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The seventh season of the International Motor Sports Association Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada presented by
Yokohama kicks off on May 19-21 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In 2017, there are six race weekends with two forty-five-minute
rounds at every series event. Following Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, teams will travel to Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve,
acting as a support event for the Canadian Grand Prix. Then competitors travel south of the border where the Canadian and
American series will be combined. In mid-July, it is back to Ontario for a doubleheader at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
Rounds nine and ten will be conducted on the temporary street circuit at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
The championship weekend will take place where the season started, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Competitors score points in one of three classes – Platinum Cup, Gold Cup and Silver Cup. The series also offers a Masters division for drivers 45-years of age or older.
The vehicles in the Platinum and Gold Cup categories use the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. This particular model was developed by Porsche for the one-make series that takes place throughout the world. The 911 GT3 Cup racing version is based on the production 911 GT3 RS road car. The latest cars are powered by a motor similar to those used in the 911 GT3 RS model. The engine is a 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder that produces 485-horsepower. The vehicles weigh 2,645-lbs.
The racing version of the Cayman uses a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated flat-six, which produces 385-horsepower. The car is also equipped with a PDK automatic transmission. The first two rounds of the 2017 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada presented by Yokohama were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on the Victoria Day long weekend. Drivers would compete in two forty-five-minute races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course. |
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Scott Hargrove missed securing last year’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada title by a mere five points. Hargrove returned in 2017 for another shot at the championship. During the offseason, he left OpenRoad Racing and joined Pfaff Motorsports driving the No. 9 Castrol sponsored Porsche GT3 Cup. Hargrove dominated the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and claimed a pair of overall victories. |
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Chasing this weekend’s winner, Scott Hargrove, was Zacharie Robichon. This season Robichon is piloting the No. 98 Porsche GT3 Cup in the Platinum Cup category. He qualified third fastest for round one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Robichon passed Michael De Quesada early in the contest and finished behind Hargrove. On Sunday, much of the same scenario played out and he earned a runner-up result. |
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Sweeping the Gold Cup category on the opening weekend of the 2017 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada was newcomer Roman De Angelis. The former open-wheel racer is driving the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. De Angelis was seventh fastest in the qualifying session for Saturday’s contest and led the class flag-to-flag. He repeated his performance the next day and finished fifth overall. |
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The OpenRoad Racing seat vacated by Scott Hargrove was filled the opening weekend by rookie competitor Remo Ruscitti. Ruscitti was immediately on the pace and put the No. 69 Porsche GT3 Cup in the fourth starting spot for race one. He passed Michael De Quesada early and finished in third place. On Sunday, he started second but could not defend against Zacharie Robichon and De Quesada and finished fourth. |
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Now in his third season of the series, Michael De Quesada drove the No. 31 Alegra Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup. De Quesada put the Porsche on the outside of the front row for the weekend’s first race. Unfortunately, he fell out of contention and finished fourteenth. In round two, De Quesada started fourth and redeemed himself with a lap-ten pass on Remo Ruscitti that gave him a third-place finish. |
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Driving the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche GT3 Cup was the series four-time Platinum Masters division champion Marco Cirone. Cirone was the sixth fastest in the qualifying session for round one. He finished fifth in the race and grabbed the Masters’ class victory. On Sunday, Cirone started seventh overall. He spun in turn-ten on lap-17, surrendering the category lead and finishing tenth overall. |
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Tim Sanderson has competed in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada series since 2012. His best season was 2014, when he won the Gold Cup division. Last year, Sanderson finished second in the Platinum Masters division. He opened the 2017 championship by qualifying eighth and finished Saturday’s race in the seventh spot. A spin by Marco Cirone gave Sanderson the Masters’ class victory in the finale. |
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| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum | Scott Hargrove | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 34 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Zacharie Robichon | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 3 | Platinum | Remo Ruscitti | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / OpenRoad Racing | 34 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Patrick Dussault | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 34 | - |
| 5 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 6 | Platinum | Etienne Borgeat | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 34 | - |
| 7 | Platinum | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Speedstar Motorsport | 34 | - |
| 8 | Gold | Roman De Angelis | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 34 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Maxwell Tullman | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 34 | - |
| 10 | Platinum | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 34 | - |
| 11 | Gold | Orey Fidani | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 34 | - |
| 12 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 33 | - |
| 13 | Platinum | Peter Baljet | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Porsche Centre Victoria | 33 | - |
| 14 | Platinum | Michael De Quesada | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Alegra Motorsports | 33 | - |
| 15 | Platinum | Ed Killeen | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | 33 | - |
| 16 | Platinum | Neal Walker | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 32 | - |
| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / SPONSOR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum | Scott Hargrove | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 33 | - |
| 2 | Platinum | Zacharie Robichon | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 33 | - |
| 3 | Platinum | Michael De Quesada | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Alegra Motorsports | 33 | - |
| 4 | Platinum | Remo Ruscitti | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / OpenRoad Racing | 33 | - |
| 5 | Gold | Roman De Angelis | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 33 | - |
| 6 | Platinum | Tim Sanderson | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Speedstar Motorsport | 33 | - |
| 7 | Platinum | Etienne Borgeat | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 33 | - |
| 8 | Platinum | Shaun McKaigue | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Fiorano Racing | 33 | - |
| 9 | Platinum | Patrick Dussault | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / GT Racing | 33 | - |
| 10 | Platinum | Marco Cirone | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Mark Motors Racing | 33 | - |
| 11 | Gold | Orey Fidani | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsport | 32 | - |
| 12 | Platinum | Maxwell Tullman | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 32 | - |
| 13 | Platinum | Martin Harvey | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Wingho Motorsport Racing | 32 | - |
| 14 | Platinum | Ed Killeen | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Pfaff Motorsports | 32 | - |
| 15 | Platinum | Neal Walker | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Tullman Walker Racing | 32 | - |
| 16 | Platinum | Peter Baljet | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup / Porsche Centre Victoria | 32 | - |
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