,” said De Angelis. “It was kind of quiet out there today, so trying to keep focused with the heat. You’re sweating and losing your energy pretty much the whole time. Just trying to keep focused is really difficult.”

With four rounds remaining in the 2019 season, De Angelis holds a strong lead in the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada championship. The next two rounds will take place at Road America on August 2 – 4, which will be the second and final joint event of the year with Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, which De Angelis also competes in. The first came in June at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, which was De Angelis first doubleheader victory of the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada season.

“I’m looking forward to Road America. I think Montreal was really fun and a great event for us in general, so I hope we can do the same thing we did there. It’s always fun when the Americans and the Canadians go at it together, especially being part of both, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Finishing second on the podium in both races at Indy Toronto was Jeff Kingsley in the No. 16 Policaro Motorsport Porsche.

Third on the leaderboard and also earning the Yokohama Tire Hard Charger Award for gaining the most positions during the 45-minute race was Michael Di Meo in the No. 96 Porsche for OpenRoad Racing. Di Meo, at his hometown event, started seventh on the grid but ended up on the podium, even despite a scratch against the wall to start the race.

Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of his Mark Motors teammate, Marco Cirone in the No. 88 Porsche scored his fourth consecutive Platinum Masters victory, after sweeping the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last week and doing so again this weekend at Indy Toronto. Cirone is in search of his sixth GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Platinum Masters championship

An incident early in the race halted on-track action for about 10 minutes, with the No. 99 Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports Porsche Alan Metni scraping the wall and careening into the back of Patrick Dussault’s No. 77 Lauzon Autosport Porsche. While both cars made strong impact into the Turn 9 tire barriers, each driver was able to walk away.

The next two races for Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama at Road America will be streamed live on IMSA.tv over the course of the weekend on August 2 – 4. Alongside GT3 Cup Challenge USA, the first race of the weekend is scheduled for Saturday, August 3 at 11:30 a.m. ET, with Race 2 on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. The finale rounds of the 2019 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada season will take place at Circuit Mont-Tremblant on September 27 – 29.

To keep up with GT3 Cup Challenge Canada news and updates for the remainder of the season, please visit IMSA.com or Porsche.com/Canada and join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #GT3Canada and #IMSA. 

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About Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd.

Established in 2008, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. (PCL) is the exclusive importer and distributor of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman; Panamera; as well as Cayenne and Macan. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, since 2017, PCL employs a team of more than 50 in sales, aftersales, finance, marketing, network development, and public relations. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience in keeping with the brand's 70-year history of leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety, and efficiency. In 2019, a Parts Distribution Centre will open its doors and service the countrywide network of 19 Porsche Centres. PCL is the dedicated subsidiary of Porsche AG, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2018, Porsche sold an unprecedented 8,904 units in Canada, up 7.9% over the prior year.

At the core of this success is Porsche's proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000-plus motorsport wins to date.

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Public Relations
Patrick Saint-Pierre
647-531-2992
patrick.saint-pierre@porsche.ca

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